Theory into Practice: Collage Development 8

Collage Development 8: James Bond role reversal

With the most recent Bond films, it is arguable that there has been more of a focus on James Bond as both a hero and a sexual object, with the development of a female gaze, and so I want one of my collages to be looking at the scene in Casino Royale where Bond emerges from the water in a similar style to Honey Ryder.
That being said, the woman in the clip is also being objectified still, so maybe its just more of a balance as opposed to a complete shift.

The collage is pretty simple, but I think it makes the point about the female gaze. Again I've tried to add a bit of humour to it using the 'phwoar' text and also the ripping of the chest to represent the idea of being 'ripped'. Pretty obvious, but I think it has the right impact. 

Theory into Practice: Collage Development 7

Collage Development 7: The Good and the Bad Bond Girls

Something that I have found through researching into gender roles in James Bond, and looking at the clips and synopses of the films is that several films have featured both a good and a bad Bond girl. In some ways the roles of the Bond girls are more positive and developed, with more to them than meets the eye, but eventually there are still shown to be weaker than Bond when they are defeated or saved by him. I want the good and the bad Bond girl to feature as a look at the formulaic virgin/vamp style that women in film get represented through, which I do think is still the case in some of the Bond films. 

I thought that the best way to design this layout would be to use static images of Bond and the Bond girls that I thought best represented this: Pierce Brosnan, Denise Richards and Sophie Marceau in The World is Not Enough. I wanted to make this page quite comical, and I thought that with them being portrayed as good and bad, I would use hand drawn illustrations to make them into the angel and the devil on Bond's shoulders. 

Theory into Practice: Collage Development 6

Collage Development 6: James Bond The Ultimate Male Fantasy

Obviously the main gender role to explore in the book is the role of Bond, who can be seen to embody Mulvey's description of the active male in Hollywood narrative cinema. The cinema spectator gets to live out their fantasies of Bond's fast, action packed and luxurious life and his casual relationships from the safety of their seats in cinema. He is a British icon and hero.

With this collage I simply wanted to demonstrate all the aspects of Bond's life that make him such an appealing protagonist.

I think the composition on this collage has worked well, and it contains all the aspects that I wanted to cover. Really, this will be an introductory page and the actual written aspect will be more important because it will explain in more detail how Bond is so relevant to Mulvey's theories 

Theory into Practice: Collage Development 5

Collage Development 5: Moneypenny

Although not seen as a 'Bond girl', the role of Moneypenny is one of significance because of the implied sexual chemistry between Bond and Moneypenny that, unlike his casual conquests, is never consummated.

I wanted to represent the sexual chemistry between Moneypenny and Bond as this is the most important part of their relationship, so I have used images of Bond with Moneypenny in shots which obviously point to the sexual tension they have, and I have reinforced this message with the phrase 'you could the sexual tension with a knife' and also the visual use of a knife cutting through the images. 

Theory into Practice: Collage Development 4

Collage Development 4: M

I chose to feature M because her role in the Bond films is probably one of the few that can be seen as a positive representation. As an older female character, she is not objectified in the way that Bond girls are, and she has authority over Bond, which is not something that can be said for many other women that have been a part of the films.

In her first meeting with Bond, she asserts her authority over him quite clearly, stating that she believes him to be 'a sexist, misogynist dinosaur'. In this collage I thought I obviously wanted to show her disdain for Bond in that first meeting, and also her position of power above Bond, which is why I thought it would be interesting and comical to portray Bond as a miniature bobble head in relation to the larger image of M. The imagery is reinforced by the addition of the quote.

Theory into Practice: Collage Development 3

Collage Development 3: Pussy Galore

This is a pretty obvious character to highlight in terms of gender representation. Pussy Galore's name is ridiculous enough, and as with many other Bond girl's names, it places the females sexuality above any other qualities they may possess.

This scene in Goldfinger is particularly disturbing, in that Bond practically forces himself onto Pussy Galore. Because Bond is clearly capable of seducing anyone, even when they refuse his advances. In fairness she puts up a good fight, but then Bond is obviously just so irresistible that she couldn't say no much longer. Whilst the characters fight each other, with Bond becoming more persistent and assertive, light hearted music plays in the background, as if it's all a bit of a lark instead of sexual harassment. 

Again, the story board effect work best here because I wanted to communicate the escalation of their relationship in the scene. 

I added the text to highlight the ridiculousness of the scene and the way that it portrays Pussy's lesbianism as something fluid that only Bond's persistence is capable of changing. 

Theory into Practice: Collage Development 2

Collage Development 2: Tracy Di Vicenzo 

Tracy Di Vicenzo, from On Her Majesty's Secret Service, is a significant female in the Bond series because she is the only woman that Bond has ever committed to, which suggests a change in Bond's attitude towards females. 

However, her time as Bond's wife is short lived as she is shot by the film's Bond villain in the ending, suggesting an awareness that having a Bond in a committed relationship would be unsustainable, as Bond's casual encounters with women are part of what the male spectator expects from the film. 

For this collage, I wanted to show the flaws of the relationship and it's tragic ending through the manipulation and cutting up of the photos.

I have tried to create a story board effect similar to the Honey Ryder collage as it makes sense for the documentation of their short lived romance. I think that this successfully communicates the drama of their relationship. 

 

  

Theory into Practice: Collage Development 1

Collage Development 1: Honey Ryder

I have chosen to look at Honey Ryder as one of my features of the booklet, as she is one of the most iconic Bond girls, and probably one that fits most with the passive female model that Mulvey discussed in Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.

The passive female representation is made obvious by the way that her emergence from the water is filmed, and for this collage I want to communicate how obviously the male spectator is being targeted, so I will be using the actual screen shots taken above as part of the imagery, in the style of a story board. 

I also want to include Bond's face in the collage, to show his reaction and what would be the reaction of the men watching the film.

With the older Bond films, the misogyny ingrained into the film is hilariously obvious, and this was something else that I wanted to portray, which is why I have used the jaw dropped Bond and the quote ' I can assure you my intentions are strictly honorable', when of course they are anything but. I am, so far, pleased with this composition, and I have left enough space in the layout for the content that I will be writing. 

Theory into Practice: Bond imagery

This is a collection of scanned in Bond imagery that I have sourced from various websites as well as screen shots taken from youtube clips of the films with the scenes that were most important to the content of the book. I am using scanned in images taken from the internet, as the point of my booklet is the destruction of visual pleasure that Mulvey refers to in Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, so with these images I have cut into them to deconstruct them and manipulate them, and will be reconstructing them into a collage that can put across the representations of both Bond and the females in the films.
I still need to manipulate some of the images more, and I need to work on how the imagery will be laid out to communicate my points about each of the moments or characters, but I think I have a good range of imagery to use, and hopefully I will be able to create something that works both aesthetically and from a theoretical point of view.

What is Good: Here Design Inspiration

Here Design are one of my favourite studios working in London, because they are extremely talented at creating high quality branding ephemera that is really aesthetically pleasing whilst also communicating the brand it is designing for successfully. Here I have looked at the branding they did for Lina Stores and Gail's Bakery, both of which I would like to take design elements from to use in my own design work. I am very drawn to the use of candy stripe patterns in my work, and so I would like to apply a similar pattern to my own packaging but in a more traditional colour and style that is used for the Lina branding. I also like the use of the logo across both brands, as there is a little bit of variation so that not all the branding looks exactly the same but is still consistent and this makes it more visually interesting. I am also really inspired by the promotional leaflet created for Gail's Bakery, and I also like the use of cream and red which is classic combination that subtly conveys the traditional, artisan and British qualities of the bakery.

Theory into Practice: Bond clips

As I am doing about gender roles in the James Bond franchise for my publication, I need to use videos and research into the Bond films so that I can successfully communicate my points about each of the 8 important moments using collage, so I will be collecting images both from the internet and through these videos, which are perfect because they allow me to screen shot specific moments that are important to their representations within the film. This particularly applies to both the Honey Ryder scene and the scene with Pussy Galore as the images are set up in a very particular way to visually enhance the male gaze, whilst the scenes where Tracy di Vicenzo and M are involved are more important because of the writing of the scenes. For example in Goldeneye, M refers to Bond as 'sexist misogynist dinosaur, a relic from the cold war' which obviously signifies a sense of power and authority in her role that I will need to convey in my designs. 

Theory Into Practice: Refined Concept

After the crit last week, I have been thinking about how to refine my concept, and choosing what the main content will be and what it will be communicating.

I have now decided upon a concept that is centred around both Mulvey and the analysis of gender roles in The James Bond series of films over the years. The publication will explore the relationship between Bond and the women in the films, using the analysis of Mulvey as a starting point.

The publication will be split into two sections. One publication will outline Mulvey's theories of the male gaze, whilst the other will contain content based around James Bond and gender. The style I will be creating the publication in will use collage to communicate the ideas Mulvey puts forward of destroying visual pleasure through analysis, and the idea of construction also communicates the idea of film spectatorship.

The publication would be sold in London's BFI where Laura Mulvey has done lectures in the past.

What I want people to get out of reading the publication was to be informed and educated about Mulvey's theories, and how they did and do still apply to Hollywood Cinema. Hopefully people will understand the complexities of the male gaze, whilst also being entertained and interested in the visual style and content.

Contents of the Mulvey publication:
The use of psychoanalysis (which is central to her essay)
Castration Anxiety
Scopophilia
Mirror Stage
What it means
Possible inclusion of the essay itself?

Bond publication
Bond: The Ultimate male hero
The Bond Girl: The Good and The Bad
Bond loves Tracy
Pussy Galore and other names
Moneypenny
M
Bond in Love
Bond as Bond Girl

Theory into Practice: Visual Inspiration

For my publication, I am working on the idea of Mulvey's destroying of visual pleasure, which I thought I could convey visually through the use of collage, which involves destroying an image and then reconstructing it. Therefore I have collected imagery that I think will be relevant to my designs.

Theory Into Practice: Bond

An interesting essay that outlines similar points about Bond and the inter gender relationships that I am interested in exploring through my publication.

http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/nansgpaper.pdf

Theory into Practice: Bond

This is an article I found on the changes in Bond, which explored violence, the appeal of Bond and most importantly for my focus in theory into practice, Bond girls, and it has provided some useful pointers for me about the changes of the representation of the women in the films. 

The Bond Phenomenon

Author: Tony Watkins 

Keywords:

There is an updated version of this article here.

James Bond has been in the spying business for a long time and really ought to be up for a long service award and a Civil Service pension. But he's ageing rather well and seems to be going at least as strongly as ever. Since 1953, when Ian Fleming's first 007 novel, Casino Royale, hit the shelves, Commander Bond has been suavely dealing with the enemies of freedom around the globe, both in print and on screen. The Bond novel has had two new leases of life since Ian Fleming's death - in the writings of Kingsley Amis (Colonel Sun, 1968), Christopher Wood (screenplays and novelisations of The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977, and Moonraker, 1979) John Gardner (sixteen titles including novelisations of Licence to Kill, 1989, and GoldenEye, 1995) and Raymond Benson (eight titles including novelisations of Tomorrow Never Dies, 1997, and The World is not Enough, 1999, plus a volume of short stories).

Of course it is the screen incarnations of James Bond that have captured countless imaginations and generated much merchandising1 over the last four decades. Messrs Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton and Brosnan have brought the world's most famous secret agent to life in twenty action-packed films. Twenty 'official' films from EON Productions, that is. There have been two other feature films: the spoof Bond film, Casino Royale, and the remake of Thunderball, Never Say Never Again, which saw Sean Connery return to the role. The first actor to play Bond was not Connery, however. American Barry Nelson was the first to take on the 007 mantle for a one-hour live production of Casino Royale for CBS in 1954. Then two years later Bob Holness (ofBlockbusters fame) played Bond in a radio dramatisation of Moonraker.

The appeal of Bond

What gives Fleming's character this enduring popularity? James Bond is a hero, a womaniser, a connoisseur of fine things, a gambler, a thrill-seeker, a rule-breaker, a killer, an English gentleman and a cinematic icon of coolness. Bond's life is one long adventure with the thrill of the chase, the exotic and extreme situations, the supercars and the liaisons with beautiful girls. He isn't a standard-issue secret agent - a good spy needs to be so unremarkable that he or she is almost invisible. In contrast, 007's style is often to brazenly stroll into a social situation to get the measure of his enemy - he announces his presence and waits for a response. It's a typical approach from the agent who likes to do things in his own distinctive way.

007 is not just a hero, he's almost a superhero. Not because he has superpowers but because he is consummately good at everything he does and is virtually invincible. In place of superpowers, Bond has a fabulous array of gadgetry to call on: watches equipped with transmitters, lasers, detonators, etc.; glass-shattering rings; exploding pens; autogyros; and minisubs. Many of the earlier gadgets were based on real spy technology - the attaché case containing a hidden folding sniper's rifle in From Russia With Love (1963), for example. Some, like the Bell Jet Pack2 inThunderball (1965), seemed outlandish but were real machines;  others, like the miniature underwater breathing device in the same film, were pure make-believe; some were forerunners of real machines, like the Wet Bike in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). 007's cars are generally brimming with gadgets and have set pulses racing since his first Aston Martin in Goldfinger(1964). It seems that very little Bond possesses or uses is ordinary, but even ordinary things become very special in his highly skilled hands

 Bond Girls

Another element of the Bond films that is highly stylised is the women, Bond Girls. From the moment Ursula Andress stepped out of the sea as Honey Ryder in Dr. No (1962), every Bond movie has featured beautiful women to set male pulses racing. In all except The Living Daylights(1987), James has a sexual relationship with at least one of the women, and often two - one an ally, and one who proves to be an enemy.

James Bond exudes coolness and sophistication, which, together with his charm and rugged good looks, make him irresistible to most women (notable exceptions being Rosa Klebb in From Russia With Love (1963) and Miranda Frost3  in Die Another Day (2002)). Bond is even able to seduce the lesbian Pussy Galore in Goldfinger (1964) so that she becomes heterosexual. The women in Bond's life are havens of security in his turbulent and hazardous existence. While he is in their arms, the dangers and difficulties of 007's life are pushed to one side. Even more important to him is that the inevitable loneliness of a spy's life is temporarily forgotten.

The way that James Bond relates to the women has changed over the years in line with changing attitudes towards women in society generally. He has always been protective towards women and has more than a little old-fashioned chivalry in his attitude. But in the earlier years he also tended to be somewhat chauvinistic. More significantly, the nature of the women themselves has changed, becoming more independent and self-sufficient. This has reached its logical conclusion with Jinx in Die Another Day who is presented to us as Bond's equal in many respects. Although the two of them become lovers, she does not allow 007 to be protective of her, despite the fact that he still has to rescue her.

It is Bond's protectiveness towards women that once brought him true love. In the 1969 film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, he rescues the beautiful but bored Comtesse Teresa di Vicenzo (Tracy, played by Diana Rigg) from her attempt to drown herself on a Portuguese beach. She turns out to be the daughter of crime boss Marc Ange Draco who offers 007 his assistance and ₤1 million if he will marry Tracy. Bond refuses but falls in love with her and marries her anyway. His happiness is short-lived, however. As Commander and Mrs Bond set off for their honeymoon, Bond's archenemy Blofeld and his henchwoman Irma Bunt spray the car with bullets. Tracy is killed and Bond is heartbroken. It seems he never really got over this - in the opening sequence of For Your Eyes Only (1981), he is shown visiting her grave to leave flowers. Never again would Bond commit himself to a woman, but sexual relationships continue to be a very significant part of his life.

The Bible is clear from the outset that sex is part of what it is to be human. In Genesis 2, the first man, Adam only finds a suitable partner when God makes the woman. 'At last!' Adam exclaims, 'this is flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone.' He instantly recognises that they were made for each other. There is something in us which longs for intimacy with the opposite sex - it's how we were made. Bond feels that longing intensely because of his unsettled and dangerous life. But the Bible is equally clear about what God's standard is: absolute faithfulness within marriage and no sexual relations whatsoever outside of it. Bond the womaniser seems to care about nothing other than his own gratification when there is a beautiful woman in sight. There is little or no thought for the consequences of these casual sexual liaisons. Regardless of the potential physical consequences of sexually transmitted diseases or risk of pregnancy, Bond seems oblivious of the emotional impact on his lovers or himself. He knows the distress of losing a lover all too well - he has grieved over other dead women besides Tracy (e.g. Paris Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies(1997)) - but apparently cares nothing for how the women he seduces will feel afterwards. But after such a long succession of lovers, he is probably becoming numbed to these emotional aspects and is gradually feeling less and less.

Although attitudes to women have changed in the movies, the Bond girl is still presented in a way that is designed to appeal sexually to male viewers. The title sequence often, if not always, features naked dancers. They may be largely veiled by the visual effects but this can serve to heighten the eroticism. The overall message of Bond movies seems to be to embrace sexual freedom and don't worry about the consequences.

Bond the role model

One of the contributors to the recent BAFTA tribute to 007 said that women come out of a Bond movie dreaming of James, but the men come out walking tall. While few people would claim to make James Bond a role model, many fans secretly fantasise about being like him - I confess that I drive differently when I leave the cinema after seeing him in action. In some ways he's a great model: he's a hero prepared to risk his life for the sake of others, he works for the triumph of good over evil, he is wholeheartedly committed to what he does, he enjoys life, he makes a point of being the best at what he does, he's a gentleman with rather better manners than many, and he is always calm in a crisis. The films are intended as escapist entertainment but we cannot help picking up cues for life from what we watch. Those of us who love Bond films need to make sure we pick up the good ones and don't start fantasising about the more questionable aspects of his on-screen existence.

Footnotes

1. The Corgi Aston Martin DB5 (from Goldfinger (1964)) with bulletproof shield, rotating number plates, hydraulic rams on the bumpers, wheel hub scythes, and, of course, ejector seat was perhaps the first 'must-have' film-tie-in toy. For those of you who care I have an original model. Sadly it's in dire condition from being played with too roughly for too long which makes it worth about 50p rather than £250 or more. [back]

2. The Bell Jet Pack was developed for the US military. It could take a man up to 200 m in the air and keep him airborne for four minutes. [back]

3. Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike) does sleep with Bond but it seems clear that this is merely a means to an end and doesn't spring out of any attraction to him. [back]

Related articles/study guides:

• Shaken and Stirred
• The Name's Bond

Author: Tony Watkins 

© Copyright: Tony Watkins 2003

Back

Theory into Practice: Concept Crit

Feedback received:

Look at John Berger as a theorist that may relate to your concept.

The highs and lows of gender roles in cinema? As some things have changed over the years and then
reverted back to type, or are slowly changing now, shifting gender roles in cinema?

Make it relevant to the last 40 years, so that it links to the Mulvey essay, could note the changes that have happened in that time?

Use 10 or so films mapping the significant changes in gender roles and the complexities of gender roles.

Perhaps just look at James Bond as a prime example, as Bond in the 70's epitomises the active male/passive female theory posited by Mulvey, and there are some big changes in gender roles in the films since the release of Mulvey's essay...could be like a timeline of Bond marking the most significant shifts?

I found the session really helpful, and it did clarify some points that I had been stressing over. Everyone seemed to think that idea was alright, and the context worked well, just the actual content needed refining and defining properly. I really like the suggestion of working only one Bond, as he is the main person I have referenced in my essay, and he does link very well to Mulvey's theories about the male as the active character, and especially in the last 10 years the Bond films have become a little more modernised in the way they represent females.

However, the 10 films mapping significant changes could also be a good idea, as then I would be able to explore films with female protagonists as well.

What is Good: Food Branding Inspiration

What is Good: Food Branding Inspiration

I have compiled some examples of work that is inspiring me in this brief in terms of print production methods and also design elements that I like and think would work. I think what do know from looking at all of this work is that attention to detail is what makes the branding stand out, and also the creation of the products and the thought that goes into them, such as creating mini stickers to place on bottles so that the branding is carried through to the last detail. I also really like the idea of using several different stocks to create more visual interest and contrast within the branding so that it creates more a sense of range and also makes the products more covetable. I also really like the idea of creating a stamp that can applied to my products, as it is a really simple but really effective print technique. I also really like the web design of Emporium Pies, which is something I will need to consider even if I only propose it and do not code a site. It is simple, but looks of a high quality, which is what I want to achieve across my whole branding collateral.

Good Is: Cheese Terms Glossary

Here is a link to a really useful cheese glossary that I found online. Lots of terms I didn't know about and that would be good to try and incorporate into my work to put across the sense that the shop has a good knowledge of cheese.

http://www.learninghowtocook.com/site/images/meatImages/pdfs/Cheese_Glossary.pdf

Theory into Practice: Mini Presentation

Here is just a presentation I put together for tomorrow for our context of practice session in case it is needed, just outlining my rationale, my inspiration and my design ideas. I have not included spreads from the hot dog booklet, but would intend to just show them on my indesign in the presentation as it's easier and gives a better idea of how it would work.

Theory Into Practice: Design Development

Here is some work I have done on the publication so far. This is the designing of the A4 hot dog booklet, that would have information on Mulvey's use of psychoanalysis and explanation of her theory of the male gaze on one side, and the other would be the actual essay.



 I have also thought about how the publication could be presented so that it would interactive, and I had the idea of tearing open the publication, destroying the cover in the same way that Mulvey intended to destroy the pleasure and beauty of Hollywood cinema.
I created a mock up of what would be a perforated cardboard cover with an iconic Hollywood image on it, such as Grace Kelly, and when the cover was being ripped, the destruction of beauty quote would appear on the ripped piece of cardboard. Inside, the publication with a few different elements would be pulled out.

I am still unsure on the design of the actual publication, whether it is too simple and not visually striking enough, which might have something to do with the colours, which I originally chose because they are opposites, to represent the male vs female argument of the cinema.

Theory Into Practice: Inspiration

That's Why I Love Movies is a series of publications created to celebrate cinema, with different focuses in each publication. Both visually and in terms of content these publications are of interest to me. The use of bright colours and striking imagery engages the reader, and brings the content to life so that the reader feels inclined to read on and explore the content. The content is interesting because it explores high quality films and arthouse cinema, and the use of high quality photography reflects the standard of cinematography created by the auteurs. Just in general this book looks very high quality and if I saw it in a shop then I would probably spend quite a lot of time flicking through it, it's well designed and the unique use of type and colour makes it stand out.

Theory into Practice: Format and Layout Inspiration

Here is a compilation of some designs that I feel are relevant to my project in terms of format and layout. I really want the publication to have an interesting and unique format, with a high quality finish. I also like the idea of using different coloured stocks and sizes of stock in my work as a way of creating visual interest and making the final outcome more engaging. The layout of these publications is also really useful to my design practice as I will have a heavy amount of images and text to organise in a way that makes sense and also looks interesting to the viewer, and this collection of images will help to inform my practice.

Context of Practice Publication: Rewritten Proposal

After researching a little further into film festivals, and thinking more about what films would have to be featured in the festival for it to work, I decided to go down a simpler route for my publication.

I still want to use the research I have on Mulvey's theory of the male gaze and spectatorship, so I would now like to create a set of lecture notes that would be given out to people at a proposed talk by Mulvey at the BFI to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its first publication.

The notes will be a mixture of text based on both Mulvey's essay and my own written content relating to her theory, with use of imagery that will be either proving or attempting to disprove her theory.
This is in keeping with some of the research that I have been completing, particularly into the 'I am Dora' screenings and publications that get handed out at the different events run by them. The publications they hand out are very thoughtfully put together and well executed, as well as being interesting and interactive, so that the audience engages with it fully.

The audience will be adults, educated, working professionals with an interest in film theory, particularly feminist film theory, who may be aware of Mulvey's work in the past, or are discovering it through an interest in feminist film theory.

I intend to inform and educate with the notes, as well evoke interest in the subject, and create something that is enjoyable to read and could be kept afterwards.

Theory into Practice: Inspiration

I am Dora is 'A subjective and personal study, I am Dora is a publication and series of screenings that explore how and why women identify with one another and what this means when the identification is with a flawed or misunderstood character.'
(taken from their facebook page)

taken from it's nice that

I am struggling at the moment to come up with a concrete concept for my theory into practice publication, I only know that I really want it to centre on Mulvey's links to psychoanalytic theory in relation to females in the cinema, either exploring the psychoanalytic theories separately or as a collective. Finding this series of publications and the website has given me some inspiration and ideas to work on tonight so that I can hopefully begin my designing. I love the way that the publications have been put together so thoughtfully, with separate pieces that are joined together in an unconventional way, that help to represent the fragmentation of the females. The different publications have different themes, but they all focus on women and identity, relating to cinema.