Lukas Bennett AS Media Exam: October 2016

Thursday, 20 October 2016

How sexuality is portrayed in the clip of Eastenders

“Stereotyping becomes ideological the moment it stops being simply a method of description and becomes a vehicle for values: the image of the screaming queen does not just mean ‘all gay men are like that’, it means ‘all gay men are like that and aren’t they awful’, which in turn means ‘and they are awful because the are not like us.”

Medhurst argued this is done to make heterosexual viewers feel safe in the believe that there way of living is the only ‘natural one’. So, stereotyping for the ‘straight’ viewer makes them feel safe and superior. In addition, the embedded social norm of straight sexuality is reinforced.

“This is why stereotypes of sexuality strive so vigorously to create two, polarized sexualities, hetro and straight, and to insist with such obsessive reductiveness that people who belong to those poles are easily identifiable – hence the recurring presence across media texts of the screaming queen and his female equivalent the butch dyke.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOXuQK0Z5-g

In this clip of Syed and Christians kiss, there is evidence of that supports and apposes Medhurst's theory.

Tuesday, 18 October 2016

Gender practise

The extract I have been given is from the movie ‘Hustle’. Evident just from the name you would be able to guess what this film is about. The gender stereotype theories of Mulvey (1975), Mackillon (2002) and Gauntlett (2002) are both supported and apposed by this clip.

The opening shot in the extract is a low angle medium close up of the middle-aged male in the clip. It is evident from this first shot that this male is working in the store from his attire (an expensive-looking suit). It’s a common stereotype that males working in clothes stores are either gay or very camp, and his posture supports this stereotype. Whilst the stereotype is supported, Gauntlett’s theory is not. He said that men in films were “conventionally rugged” and “extra-strong” but it is evident just from the first shot that he is none of these things. Although, there are some things in this first shot that supports Gauntlett’s theory. The fact that he is on a higher level than the woman in the shot and traditionally, height equals power when it comes to camera shots.

It is clear to me from this shot that the man is asserting his power over the older woman in the red coat. This is because the camera angle implies this. The shot itself is a high angle medium close-up on the woman in the red. Like I’ve already stated previously, height when it comes to camera angles is a defining factor as to whether a character is powerful or not, and it is clear to see that the woman is the least powerful of the two characters in the shot. This supports Gauntlett’s theory that men are powerful in films, although the male is not necessarily “rugged” and “strong”, he is still the most powerful. Although it does appose Laura Mulvey’s theory that women are used in films as “erotic objects of desire” because I can assure you that I myself feel no sexual desire towards this woman. What I believe is that this shot links in more with the common movie stereotype that women are made to be either sexual objects (which Mulvey’s theory states) OR housewives (which Mulvey’s theory does not state). Although it is difficult to tell from this shot as you can only really see the side of the males head, I would say that Mackillon’s 2002 theory is also apposed because he stated that men are now used in a similar way to women in films (sex objects) and the man in this film is well groomed yes, clean shaven, nice suit, but he is not what the society of this day and age would call a “sex object”.

The next shot is a medium shot of both the male and the female. Unlike the first shot, the woman does not look like the weaker of the two characters anymore because the camera angle is level for both of them and is not biased to either one. Not only that but the woman is keeping eye contact with the man unlike the earlier woman who shied away from this. In this shot, Laura Mulvey’s theory is supported because the woman in this shot is a younger, prettier, and more sexualised. The fact that the camera angle and the way she is standing (to the side) both result in her bum looking more aesthetically pleasing also supports Mulvey’s theory. Gauntlett’s theory on the other hand is not supported, this is because the man is not the most powerful character in the shot and although the theory does not state that the man is the most powerful character in the shot, it just states that they are usually rugged and extra-strong, it implies as much.

Thursday, 13 October 2016

Theories + Representation of men and women in the media (Gender)

Laura Mulvey - 1975
"As erotic objects of desire for the characters within the story, and as erotic objects of desire for the spectator."

David Gauntlett - 2002
"Images of the conventionally rugged, super-independent, extra-strong macho man still circulate in popular culture."

Mackillon - 2002
In 2002 Mackillon said males are now used in a similar way to women, in so far as they are being presented as sex objects and are seen to be more image conscious and sensitive.

How are males and females represented in the media?

Depending on the type of media, women can be portrayed in different ways, although the most common way women are represented is sexually. In most types of media, be it video games or Hollywood blockbusters, 9 times out of 10 they will be quite sexualised. Thin, busty, and extremely pretty are the first words that come to mind. There are some exceptions however, a lot of the comedy roles played by women are played by 'big girls' so to speak, take Rebel Wilson and Dawn French for example, they both play comedy roles in films and series etc and they're not skinny ten out of ten women that are usually on the front of DVD's.

Again, it all depends on what type of media it is, but men aren't very similar to women when it comes to portrayal. Men nowadays are usually represented as heroic, strong and brave as apposed to most women in actions and hours who are portrayed as weak and feeble. There are similarities between the two though, and that is that men and women are both portrayed as attractive, attractive in different ways yes, but still attractive. Men would have these perfect body's with toned muscles and a face that their fathers themselves are jealous of. Women on the other hand are slim with some sort of an hourglass figure and a perfectly sized bust.

Monday, 10 October 2016

Editing

Thursday, 6 October 2016

Sound

Diegetic sound: It is the sound of the 'real world' inside the shot, for example, a door slamming in another room or traffic lights beeping off shot. The most common examples of dietetic sounds are, dialogue, sounds made by objects, music coming from instruments played on screen and ambient sound.

Non-diegetic sound is sound where the source is not present in the action nor looks like it is meant to be; common examples include:

- Mood music

- Dramatic sound effects that do not match the sound anything on screen would make.

- Narrators commentary.

Sound Terminology

Inside these two categories there are a number of specific terms for different types of sounds that you must be able to use in the examination when you analysis, make note on and write about the extract in terms of representation they are as follows:

Non-diegetic

Title music: theme tunes (connote genre/represent TV drama).

Score/incidental music: orchestral music used to connote tone/atmosphere.

Sound motifs: sounds associated with certain character (often a villain like the shark in Jaws) that connote something good/bad is about to happen.

Sound effects: used to connote atmosphere.

Voice over: often used to give the viewer an insight into the thoughts of a character (creating a bond between the audience and character), set the scene or progress the narrative.

Diegetic

Synchronous sound: sounds that match what you see on screen.

Sound effects: realistic sounds that match the action on screen creating realism and/or connoting atmosphere e.g. gun shots, door opening/closing.

Dialogue: characters speaking (dialogue progresses the narrative and reveals the character's personality/views to the viewer).

Ambient sound: natural background noise you would hear if the scene on screen were real - this is vital when creating realism.