Ten Key Words. . .

1. Active audience theory- This audience theory sees the audience as active participants in the process of deconding and making sense of media texts. This can be relevent to my study because while im talkin about audience i can say how they active audience would consume the text in different ways e.gg. feminist could say that females are becoming more powerful.
2. Binary oppositions- this is a term used by Claude Levi-Strauss as part of his argument that narratives are structured around oppositional elements in human culture. I can use this in my study while i am talking about the narratives that the film follow. For example there are many binary oppositions such as goog vs evil.
   
3. Male Gaze- A term used by laura Mulvey in her essay 'visual pleasure and narrative cinema' to descibe what she saw as the main point of view adopted by the camera for the benefit of an assumed male audience. This will be relevent to my text because i will also be talkin about the objectification of the female characters therefore i can use this term.
   
4. Enigma codes- This is a narrative structure that involves the creation of riddles or problems to be solved by the resolution. I will also be using this while talkin about narrative because the film contains many narrative enigmas for example at the beggning she wakes up in a bath tub naked, this creates questions in the audiences mind as to why shes there, therefore making them want to watch more of the film in order to find out.
5. Feminism- This is a political movement to advance the status of women by challenging values, social constructions and socioeconomic practices which disadvantage women and favour men. I will be refering to feminism qiote a lot in my study and including a number of different feminist and their theories to support my argument that aswell as being represented as powerful women are still objectified in resident evil.
6. Vladimir Propp- Russian formalist writer and folklorist who analysed the structure of folk storiess in his work "The morphology of the folktale". This is relevent to my study because it is a narrative theory which is linked to my text for example Milla Jovovich as the herione and Iain Glen as the villian etc.
   
7. Protagonist- The leading character or hero in the film with whom the audience can identify and from whose point of view the action is positioned often set in binary opposition against the atagonist. This will be a term which i will be using throughout my essay when i refer to the main character who in my text is Alice(Milla Jovovich)
8. Representation- The process whereby the edia construct versions of people, places and events in images words or sounds for transmission through media texts to an audience. This is relevnt to my study because it is linked to my essay question, as i am focusing on the representation of women and whether it has changed, therefore i would be refering to this term quite alot.
   
9. Stereotypes- The social classification of a group of people by identifying common characteristics and universily applying them in an often over simplified and genralised way. This is linked to my study because i will be talkin about the stereotypes that the females in my text are associated with for example sexual objects etc.
   
10. Connotations- A meaning attributed to an image beyond the obvious denotation level. This is relevent to my study because i will be looking at the connotation of my text while analysing different scenes, and talkin about the symbols etc
    

SELF EVALUATION. . .

1. Attainment- 2
   I believe that my attainment is good at the moment, as i have attended all my lessons on time and have completed all my work.
2. Effort- 2
   So far i believe that i have put in alot of effort into my work and have ensured that all the homework's and class works which i have produced are to the best of my ability.
   
3. Punctuality- 1
   I have attended all my media lessons on time.
   
4. Submission and quality of homework- 2
   I have submitted all my homework's on time, and have attempted to insure that it is oh the highest quality
   
5. Ability to work independently- 3
   So far i have worked independently on my blog, and have completed all the tasks set on my own, however some time i do need help from the teacher to guide me or from my peers.
   
6. Quality of writing- 3
   The quality of my written work i believe is average at the moment, for example the migrain analysis i have done on my blog, however i can improve it more.
   
7. Organisation of Media folder- 1
   My media folder is well organised. I have dividers for different topics and separate folders for med 5 and med 6.
   
8. Oral contributions in class- 3
   So far i have contributed in class at times e.g. during presentations etc however i can maybe attempt to include my self more during class conversations.
   
9. Standard of Module 5 blog- 3
   I believe my med5 blog is of well standard. it is well organised, e.g. starts of with my proposal then migrain analysis of my text etc and it is up to date with all the work set.
   
10. Standard of Module 6 blog- 3
    So far i do not have much on my med 6 blog however i have completed all the tasks that were set and made sure that my blog is organised.
    
    WWW:
    -Complete all me work on time
    -Attend all lessons and arrive on time
    -Keeping med 5 blog up to date
    
    EBI:
    -Do more research for independent study
    -Contribute more in class
    -Do more work on med 6 blog
    

Action Plan. . .

1. I will need to watch the film at least twice in order to gain a better understanding of it, to help me answer my question, for example by watching it a second time i could maybe get new idea's for my study, which i might not have thought about while watching it the first time. Therefore it is crucial for me to watch the film again. I will be aiming to do this by: 25Th of October.
2. I will me aiming to broaden my understanding of a whole range of media issues related to my study. This would be helping me to achieve my assessment objective 3i as i will be showing application of ideas, debates and information relevant to my text. I will be attempting to reach this target by visiting the media guardian on a weekly basis and researching issues and debates which are linked to my study. I will be aiming to complete this by: 28Th of October.
3. My third target will be to research a few historical texts which i can compare my text with. For example In my study so far i have said how the roles of females have changed however i have not given examples of how they use to be before. Therefore I would need to do research on films that use to represent women as weak, emotional give them roles such as housewives. I will complete this task by: 31st of October.
4. My third target will be to do more research into my audience. I will need to research both the primary and secondary audience of my text and also research some audience theories, for example uses and gratification etc. This can also be linked to the self assessment of my blog, where it says i lacked information on audience. I will be aiming to complete this task by: 31st October.
   
5. My fifth aim will be to do more research on roles of women in film and also more research on different feminist theories. For example i have looked at Laura Maulvey, however i could also research Ann Oakley and her study of how women are represented etc. I have done some research on the roles of women and how they are represented in films, however in order to enhance my knowledge and gain a better understanding of representation i could do more book research etc I will complete this task by: 3rd of November.
   
6. I will need to cover Shep, which is a target i have set myself on my self assessment, therefore i would need to make references to historical texts, and the social, political and economic factors surrounding my text. I could do this by visiting the media guardian and also taking out books on women within film industry. I will be aiming to complete this by: November 3rd.
   
7. Research more no the institution of my text. This was a weakness which i talked about in my self assessment; while covering migrain i found that i hadn't wrote much about institution. Therefore my target will be to research the institution and also the film maker and the previous films that he has produced in order to give me a brief idea of whether he usually makes films with women being represented as powerful etc or whether he objectifies women in his other films. I could possible take out books from the library to help me. I will be completing this by: 31st October.
8. I also need to enhance my synoptic skills by doing more outside research, e.g. i could include some sociologists who talk about representation of women e.g. Ann Oakley etc and i could also do more migrain analysis of different scenes in my text using key concepts which we studied in module 2. I will be aiming to complete this by :26Th October.
9. Get more information on the other side of my argument, which will be that women are still objectified in a sense. I can do this by researching films that present women as superior but also as sexual objects e.g. catowomen, this is done through the way she is dressed. I can therefore research more on the representation of women in action films and in general. I will complete this task by: 28Th October.
10. Research into the values and ideologies of my text. I could write more on my blog about the ideologies and values behind my text and the reason produced and how it appeals and also about the stereotypes associated with my text. I will complete this task by: 26th Oct.
    

My Presentation. . .

WWW:
-Used bullet points on sildes
-Ivolved audience by asking questions
-Talked about both sides of argument
-Highlighted key points

EBI:
-Be abit more confident
-Slow down
-More detail on analysis of how women are represented in the trailer

Targets:
-Research historical development
-Watch the film atleast two more times to gain a better understanding of it

=)

Self-Assessment of blog work. . .

AO1-

I believe that i have analysed my text well using the key concepts. While watching my text i was taking notes covering MIGRAIN which helped me while i was writing my analysis for my summer research project. I found the media representation easier then most of the other concepts, as i wrote about the the representation of females within the film and how they have changed and also linked it to the stereotypes that are associated with females. I also covered media language and forms quite easily, as i talked about all the connotations and denotations and the different angles used in the film etc. However i still need to do more research on the institution for the film. I couldn't find allot of information on the institution on the Internet which is why i didn't write alot, therefore in order to achieve this i could go to the library and take out books on the institution and get information on their history and the types of films that they have produced previously, i can also do more research on the producer of the film to help me cover this concept. Overall i done a detailed migrain analysis of the film however one of my targets could be to research the institution for resident evil by doing book research and also searching the Internet.

AO2- So far i dont have any reference to zeitgeist on my blog however i will soon be doing research on him to put up on my blog. I havent coverd shep yet but i will be applying it to my text to cover assessment objective 2 e.g. could make a few references to historical texts talkin about how females use to be gives roles such as houswifes etc. therefore one of my targets is to do more research so that i am able to cover shep. I could do this by visiting the media guardian and also taking out books on women within film industry.

AO5-

So far i have searched many websites which have articles on the representation of women within the film industry and how they have changed e.g. previously women were viewed ad sex objects in films and were mostly given roles such as housewife etc whereas now they are equal to men and many film tend to have female action stars which suggest that women are progressing. I have also went on many websites and got reviews on Resident evil: Extinctions e.g. from the media guardian, channel 4 etc which have different views about the film, and also most of the reviews talk about the representation of the female character in the film. My question will be based around the representation of women within the film industry focusing mainly on Resident evil. I am unsure about the way i will word it yet but i have formulated two question which i have to chose between. My hypothesis is detailed as it includes information on how i will be writing my essay and the arguments which i will be talking about. It also includes information on the theories and theorists which i will be making references to in my study and the related texts e.g. Tomb Raider, Kill Bill etc. I have researched some debates which are surrounding my study for example there can be two sides of the argument for my topic, one is that the role of women within the film industry has changed and they they are now presented as more powerful and superior, on the other hand it can also be argued that females are still objectified e.g. through the way that they are dressed. However i still need to do more research on the issues and debates which are linked to my study. I have done a Migrain analysis of the whole film and attempted to talk about the key concepts in as much detail as possible, however i still lack information on the institution of my text. Similarly i need to analyse different scenes/sequences from the film as it would be useful in the future while writing up my essay. I have also done a detailed migrain analysis of the trailer of the film, and covered all the key concepts and linked it to my questions. I also researched different theories and theorists which are relevant to my study, for example Propp, Levi Strauss, Laura Maulvey, Ann Oakley etc Some of these are feminist theories e.g. Maulvey, this would be useful because they talk about factors such as the 'male gaze' which is linked to my topic. I have viewed my text only once so far but have watched clips of different scenes and analysed then in detail. I am aiming to watch the film three times so that i know it well. I have also done some research on other texts which can be related to mine e.g. Kill Bill, Tomb Raider, Cat women etc these are similar to my text as they all include female action stars and are all from the same genre. So far i have kept all the links to the websites that i have gathered information from e.g. i have kept the website addresses to where i go the reviews from as i will be quoting some of the info therefore i would need to say which source i got it from.
WWW:
-Researched different theories and theorists e.g. Maulvey
- Detailed textual analysis of film
-Researched other texts related to my study and analysed then
EBI:
-More research on institution- i will achieve this by going to the library and taking out books on the producer and the institutions.
-Watch the film more then once
-Formulate my question better

Synoptic Ability-

While analysing my text, my med 2 study from last year was useful as i knew how to use the key concepts and draw up a detailed analysis of the film. Also some of the narrative theories which i will be using such as Propp and Levi Strauss are theorists which we studied last year for med 2. I can therefore use my knowledge from med 2 and apply it to my study.
My study can be linked to my med 4 module as my topic is on the representation of women in the media, which is what we are studying at the moment therefore this could be useful as i can gather information from what we are studying and apply it to my study. At the moment we are studying different types of institutions in med 6. This is useful for my independent study because at the moment i am struggling with the institution for my text therefore i can apply my knowledge from med 6 to my study to help me. So far i haven't researched any stories on the media guardian that are relevant to my study therefore one of my targets will be to visit the media guardian regularly and research articles and stories which is linked to my study.

WWW:
- Applied knowledge from med 2 to my independent study, for example Migrain analysis, key concepts, narrative theories etc.
-
EBI:
-Research dominant values and ideologies that might influence the production of my text.
-Get more stories on my topic- could do this by visiting the media guardian more often and researching stories on the representation of women.

Critical Autonomy-

i have been quite self motivated for example i update my So far i have been working independently on my study, i have been researching my topic, and have also looked at other peoples blogs who are studying similar topics to help me. I have also looked at previous med 5 blogs to help gain some ideas. However i have also been coming up with some of my own ideas and arguments which i will be putting forward in my study. i update my blog regularly and while surfing the net, if i find something relevant to my study then i would post it on my blog as i might find it useful in the future.
WWW:
-Self motivated

EBI:

Quality of written communication-

My work on the blog so far is well structured and organised. For example i first started of with my hypothesis, i then done a short migrain analysis of my clip, i included a synopsis of the film so that people are aware of what the films about and i also included a trailer. Then some research about women in the film industry etc. I have attempted to use media terminology wherever suitable e.g. while analysing clips from the film. After writing my analysis i always spell check in order to see if there are any mistakes and i also check if there are any punctuation mistakes, this way i ensure that my work is presented well. However i need to start highlighting key points from research that i copy and paste on my blog because it would make it easier for me.
WWW:
- Work is presented clearly and is well organised
- Media terminology used
-Blog is well structured
EBI:
-Highlight key points from research

Other useful blogs:

http://www.representationofwomensuperheroes.blogspot.com/

http://www.rishikillbill.blogspot.com/

http://cbjuicyfruity.blogspot.com/

Research- From other peoples blogs...

In the early nineteenth century, we typically associated the male to be the protagonist/ dominant figure in film, thus society was exceptionally patriarchal. Women usually tend to be represented as emotional, sexual, beautiful and passive. Theorist Laura Mulvey argues that cinema audiences look at films in two ways: voyeuristically and fetishistically. This led to objectification and narcissistic towards women. However, now in the twentieth century women are seen more active then passive, more stronger then delicate allowing them to be just as equal as men. With the help of feminists, and World War Two taking an important role, women are becoming less subordinate and more prevailing and controlling in both the media and society. David Gunlett agrues that since the rise of ‘girl power’ in the media, through identities constructed by music artists such as Destinys Child, as well as contemporary actresses such as Uma Thurman, demanding more active than passive roles: women have become more powerful and dominant. The movie ‘Alien’ (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, had the first female role in a action genre, this has opened many opportunities for women as it has helped produce films such as ‘Kill Bill: Volume Two’ (2004) by Quentin Tarantino.

http://killbill-volumetwo.blogspot.com/

-This would be useful for answering my question becuase its based on a similar film to mine and is also concentrating on the changing roles of women in the film industry. I agree with the statemtent because females have now become equal with men and are now seen as more powerful and superior.

Research...

• Typically ‘under a patriarchal regime, women are, by definition, excluded from positions of power and authority’[4]. Women were depicted as passive objects and were seen to be ‘inferior’ towards the males, as they were seen to be ‘breadwinners’. Women are dependant on the males, as they are biologically stronger then women, and the females are physically seen to be inferior towards them.

• Throughout Provoked and many Asian films, the male are depicted as active, both physically and mentally. Whereas the women as passive and inferior to the men ‘… masculinity confer a privileged position of power and authority… to which woman is the Other’. This is seen in ‘Provoked’ where there is a high angle shot of Andrews beating Rai and she is sitting on the floor crying. This connotes Andrews is superior and has power over Rai. The high angle also connotes him being given the God like authoritative. An image in the Eastern culture, which exists, is the husband should be seen as a god like figure. The low angle shot on Rai crying shows that she is subordinate to her husband and retains no power over him.

• 'Second Wave' was coined by Marsha Lear, and refers to the increase in feminist activity’[11]. This was the period, in the late 1960’s where females wanted to increase their status and make their identity of their own. It can be seen that Asians are trying to achieve this now. ‘Second Wave Feminism did not just strive to extend the range of social opportunities open to women, but also, through intervention within the spheres of reproduction, sexuality and cultural representation, to change their domestic and private lives’. The purpose of this act was to give females a better right and say, in which they can be seen to be equal between the two sexes.
  
  
• During the Second World War ‘Women were also conscripted to civilian war work in factories’. This was the stage when females had to take over masculine jobs, as the men’s had gone to war. It can be said that females are seen to be superior and had gained their new identity by proving that they can do men’s job and not just sit at home and be typical housewives.

http://www.provoked-provoked.blogspot.com/

Kill Bill...

This is the trailer to Kill Bill, which is similar to the text which i am studying. Both the films include female protagonists who are challenging the stereotypes that females are associated with.

In the trailer the first shot of Uma Thurman is a low angle therefore the camera is looking up at her which could portray her as superior and powerful. This is common throughout the trailer as most of the shots of the female actions stars are low angle, as they are looking down at the camera, this makes the audience feel inferior to them. In the trailer Uma Thurman is holding a sword most of the time, this could be a symbol of her power and strength. At one part there is a group of men "Crazy 88" surrounding her and shes on her own, the men are all dressed in black which clearly have connotations of evil in contrast to Thurmans costume which is all yellow, which could have possible connotations of power. Also as she draws her sword back all the men move one step back, this implies that they are afraid of her, this could be challenging the stereotypes that men are more powerful and physically stronger then women, as she is the only female fighting the "crazy 88".