Cinema offers voyeuristic pleasures e.g. Visual pleasure
Male scopophilic desires are satisfied
Women connote "to-be-looked-at-ness"
Men look, women are looked at
Object/subject
"Look" Theory = The first two looks* are invisible in classical narrative cinema meaning that the only visible look is that of the characters
*Look at "Mulvey" post
Dyer's Typography Argues these re-presentations create types of "people" Types links to "Typical" The "types" portrayed become natural These representations become part of a process of naturalising e.g. The idea of young people being bad or women being objects of desire to be look at only become natural to the audience, almost unconscious In the Media: "Kidulthood" = Represents British, urban, teenage females as highly sexualised, as sluts. This is presented as the reality, the norm, rather than simply a construction, and is endorsed by audiences as natural. Media Platforms: The Reality becomes the Construction and the Construction becomes the Reality E.g. People assume that how they are living their lives, the Reality, is wrong and boring, and when watching films or TV programmes ("90210", "Kidulthood"), the Construction, is in fact what they should adopt and be like. Beyonce's "Partition"
Proves Mulvey's theory
Criticisms of Mulvey
Theoretical not empirical model
Focuses on heterosexual male spectators
Assumes mass audience responding to a text in a uniform way
Neglects possibility of male providing visual pleasure
Mary Ann Doane: "The Masquerade" = Flaunting a flamboyant femininity is an empowering position
Kathleen Rowe = Argues that being the object of the gave is a position of power
Richard Dyer = Questions the association of looking (the subject of the gaze) with being active, and being looked at (object of the gaze) as being passive
Ann Kaplan = Argues that women can possess the look and make men the object of the gaze. However, this simply a reversal of roles in which the positions are still defined by dominance and submission. The gaze is not necessarily male, but is masculine
The 'BASICS' of post-modernism Essentially the breakdown of barriers The mixing of things or the letting of things come together (through the breakdown of barriers) It could be between:
High Art and Low Art
Organic and Artificial
Male and Female
Between texts themselves (e.g. intertextuality)
The Real and the Fake (between what is real and what is not)
Old and New
Past and Present
"The Matrix"
Plays on the idea of the real mixed with the unreal
E.g. "The Desert of the Real"
Baudrillard
Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929 - d. 2007)
He argues our society has become so reliant on representations that we have lost contact with the real
There is no distinction between reality and representation, only simulacrum
Simulacrum:A copy that now has more reality (and relevance) than the object it is a copy of
Creating a Simulacrum
Begin with a real object
The object then becomes a representation
The representation becomes more important and 'real' to us than the original = Hyperreal
Fundamentally destroys the original, eventually meaning everything is a copy
Future representations are then copies of a copy, of a copy, etc
As a result…
Baudrillard had a problem with the idea of representation
Representation implies there was something there originally to represent
But in this view, how can one represent something that does not exist?
To test the theory?
If we accept Little Mix as a girl group rather than four individuals who sing does this mean that they are post-modernist?
Is something a simulacrum if you know it is a simulacrum?
Is it possible to create a generic construction of a Pop video that is also original?
In what ways is youth culture in "Teenager From Out of Space" represented as a simulacrum?
Developed by Ferdinand de Saussure who studied how language created meaning
Language does not reflect reality - meaning is constructed through language
We make meaning through the creation and interpretation of signs
Signs can be words, images, sounds, odours, acts…
Signs
Signifier + Signified = Sign
The signifier is the form which the sign takes
The signified the concept it represents
The sign is the total meaning that results from associating the signifier with the signified
Dyer identifies 4 questions to ask of a representation
Little Mix "Cannonball"
Almost a lack of representation because the video only represents Little Mix as what we've already seen on the show
Positive Representation
Element of success
Passionate
Talented
Negative Representation
Generic (Completely conventional X-Factor video = Promotional material for the original and cover of the song, "Cannonball", but also advertises the X-Factor, intrinsically linking the talent show to the success of the girls)
"Wings"
Incredibly professional air about the video which re-presents Little Mix as a new and interesting act e.g. High-tech effects, layout, setting
Heavily manufactured
Styled e.g. Traditional casting: Perri = Lead, Leigh-Anne = Street, Jesse = Tomboy, Jade = Young/Cute
Stylish and attractive
No fragmented body shots = Hardly sexualised (More so that "Cannonball" but not to an overdone level)
Union Jack branding
Saturation of colour
Complete lack of X-Factor, contrasting with "Cannonball"
Change in Albums
Higher level of maturity
Darker or more aggressive
"Move"
Conforming to generic Pop music videos style
Representation is slowly developing to convey Little Mix as more mature, sexualised and a product of the music industry
Using the theory of Visual Pleasure and the Male Gaze
Introduction to Mulvey
She is a feminist film scholar
She wrote "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" (1975)
Analysed Hollywood cinema and argued that female characters were represented as passive objects of male sexual desire
This is en capsulated in the term "Male Gaze"
A film is watched through the eyes of the male characters
Bechdel Test asks whether a work of fiction features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. Many contemporary works fail this test of gender bias
Scopophilia is the pleasure you can gain from looking at something
Her theory specifically related to classical Hollywood cinema
She wanted more feminist avant-garde film-making to battle the patriarchal Hollywood system
Her theories can be applied to a variety of cinema however
The Look
Mulvey identified three different ways of looking in cinema:
The look of the camera that records the film (Phallic camera acts as an extension of the male)
The look of the audience that views the film
The look of the characters within the film
On the other hand
The theory focuses on heterosexual male spectators
It assumes audiences respond to the text in a uniform way
It ignores the possibility of males providing visual pleasure as well
Kathleen Rowe argues that being the object of the gaze is a position of power
Richard Dyer questions the association of looking as active and being looked at as passive
The Gaze in Action Die Another Day
What are the male characters looking at?
Female protagonist, Halle Berry
What is the camera looking at?
Female protagonist, Halle Berry
What is the audience expected to be looking at?
The interaction (flirting) between Halle Berry's Jinx and Pierce Brosnan's Bond
What are the purposes of the shots of the male and female characters
Showcases sexual attraction and heightens female sexuality
Who is the presumed spectator(s)?
James Bond = Looking at her through his binoculars, position of the predator
Which are characters are dominant and which are submissive?
Low-angle shot looking-up at James Bond asserts his dominance immediately
Apply Fast Girls
The film, Fast Girls, takes a slightly different view in terms of the role of the female in films. The plot revolves around the idea of female empowerment and females partaking in sport (running), a sport generally dominated by men. The film portrays women as successful and talented at something usually associated with men, already challenging the convention. From the trailer, there are a variety of signs which identify the protagonist and fellow female cast members of talented and sporty e.g. the shots of them running, and training with her/their coach. The captions and clips of the protagonist training present her as motivated and hard-working, focused on her sport more than anything else.
The heavy sport presence limits the portrayal of the women as highly-sexual creatures and something to be only lusted over, however, the costumes are skimpy sports uniforms, and the trailer includes a range of fragmented body shots of the mid-rift and thighs which do work to re-present the female characters are aesthetically attractive. Some high-angle shots pointing the camera down at the female body as the character is undressing suggests a voyeuristic element and sexualises the character, even if the shot is out of context and the movement in the shot entirely innocent and professional, as well as making her the submissive object to the camera's subject e.g. removing jacket to prepare to run a race. The actresses are also attractive and there is a romantic element to the film which not only heightens that genre of the film, but softens the hard sporty exterior portrayed, making the female characters seem more feminine.
There is an air of friendship and camaraderie between the four females conveyed in the shots of them running and going out to a club, and which disproves the Bechdel Test.
There is a contrast of the rich versus the poor, which isn't necessarily restricted to the presentation of the female but just something to note in the initial scenes of the trailer. The two girls (Shania Andrews and Lisa Temple) are shown as coming from completely different backgrounds but on equal-footing in terms of talent and drive, suggesting a likely rivalry aspect as part of the plot.
Define "Mediation" My definition: The process by which the media alters and monitors information it makes available to the public
Sir's definition: The process by which messages and values are constructed and communicated to us Define "Representation" My definition: How something is presented or portrayed to deliver an impression
Sir's definition: The reinforcement of these messages and values through continuous repetition in the mass media
Activity: Asked to draw a bank manager in 60 seconds. Everyone in the class drew a man in a suit If on a judging panel looking to hire a bank manager, would these preconceptions influence your decision?
Defining A Character
Denotations What you see Connotations What you associate with those things that you see or hear Stereotypes: 2 Dimensions
Behavioural
Physical
Stereotypes Media representations often use stereotypes as a cultural shorthand
Richard Dyer
Argues stereotypes are a way of reinforcing differences between people, and representing these differences as a natural
For examples, stereotypes about men and women reinforce the idea that they are very different
Question we would ask when analysing representations:
Who or what is being represented?
How is the representation being created?
Who has created the representation?
Why is the representation created in that way? What is the intention?
What is the effect of the representation?
Gatekeeping
A theorist called White (1961) spoke of the "Gatekeepers"; that is the people who are part of the decision making process in the construction of media texts.
Who do you consider to be gatekeepers? Film producers, agents
The Constructionist Approach
The audience reacts to this representation and this depends on their own personal interpretational context: age, gender, political/religious beliefs, nationality etc
Key Nostalgic/Historical
This Is England (2006), set in 1983 24 Hour Party People (2002), set in 1976 Control (2007), set in 1975 Neds (2010), set in the 1970's Good Vibrations (2013), set in the 1970's Starter For 10 (2006), set in 1985 Topical
Kidulthood (2006) Adulthood (2008) Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008) Eden Lake (2008) Cherrybomb (2009) Harry Brown (2010) Shank (2010) Sket (2011) Anuvahood (2011) Attack The Block (2011) Fast Girls (2012) Kevin and Perry Go Large (2000) The Angel's Share (2012) Bullet Boy (2004) My Brother The Devil (2012) Demons Never Die (2011) The Inbetweeners Movie (2011) Ill Manors (2012) Representations of Youth: Stagnated or Progressive? Young Males as Violent
"Kidulthood", "Adulthood", "Eden Lake", "Anuvahood", "Attack The Block", "My Brother The Devil" Sexually Orientated
"Kevin and Perry Go Large", "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging", "Cherrybomb", "Inbetweeners" Adult Influence over Younger (The idea of there being an adult influence over youth has decreased; teenagers are presented as being much more independent in some films. However, in the cases of "Sket" and "Shank", the producers have reverted back to including a sense of adult control seen often in Gang culture where the older members exert control and influence over the younger)
"This is England", "Kidulthood", "Adulthood", "Shank", "Sket" Motivated for Success "Starter For 10", "Fast Girls", "Good Vibrations"
Showing change in society and a growing feeling of rebellion but on a very minimised and harmless level e.g. Fighting with parents over saving a dance hall
Shallow
Cheesy and unrealistic
"Teenage Bad Girl" (1956)
Showcases a breakdown between parent-child relationships
The teenage female protagonist is portrayed as out-of-control, and aggressive, which contrasts with the innocent and caring Mother unable to understand her daughter
"Teenagers From Outer Space" (1959)
The ridiculousness of the film makes light of the air of rebellion occurring at the time
Portrays teenagers as foreign, scary and dangerous
"A Hard Days Night" (1964)
Beatles first film appearance starring themselves
Attract teenagers to watch the film by directly appealing to their market
Features screaming, hormonal teenage girls, and cheeky male Pop stars running about
"Beat Girl" (1960)
Irresponsible, and silly
"Scum" (1979)
A world away from the earlier representations of teenagers in film
Portray them as violent, aggressive, having little respect for the law and their elders
The idea that the adult members of the audience would support the adults in the film, however, the film gives quite a sympathetic portrayal of the inmates as the film progresses
