Female Gaze

Female Gaze:

1) What is the article about? Summarise the article in 50 words.

Women as spectators and as consumers of media images of other women have often been overlooked in previous critical studies of representation. Yet, this female gaze is at the heart of the problems that A Perfect 14 is trying to address. The representation of false and unattainable images of the idealised female body is clearly linked to the idea of the gaze and to spectator-ship theory.


2) What is the name of the film that has sparked this recent debate on body image and female representation?


In Star Gazing: Hollywood Cinema and Female Spectatorship, feminist critic Jackie Stacey suggested that the female look works on different and multiple levels for ‘fascination and aspiration’. This campaign and the marketing campaign for A Perfect 14 aim to create engaging yet aspirational opportunities for the female gaze to flourish and be empowered.


3) How does the 'Female Gaze' in this article differ from the 'Male Gaze' of Laura Mulvey's theory?


In analysing female representation, you will invariably encounter theorist Laura Mulvey and her pioneering 1970s work on ‘The Male Gaze’. However her work has now been challenged, and you need to analyse how women themselves consume and decode images. Mulvey’s theory is now seen as very limited in its approach; it assumes there is only one kind of spectator (male) and one kind of masculinity (heterosexual). The apparent crisis in female body image that Dove/Unilever seized upon back in 2007 suggests that the female gaze is crucial for media and Film students. Mulvey’s original thesis, ground breaking in its day, neglected the pleasures of ‘the look’ afforded to female spectators, and the complex way that females look at, and are affected by looking at, other women. 


4) What is your own opinion of the representation of women in advertising? Should the media carry more representation of 'real' women? Why does the media not currently feature size 14 women if that is the average size of a British woman


The media currently show representation of 'real' women as the representation of women is shown for a mans pleasure. They show 'real' women because everyone wants to see real women, even though the average size of women is size 14.


5) Go to the website of A Perfect 14. Watch the trailer and read about the film. Write your own summary of the film and what it is trying to achieve

The trailer is trying to inform women to not be let down by their body, and to treat it likes it their temple. Women should not be labelled and they should learn to accept them for who they are.

MEST2 - Status Update

You need to post regular status updates to your blog throughout your MEST2 coursework to make sure you're keeping up with the work and documenting tutorial feedback. Your first status update needs to include the following:

1) Your finalised group
Sarese, Dhruvina and Ashmita

2) Your initial plans for your new TV programme that meets the MEST2 brief
Dhruvina has a sudden death and her best friend Ashmita goes off the rails and turns out to have mental problems.

3) A link to your research blogpost - the five TV/film opening scenes you have analysed that will help inform your own ideas and production work.

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.gblogID=1969664970381386307#editor/target=post;postID=675943763407449691;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=5;src=postname

4) A write-up of your tutorial.

1. decide on narrative; have a clear idea.
2. think about linking character to propp.
3. location scouting; identify settings. 

Research and planning: Institution research

E4

Channel History:

E4 began transmission on 18 January 2001 at 8.30pm with a night hosted by Ali G

New Girl - critical reception 5.3

First broadcast back in 2005, the countdown/clip show/special discussed twenty controversial moments in TV history.

Historical and drama programmes

Notable success:

• The Inbetweeners
• The Big Bang
• Big Brother
• Celebrity Big Brother
• Friends

In 1996, Channel 4 purchased the broadcast rights to the popular American sitcom Friends. The series proved to be very popular amongst the UK audience

Target Audience

Demographic:

AGE Under 18s (63%)  18-24 (29%) 25-34 (5%) 35-44 (2%) 45-54 (1%) 55+ (0%)

GENDER Female (59%) • Male (41%)

Demographic means information the media uses to divide there audience into gender, age, race and other categories it also pinpoints potential audience. Every media product is targeted to certain audiences E4 viewers are predominantly young and between the ages 16-24 and dominantly females. They target this demographic because they broadcast good quality drama, comedy, features and having diverse entertainment formats making E4 and E4 +1's both have a very strong impact on16-34s.This demographic is mindful, sociable, connected, heavy internet users, they love going out and tend to use advertising as one of their many information sources.

BBC3:

Channel history

Their plan was for BBC Knowledge to be renamed BBC Four, and indeed this took place in 2002, and for BBC Choice to be renamed BBC Three.

4.2/4.1

Drama, comedy and documentaries

Notable success:

• Doctor who
• East enders
• My Islamic brother

The channel airs various dramas and comedies; one of its most popular sitcoms was Gavin & Stacey, which first aired in May 2007 and was written by and starring Ruth Jones and James Corden alongside Mathew Horne, Joanna Page, Alison Steadman and Rob Brydon. The sitcom was an instant hit, with subsequent series being moved to other BBC channels and the show being granted a Christmas special. Another example is Being Human, a drama in which a ghost, a vampire and a werewolf share a flat, which has become a success and heralded several new series. American programming also features, with American Dad! and Family Guy being the notable examples.

Target audience:

The channel's target audience is 16 to 34-year olds,  In 2008 it reached 26.3% of 16–34-year-olds in digital home. It has a  2.6% share of the 15–34-year-old audience and 1.4% of the whole population.

The channel needs to be disciplined about focusing on the young - its centre of gravity will be 16-34 year-olds: people who are young in spirit and mindset. BBC Three is ‘Never Afraid to Try New Things’ and that’s why we will continue to innovate with breakthrough comedy, stand-out entertainment, brave documentary and intelligent factual formats. Our content needs to have potential to innovate across platforms. BBC Three should provide an environment for the development of new ideas and talent and for existing talent to take risks, becoming a genuine laboratory for BBC One and BBC Two.

Representation theories

Richard Dyer: the most powerful stereotype in this trailer was the woman at the beginning of the scene, when they were dressed in short tight clothing, and were putting on a show in front of men. This was the most powerful stereotype as woman are seen to pleasure men with their appearance; and in conclusion they are the ones with the least power as men have control their pleasures. Medhurst: In this trailer woman are identified to something totally opposite to their personality as woman are seen as nurturing and gentle, however in this trailer woman are presented as aggressive and masculine which would be a stereotype for men. Lots of feminists would see the negative side of this shorthand identification, as the media has presented them opposite to what they are, and would lead to the negative representation. Perkins: the stereotype shown of men in this trailer is true, as men are seen as masculine and active, and in this trailer there were many men fighting, and racing. The stereotype would fit to their personality in a positive manner. Mulvey: The male gaze is shown at the beginning of this trailer where they were dancing in short clothing for the pleasure of men, and also it shows that a few of the male racers had their woman for their pleasure representing them as sex cells, this would be seen as a negative representative from the feminists, and they would see this as mocking woman Berger - 'Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at' Levi-Strauss: the dominant representation would be men shown as masculine, and fast. Showing their obsession of cars and fighting. This would also be their preferred representation. In the video in one particular scene, it showed the woman driving and the man sitting on the other seat, which is unexpected for the viewers creating an alternative representation of women.

Representation blog task

1) List the different people/groups represented in the trailer (men/women/Americans etc.)

Women on racing cars

Women fighting

Men fighting

Women being there for a mans pleasure

Clothing -  Woman revealing tight clothing

Men racers - enemies, against each other

 

2) For each group, decide whether the representation is a dominant or alternative portrayal.

Women on racing cars - alternative

Women fighting - alternative

Men fighting - dominant

Women being there for a mans pleasure - dominant

Clothing -  Woman revealing tight clothing - dominant

Men racers - enemies, against each other - dominant

 

3) What stereotypes can you identify in the trailer?

Stereotype of women at the beginning, when they were dressed in short clothing, watched by a group of men.

Stereotype of men when they were all racing in cards, and fighting.

MEST2 Research and planning

There are many filming and editing techniques used to signify the theme horror in the opening of the film. Firstly, throughout the opening, there's low key lighting used to create an intimate mysterious atmosphere. The opening starts of with the mysterious yet frightening doll which sets of the enigma code immediately to the audience. The doll is shot in a close up shot positioned on the left side of the camera, blurring out the background allowing the audience to focus on the close up. The close up of the doll creates suspense, as the audience have no clue and it makes them impatient to know the significance of the doll. The low key lighting is continued throughout the opening, to continue the mysterious atmosphere. We then have a long shot of the characters, a back view and front, creating a shot reverse shot, this suture  was used effectively as its a horror movie, the back view of the characters, as they are introduced mysteriously. The sound used in the opening really set the atmosphere, as they were diegetic sounds, the music really made the audience dive into the scene, and get them engaged.

The opening of this film focuses on certain filming techniques repetitively. We have an extreme long shot from the beginning to the end of this scene, which allows the audience to visualise what's going on in the scene. We have the use of high key lighting, allowing the main characters who have been hung to stand out. There is use of a tracking shot of the characters been hung up, it shows how they are being slowly taken to the top of the tree, creating a very vivid image for the audience. The enigma code is created by the camera work, as the person who is pulling the rope is not to be seen, creating a mysterious atmosphere, and making  the audience confused and frightened. The sound in the opening is diegetic sounds, making it believable as we can hear the rope being pulled up, however we hear nothing from the characters which again creates an enigma code, and creates suspense and questions in the mind of the audience to why the director may

have done this.

The sound used in this sequence is parallel sound as it is linked to what the audience are watching as for instance as the start as we see thunder signs popping up on the brick wall we can also hear thunder with it which causes as electric vibe each time something comesto the screen such as the picture of each character comes in such a way. The lighting used in this opening sequence is quite dull and dramatic as it has dark colours to represent the powers that each character has. As for intense the first few seconds showing the black and white brick wall shows that it is connoting the special powers. They have used both high key lighting and low key lighting. They have used high key lighting so that it makes the sequence quite homogeneous and free from dark shadows. Also they have used low key lighting because that lighting accentuates the contours of an object by throwing areas into shade while a fill light or reflector may illuminate the shadow areas to control contrast. At the beginning of the opening sequence there is a fading of thunder signs coming on the screen then the black and white wall fades out to the next scene and then when the characters are shown the wipe into the screen one by one presenting themselves in a unique way. 

This scene shows a establishing shot where it shows all the main characters in one shot letting the audience to analyse and see them all at once. From the characters point of the view and from their eye it takes the scene into the future where something has occurred and this is all filmed in a fast motion which gives the affect of the audience getting to see many different things at once and their is also a freeze frame shot of all the characters being frozen. The drama then ends with a fighting scene which shows all the characters slowly and the audience is able to visualize that all of them look terrified and scared which creates enigma. The director uses many different types of media angles and shots to represent the character and from this the audience can get to see the characters in a more and better way. This clip is a short clip of pretty little liers that i will be analyzing. Firstly the director has used a establishing shot also known as a wide shot to introduce the 4 characters which will be part in the series and in this shot we are able to see all four characters together letting the audience be able to visualize each character and see what they are wearing. The camera then focus upon one character trying to introduce her Separately with a close-up and from this the audience is able to see her facial expressions and from her facial expressions and the way she is talking the audience can connote she might be a mean character. 

The lighting in the opening scene is dark but a few lights on giving it the romantic atmosphere towards the scene. There is a hint of Chiaroscuro being used as its light and dark also backing up the point of it being romantic in a case. There is top lighting used on the actor and actress at the top of a railing showing that they are both the main people to be focusing on and to show their 'love' in their reactions as it focuses on the features of people making them look 'glamorous'. The sound in this are both diegetic and non-diegetic. The non-diegetic part is the romantic music in the background which also still plays when the two actors are speaking to each other. The diegetic sound is the people in the background walking and the outside which is the rain, trains etc. It also uses sound bridges from the actress from outside walking into the train station towards which is the footsteps from outside coming inside too.This opening scene uses a lot of long shots, medium shots and a few close up shots. The long shots are from the girls coming out of the taxi walking into the train station. The medium shots are then towards the actor and actress that are on the railing. The close up shots are used to emphasise the reactions on the actors and actresses face - reaction of him leaving.

Photoshop Collages

Create two Photoshop collages offering the dominant and alternative representations for a certain group or place. Think about the usual stereotype for that group and collect words, images and colours that capture that dominant representation. For the alternative, you need words, images and colours that don't fit the usual stereotype

Dominant Representations:

Alternative Representation:

Preliminary Production

Evaluation:

Our preliminary exercise involved filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. In terms of planning we came up with an idea of an interrogation. In order to start recording we had to plan the following:
- story board
- script
- camera shots
The following helped us as a group to help us create a trailer as it organised us, and we knew what to do as soon as we received the camera. The story board allowed us to plot the story in our head, and we were able to visualise it. The script helped in terms of knowing what to say and when to say it, we had to change our lines continuously as we had to make sure it was similar to our theme. The camera shots was mainly useful as we know exactly what camera angle to use for the different scenes by using the story board. If I was to do this again, I would make sure as a group we have more time to prepare to plan, and to work on the camera work. The strengths of this trailer was that the use of close ups was used effectively and shot precisely. the close ups in the film stood out the most, as it focused on one object, and was shot with stability and accurately. The weaknesses of this trailer was that apart from the close up shots, the other camera angles were not shot to its full standards, as it wasn't shot with a steady hand which made the film lose the tension and made it lose its focus. Another weakness was some of the shots were not focused well, which went wrong by not setting the camera to the right focus before shooting, and made the film again very messy and confusing. Overall the main weakness was the camera work for the longshots, and tracking shots.

Learner Response

Teacher feedback:

WWW: Good use of media terminology
EBI: Final question, redo on blog

Learner Response:

Editing

The editing used in this trailer, was the use of fade out at the end which caused suspense as it makes the audience want to find out what happened next. There was also a use of a montage as there was a multiple shots of the matchsticks put together at the beginning of the scene creating an action and enigma code. Another montage was used when the matchstick was being thrown onto the ground with the use of close ups eliminating all the other action in the scene and allowing the audience to focus on the enigma and action code (Barthes). After the gunshot which was parallel sounds, we had a wipe out into another montage of ropes creating another enigma code as the ropes were shot in close ups again eliminating the other action from the scene allowing the audience to focus on the ropes and create enigma codes. Then we had scenes of running water which contrasted with the fire, the water which was seen as a 'saviour', as it was shot in a long shot, it showed the significance and importance of the tap. The fade out at the end where we had a black out and then a scene of a police officer at the desk which showed to be seen as the helper as he would now investigate the crime scene. This helped to create tension throughout the scene as the shots were all dramatically shot, and were shown in sutures.

Dependency theory

With Dependency theory, they suggest that people rely on the media for information determining their decisions. This means the media can create many different feelings such as fear, anxiety, and happiness.

1) What do YOU primarily use the media for: entertainment or information?

I use the media for both entertainment, information and access to the internet. For entertainment purposes I use the media to watch TV, I use my phone to listen to music and use the internet to use youtube and catch up on tv programs. For information purposes, I use my laptop to use the internet when doing my homework, I also use my phone and the tv to catch up on the latest news by a application which updates me.

2) To what extent do you feel we are dependent on the media?

I believe that we are dependent on the media, as most of out times are spent using the media for different reasons, mainly for entertainment purposes mostly by a mobile phone.

3) Has our dependence on the media changed over the last 10 years? How?

Yes it has, as theres been more technologies, and more devices have been made. Also we now have access to many facilities and information from media and devices rather then newspapers.

4) Read this Telegraph article – does this support Dependency theory? What is your personal opinion on this issue?

The Telegraph article does support the Dependency theory as everyone depends on the media now for so many reason, such as learning a new thing such as cooking, and finding out information for a wedding ring. The fact that people feel 'lost' without the internet shows how much people depend on the media as they use it in there everyday life. I believe that media has taken over peoples lives as the media is used nearly every second of a persons life. Devices such as phones, tv, tablets, ipods ect makes a big impact in ones life.

Uses and Gratifications Theory

Diversion:escape from everyday problems and routine - entertainment

 

 X Factor

 

 
 
X Factor fits into diversion ' escape from everyday problems and routine - entertainment' as its a way of spending the weekend of on a evening with your family. Its a way of giving up a few hours on the weekend after a busy scheduled week. It allows you to escape from routines as its giving you a break from working.



Personal Relationships: using the media for emotional and other interaction (e.g. developing affection for characters in TV)

Twilight

 

 

Twilight fits into personal relationships, as people can relate to the relationships and emotions of the characters. It also allows the audience to judge and believe in the characters developing their feelings and affection for the characters.

 

Personal Identity: finding ourselves reflected in texts or learning behaviour and values from the media. Reality TV or documentary (Educating Yorkshire) are good examples.

 

Eastenders

 

 

 

Eastenders fits into personal identity as some people would relate them with the characters, such as see themselves in the characters, or know they've been through the same circumstances of the characters. As Eastenders is a drama, it shows how these different families can get along with each other and some don't, it can teach people morals of who to trust.

 

 

Surveillance:  Information useful for living (e.g. Weather, traffic news, holiday bargains etc.)

 

BBC News

 

 

BBC News is a great example of surveillance as its necessary in everyone's life. BBC news does the following to people, it educates and informs people about what's going on around the world. It also informs us about certain important information such as the weather updates and traffic news.

Audience Theory

The two-step flow model was developed in the 1940s because the hypodermic needle theory was considered too simplistic, assuming the audience consumed media without thinking. The two-step flow model instead suggests the audience are influenced by ‘opinion leaders’ in the media who mediate how the audience react to media texts. The theory suggests the media is not all-powerful and that social factors are important.

In my opinion, I think the two step flow theory is still very relevant in today's society as people such as celebrities have a big impact on audiences' opinions on different types of media. As celebrities have great followings and massive fan bases, there is a huge number of people who think take a lot of interest in their opinions, which may have a positive or negative impact on certain media texts.

 

 

TotalBicuit, The Cynical Brit, is a you tube blogger who gives his opinions on different video games. He is fits into the two step flow theory as he has a wide fan base with almost 2 million subscribers and influences their opinions using his you tube videos. Subscribers watch his videos to find out whether the particular game he reviews, is worth buying which further shows how much influence he has over his subscribers. Although TotalBicuit, The Cynical Brit, is someone who only gives his opinions, many people rely on his opinions to tell them whether they should buy a game or not as he can be considered as a  celebrity with his huge fan base. 

This article shows that  One Direction and other popular celebrities, have a greater twitter following than many important politicians. This shows that in comparison to politicians, successful celebrities have a greater impact on what the public thinks as more people follow them on twitter, a social networking site that allows people to 
openly express what they think. It fits the two step flow as it shows that, through 
twitter, celebrities influence their fans with their particular views and opinions.

 

 

Preliminary Production: StoryBoard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preliminary Production - Shot List

 

Shot no:	Shot	Filmed
1	Close up of 1st detective feet
2	Detective walking down the stairs
3	Close up of Suspect’s feet tapping in interview
4	Other detective walking down the stairs
5	Medium shot of suspect sitting with head down
6	Detectives walking towards to door
7	First detective leans to open door with card

              

8	Other detective walks in from behind
9	Over the shoulder shot, watching both detectives walk in interview room
10	2nd detective is holding papers
11	long shot of detectives walking towards suspect
12	they both sit down
13	Suspect is looking down
14	Medium shot of detectives of sitting down
15	Close up of suspects face

16	Extreme close up od dhruvina hand turning on tape.
17	Medium shot of sarese
18	Medium shot of dhruvina
19	Close up of ashmitas face when she slowly looks up
20	Over the shoulder shot, over ashmita
21	Close up of dhruvina shouting
22	Log of ashmita stands up and starts shouting
23	Last shot of black screen.