David Gauntlet- Media, Gender, Identity
The chapter is about the representation of gender in the media and is basically discussing how men and woman are presented in the media, for example in TV programmes and comedy shows and also in films. Looks at the representation of gender from the 1990s to the present.
Gunter- in 1950s, 1960s and 1970s only 20% to 35% of characters were female (speaking roles in TV shows) by 1980s there were more woman in leading roles, but there was still twice as many men on screen.
- In action-adventure shows, only 15% of the leading characters were woman.
- Various other studies in the 1970s found men to be the more dominant characters and the decision makers on TC.
- Men were more likely to be assertive while woman were more likely to be passive
- Men were more likely to be adventurous, active and victorious and woman shown
as weak, ineffectual, victimised, supportive and laughable (Gunter, 1995)
Dyer, 1987, stated that TV remained stubborn, with game shows not bothering to change their
‘degrading and views of women’, sports programming remaining the ‘preserve of men’, and
news programmes accused of tokenism or ‘window dressing’ by including some women in key positions whilst retaining a male dominated culture.
Woman and film, Sharon Smith:
“Women, in fully human form, have almost completely been left out of film. . . The role of woman in a film almost always revolves around her physical attraction, and the mating games she plays with the male characters. On the other hand a man is not shown purely in relation to the female character, but in a wide variety of roles”
Kathi Maio, 1990s:
“Women are not only given less screen time, when we’re up there on the screen we are likely to be portrayed as powerless and ineffectual...Where are the triumphant woman heroes to match the winner roles men play constantly?”
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
Hegomonic Model or Pluralistic Model?
Hegemonic Model or Pluralist Model?
The reception theory suggests that there are two types of audiences; one is active who create different interpretations of the text whilst consuming it, and one passive who consume the text without questioning it. I agree with the pluralistic model which suggests that the main function of the media is to please the audience. There isn’t only one person who owns large parts of the media for example Rupert Murdock however there are other entrepreneurs such as Paul Dacre who is the current editor of the Daily Mail, and Sir Michael Lyons who is the chairman of BBC. These are also people who control parts of the media and can be influential however due to the reason that there are a variety of different institutions such as Walt Disney, Sony, Virgin etc it increases consumer choices and also it wouldn’t be biased as the views would be differing and thus allow the audience to choose which views suits them best and wouldn’t have to accept one view.
The reception theory suggests that there are two types of audiences; one is active who create different interpretations of the text whilst consuming it, and one passive who consume the text without questioning it. I agree with the pluralistic model which suggests that the main function of the media is to please the audience. There isn’t only one person who owns large parts of the media for example Rupert Murdock however there are other entrepreneurs such as Paul Dacre who is the current editor of the Daily Mail, and Sir Michael Lyons who is the chairman of BBC. These are also people who control parts of the media and can be influential however due to the reason that there are a variety of different institutions such as Walt Disney, Sony, Virgin etc it increases consumer choices and also it wouldn’t be biased as the views would be differing and thus allow the audience to choose which views suits them best and wouldn’t have to accept one view.
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Five things i have learnt from the study. . .
Five things I have learnt from the study:
1. Concept floe- good link made between key concepts, therefore I can follow a similar structure in order to make my paragraph better and to include more then three key concepts.
2. Women have been objectified through the way they were represented in historical texts as well; therefore their objectification is not new.
3. Women are willing to pose provocatively in photos and there’s an ideology that pictures reflect a majority of woman’s values in society, that this representation of woman is acceptable.
4. Woman’s purpose is to look appealing and attractive to a watching male population. This is something which I can include in my independent study as I am also studying the representation of men and whether they have changed or not.
5. Even though women are supposedly rising in status through the media ironically they are still objectified. I can also use this as an argument in my independent study.
1. Concept floe- good link made between key concepts, therefore I can follow a similar structure in order to make my paragraph better and to include more then three key concepts.
2. Women have been objectified through the way they were represented in historical texts as well; therefore their objectification is not new.
3. Women are willing to pose provocatively in photos and there’s an ideology that pictures reflect a majority of woman’s values in society, that this representation of woman is acceptable.
4. Woman’s purpose is to look appealing and attractive to a watching male population. This is something which I can include in my independent study as I am also studying the representation of men and whether they have changed or not.
5. Even though women are supposedly rising in status through the media ironically they are still objectified. I can also use this as an argument in my independent study.
Thursday, 13 November 2008
Migrain Analysis Of Part 6 Of My Text. . .
This is a scene from resident evil extinctions, in this scene the survivors are getting attacked by several crows and Alice who is the main character of the film comes to rescue them. The crows have connotations of evil and they are seen as the enemy to the survivors and the heroine of the film(Milla Jovovich). There are a variety of different shots used in this scene which include close ups mainly to emphasis the facial expressions of the characters e.g. Ashanti who looks shocked and terrified, this adds to the suspense and keeps the audience engaged. There are also high angles were the camera is looking down on the female characters, this could suggest that the females are inferior and that evil is more powerful. There is a use of both high key lighting and low key lighting therefore it creates different effects as the low key lighting create darker tones which adds emphasis on the horror and thriller genre of the film and conforms to it. There music in the scene is medium paced, and creates suspense to and also there's screams of the female characters which could present them as weak and could reinforce the stereotypes associated with females. To add to the tension and suspense of the scene the director chooses to use fast paced edits, therefore there is a lot of jump cuts. Under the original title of Resident Evil: Afterlife. Shortly after, the film and another planned sequel were officially announced by Sony Screen Gems on June 13, 2005. On November 7, 2005, Davis Film, Constantin Film and Screen Gems announced their distribution rights worldwide. The film was advertised on posters, television, Internet and cinemas. Constantin Film Distribution GmbH was founded by Waldfried Barthel and Preben Philipsen in April 1950 in Frankfurt, Germany. On December 21, 1964, the name of the company was changed to Constantin Film GmbH. The film was distributed through various ways, e.g. cinema, television, Internet, etc The genre of the film is mainly horror/ thriller/ sci-fi and action, therefore it is a hybrid as it consists of a mix of genres. the scene is conforming to the genre as it creates suspense and there is also action where the characters are fighting against the crows which are attacking them. There is also a use of guns in the film which add to the action aspect of it. The main representation which i would be looking at is of the female characters. In this scene of the film they are represented in two ways, firstly as powerful and strong and also as weak, which can be used for the other side of my argument. Characters such as Ashanti and Ali Larter and the main protagonist of the film Milla Jovovich are portrayed as strong, mainly through the action parts of the film where they are fighting and their weapons are used as a symbol of power. This representation would be seen as positive mainly because of the fact that previously females were represented as powerless and weak, on the other hand other female characters subvert those stereotypes e.g. when the girl starts screaming and the male character runs to save her, this suggests that males are still more powerful and that the females still need rescuing. Near the end of the scene it shows a long shot of Milla Jovovich looking up at the sky which is al fire. The fire could connote danger however she is presented as strong as the is fighting against that, and this is shown where the camera pans around her suggesting that she is the main focus and that she is the heroine of the film who will "save the day". The primary target audience for the film could be males mainly because they would be interested in the genre which is action, how ever we can also say that the primary audience is females as the protagonist of the film is a female. Therefore the audience could aspire to be like her, from the way she is represented which is powerful, independent and strong. Thus the film would be appealing to both genders. In a way the expectations of the audience i believe are fulfilled, this is because the film conforms to its generic conventions e.g. through the fighting and the propps used e.g. guns. The film can be seen as a success to woman to a active audience due to the reason that they are represented positively however a passive audience may not think this and may believe that woman are still being objectified. The main ideology behind this scene could be that the on screen roles of woman have changed and it could be challenging the stereotypes that females would usually be associated with, due to the reason that they are seen more physically stronger in the scene as they are fighting. On the other hand feminists would argue that they are objectified through aspects such as their clothing which is rather revealing and tight. The main purpose of the scene would be to entertain the audience as it creates suspense and keeps them engaged.
The main narrative theory which could be applied to this clip is Propps theory. Alica (Milla Jovovich) is seen as the hero/heroine of the film who saves the survivors, this is seen near to the end of the clip. We can also apply Levi Strauss's Binary oppositions theory, for example good vs evil, e.g. the crows are seen as the villain in this scene and Alice the heroine who saves the other characters, there's also a contrast in light and dark, there are some dark tones and some light ones. This particular scene follows a linear narrative however the whole film is non linear as it contains flashbacks to the other sequels e.g.resident evil 2.
Monday, 10 November 2008
Values && Ideology. . .
One of the ideologies that could be underpinning the text could be the change in the on screen representation of women. Previously woman were represented pessimistically, for example they were portrayed as sexual objects of desire and an objects of "the gaze" which is a term used by Laura Mulvey. For example is films such as King Kong the female character is presented as weak and helpless, however Resident evil could be showing the change in the role of woman and the fact that nowadays they are presented in more of an optimistic light, and this could be evident from the role that Milla Jovovich is playing in the text which i am studying, e.g. she is represented as superior, powerful, independent and strong, these are qualities that males are usually associated with, and therefore the film is subverting the stereotypes that are placed on woman.
overall it is a film which is attempting to challenge the stereo types that females would be associated with and is presenting the change in the on screen representation of woman.
overall it is a film which is attempting to challenge the stereo types that females would be associated with and is presenting the change in the on screen representation of woman.
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
Audience. . .
As i have discussed before, the primary target audience for this film would be mainly young teenage boys aged from 15-25, this is mainly because of the genre of the film which is action, and this is the genre which boys are mainly interested in. On the other hand due to the protagonist of the film being female it can also be argued that the primary audience can be females, as MillaJovovich can be seen as a role model for them. Whereas the females can also be the secondary audience for the film.
Uses and gratification:
This is "an active audience theory, developed by Jay Blumler and Elihu Katz(1975), that focuses on 'what people do with the media' rather then what the media does to people, arguing that audiences are free to pick and choose from a wide range of media products to satisfy their own needs"
The audience for Resident evil: extinctions may consume the text for various reasons.
Uses and gratification:
This is "an active audience theory, developed by Jay Blumler and Elihu Katz(1975), that focuses on 'what people do with the media' rather then what the media does to people, arguing that audiences are free to pick and choose from a wide range of media products to satisfy their own needs"
The audience for Resident evil: extinctions may consume the text for various reasons.
- Division: they may consume the text for escapism.
- personal identity: they may be able to compare their own life with characters and situations portrayed and explore problems and perspectives
- Personal relationship
Saturday, 1 November 2008
Catwomen. . .
Synopsis:
Catwoman is the story of shy, sensitive artist Patience Philips (Halle Berry), a woman who can’t seem to stop apologizing for her own existence. She works as a graphic designer for Hedare Beauty, a mammoth cosmetics company on the verge of releasing a revolutionary anti-aging product. When Patience inadvertently happens upon a dark secret her employer is hiding, she finds herself in the middle of a corporate conspiracy. What happens next changes Patience forever. In a mystical twist of fate, she is transformed into a woman with the strength, speed,agility and ultra-keen senses of a cat. With her newfound prowess and feline intuition, Patience becomes Catwoman, a sleek and stealthy creature balancing on the thin line between good and bad. Like any wildcat, she’s dangerous, elusive and untamed. Her adventures are complicated by a burgeoning relationship with Tom Lone (Benjamin Bratt), a cop who has fallen for Patience but cannot shake his fascination with the mysterious Catwoman, who appears to be responsible for a string of crime sprees plaguing the city.
This is a text which i can use while discussing the other side of my argument, which is that even though females such as Milla Jovovich are presented as powerful, strong, independent, and it seems like they are progressing and that they are being represented more positively on screen, we can argue that they are still objectified to an extent. This is mainly through the female protagonists chosen and their costumes, for example the female characters that are used seem to be all very good looking and attractive, also in Catwomen the protagonist costume is tightly fitted, shes wearing red lipstick which presents her as seductive and shes also objectified in other ways e.g. in the trailer there's a part where shes sitting on the bed, the way shes positioned makes her look very provocative. Therefore i can argue that even though females are used as the protagonist in action films they are still sexually objectified.
Laura Mulvey(An introduction to film studies, third edition)
Laura Mulveys article "Visual pleasure and narrative cinema" emphasises the importance of the patriarchal view point in the cinema; that the pleasure gained from looking(scopophilia) is a male pleasure and
quote:
"The look in cinema is controlled by the male and directed at the female, this is often referred to as 'the male gaze'"
Scopophilia can be directed in two area's: first, voyeurism, that is scopopphilic pleasure linked to sexual attraction, and, second scopophilic pleasure which is linked to narcissistic identification. Mulvey argues that this identification is always with the male is is the pivot of the film, its hero, while the female is often seen as a threat.
Patriarchy and phallocentrism are intrinsically linked; the phallus is a symbol of power, of having(note that guns are used in films: guns=phallus=power). The women has no phallus, she is castrated which related back to Freudian theory that the woman is lacking and therefore inferior because she has no phallus.
quote:
"The look in cinema is controlled by the male and directed at the female, this is often referred to as 'the male gaze'"
Scopophilia can be directed in two area's: first, voyeurism, that is scopopphilic pleasure linked to sexual attraction, and, second scopophilic pleasure which is linked to narcissistic identification. Mulvey argues that this identification is always with the male is is the pivot of the film, its hero, while the female is often seen as a threat.
Patriarchy and phallocentrism are intrinsically linked; the phallus is a symbol of power, of having(note that guns are used in films: guns=phallus=power). The women has no phallus, she is castrated which related back to Freudian theory that the woman is lacking and therefore inferior because she has no phallus.
Claire Johnston. . .
Claire Johnston's "Women's cinema as counter-cinema" (1973 is one of the earliest articles on feminist film theory and practice. She shows how women have been stereotypes in film since the days n the silent cinema and argues for a cinema that challenges such narrow conventions but which will also be entertaining. In mainstream cinema women is seen as an extension of male vision and Johnston criticises the narrow role she is given in film:
Quote:
"It is probably true to say that despite the enormous emphasis placed on women as spectacle in the cinema, woman as woman is largely absent" (ibid.: 214)
From: 'An introduction to film studies, third edition'
Quote:
"It is probably true to say that despite the enormous emphasis placed on women as spectacle in the cinema, woman as woman is largely absent" (ibid.: 214)
From: 'An introduction to film studies, third edition'
Sue Sharpes Theory. . .
Sue Sharp conducted an influential study of girls' expectations whilst at school in 1972 and in 1994 she replicated this study.
During the interval there were some background changes in society and the economy, such as (a) the passage of the Thatcher era, which presented possible new female role-models; (b) high levels of structural unemployment and corresponding increases in the number and diversity of training schemes. / . However, these background influences do not appear to have had much influence of girls' attitudes. The principle finding was that girls in the 1990s still expect to undertake work that could be described as 'women's work' � that is teaching, health work, air hostesses, beauticians, working with children and clerical work in banks.
However, there were some changes: (a) the expectation or desire to do office work had significantly diminished. This may be attributed to changes in technology; (b) diminished expectations to become shop assistants; (c) some interest in car mechanics, engineering or firefighting. Other findings were (a) a greater stress on equality with men, increased sense of assertiveness and confidence; (b) a greater emphasis on the importance of having a job or career and being able to support themselves, especially in the event of a breakdown of marriage; (c) no desire generally to identify themselves as feminists; (d) less positive attitudes to marriage; (e) the expectation to combine work and family life; the expectation that husbands or partners would help with housework and childcare. However, realisitically, the feeling that 'new man' was a bit of a joke. (f) Young women continue to "look forward to a future in which they are likely to end up juggling work and domestic life like their mothers before them."
My views:
This therefore suggests that women no longer see love, marriage etc as their main priorities, whereas they concentrate more on their careers and jobs and see it as a number one priority, therefore this suggests that females are becoming more independent, which could be a factor for the change in the on screen representation of women.
Site:
http://www.blacksacademy.net/content/2984.html
During the interval there were some background changes in society and the economy, such as (a) the passage of the Thatcher era, which presented possible new female role-models; (b) high levels of structural unemployment and corresponding increases in the number and diversity of training schemes. / . However, these background influences do not appear to have had much influence of girls' attitudes. The principle finding was that girls in the 1990s still expect to undertake work that could be described as 'women's work' � that is teaching, health work, air hostesses, beauticians, working with children and clerical work in banks.
However, there were some changes: (a) the expectation or desire to do office work had significantly diminished. This may be attributed to changes in technology; (b) diminished expectations to become shop assistants; (c) some interest in car mechanics, engineering or firefighting. Other findings were (a) a greater stress on equality with men, increased sense of assertiveness and confidence; (b) a greater emphasis on the importance of having a job or career and being able to support themselves, especially in the event of a breakdown of marriage; (c) no desire generally to identify themselves as feminists; (d) less positive attitudes to marriage; (e) the expectation to combine work and family life; the expectation that husbands or partners would help with housework and childcare. However, realisitically, the feeling that 'new man' was a bit of a joke. (f) Young women continue to "look forward to a future in which they are likely to end up juggling work and domestic life like their mothers before them."
My views:
This therefore suggests that women no longer see love, marriage etc as their main priorities, whereas they concentrate more on their careers and jobs and see it as a number one priority, therefore this suggests that females are becoming more independent, which could be a factor for the change in the on screen representation of women.
Site:
http://www.blacksacademy.net/content/2984.html
Historical texts related to my study. . .
Indiana Jones. . .
The film Indiana Jones has a typical representation of women e.g. weak etc, it follows the proppian narrative theory well, for example there is a hero, the girl is seen as the princess who needs saving and there's also a helper etc. Therefore i can use this film whilst talking about how women use to be represented in previous film compared to how they are represented now e.g. in resident evil and how has the on screen representations changed.
P.S I love you
PS. i love you, is a romantic film which represents women stereotypically to an extent, for example it suggests that women rely on men and that they are incomplete without a male, e.g. after her husband dies she doesn't want to do anything, or leave her house etc therefore i can compare this to resident evil, saying how females are now represented as strong both physically and emotionally and also very powerful
King Kong
King Kong is another historical text which i can use while making comparisons when talking about how the on screen representations of females have changed from what they use to be. For example in king Kong the female character is presented as weak and dependent on a male to come save her, which is a typical representation of women.
Provoked
This is a text which represents women as weak, powerless, sexual objects, etc this is shown when the male character says "your nothing, your a women", therefore it is a film which reinforces the stereotypes that females are associated with. The female character is abused and dominated by her husband. Therefore i can compare this text with Resident evil and talk about the change in representation.
xXx
The film Indiana Jones has a typical representation of women e.g. weak etc, it follows the proppian narrative theory well, for example there is a hero, the girl is seen as the princess who needs saving and there's also a helper etc. Therefore i can use this film whilst talking about how women use to be represented in previous film compared to how they are represented now e.g. in resident evil and how has the on screen representations changed.
P.S I love you
PS. i love you, is a romantic film which represents women stereotypically to an extent, for example it suggests that women rely on men and that they are incomplete without a male, e.g. after her husband dies she doesn't want to do anything, or leave her house etc therefore i can compare this to resident evil, saying how females are now represented as strong both physically and emotionally and also very powerful
King Kong
King Kong is another historical text which i can use while making comparisons when talking about how the on screen representations of females have changed from what they use to be. For example in king Kong the female character is presented as weak and dependent on a male to come save her, which is a typical representation of women.
Provoked
This is a text which represents women as weak, powerless, sexual objects, etc this is shown when the male character says "your nothing, your a women", therefore it is a film which reinforces the stereotypes that females are associated with. The female character is abused and dominated by her husband. Therefore i can compare this text with Resident evil and talk about the change in representation.
xXx
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