28 January 2013

Essay - First Draft

Has the way women are represented in Hollywood Narrative Cinema altered since the release of Laura Mulvey's essay 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema?'


The intention of this essay is to explore the theories proposed by Laura Mulvey in her essay 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' (published in 1975), based on a critical textual analysis of film posters both from the era that the essay was published in, as well as contemporary examples of Hollywood/Mainstream narrative cinema, to review whether the way females are represented has altered or developed. Film posters provide an interesting foundation for analysis: as promotional material for a mainstream film, they become either a concentrated or simplified representation of the feature, designed to give a prospective target audience an indication of the central themes, genre and plot. As well as certain key conventions such as use of colour, tag lines etc. that connote these aspects to the viewer, the way the film's characters appear on the poster is central to our reading of the text, and are rife with their own signifiers and codes that provide an audience with a basic understanding of their role's value or purpose.

On a deeper level, like any form of advertising, film posters also provide insight into popular culture's dominant ideologies. Laura Mulvey's influential essay 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' uses Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan, and their theories of psychoanalysis as the foundation for her hypothesis on Hollywood and Mainstream cinema's perpetuation of a dominant patriarchal ideology.
She identified 'two contradictory aspects of the pleasurable structures of looking in the conventional cinematic situation'(Mulvey, n.d, 61 ): scopophilia and identification. Scopophilia, as based on Freud's findings in 'Three Essays on Sexuality' is the pleasure of looking, and the pleasure of taking other people as objects, whilst identification, based on Lacan's theories of the 'mirror stage' of childhood, is crucial to the development of the ego and the human's narcissistic tendencies.  Mulvey stated that in a world underpinned by its sexual imbalance, 'pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female.'(Mulvey, n.d ,62) The two contradictory aspects of looking can be applied to the male gaze in cinema thusly: the male objectifies the female character, and takes pleasure in viewing her as a sexual object (the scopophilic aspect), whilst identifying with the male character, and viewing him narcissistically as an extension of himself (the identification aspect).


At the time of the essay's publication, possibly the most relevant texts to follow Mulvey's active male/passive female structure of mainstream cinema were the James Bond series of films, which in the 1970's were mainly directed by Guy Hamilton. James Bond embodies the ultimate male hero in cinema - his life is one of threatening but exhilarating missions (where his safety is endangered but ultimately guaranteed), fast cars, luxury living, and most importantly to Bond (and to Mulvey), a series of sexual encounters with attractive but dispensable females whose only purpose is to validate his ego and help him to pass the time between his more important scenes in the film. The Bond girls thus fulfil their role 'as erotic object for the characters within the screen story, and as erotic object for the spectator within the auditorium' (Mulvey, n.d,  62) The film allows the spectator to live out this fantasy role of international man of mystery, and to view the female characters from the same shallow and voyeuristic perspective as Bond does, all from the safety of their seat in the cinema.
Although the promotional material for the Bond films would not be viewed in this manner, and instead would be viewed in passing by the public, the representations of the male and the female characters are clear cut for the audience. Each of the posters includes the iconic image of a tuxedo-clad Bond: His stance is one of power and strength as he faces towards the audience with a look of both determination and arrogance, holding the gun at an angle towards his face, whilst leaving the other arm crossed. Each of these signifiers contributes to the understanding as an audience that James Bond is the active male character, (although due to the film's popularity there would already be a prior understanding of this). His position on the poster is central, which again connotes the fact that he is the central role, whilst also suggesting his domination of the females that surround him.
To compliment this, the females have been placed in 'the classic role of exhibitionist; they are looked at and displayed as sexual objects'  (Denzin, 1995, 43) which is made obvious by the way they appear on the poster. They pose semi pornographically around him, dressed in very little, and whilst some look to the audience, it is not with anything other than the purpose to arouse and garner attention. It is made clear to the audience through this representation that their roles in the film are decorative, and the exhibition of their bodies is used to satisfy both Bond's and the audiences voyeuristic needs.


More recently, the posters for the Bond films have been far more subtle, which suggests that some progress has been made, even if the most notable difference is the women that appear, now only one at a time, are in a more decent state of dress. In fact, there is quite a clear development looking at just these three images in relation to one another, without even considering the posters from the 1970's. In the Casino Royale poster, Bond's image is still the one that dominates most clearly, with his body taking up the majority of the poster's space. Unlike the Bond played by Connery and Moore, the Bond in this image, whilst still in a position of activity, looks out into the distance with a sense of anger, as opposed to towards the audience with an inflated sense of self, which perhaps signals a shift in Bond's attitude or character. This look is repeated in Quantum of Solace. The typical Bond girl (blonde, buxom, semi naked) has been replaced in both Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace with a more dignified female character, albeit ones who still have notable assets. In Casino Royale the female (played by Eva Green) actively looks towards Bond, and her stance is stronger, however she still takes up only a limited space, and her gaze is directed towards Bond, suggesting his power over her.
In Quantum of Solace, the poster represents both the male and the female on an almost equal footing, which connotes that the Bond girl has more of a purpose and active role in the film, as opposed to simply being an object of desire.
Skyfall, the most recent Bond film, dispenses with the inclusion of the female altogether, which is a significant development. The image of Bond now appears to return to one of strength and confidence, not dissimilar to the arrogant illustrations of Roger Moore and Sean Connery, although perhaps with a little more subtlety. This is connoted through his robust, solid stance, the stern gaze he fixes towards the spectator, and his composed presentation. The absence of a passive feminine presence perhaps signifies that the narrative relies on Bond, without the need for a superficial female distraction. It could signify the Bond's franchises readiness to be taken more seriously, and of Hollywood's awareness of a shifting attitude in how females are represented in mainstream films.



This may be evident in the wider breath of films that include more active and prominent roles for females in contemporary cinema, such as some of the highest grossing films of the 21st Century, including Mamma Mia, the Twilight Saga and The Sex and the City Franchise, as noted by Jennifer Todd and Martha Lauzen in a video discussing the subject of Women in Film titled Missrepresentation: Women and Film - Supply and Demand (MissRepresentation 2, 2012) . In each of these films the main protagonists are female, and in the case of Mamma Mia and Sex and the City, the other central roles are also female.



Whilst the posters created for them may challenge Mulvey's theory that males are the dominating presence in mainstream cinema narratives, it is debatable whether or not they are still being represented as objects that connote 'to-be-looked-at-ness'(Mulvey, page number, year). Whilst their physical attributes may differ from those presented on the Bond posters of the 60's and 70's, they can all still be recognised as conventionally attractive, particularly Amanda Seyfried and Kristen Stewart, who are young, slim and pretty. The characters presented here also all fit quite clearly into the typically restricted representations of women in Hollywood cinema as either 'virgin, mother or whore.' (BFI Screen Online, n.d).
The best example of this is Mamma Mia. Amanda Seyfried can be said to fit the 'virgin' role: best connoted to the audience with her youthful and innocent appearance, her long white dress and her reserved stance to the audience. Meanwhile, Meryl Streep slots perfectly into the 'mother' role, which is connoted to us mainly by the audience's prior knowledge of her age and previous roles, but also by her more masculine attire that suggests to the audience that we are not to be concerned with her looks, and her presence at the centre of the poster which provides her with a sense of importance and parental authority.
These restrictive but supposedly active roles show that whilst there may be a larger quantity of mainstream female driven films being produced, they are still rooted in a somewhat old fashioned and patriarchal understanding of what it can mean to be a female.
A significant example of this, that reinforces Mulvey's theories and displays Hollywood's reluctance to provide the audience with an alternative representation of a woman, and to place a strong and active female character at the centre of mainstream cinema is their adaptation of bestselling novel 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. It was first released as a Swedish film directed by Niels Arden Oplev in 2009, before being remade by American director David Fincher in 2011.
The promotional material created for the American release featured several glaring differences to its Swedish counterpart.


The most obvious, and telling of these differences is the inclusion of Mikael Blomkvist's character (played by Daniel Craig) in the 2011 release. In the 2009 release, Blomkvist's character is omitted from the film posters, meaning that the character of Lisabeth Salander (played by Noomi Rapace) is the sole selling point of Oplev's release. The poster gives prominence to the female character; her face and shoulders dominate the poster, producing an image that connotes the female's importance and central role in the narrative. Blomkvist's character is unnecessary to the introductory reading of the text. The audience is led by the poster to understand that Salander is the main character, which is reinforced by the title of the film. 
In contrast, the 2011 release places Craig's Blomkvist at the forefront of the image, whilst Mara's Salander is left a significantly smaller space to feature at the back of the poster. The audience, upon viewing this poster, are clearly being influenced to read this formation of the characters as an order of importance, with Salander's crucial and active role in the film now being undermined. Of course, there are several arguably rational explanations Hollywood can provide to excuse this disregard of the female. There is the fact that Daniel Craig, as an A List actor, is a major draw for a cinematic audience, who is likely to guarantee the film's success simply by being in it, due largely to his other key Hollywood role as James Bond, a point that is made by Sam Sarrowitz in his book Translating Hollywood: The World of Movie Posters, where he states 'posters designed for the US Market almost always stand out because of their emphasis on stars' (Sarrowitz, 6, 2007).
He lends the film a credibility that could not be secured in Hollywood by relying on the merits of Rooney Mara's acting abilities, particularly given the fact that she is a relatively unknown actress. By placing Craig at the forefront, Hollywood is hoping to signal to their target audience that the film is worthy of viewing. This in theory works particularly well considering the relative similarities in genre between the Bond films and the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (both are crime based, dramatic thrillers). 
However, the producers of this poster have not simply relegated Mara's character to the background of the image, they have turned her on her side, so that she, unlike her 2009 counterpart, no longer faces the audience to directly address them. Rapace's Salander, as well as being the dominant feature of the 2009 poster, also stares directly into the space inhabited by the audience, her expression steely and determined. This again connotes her strength and domination in the film, and provides the character with a purpose the viewer is drawn to explore and investigate. Mara's Salander, however, stares into the periphery, her gaze unfocussed and weary, whilst Craig's Blomkvist faces the audience, with an intense yet mysterious gaze that performs in the same way as Rapace's Salander, to draw the viewer in with an intrigue. Mara is not so subtly being represented as a secondary, passive character, not lacking in similarity to that of a Bond poster: the main difference being, of course, that she is not what Hollywood would deem as a conventionally attractive female.
Although this point may be discredited with a deeper textual analysis of the actual narrative, in which Mara's Salander becomes integral to the narrative and is shown to be something of more or equal value to Craig's Blomkvist, to a prospective audience viewing this poster as they pass it either in the cinema or in the public, their understanding of this is limited by the advertising. As this was a high budget, Hollywood release, there would logically be a greater presence and distribution of this image than there would be of an alternative, foreign release like Oplev's adaptation, which simply reinforces the dominant ideology, and represses an alternative view of women.

It is somewhat conclusive from the texts that have been analysed that there have been no significant advances made by Hollywood and Mainstream cinema to commit to representing females in the same active roles that have been and are still currently being played by men. The sexual imbalance described by Mulvey may simply be too entrenched in society for there to ever be a change in this area. However,  Hollywood as an entity should not be understood to represent western society as a whole, no matter how much it dominates it. It would be naive to consider that the limited view that is represented to us is something that is shared by the audiences, and it would be patronising to say that just because a text has  been designed to be read a certain way by the spectator that it is necessarily accepted, or even interpreted this way. Mainstream cinema is often simply an escapist activity for the viewer, who is intelligent enough to know and understand that what is being represented is not 'the norm' that Hollywood perceives it to be. Looking to alternative producers of popular cinema, such as Britain, can provide more of a breadth of female roles, which, as stated by Sarah Cardwell 'with its perennial concern for realism, its desire to speak about ordinary lives and social concerns and its comparative lack of emphasis upon superficial beauty and glamour, has permitted a greater breadth of female representation' (BFI Screen Online, n.d). British, as well as 'alternative' American cinema are both able to provide western audiences with positive representations of females that will hopefully one day permeate the biggest and most successful releases of Hollywood studios. 



Bibliography

Cardwell, S. (2003-2012). Female Protagonists. Available: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/824016/index.html. Last accessed 20th January 2013.


N, Denzin. (1995). The Voyeur's Desire. In: N, Denzin The Cinematic Society - The Voyeur's Gaze. Londin: SAGE Publications Ltd. . 42-63


MissRepresentation2, 2012 Miss Representation: Women and Film - Supply and Demand [video online] Available at: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo40Kwn1I-I> 
[Accessed 20th January 2013]

Mulvey, L., n.d, Visual and Other Pleasures [ebook] Available at:  [Accessed 28th January 2013].  - this will be amended before the final deadline, all of the physical book versions had been taken from the library so I have done my best to source it online, however, the source has limited information and is part of a compilation book, the name of which has not been stated

Sarowitz, S (2007). Translating Hollywood: The World of Movie Posters. New York: Mark Batty Publisher. 06.

27 January 2013

Design Outcome Research

I wanted to look at how I could finish my book to make it feel a little more interesting than a standard perfect bound book, and I really like the idea of Z binding it, so that the information on pre and post print would be separated. These are the two best examples I could find, and I think it looks cool and like it would be a little more engaging for the viewer to read.


25 January 2013

Lecture Notes: Censorship and 'Truth'

Notions and definitions of censorship - photography rendering truth/manipulation of images.

The camera never lies  - false.
Photographic images can be manipulated and distorted to reveal to the viewer only what you want to reveal.

Ansel Adams - iconic image, but is it a quality piece of photography?
Adams uses manipulation to alter what the print shows.

Fabricated images, now easier to manipulate images with digital technology, but it was happening when analogue photography was the most prominent.

Robert Capa

Persuasion - 'a deliberate and successful attempt by one person to get another person by appeals to reason...'

Peter Turnley - The Unseen Gulf War

Simulation - falsified and presented as truth.

Jean Baudrillard, The Gulf War did not Take Place, 1995, p.40

An-My Le, Small Wars

Censorship -


20 January 2013

Individual Practice: Secret 7" Research


I have sourced images of record sleeves from Pinterest to help with my Secret 7" design. The collection of images I have found are quite diverse, with different styles being used depending on the style of music and the era. I found the jazz era record sleeves to be really inspirational, however because I am designing for the Elton John track, I'm not sure they are very visually relevant, no matter how great they look. The more modern record covers are quite obvious because they use more high impact photography than text or illustration, which works because it becomes iconic in a way, and it is also intriguing to look at something like that, where nothing is really given away. High impact photography or imagery record sleeves are probably the most relevant to this brief as the whole point of Secret 7" is to be subtle and not divulge the title or the artist's name on the cover. In terms of visual style, I am most interested in exploring something similar to the last few record covers I have collected. The Beach Boys cover I like because of the style of illustration, which is something that I have attempted before and really enjoyed. I also love the record cover of the skull made up of legs, which I think is striking and unusual.

14 January 2013

Individual Practice: Very and Mr Porter


I have been trying to find websites and apps that are similar to what I want to create, but I am finding it a challenge. I searched for fashion apps, and this was one of the highest rated and best looking from the site to download, and really, in terms of design and some of the elements, this is perfect. It's useful, compact, cleverly styled and uses a very stylish and sleek grid system that just works really well. The website is also very useful and a good source of inspiration. Obviously for the design of my app the audience is very different, but I think the basic principles and elements of the app and site are the same, and I am going to try to design my work in a similar way.

13 January 2013

Individual Practice: Fashion App Research


As I am creating an app for the Very brief, I wanted to research into apps with a similar purpose and style to what I want to achieve. The apps I have found all have a very clean and organised design, and all the fashion apps also seem to use similar typefaces, such as the bodoni style, which is a typeface used for the Very logo. I want to create a similar style to the apps I have shown, making it simple and usable, so that it is attractive to a large number of customers.

11 January 2013

Shop Identity and Collateral Research






Since my progress crit, I have been told to create more of a product range for my 'madchester' concept, so I am now creating a record store that will sell 'Madchester' records, and wanted to research into the printed collateral that other stores have created. I think that the bottom 3 images are the strongest because they all remain very simple, with only a little bit of variety. They all rely on the strength of the logos, which what I hope to recreate with my own branding and identity products. 

10 January 2013

Lecture Notes: Communication Theory

Signs and Signification


Two Ronnies sketch 'Four Candles/ Fork Handles'

Meaning isn't guaranteed by what you say.

Ferdinand De Saussure defined semiology as the study of sign systems.
By reducing language to sign systems, it introduces the idea of image based signs.

Signifier / Signified / Referent

Signifier is the sign.
Signified is the translation of the concept, what you think of when you are faced with a signifier
The referent is the actual concept itself.

Signs are open to interpretation.

Saussure separated the word (sign) from meaning - that meaning is not inherent within the sign.

Semiotics is a form of meta language -  a language about language.

Systems and structures dictate the reading somewhat. Eg. Advertising, Fashion, the English Language.
Different elements and signs within the systems mean what they mean because they have been structured that way.

Walkers is a system that uses colours to signify a flavour, for example blue is cheese and onion when viewed in the context of a shop. Walkers actually swapped associated colours of both cheese and onion and salt and vinegar, influenced the system.

Connotation and denotation.
Provides us with levels of order of signification.

Roland Barthes warns that denotation is not a literal meaning but is naturalised through language.

Most evident where signifiers merely refer to other signifiers .

Myth - myths are signs that are culturally informed. Barthes kinked myths to ideology 'Bourgeois ideology...turns culture into nature' (1974)
Myths often appear to go without saying, yet function to hide dominant cultural values or beliefs.

Example - red wine as a drink in France is associated with intelligence and class, but there is no logical connection between wine and intelligence, but has simply been enforced over time.
Example - milk is associated with natural strength, wholesomeness, freedom and liberty, when in bears no logical relation to that.

Syntagm and Paradigm
Syntagm - a series or collection of signifiers within a 'text'
Syntagmatic relations - how signifiers within a syntagm relate to each other.

Paradigm - Signifiers that relate through function or relative meaning (e'g boy/man, male/female)
Paradigmatic relation - How paradigmatic signifiers contrast and construct meaning.

Dolce and Gabbana The One Gentleman (Matthew Mcwhateverhisnameis)
The image in terms of paradigm - If you replaced Matthew in a clean, sleek tuxedo with the Marlboro man, it now connotes that the perfume is made for rugged men, as opposed to classy rich guys.

Metaphor and Metonym...are both non literal forms of signification, as such require a level of interpretation.

Metaphor is where one signifier is replaced with another that has similar concepts or characteristics.
A metonym is where a signifier stands in for another to which it is conceptually or physically a part of (displacement) - A part to represent the whole or the whole to represent the part...association along a chain of signification.

White House image
Not just the White House, could represent US Politics or Western politics

Rhetoric
The act of effective persuasion using language
Used by advertisers, politicians, journalists, and PR

Photo journalists use this device quite often, trying to persuade you by choosing photos carefully. Reduces things to a simplistic meaning, often biased.

META
Meta is a prefix used to alter purpose of a practice or a system inwards.
Meta-language -  a language about language

The Greatest Film ever sold - A movie about a movie

Structuralism is the term used for the broad application of semiotics/semiology to a range of sign systems.
Further than the application solely to linguistics. Structuralism emphasises structures or systems of signification.
Not what it means but HOW it comes to mean.
Semiotic linguistic terms/structures act as analogies for other systems.

Roland Barthes - 'Image, Music, Text' 1977
Barthes analyses a range of visual media in terms of their signifying structures:

Post structuralism
While structuralism focusses on the structures of meaning in any signifying system.
Post structuralism focusses on the interpreter/reader and the precarious nature of meaning.
Structuralism reduces everything to related elements within a signifying system...
This is authoritarian in nature.
It assumes the presence of a meaning - that the meaning is there and can be sought out.
(Logocentrism - anything that does not fit is discarded or ignored)
Post structuralists aim to deconstruct assumptions and emphasise the plurality of interpretation.

Differance
Jacques Derrida established this term both in development of Saussure and disagreement.
Differer - to differ and to defer
Differance is both differing and deferring simultaneously
Derrida states that meaning is not only established in difference/opposition but is also being deferred.

Deconstruction
Where structuralism identified/created structures of signification
Deconstruction aims to target assumed structures of meaning and signification, to break them down and view the gaps, or the things left behind.
Targets binary oppositions - most of the time are languages privilege things in opposition. They cast aside anything in between, are seen in a negative light because they are not addressed by language itself.

Intertextuality
'Every text is from the outset under the jurisdiction of other discourses which impose a universe on it' Julia Kristeva
Intertextuality describes how texts are constructs/collages of previous texts.
When writers write they are also written.

Scary Movie - example - only exists because of the things that it references

Simulacra
Jean Baudrillard introduces the idea of hyperreality in representation - a copy without an original.
We have lost the ability to recognise the difference between nature and artificiality.
"Quote"

Stages of Simulacra - 1.The image is a clear counterfeit of the original (pre modern) 2. Distinctions between the copy and original begin to break down through mass-production and distribution (modern)
3. Pure simulacra where the copy precedes it
Example - Disneyland - supposed to mirror other cities, brought together into a strange, distorted centre.
Brands that are about the status, and the signifier themselves in the society of the hyperreal.

9 January 2013

ISTD: Research into Identity

After looking at research into the 'Madchester' era, I came across a shop in the Northern Quarter that used to be a go to for both the bands and the fans of the music. I want to create a record shop with a similar concept, so I thought I would look at their website and see what they offer. 




The shop mainly offers prints and photographs, as well as T-shirts, the most famous one being this one. Apparently it caught on pretty fast at the time, and I guess that's because it's kind of irreverent and tongue in cheek, which reflects Manchester, and some of the bands that were famous at the time, pretty well.
In terms of the design of the branding and the website, I think it could be more up to date and a little sleeker, but seeing as it was/is a Manchester institution you can't really argue with it. The use of yellow seems very appropriate because it references the colour used by Factory Records, the big label of the time, which is something I would like to do with my own branding.

ISTD: Guardian Guide Research

Sophie Henson

Rude
Kate Moross
Melvin Galapon







As part of the progress crit, it was suggested that I could possible create a feature on Madchester music for a music magazine or culture section of a newspaper, so I have decided to look the Guardian Guide, because I know that this supplement is heavy with music features, and the Guardian have a big interest in culture. Looking at the Guides that are here, they all seem to be very illustrative as opposed to photographic, which is something that I do not feel will work very well for my own guide, however, the one by Melvin Galapon I think is closer to what I would like to do,  as it is a bold but simple typographic image that creates an interest without immediately giving away the entire feature.





Individual Practice: Hellfire Beer Label Research


Here I have some research into beer label designs that I think will help me with my own designs for the Hellfire brief. The brief from the marketing team and the brewery were that they wanted to create something with a contemporary feel, so I have tried to find labels that relate to this. A lot of the images I have found focus more on quality typefaces and layout rather than imagery, which I think looks more successful and stands out against the more traditional beer labels seen on shelves generally. The simple labels also work successfully because they create more of an impact with the design elements they choose, for example the Monteith's Single Source Beer, which has a black bottle, with minimal use of white text. The effect is very striking, and works with the name of the beer. The print quality of the bottle also looks very high quality, which adds to it's attractiveness to customers. Another textual beer label that I think works well is the Brewers Union. The use of black white and gold makes it appear high quality and the use of bold text gives it a strong visual impact. Most of the labels I have found have used the traditional format of a rectangular label, which I think works well visually and practically, and because of the timescale I have for this brief, I am going to create a rectangular label. After viewing all of these bottles, I would like my label to be more text heavy with minimal use of imagery, simply laid out so that the focus is on the text.

8 January 2013

ISTD Website Visual Research


I have been trying to find websites that I think would be useful to look at in terms of styles for my own website. I want it to be simple but contemporary feeling, so that it appeals to both audiences of design students and music fans from the time. 



Alexander Komarov





Lab Partners
I like the Lab Partners website because, although it is too cutesy for the concept of my website, the shop element allows the quality of the images to speak for themselves, so that you aren't being distracted by a lot of text. 

Frame Inc.
I really like the structure of this website, with the one beautiful photograph centred in the middle of the page and the use of simple but well designed imagery and minimal text. The use of bold imagery and the structure of the site is something I would like to recreate in my own website.

ISTD Visual Research

Since my concept is based on Madchester, and the music from the genre has to be communicated through type, I wanted to research into people who had been creating posters and gig flyers using experimental and distorted type, as this is something I would like to try and do with my own work. 






Toni Halonen





Travis Stearns

I think the strongest images are the ones that use only one or two colours, as this places the emphasis on the design of the type, and I particularly like the idea of placing the typography into weird bendy shapes, as this fits quite well with the 'trippy' effect of the acid house genre. 

3 January 2013

COP Essay Outline

Has mainstream cinema modernised its representation of the female?

Introduction - Introduction to the dominant theory of female representation in cinema proposed by Laura Mulvey

Introduce film posters from the era it was written and analyse them

Then move onto posters from the current era of Hollywood, is there any difference?

An example of Hollywood mainstream vs Foreign film production through film posters - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2 January 2013

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Poster Analysis

I decided to try and make some notes on a couple of posters I am thinking of using in my context of practice essay, as I think they have some interesting points that relate to how Hollywood represent women in the cinema.


Film Posters and Female Representation

Conventional Hollywood Posters that Reinforce Laura Mulvey's theory of female representation and the 'Male Gaze'

From when the essay was published/refers to (60's and 70's):







From Modern Cinema: 00's:







Notes on the Gaze by Daniel Chandler


    As Jonathan Schroeder notes, 'Film has been called an instrument of the male gaze, producing representations of women, the good life, and sexual fantasy from a male point of view' (Schroeder 1998, 208). The concept derives from a seminal article called ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ by Laura Mulvey, a feminist film theorist. It was published in 1975 and is one of the most widely cited and anthologized (though certainly not one of the most accessible) articles in the whole of contemporary film theory.
    Laura Mulvey did not undertake empirical studies of actual filmgoers, but declared her intention to make ‘political use’ of Freudian psychoanalytic theory (in a version influenced by Jacques Lacan) in a study of cinematic spectatorship. Such psychoanalytically-inspired studies of 'spectatorship' focus on how 'subject positions' are constructed by media texts rather than investigating the viewing practices of individuals in specific social contexts. Mulvey notes that Freud had referred to (infantile) scopophilia - the pleasure involved in looking at other people’s bodies as (particularly, erotic) objects. In the darkness of the cinema auditorium it is notable that one may look without being seen either by those on screen by other members of the audience. Mulvey argues that various features of cinema viewing conditions facilitate for the viewer both the voyeuristic process of objectification of female characters and also the narcissistic process of identification with an ‘ideal ego’ seen on the screen. She declares that in patriarchal society ‘pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female’ (Mulvey 1992, 27). This is reflected in the dominant forms of cinema. Conventional narrative films in the ‘classical’ Hollywood tradition not only typically focus on a male protagonist in the narrative but also assume a male spectator. ‘As the spectator identifies with the main male protagonist, he projects his look onto that of his like, his screen surrogate, so that the power of the male protagonist as he controls events coincides with the active power of the erotic look, both giving a satisfying sense of omnipotence’ (ibid., 28). Traditional films present men as active, controlling subjects and treat women as passive objects of desire for men in both the story and in the audience, and do not allow women to be desiring sexual subjects in their own right. Such films objectify women in relation to ‘the controlling male gaze’ (ibid., 33), presenting ‘woman as image’ (or ‘spectacle’) and man as ‘bearer of the look’ (ibid., 27). Men do the looking; women are there to be looked at. The cinematic codes of popular films ‘are obsessively subordinated to the neurotic needs of the male ego’ (ibid., 33). It was Mulvey who coined the term 'the male gaze'.
    Mulvey distinguishes between two modes of looking for the film spectator: voyeuristic and fetishistic, which she presents in Freudian terms as responses to male ‘castration anxiety’. Voyeuristic looking involves a controlling gaze and Mulvey argues that this has has associations with sadism: ‘pleasure lies in ascertaining guilt - asserting control and subjecting the guilty person through punishment or forgiveness’ (Mulvey 1992, 29). Fetishistic looking, in contrast, involves ‘the substitution of a fetish object or turning the represented figure itself into a fetish so that it becomes reassuring rather than dangerous. This builds up the physical beauty of the object, transforming it into something satisfying in itself. The erotic instinct is focused on the look alone’. Fetishistic looking, she suggests, leads to overvaluation of the female image and to the cult of the female movie star. Mulvey argues that the film spectator oscillates between these two forms of looking (ibid.; see also Neale 1992, 283ff; Ellis 1982, 45ff; Macdonald 1995, 26ff; Lapsley & Westlake 1988, 77-9).

    taken from http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/gaze/gaze09.html