Drive question

The film Drive uses a mix of conventions from both the film noir genre and the action genre.  In the first scene there is low key lighting, this is a common convention of a film noir because it suggests danger is ahead and also suggests themes of horror. The mise en scene in the film also suggests themes from film noir. The film is set in an urban environment and on the wall of a building we see neon lighting. Neon lighting and built up, urban environments are both common conventions of Noir films and these themes are shared in Sin City. In the first scene of Sin City we see a long shot of a city, showing the setting of the film and the surrounding buildings. There is also a scene in Drive where 2 people are killed with a gun. The gun is regular iconography from the film noir genre and is common in Sin City as well as drive, it suggests crime and violence, both of which are common in Noir films.

District 9 question

Most texts today mix genres. How is this true of District 9?

In the film District 9, the first few scenes are filmed in a documentary style, there are close up shots of people being interviewed and the shots are recorded in a handheld style. There are also clips where the film is shot in the style of a news report, there are tracking shots following people on the ground from the view of a helicopter. These styles of filming combined make the film seem realistic and show elements of a documentary genre.

In the scene where they are in the hospital, there are conventions from both the sci-fi genre and the horror genre. There is a close up of Wikus' arm after he has started to go through his transformation. Transformation is a common convention of sci-fi and this is combined with the use of  CGI to make his arm look like an alien. This convention is common and can also be seen in films such as The Fly when he transforms in to a fly, he undergoes transformation from a human and starts to see changes in his appearance that are constructed using CGI.

When people are shot in the film, there are conventions of realism, horror and sci-fi. An example of this is in the scene where the alien is told to stand by the wall and is shot. The alien is shot using a futuristic alien weapon, alien technology and weapons are a convention from the sci-fi genre.

District 9 characters

Wikus ( hero) - A pen usher that is out in a position of power through his father in law. He initially tries to evict the aliens but once he becomes infected he starts to feel empathy towards them. His transformation into an alien follows the tradition of "body horror". He becomes a hero towards the end of the film when he helps the aliens get home.

Tania

( princess )- she has no control over her life. She has a dominating father and escapes him to build a happy life with Wikus. As soon as Wikus is out of the picture she comes back under the control of her father. She is a very passive character.

Obesandjo

( villain ) - a nigerian warlord operating out of district 9.He preys on the aliens and swaps their advanced weaponry for cat food.  He believes that if he eats alien body parts then he will gain their power. 

Research essay

In what ways is masculinity challenged in contemporary action films with particular focus on Fast 5 and Casino Royale?

In this investigation I will be examining how masculinity is represented in the two films Fast 5(1) and Casino Royale(2). Both films are from the action genre with Casino Royale being more of a spy film and Fast 5 focusing more on crime. However both films represent ideas of masculinity and I will be applying theories such as Hard bodies, National identity and the female gaze to specific scenes within the films to analyse whether they challenge masculinity or use it conventionally.

The action film genre started in the 1920s and 1930s, they usually consisted of battles between villains and heroes with swords and weapons. They were known as 'Swashbuckler' films.(5) The genre has changed and evolved over time, spy and western films have become more popular and costumes used in the films have become more "normal and suited to the theme of the film".(5) These changes have made the action film genre more realistic and more appealing to the audience.(5) In any action film there is an action hero, they are usually very masculine and can "achieve what is out of reach for most ordinary people"(6). The hero in the film is often "the ideal we wish ourselves to be".(6)

Masculinity involves being "tough, respected, strong and independent"(4) according to theorist Jackson Katz. He argues that being masculine involves violence and that "violence is an accepted part of masculinity in films"(4). This theory is backed up in the fight scene between Dom and Hobbs in Fast 5. They both take the form of the 'hard body'(7) action hero. The hard body has remained as one of the fundamental focuses of action films through their evolution. A hard body is a character who is tough and masculine, his body will "enable him to navigate around the perils that shall assault him later on".(6) A hard body action hero usually engages in some form of violence and is "undoubtedly compelled to face the perils of human intervention"(6),meaning that the hard body usually comes under some form of attack from another character, this involvement in violence links back to the theory of Jackson Katz. There are often stereotypes of masculine males in films, usually certain races are related to certain types of characters. For example, Jackson Katz says that Latino males are usually "represented as boxers, criminals and tough guys"(4) and that Asian-American men are usually "represented as martial arts masters or dangerous criminals".(4) Katz also argues that the violence that is portrayed in films influences males in the real world. He argues that the "majority of violence and crime in society is committed by males"(4) as a result of what they have seen in films and believes that the films can lead to things such as "domestic violence and abuse".(4)

Jackson Katz’s views can be applied to both Fast 5 and Casino Royale but Fast 5 uses it more conventionally. Fast 5 is a very stereotypical action film of today, it contains a lot of violence, fighting and weapons, an example is the scene where the convoy come under fire from a gang with guns and RPGs.(1) In this scene there is fast paced editing and non-digetic music used to show action. The mise en scene is based around the favelas of Brazil. These are the slums of the country, the area looks rundown and dirty and there is graffiti on the walls, this represents the way of life of the people that live there and the poverty that exists in that part of the world.  Fast 5(1) also represents men as being muscular and rugged, this is evidence of "the normative mapping of bodies"(8) in action films. This use of violence and the representation of the rugged male means that Fast 5 is a very conventional action film which contrasts with Casino Royale which is adapting more with the times. When James Bond first appeared in the 60's played by Sean Connery, he was represented as being a "hairy-chested, hard drinking, constantly smoking representation of the man's man of the time"(9), Doug Brode, a professor of television and film said that "Sean Connery emphasised the macho"(9). In Casino Royale Bond is still masculine, he still uses violence and kills people however he is more sexualised and in touch with his emotions, this makes him a "far more relatable character"(9). There is evidence that Bond is more in touch with his emotions in the scene where he sleeps with Vesper Lynd.(2) In the past Bond would have slept with a woman out of "selfish desire"(9) however in Casino Royale he sleeps with her out of love and "his actions stem from severe personal loss"(9). The scene where Bond sits and cries over Vespers death(2) also shows that Bond now shows his emotions a lot more, in past Bond films he wouldn't have cried over the death of a woman, he would have just moved on. This change in his actions makes Bond a much more relatable character, allowing the audience to personally identify with him. There is a high camera angle in this scene that looks down at Bond, this makes him look vulnerable and this combined with the use of non-digetic music makes the audience feel sympathetic towards Bond and allows the audience to gain an insight in to his thoughts and feelings for the first time.  This shows how Bond has changed with the times as in the past Bond would never have cried. Laura Mulvey's theory of the female gaze can be applied to Casino Royale to show how Bond is sexualised in the film. The scene where Bond walks out of the Sea with his top off(2) shows fragmentation of his body and makes him visually appealing to a female audience, allowing them to gain visual pleasure from watching it. The camera shows a mid shot of Bond's body, focusing on his muscles and sexualising him. Laura Mulvey originally argued "man as the bearer of the look"(10), however this theory has adapted over time and men are now often the victims of the female gaze which is evident in this scene. This scene is a prime example of how Bond has changed over time, it is a similar scene to the one in Die Another Day(11) where Halle Berry walks out of the sea on to the beach. However, in Die Another Day(11) the focus is on the female and the male gaze theory can be applied conventionally, this contrasts with the Casino Royale(2) scene where the gaze has altered and has now focused on the male in order to sexualise him.

Theory of masculinity

Masculinity 

Theorist-  Jackson Katz

To be masculine involves being- tough, respected, strong, independent   

examples of representations-

Latino men- usually represented as boxers, criminals and tough guys

Asian- American men- usually represented as martial arts masters or dangerous criminals

He argues that violence is an accepted part of masculinity in films. He thinks males are influenced by what they see in the media and in films and believes that it leads to domestic violence and abuse in the real world.  He says that the majority of violence and crime in society is committed by males.

Bibliography

Bibliography

(1)- Fast 5- 2011- Justin Lin

(2)- Casino Royale- 2006- Martin Campbell

(3)-Masculinity theory ideas- http://voices.yahoo.com/masculinity-theory-overview-1941490.html

(4)-Jackson Katz ideas and theory video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3exzMPT4nGI&feature=player_embedded#at=215

(5)-http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Action_film.html- the evolution of the action film genre

(6)-The shape of the action hero- http://the-artifice.com/shape-of-the-action-hero/

(7)-Book- Hard bodies: Hollywood masculinity in the Reagan era- Susan Jeffords-1994

(8)- Book- Masculinity studies and feminist theories:New directions- Judith Kegan Gardiner- 2002

(9)-Men Style power- http://www.menstylepower.com/2012/10/the-name-is-bond-james-bond/-James Bond's masculinity

(10)- Laura Mulveys Visual pleasure and narrative cinema- 1975

(11)- Die Another Day- 2002- Lee Tamahori

(12)- Book- "key themes in media theory"- Dan Laughey

(13)-Book- What is hegemonic masculinity?- Mike Donaldson- 1993

(14)-Book- Masculinities- R.W.Connell- 2005

(15)-http://analyzeforfun.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/representations-of-women-in-james-bond-pt-1-1/- Women in James Bond

(16)- http://benjbourne93.wordpress.com/how-women-are-represented-as-bond-girls/- Women in James Bond

(17)-http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/allies/m3.php3- Information on how M is represented in James Bond

(18)- http://jamesbond.wikia.com/wiki/Bond_girl- Representation of women

Sin City

Sin City

How does the chosen text use genre conventions?

Genre conventions are features that are typical to a particular sort of genre. The film Sin City fits the film noir genre and uses typical conventions from this style of text. The film noir genre is a style of film that reflects the cold war period. There are themes of fear, mistrust and despair in films of this style and  they are often created though the use of characters, lighting and mise en scene. 

The film Sin City is shot mainly in black and white. The use or dark colours and low key lighting give the film a theme of horror, some colours, such as the red of blood are highlighted in the film to indicate things such as danger and lust. For example, in the first scene of the film, the woman's lips and dress are red, they are the only things in the scene that aren't black or dark and this means that they are significant and stand out. The colour red signifies danger and this is backed up later in the scene when she gets shot and killed.These dark colours and low key lighting effects are typical conventions of a film noir text. Another convention of film noir is the use a voice overs. In Sin City, voice overs and narrating feature throughout the whole film and tell the backgrounds and personalities of the characters. An example of this is when Marv says " so I broke his arm in three places and signed the confession ", this tells the audience a lot about the kind of character Marv is, he is tough, violent and powerful and this line of voice over reflects that. The voice overs are used to give the audience extra information or an insight in to the mind of a character, this is a common trait of the film noir genre.

Film noir texts try to give a theme of fear and horror. Mise en scene is a very effective way of doing this. Typical mise en scene for a film noir text includes things such as guns, cigarettes and dark, rain drenched streets, all of which associate to the corrupt cities that film noir texts are set in. One of the scenes in Sin City shows a group of prostitutes in dark back alleys with guns, knifes and other weapons.The streets are lit by neon lights and there is heavy rainfall. This is typical use of mise en scene in film noir, suggesting themes of violence and corruption. Venetian blinds are also commonly used in the film. For example in the scene where Marv is being interrogated. They give a streaky, lined effect across the screen and are typically associated with the film noir genre.

Fish Tank

Fish Tank

How typical is the text of its genre?
Fish tank fits in to the genre of social realism. It is quite a typical film of this genre because it shows real situations and issues. It is filmed in a way that makes it look like a documentary, there are different uses of the camera, lighting and sound effects that give it this effect. The film uses a lot of tracking shots that follow the main character and also uses point of view shots. These shots make the audience see the film through the eyes of the characters in the film and allow them to connect with them and relate with them  more. There are many handheld camera shots too, this makes the film look like it is being filmed from within the estate that it is set, this also helps make the film look like a documentary. An example of this is at the start of the film when the camera is tracking and following Mia around the estate, it looks as if she is being filmed as she is going about her everyday life, this adds to the realism of the film. Fish Tank also uses natural lighting throughout the film.This makes the film look real instead of giving it a fantasy look. The film only uses digetic music, the digetic music makes it look as if the film has been filmed from within the estate. There are sounds of traffic, CD players and TVs, these are all in the film and help create action and atmosphere in the film without making it look like a fantasy. There are also unknown actors playing the characters, this is very typical of social realism films as it doesn't give the audience any preconceived ideas of what the characters may be like if they are being played by well known actors. It creates authenticity and realism in the film.

Explore the different representations  of women in the text?
Women are represented as being vulnerable and trapped in the film. Mia and Tyler are trapped in the world that has been created for them by their mother Joanne, they are unable to escape and have to make do with the life they have. Joanne is also trapped in her life but when she meets Connor she is overwhelmed by him and lets him take advantage of her. She thinks he is the answer to her problems but in the long run he ends up causing her more problems than she had before.

How traditional is the  narrative structure of the text?
The narrative structure of Fish Tank focuses on social problems. It focuses on alienation and relationship problems. For example, Mia is trapped and alienated in the world that she is in, she is unable to get out and lead a better life because she doesn't know any better. Also, the film represents relationship problems, we see that Connor has his own family but is having a relationship with Joanne, this suggests that although from the outside it looks like he is happy with his family, he clearly isn't and is leading a secret life with another woman behind his wife's back. It is hard to apply a narrative theory to Fish Tank but the most appropriate theory would be Todorov's theory of disequilibrium. The film appears to start in equilibrium with the family getting on with their life until Mia finds out about Connors family. This causes disequilibrium in the film to Mia and her family. Equilibrium is restored at the end of the film, but only for Mia, she gets in the car and goes to Cardiff with Billy to start a new life and escapes from the life and the problems that she doesn't want.

Mainstream and niche audiences

Mainstream
Example- X-Factor

X Factor is shown on ITV1 which is a big TV channel, it is shown at 8:00pm which means that the programme can appeal and be shown to a mass target audience. People watch the programme for entertainment and escapism, they use it for filling time and relaxing and gain gratification out of this. Watching somebody do badly and embarrassing themselves makes people gain gratification through emotional release through laughter and entertainment.
The X-Factor also gets the audience involved through the voting system. The programme is shown on a popular channel which encourages people to phone in and vote, this allows the audience to interact with the programme and this can lead to social integration with friends and family etc. as well as allowing the channel to make money.  If somebody watches the programme or votes for their favourite contestant then this allows them to talk about it and interact socially with other people, this gives them a topic of discussion with their friends which they can gain gratification from. The audience can also identify with the people in the programme, this links with social integration and it allows the audience to relate to the contestants.

Niche
Breaking bad

Breaking bad appeals to a more niche audience than the X-Factor. It is shown on Netflix which requires a subscription to watch, this means that you have to pay if you want to watch the latest programmes which creates a more niche audience. The audience for this programme is older people as the programme contains drugs,violence and swearing, as a result of this it is shown quite late in America. The audience can identify and relate to characters in the programme, they can build a relationship with them and this could help them have a subsitute for real-life companionship which they can gain gratification from. The programme can also lead to social integration between people. If people watch an episode and want to discuss it then this can give a topic for people to talk about and connect with their friends and families.

James Bond- Die another day

Die another day

In this clip we see that the woman is sexualised if we analyse it using Mulveys theory of the male gaze. We see a close up of Bond looking through his binoculars and then see a close up of the woman, this makes the audience see the woman from the male point of view. When we see the woman walking out of the water, the film changes to slow motion and non-digetic music is played. The camera then zooms and only focuses on her and certain parts of her body, this objectifies her and sexualises her and makes it look like the woman is a fantasy for most men.

Both the man and the woman are active in this scene.The female is aware of what is going on and talks to Bond in the clip instead of just being watched. When she talks to him, everything else is blurred out behind her, this focuses the attention on her.

Male gaze analysis- American Beauty

American Beauty

In the scene that we analysed, we can see that the cheerleaders were sexualised by applying the male gaze theory . The camera shots and music emphasise this. There are close ups on the blonde cheerleader, these close ups focus on her body parts such as her thighs and this shows fragmentation of the female body. This fits in to the male gaze theory as the girl is objectified. There is also a use of high key and low key lighting to help objectify the cheerleader. Her surroundings are covered by low key lighting and she is shot in high key lighting, this makes her stand out and draws attention to her. The way the camera films her fits the theory of the male gaze too, we see a close up of the males face and then there is a slow zoom towards the girl. This makes the audience view the girl from the males perspective.

As the cheerleaders start dancing there is digetic music playing from inside the stadium. As the camera zooms in on the cheerleader and we see the male staring at her, the music becomes non-digetic and becomes a fantasy as this shows that the male has become obsessed and attracted to the girl. The camera then tilts and follows the actions of the girl as she touches her body, this looks like the camera is being operated by the male as it only looks at certain parts of her body, again this shows fragmentation of the female body and sexualises her.

There are also elements of stereotypical characters throughout the clip. The males daughter is represented as being a stereotypical moody teenager. We see this because she doesn't smile when she is dancing and she is telling her friend that she doesn't like her mum and dad at the start of the clip. The mother is a stereotypical proud mother. She only focuses on her daughter when they are dancing and she claps and cheers for her.

A2 Media research

A2 Media

In what ways is masculinity challenged with particular focus on Fast 5 and Casino Royale?

In this investigation I will be examining how masculinity is represented in the two films Fast 5 and Casino Royale. Both films are from the action genre with Casino Royale being more of a spy film and Fast 5 focusing more on crime. However both films represent ideas of masculinity and I will be applying theories such as the female gaze to specific scenes within the films to analyse whether they challenge masculinity or use it conventionally.

Fast 5- shows hegemonic masculinity- males maintain their power throughout- rarely get overpowered

Casino Royale- shows glimpses of masculinity- e.g when Bond walks out of the sea- shows female gaze which was originally linked to women and the male gaze. The film shows how roles are now switching.

The representation of males in movies varies from genre to genre, with the two main representations being the alpha male and the metro-sexual. I will be exploring the way males are represented in different ways with reference to the films Fast 5 and Casino Royale. The two films I am exploring represent males in completely different ways, in Fast 5 males are represented as being rough and rugged and are masculine and dominant. However in Casino Royale James Bond is represented as being more metro sexual, he takes more care over his appearance and is more in touch with his emotions. 

Dominant ideologies

Dominant ideologies- CSI

Males and females have equal power in this clip, there is a male and a female officer, they both have the same job and the same role within the job showing that no single gender is more dominant and giving the ideology that men and women are equal.

The clip is also very patriotic towards America, all of the characters have strong American accents and the programme is set in America,  this targets the American audience.  Also, the FBI and and police forces solve the crimes very quickly, this give Americans the ideology that their country is very safe and that their crime investigators are efficient.

We also see that women are more vulnerable than men in the programme. We see that the dead bodies that are found are all women, this suggests that they are less dominant than men and have less power within the programme.

The programme opens with an enigma code. We see the dead bodies and want to know why they have been killed and why they are there. It makes the audience ask questions and want to watch more of the programme. The deaths signify disequilibrium within the programme.

Analysing a film trailer

The place beyond the pines

The representation of gender is strong in the film. Males are represented as being masculine and slightly sexualised. We see this in a close up shot at the beginning of the film when Ryan Gosling takes his shirt off and has a muscular body, this is linked to the female gaze and the ideal body image that women think men should have.
Males are also take on more masculine roles, for example riding motorbikes and  robbing banks, these things are not usually associated with women. Men are also represented as being the ones who look after their families. We see the man in the trailer putting his arms around his wife and  child showing that he is protecting them and showing his masculinity.

Women are represented as having less power and being less dominant than men. We see a clip where the woman is being overpowered by a man who is arresting her this shows that women are less dominant than the men in the film.

Genre

Explain the genre of your chosen research texts

The genre of my chosen research texts are both action. The two texts are James Bond Casino Royale and Fast 5. The audience for these types of films are typically male.

The conventions films of this genre contain are:

·         Guns

·         Cars

·         Girls

·         Dramatic non-digetic sound

·         Fast paced editing to show drama and action

·         Cause and effect chain of events

·         Close ups/long shots

·         High/low key lighting

·         Sub plot- usually romance

·         Dominant males

·         Vulnerable females

·         Binary opposition – good/bad – hero/villain

The action genre usually has a similar narrative in each film. They usually follow Todorov's theory of disequilibrium. The film usually starts with a normal scene before something disrupts the peace and happiness of the film. This is the disequilibrium. Action films then generally have a romantic sub plot between two of the characters before the hero restores the equilibrium in the film. The audience generally expect these generic conventions from any action film.

Narrative examples- Skyfall and Sleepy Hollow

Example of Narrative Theory - Skyfall

In the clip that we analysed in Skyfall, I applied the Propp theory. There were three main character archetypes in the clip. The hero was James Bond, this is shown through the use of non-digetic sound, heroic music is played at the end of the scene when the helicopters arrive. The villain was Silva. This is shown through his actions. He has the girl tied up and is followed by his bodyguards. We also see that he has power, we see a close up of his face at a low camera angle looking up at him which makes him look powerful and important. He also forces Bond to shoot the shot glass of the girls head, this shows that he is evil and again he is showing off his power by making Bond do something that he doesn't want to. Finally there is the princess. She is tied up and looks vulnerable, we see this from a close up camera shot on her face where she has blood on her face suggesting she may have been beaten. James Bond tries to save her which suggests she is sought after.
The clip has binary opposition, there is good and evil in the clip with James Bond being good and Silva being bad.

We can see that the film is an action film. We see a long shot of the deserted area that the scene is set in, the long shot gives the viewer a better picture of the setting. The area looks slightly run down and looks like it is set in a hot country, this is sterotypical of most action films. There is also an extreme close up on a gun when Silva gives it to Bond. Guns are a stereotypical part of an action film and this close up shows that the gun is significant and suggests that some action, for example a shoot off may be about to happen within the film.



Sleepy Hollow

In the clip that we analysed in Sleepy Hollow we can see that the film is a horror. We can see this through the use of low key lighting and non-digetic sound. The low key lighting gives an eery feel and a sense of fear. The non-digetic music is there to build up tension in the clip, it crescendos throughout and makes the audience think something bad is about to happen as this is the stereotypical use of sound in a horror.
There are clear references to Propps theory throughout the clip. The villain is the woman with the blonde hair. We can see that she is a villain through the use of lighting and camera angles. There is a low camera angle shot looking up at her, this shows that she is powerful and makes others feel vulnerable. She wears dark colours and there is a bolt of lighting when she turns around, this shows that she is evil. The hero in the film is the character played by Johnny Depp. We can see that he is a hero through his actions. He saves the children and ends up killing the character that is trying to kill them. The hero in a film stereotypically always saves the day and has a positive effect on the characters in the film.