- Rhetorical questions to provoke thought.
- Voice over narration.
- "You can usually tell by the colour of their skin" - racist?
- Hand held cameras.
- Moore expresses and forces his own strong opinions upon us.
- Discrimination against African Americans.
- Live footage emphasises realism.
- Fast paced camera work past the riot crowds show negligence of opinion.
- Unsteady camera - reality.
- Michael Moore has a trustworthy, persuasive tone.
- Flooded with so many facts that lies or opinions could be believed by the audience.
- Destruction, panic = sympathy = grips the audience.
- Moore makes Bush look useless.
- Movie examples to support view.
- Very emotive.
- Reinforces repeated patterns used by the gouvernment to cover their tracks.
- Repetition of 'why'.
- Music used overdramatises the content.
- Subtitles that claim that the gouvernment are telling lies.
- Subtle humour.
- Shocking real life footage.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Factual.
- Contradictive information, makes the audience wonder what the truth is?
- Inserted clips of people's opinions.
- Slightly informal, quite colloquial in places - 'stuff' 'I suppose'.
- Uses a lot of adverbs of manner -to describe how things happened.
- Repetition of 'bias'.
- "One story that wasn't being covered is the story of the soldiers who lost their lives." - emotive, shows biased view - people were just dismissed.
- Mass destruction - panic.
- Bush = all mouth, no action --> He says 'bring it on' -when things happen, he sits back.
- "Officials say..." - Trustworthy.
- Army was the only option.
- "Abandonned"
- "Underdog"
- Emphasis on importance of the military.
- Linear narrative.
- Theme of violence, "each household is entitled to have weapons."
- Heavily based on politics.
- "You cannot kill someone without killing a part of yourself."
- "Grief" - "Forgotten" - "Why?".
- "Will they ever trust again?"
- Profits come before wellbeing.
- Vast age groups giving their opinions = morals / values.
- Gouvernement are insensitive.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Personal response:
I thought that it was interesting because it was really factual and taught me stuff that I didn't know- I was shocked at the gouvernments attempts to cover up their connections with Saudi Arabia and how they took a back seat and were really ignorant - particularly to the soldiers and their families; The gouvernment care about maximizing their profits instead of the wellbeing of their community. -- SHOCKING.
Friday 30 September 2011
Fahrenheit 9/11 - Directed by Michael Moore.
FM4 - Spectatorship.
- How we watch and respond to films.
- Role and behaviour as a spectator.
- How we work in relation to stimulus and challenging representations.
Make notes on: - Typical conventions of a documentary.
- How documentary constructs 'reality'.
- The techniques used by 'Moore' to influence your opinion.
Saturday 24 September 2011
Feminist media theory:
Source: http://www.scribd.com/doc/11711855/Media-Theory
E. Ann Kaplan defined feminism as either essentialist or anti-essentialist :
1) Essentialist argue that women are a distinct group of people 'in terms of an essence that precedes culture and is ultimately biological in origin' Women therefore possess essential humaneness to combat men's competitiveness.
2) The anti-essentialist view is one that does not look for the essential femininity but tries to understand the process by which the female is constructed by a male dominated society.
------------------------------------------personal note to include in investigation. :)
Most people take the view that the representation of women is narrow and often stereotypical as a result of our patriarchal society.
Reason for focusing on RomCom genre in particular:
-Because it's probably the only genre where females are the main protagonists, therefore the representation of women would have a more solid focus.
Quotes from 'The Ugly Truth'
1. Stop trying to win a man's heart. Aim lower.
2. Men are visual creatures.
3. If you want a relationship, here is how you get one: It's called a Stairmaster.
4. Laugh at whatever a man says.
5. No man is saying 'I love you' without expecting something in return. And by something, it's not a home-cooked meal.
6. Women, you have to be two people in order to lure your man: the saint and the sinner, the librarian and the stripper.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2742191
Special features on The Ugly Truth DVD.
- 'Katherine Heigl's character is uptight and Gerald Butler's character turns her world upside down.'
- 'All men want women to dress a certain way.'
- Perfect checklist.
This film reflects how women have freedom to express their opinions but are also reliant on men, mainly for approval.
Friday 23 September 2011
Discarded sources:
Item 1: http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/hollywood/10216.shtml Doris Day interview.
Item 2: The film - four weddings and a funeral - I didn't feel that the representation of women was solid enough to provide a good comparison.
Item 3: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/jmurray_01.shtml It had interesting information about how women fought for the rights that they have in modern society but the information wasn't directly relevant to the investigation.
Item 2: The film - four weddings and a funeral - I didn't feel that the representation of women was solid enough to provide a good comparison.
Item 3: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/jmurray_01.shtml It had interesting information about how women fought for the rights that they have in modern society but the information wasn't directly relevant to the investigation.
Think about:
- Laura Mulvey theories - Male gaze.
- Historical context.
- Morals and beliefs at the time of production.
- Shift in individualism.
- Dominating power of men.
- Authority / superiority.
- Objectification.
- The power women have in Film Noir films - Femme Fatale.
E. Ann Kaplan -Women & Film : relevant quotes:
'Patriarchy is viewed as dominating and repressing women through its controlling power over female discourse and female desire... the male gaze is defining and dominating women as an erotic object... place as a mother.'
'The representation changes superficially in accord with current styles and fashions- but scratch the surface and one finds a familiar pattern.'
'Earlier decades reflect a period rigidly circumscribed by sexual and political ideologies.'
'In the 1950's, the fear of female sexuality seems to be repressed-hence it overflows everywhere'
'Lessening the threat that women's sexuality holds in patriarchy.'
'Contemporary film has gone even further than the noir film in the open representation of female sexuality.'
'The various 1960's movements produced radical cultural changes resulting in a loosening of rigid, puritanical codes, and the women's movement encouraged women to take possession of their own sexuality, gay or straight.'
'The post-1960's era: the sexual woman could no longer be designated ''evil'' since women have won the right to be ''good''.
'The contemporary liberated women is looking to satisfy herself.' (not reliant on men.)
'Women are ultimately refused a voice.. subjected to male desire.'
(up to page 9, line 13.)
'The representation changes superficially in accord with current styles and fashions- but scratch the surface and one finds a familiar pattern.'
'Earlier decades reflect a period rigidly circumscribed by sexual and political ideologies.'
'In the 1950's, the fear of female sexuality seems to be repressed-hence it overflows everywhere'
'Lessening the threat that women's sexuality holds in patriarchy.'
'Contemporary film has gone even further than the noir film in the open representation of female sexuality.'
'The various 1960's movements produced radical cultural changes resulting in a loosening of rigid, puritanical codes, and the women's movement encouraged women to take possession of their own sexuality, gay or straight.'
'The post-1960's era: the sexual woman could no longer be designated ''evil'' since women have won the right to be ''good''.
'The contemporary liberated women is looking to satisfy herself.' (not reliant on men.)
'Women are ultimately refused a voice.. subjected to male desire.'
(up to page 9, line 13.)
Tuesday 20 September 2011
Notes on Alfie, regarding representation of women.
- No respect for women,refers to her as 'it'.
- Men are insulting towards women.
- 'She's a standby and she knows it and any bird who knows their place can be quite content.'
- Married women appears 'loose' and 'easy' -shows sexual revolution.
- Reinforces expected gender roles.
- Male dominance.
- Everyone for themselves attitude.
- Ideas of commitment,marriage and romance is made fun of if represented by men.
- Promotes a negative representation of women - just as sexual objects.
- Men show a lack of commitment in relationships.
- Women are portrayed as wanting love in a relationship compared to men who just want fun with no commitments.
Friday 16 September 2011
Annotated Catologue.
Films:
Item 1: Primary source: Alfie (US, 1966, Dir. Lewis Gilbert.)
This film is very useful in terms of representation of women because it shows how women were treated and represented at the time, and centuries before. It represents a time when men were superior and women were only there for the benefit of the man. It shows the emergence of the sexual revolution which also represents the beginning of change for the representation of women when they became more liberated.
Item 2: Primary source: Bridget Jones Diary (UK, 2001, Dir. Sharon Maguire.)
I feel that this film is very useful in terms of representation of women because it's very stereotypical in regard to the fact it focuses on a woman's struggle to find love, and her need to seek approval of a man, Bridget is seen to be very much reliant on male attention, which has of course changed over recent years thus providing a challenging representation to how women are portrayed on contemporary films.
Item 3: Primary source: The Ugly Truth (UK, 2009, Dir. Robert Luketic.)
This film is great in terms of showing how far the representation of women has progressed over time. In contemporary films women are individual, opinionated and liberated but they can also still be quite reliant on men which can be seen in The Ugly Truth as the main protagonist, played by Katherine Heigl asks the advice of a man on her love life- which shows that although women are now liberated and individual, they still seek the advice and approval of men. One could argue that the representation of women in romantic comedies has progressed but is still very much limited due to our patriarchal society.
Articles:
Item 4: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2010/03/12/the-1960s-a-decade-of-change-for-women
This article is good in terms of showing the changes that happened in society during the 1960's -This decade was crucial in terms of the the shift of morals that occurred during this period which lead to an introduction into the liberation of women - new found rights - which began to come across in films made in this era - for example, the focus film Alfie.
Item 5: http://www.nerve.com/news/love-sex/study-media-representations-of-women-have-become-more-pornified
This article shows how women are more commonly objectified within the media these days - this representation is quite stereotypical of modern films. This portrayal is interesting when contrasting is against the representation of women in previous decades. Women have gone from being conservative, dependant and passive to liberated, individual and actively objectified.
Websites:
Item 6: Laura Mulvey feminist theory.
The concept that women are objectified and men are dominant in all media texts. This is an important source because this theory can be applied to almost every film that you watch, it is true that the representation of women is narrow and they are often passive.
Item 7: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/824060/
Screenonline is a great source in terms of showing the progressive representation of women. It outlines how women were represented decade by decade and shows the gradual progression of female individualism. By the 1960's, when Alfie was produced 'female characters were seen to break moral codes and defy expectations of how they should behave - as represented by Alfie's many 'girlfriends' who were having an affair.
Item 8: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_feminism
The history of feminism is a key factor in the development of the representation of women over time, the different movements and how women were portrayed at certain points in society are reflected well in the focus films, particularly in regard to female liberation.
Item 9: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_film_theory
With specific reference to 'realism and counter cinema' It's relevant to my investigation and has proven to be a useful source because it highlights how feminist movements contributed to a fairer representation of women within the media which can be seen in the films I am studying.
Powerpoint presentation.
This presentation outlines the representation of women in the media during the 90's - This decade showed the emergence of female individualism - Women were no longer as dependant on men, they were able to go for higher paying jobs and women became more confident within society- living to please themselves.
Video.
Item 12: Special feature on The Ugly Truth DVD
The special features on the DVD help give an insight into the construction of the characters and the gender differences which define their morals. It was useful to show the distinction between how men and women think and what they are looking for in terms of a 'perfect checklist.' It states that romantic comedies are stereotypical, they always begin with a man and a women who are in conflict and end in their love story. Rom coms are often clichéd and their outcomes are often predictable.
Books.
Item 13: E. Ann Kaplan - Women & film - both sides of the camera.
This book has proven to be very helpful in terms of the breakdown of the representation of women over time and how various feminist events have affected the way in which women are represented within the media. Ann Kaplan also has a theory that the representation of women is reliant on two different concepts: essentialism and anti-essentialism which is the battle between whether women are represented as their own individuals or if their representation is constructed to please the male eye.
Discarded sources:
Item 1: http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/hollywood/10216.shtml Doris Day interview - I though that this source would provide historical context but it didn't contain much useful information so I decided that the source wasn't applicable for this investigation.
Item 2: Film: Four weddings and a funeral - I didn't feel that the representation of women was solid enough to provide a good comparison, although it reflects morals of the 90's when marriage was still an important factor in most relationships, I didn't think that the themes explored had enough content.
Item 1: Primary source: Alfie (US, 1966, Dir. Lewis Gilbert.)
This film is very useful in terms of representation of women because it shows how women were treated and represented at the time, and centuries before. It represents a time when men were superior and women were only there for the benefit of the man. It shows the emergence of the sexual revolution which also represents the beginning of change for the representation of women when they became more liberated.
Item 2: Primary source: Bridget Jones Diary (UK, 2001, Dir. Sharon Maguire.)
I feel that this film is very useful in terms of representation of women because it's very stereotypical in regard to the fact it focuses on a woman's struggle to find love, and her need to seek approval of a man, Bridget is seen to be very much reliant on male attention, which has of course changed over recent years thus providing a challenging representation to how women are portrayed on contemporary films.
Item 3: Primary source: The Ugly Truth (UK, 2009, Dir. Robert Luketic.)
This film is great in terms of showing how far the representation of women has progressed over time. In contemporary films women are individual, opinionated and liberated but they can also still be quite reliant on men which can be seen in The Ugly Truth as the main protagonist, played by Katherine Heigl asks the advice of a man on her love life- which shows that although women are now liberated and individual, they still seek the advice and approval of men. One could argue that the representation of women in romantic comedies has progressed but is still very much limited due to our patriarchal society.
Articles:
Item 4: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2010/03/12/the-1960s-a-decade-of-change-for-women
This article is good in terms of showing the changes that happened in society during the 1960's -This decade was crucial in terms of the the shift of morals that occurred during this period which lead to an introduction into the liberation of women - new found rights - which began to come across in films made in this era - for example, the focus film Alfie.
Item 5: http://www.nerve.com/news/love-sex/study-media-representations-of-women-have-become-more-pornified
This article shows how women are more commonly objectified within the media these days - this representation is quite stereotypical of modern films. This portrayal is interesting when contrasting is against the representation of women in previous decades. Women have gone from being conservative, dependant and passive to liberated, individual and actively objectified.
Websites:
Item 6: Laura Mulvey feminist theory.
The concept that women are objectified and men are dominant in all media texts. This is an important source because this theory can be applied to almost every film that you watch, it is true that the representation of women is narrow and they are often passive.
Item 7: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/824060/
Screenonline is a great source in terms of showing the progressive representation of women. It outlines how women were represented decade by decade and shows the gradual progression of female individualism. By the 1960's, when Alfie was produced 'female characters were seen to break moral codes and defy expectations of how they should behave - as represented by Alfie's many 'girlfriends' who were having an affair.
Item 8: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_feminism
The history of feminism is a key factor in the development of the representation of women over time, the different movements and how women were portrayed at certain points in society are reflected well in the focus films, particularly in regard to female liberation.
Item 9: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_film_theory
With specific reference to 'realism and counter cinema' It's relevant to my investigation and has proven to be a useful source because it highlights how feminist movements contributed to a fairer representation of women within the media which can be seen in the films I am studying.
Powerpoint presentation.
This presentation outlines the representation of women in the media during the 90's - This decade showed the emergence of female individualism - Women were no longer as dependant on men, they were able to go for higher paying jobs and women became more confident within society- living to please themselves.
Radio.
Item 11: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00c26xk#p00cgzx0
An interview with Kate Winslet talking about romantic comedies - 'The Holiday' - she says ''they are quite conventional, romantic comedies, aren't they? there is the expectation of the sort of lives and the way people end up is quite conventional.'' - This shows that the representation of people in romantic comedies are often stereotypical and the viewer can often predict what is going to happen to each of the characters. The aim of this source was to gain an insight into the view of an actress who stars as part of my focus genre.
An interview with Kate Winslet talking about romantic comedies - 'The Holiday' - she says ''they are quite conventional, romantic comedies, aren't they? there is the expectation of the sort of lives and the way people end up is quite conventional.'' - This shows that the representation of people in romantic comedies are often stereotypical and the viewer can often predict what is going to happen to each of the characters. The aim of this source was to gain an insight into the view of an actress who stars as part of my focus genre.
Item 12: Special feature on The Ugly Truth DVD
The special features on the DVD help give an insight into the construction of the characters and the gender differences which define their morals. It was useful to show the distinction between how men and women think and what they are looking for in terms of a 'perfect checklist.' It states that romantic comedies are stereotypical, they always begin with a man and a women who are in conflict and end in their love story. Rom coms are often clichéd and their outcomes are often predictable.
Books.
Item 13: E. Ann Kaplan - Women & film - both sides of the camera.
This book has proven to be very helpful in terms of the breakdown of the representation of women over time and how various feminist events have affected the way in which women are represented within the media. Ann Kaplan also has a theory that the representation of women is reliant on two different concepts: essentialism and anti-essentialism which is the battle between whether women are represented as their own individuals or if their representation is constructed to please the male eye.
Discarded sources:
Item 1: http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/hollywood/10216.shtml Doris Day interview - I though that this source would provide historical context but it didn't contain much useful information so I decided that the source wasn't applicable for this investigation.
Item 2: Film: Four weddings and a funeral - I didn't feel that the representation of women was solid enough to provide a good comparison, although it reflects morals of the 90's when marriage was still an important factor in most relationships, I didn't think that the themes explored had enough content.
Item 3: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/jmurray_01.shtml It had interesting information about how women fought for the rights that they have in modern society but the information wasn't directly relevant to the investigation so I decided not to use it, in addition, the history of feminism is already covered in the sources I included so a personal story wouldn't have been relevant.
Wednesday 14 September 2011
Resources for film coursework.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/hollywood/10216.shtml Doris Day interview - maybe be useful.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00c26xk#p00cgzx0 Kate Winslet talking about RomComs.
Look up some books on the representation of women in the library.. maybe some magazines.
Check out audio's above, look for reviews.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00c26xk#p00cgzx0 Kate Winslet talking about RomComs.
Look up some books on the representation of women in the library.. maybe some magazines.
Check out audio's above, look for reviews.
Film coursework - if focus is on representation of women over time in romantic comedies.
Using a film from the 60's, 90's, and present day.
60's - I think Alfie (1966) is a good focus film because it represents a time when men were superior and women were only there for the benefit of the man. It shows the emergence of the sexual revolution which also represents the beginning of change for the representation of women when they became more liberated. Genre - Romantic comedy.
90's - I think Four Weddings and a funeral (1994) is a good focus film because it shows that at this time, getting married was still quite key in society, in comparison with films from the present day.. it shows the shift between morals in society. It also shows women giving men advice - a gender role swap? Men being somewhat dependant on women?
Genre - Romantic comedy.
http://henry.quinson.pagesperso-orange.fr/FourWeddings.pdf
Present day: Maybe The Ugly Truth (2009) -Romantic comedy - I think it would be a good focus film because it represents how women are individual, opinionated and liberated although the main protagonist played by Katherine Heigl asks the advice of a man on her love life- which shows that although women are now liberated and individual, they still seek the advice and approval of men.
60's - I think Alfie (1966) is a good focus film because it represents a time when men were superior and women were only there for the benefit of the man. It shows the emergence of the sexual revolution which also represents the beginning of change for the representation of women when they became more liberated. Genre - Romantic comedy.
90's - I think Four Weddings and a funeral (1994) is a good focus film because it shows that at this time, getting married was still quite key in society, in comparison with films from the present day.. it shows the shift between morals in society. It also shows women giving men advice - a gender role swap? Men being somewhat dependant on women?
Genre - Romantic comedy.
http://henry.quinson.pagesperso-orange.fr/FourWeddings.pdf
Present day: Maybe The Ugly Truth (2009) -Romantic comedy - I think it would be a good focus film because it represents how women are individual, opinionated and liberated although the main protagonist played by Katherine Heigl asks the advice of a man on her love life- which shows that although women are now liberated and individual, they still seek the advice and approval of men.
Tuesday 13 September 2011
Coursework Ideas:
Focused on the representation of women.
either within the romantic comedy genre or over time.
Social / cultural context.
Maybe focus on Tamara Drewe, The Ugly Truth and Bridget Jones Diary.
Or films over time - 40's / 60's / Modern day.
-Think about films, maybe look at swinging sixties - Alfie? - I have some notes from last year.
------
To search things on google more precisely, you need to:
+ " " (use the plus sign and put your text in quote marks.)
either within the romantic comedy genre or over time.
Social / cultural context.
Maybe focus on Tamara Drewe, The Ugly Truth and Bridget Jones Diary.
Or films over time - 40's / 60's / Modern day.
-Think about films, maybe look at swinging sixties - Alfie? - I have some notes from last year.
------
To search things on google more precisely, you need to:
+ " " (use the plus sign and put your text in quote marks.)
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