Introduction to Media Theory
Tuesday 13th September 2022
Introduction to Media Theory: Stranger Things
L/O: To investigate the principles behind theories. To discuss theories. To critically apply theories to texts.
Language: Subject Terminology for a Media genre i.e Camerawork, Mise-en-scene
Representations: How people and places are represented in the media i.e Stereotypes
Industries: The business side of media, ownership i.e "We make media to make money"
Audiences: The people who consume media i.e Naseem
Postmodernism + Baudrillard
Hyperreality is the idea that representations are now more powerful and 'real' than reality.
Hyperreal representations don't represent reality, instead they are representations of representations.
Simulacra - artificial copies of reality.
In postmodern cultures representations are more powerful than reality, and representations themselves no longer relate to reality.
Postmodern Checklist
- Irony
- Parody or Homage
- Bricolage
- Intertextual References
- Fragmented narrative
- Self reflexivity
- Common themes - What if?
- Loss of reality
- Lack of Verisimilitude
L/O: To investigate the principles behind gender theories. To discuss various theories. To critically apply theory to texts.
The audience for this image is heterosexual men, she is possibly a celebrity so celebrity culture applies.
She is a women, she is a model, she is on the beach
Sexualised representations of women
Van Zoonen
Women are often objectified (viewed as sexual objects) in media representations.
Van Zoonen emphasises the importance of gender being seen as socially and culturally constructed through performance of these roles, as a result gender can vary depending on cultural and historical contexts.
Mulvey - The 'Male Gaze'
Laura Mulvey coined the term 'male gaze' which has been influential in media theory and has dominated feminist readings. Mulvey states that women are positioned by Hollywood as an object to be looked at for the pleasure of the male viewer. They have no power or purpose other than for the visual enjoyment of the male viewer.
Kaplan - 1983 Women and Film
'When the man steps out of his traditional role as the one who controls the whole acton, and when he is set up as a sex object, the women then takes on the 'masculine' role as bearer of the gaze and initiator of the action. She nearly always loses her traditionally feminine characteristics in doing so - not those of attractiveness, but rather of kindness, humaneness, motherliness. She is now often cold, driving, ambitious, manipulating, just like the men whose positions she has usurped.'
Smelik - 1998
Women pose a threat to men in film and therefore the narratives are derived to manipulate and remove their power and threat to men:
'Her 'guilt' will be sealed by either punishment or salvation and the film story is then resolved through the two traditional endings which are made available to women. She must die or marry. Either way, Catharsis is at hand for the male spectator.'
How are women represented in 'The Man With The Golden Gun'?
The representations in this text are fairly stereotypical for the 60s, representing aspects such as the 'Male Gaze' and representing the patriarchal society of the 60s. This is first shown in the scene with the belly dancer, this scene supports the theories of Mulvey and Van Zoonen which sees women objectified in media due to dominant patriarchal aspects of the industry. The scene features close up shots of her skin and chest, wider angled shots often obscure her face removing her individuality and humanity and treating her as a sexual object. It also shows the power dynamic between men and women due to the juxtaposition of clothing, where men are in formal attire where as the women are in scandalous clothing which suggests the superiority of men within the scene. This reflects historical context, as women were often reliant on men due to fewer rights and lacked their own voice and opinions due to archaic and immoral attitudes.
These representations are further backed up in the scene in the hotel room. Within this scene Bond walks into the bathroom while the woman is showering, before putting his gun away because he is a 'gentleman', this act brushes off the blatant breach of privacy as it was deemed acceptable for men to do as they pleased during those times. The shower features a picturesque design which obscures some of the woman's body but still keeps the naked outline. This supports Mulvey's theory of the 'male gaze' as Bond is continuously portrayed as the one who is in the right in the situation, as he is not portrayed in any negative light while breaching this woman's privacy throughout the scene.
Missing Numero 3 in essay.
Tuesday 4th October 2022
Media Theory: Gender and Bond Beyond
L/O: To investigate the principles behind gender theories. To discuss various theories. To critically apply theory to texts.
Bennett - 1982
The women in Bond novels/films are damaged sexually, this trauma (lack of father or being raped) then makes their choices and morals questionable and no clear ideology between good and bad, therefore she is unsure of her place sexually. Bond's role is then to tame her usually she is a challenge and he repositions in the traditional ordering of sexual difference.
Ah, the patriarchy, thank you Bennett, very cool.
Butler
Gender is created in response to our performance of gender roles.
We learn how to perform these gender roles through repetition and ritual so it becomes naturalised.
Performativity of these roles causes 'gender trouble' for those that do not fit the heterosexual norms.
We like Butler.
bell hooks
Feminism challenges patriarchy and sexist representations, with hooks arguing for an intersectional approach considering how identities such as race, class, and sexuality contribute to oppression alongside gender.
hooks argues media representations often reflect these oppressive ideologies and create a 'white supremacist capitalist patriarchy', whose ideologies dominate media representations.
bell, you're cool. BUT COME ON WHY NO CAPITAL LETTERS?!
Spectre Scene 1
Female no purpose - sexual purpose
Positioning on the bed was provocative
Walked behind him for the entire scene, giving him power
Costume - Fitted, stereotypical. Dress is revealing. VS Bond's respectable suit
Close up - lift her mouth + key - Connotations
Spectre Scene 2
Bennett - "Tames" Widow who reveals secrets to him, he does this by using his sexual advances to seduce her.
Over the shoulder - reveals her sexual position - sexual object.
Mise-en-scene - Rich and an opulent home, identifying her class.
Butler - Heterosexual female role, costume, make up, vulnerable position - man to save her.
Shot reverse shot - build up of violence + sexual dominance.
How is gender represented within the extracts
The representations within the text serve to perpetuate the patriarchal narrative that men are powerful and women are weak. This is first shown through the character of the widow, who is represented as weak through the way she fits the stereotypical heterosexual image of a woman. This is shown through the shot reverse shot in which Bond smashes champagne glasses violently before beginning his sexual advances on her, as she is shown to be petrified and unable to resist due to the power dynamic that is shown. This supports the theory of Butler, in which he says that women in media fit a stereotypical role as submissive. Another theory is also supported within this scene, Van Zoonen's, in the cut to after the sexual activity, Bond is shown to already be fully dressed while the widow is shown in more provocative clothing. This juxtaposition helps to further reinforce the power dynamic weighed in Bond's favour, as he is the one who is fully clothed while the widow remains the vulnerable one within the situation. This reinforces Van Zoonen's theory that women exist as objects of sexual desire for men within media.
The representations of women within the text portray women as sexual objects. In the Day of the Dead scene, Bond leads the woman to the bedroom and the first thing she does is lay on the bed in a provocative manner. This reinforces Van Zoonen’s theory of women being treated as sexual objects within the media. This idea of the woman being sexualised is reinforced by the costumes. The woman is within a fitted, stereotypical and revealing dress, which juxtaposes Bond’s respectable suit. Bond also treats the woman as replaceable, as he simply walks out onto the balcony to complete his mission, it presents his mission as more important than his desires to reinforce the idea that he is both powerful and respectable while the woman is merely presented as an object of his sexual desires. The text also reinforces female stereotypes that are accepted as socially and culturally normal, that being the idea that women are merely sexual objects for men and are not as intelligent or capable as them.
Tuesday 11th October 2022
Media Theory: RuPaul and Identity
L/O: To investigate the principles behind theories. To discuss theories. To critically apply theories to texts.
Identity
Identity is how someone presents themself uniquely to other people. A large number of aspects make up someone's identity, such as cultural beliefs, gender identity.
Gauntlett
Media Representations portray a wide range of different and contradictory messages about identity, which can be used by audiences to think through their own identities.
Identities including gender and sexuality are now seen as less fixed than they were in the past.
Butler
Gender is created in response to our performance of gender roles.
We learn how to perform these gender roles through repetition and ritual so it becomes naturalised.
Performativity of these roles causes 'gender trouble' for those that do not fit the heterosexual norms.
RuPaul
Identity:
Gender roles
Male:
Female:
Societal values:
Culture of America: Juxtaposes reality of america by portraying it as a place where all identities are accepted. This is untrue, as the South, where Angeria is from, is deeply conservative and would not approve of drag queens. Angeria is however portrayed to be proud of both her christian and southern heritage, which suggests an artificial version of her reality.
Heterosexual norms:
Gauntlett applies to RuPauls Drag Race as it shows a different set of representations of both gender and sexuality than what would be considered 'the norm', reinforcing the idea that gender and sexuality are less fixed. This is best shown through the premise of the show, in which drag artists break gender norms in order to express themselves properly.
Tuesday 18th October 2022
Media Theory: Race
L/O: To investigate the principles behind theories of representation of Race. To discuss various theories. To critically apply theory to texts.
Levi Strauss - Binary Oppositions
Levi Strauss argued that the structure of meaning making was dependent on binary oppositions. These could relate to characters in film, recurring signs in adverts, narrative elements in a film. Good/bad, black/white, east/west, barbarism/civilisation.
This is the study of hidden rules that shape a structure to communicate ideology or myths.
We understand that the world and our place within it based on binary oppositions. For example: night and day. We know it isn't night if it's day.
Black Panther
White vs Black - Museum:
Colonialism, Negative, Uneducated vs Uncovering colonial rule, acknowledging downfall
Gangster, Critique of Pop Culture + Reputation, No respect for roots vs King, Tradition + Culture, Primitive Nobility, Proud of Culture + Identity + Roots
How does Black Panther depict different racial representations?
One way in which Black Panther depicts different racial representations is through Levi Strauss' theory of binary oppositions. The theory states that we see the world through opposites, it isn't night if it's day for example. This is shown in Black Panther through a series of binary oppositions that show the cultural differences between black and white people, as well as the differences between those who embrace their roots and those that reject them. This is first seen in the Museum scene, in which Killmonger is looking at artifacts in the British Museum, and is questioning the museum's caretaker on where a specific artifact came from. The caretaker says where the British found it, not it's origin, when Killmonger says he'll take it off her hands, the caretaker states that it isn't for sale, to which Killmonger bites back that the British didn't pay for them, they took them. This conversation acts as criticism of colonial rule by Killmonger, and portrays the colonialist power as arrogant and uneducated due to not knowing the true origins of the artifact. When Killmonger's assumptions of the origin and material the artifact is made of are proven to be correct, it reinforces the idea that the colonialist power are arrogant and that keeping artifacts that they don't even know the true origins of is wrong. Another example of binary oppositions is between the Wakandan residents, this is shown in two scenes, the opening suburb scene and T'Challa's coronation. The opening suburb scene serves to establish a juxtaposition between those who have embraced their culture and those who have rejected it. The gangsters are seen to have turned to crime, in contrast to the primitive nobility held by the guards and the king when it is eventually revealed that the gangsters are both Wakandans, this juxtaposition is further reinforced when it is revealed one of the gangsters is the King's brother, who has betrayed Wakanda by revealing the location of the vibranium to one of the main villains. It creates the idea that those who reject their roots are wrong and should instead embrace them. Furthermore, in T'Challa's coronation scene, the colours are bright and the music is loud with primitive but ceremonial garbs worn by all, people are happy and dancing which reinforces the idea that being proud of tradition and culture is incredibly important.
Media Theory: Masculinity
L/O: to investigate how representations of masculinity. To discuss various theories on masculinity. To critically apply theory to texts and explore the impact of the representations.
In the ad it says milk for 'real men', an idea we have perpetuated to create a false idea of fragile masculinity to maintain traditional gender roles by making men feel insecure if they do not fit heterosexual gender norms.
1960s Men
A man is strong, capable and controlling.
The physically dominant people in a relationship.
The Crisis of Masculinity
The crisis of masculinity is not a new phenomenon, in the 1960s men could not live up to the bravado that the media created for them to fit into. 'It was not so easy for men to maintain the pretence of sexual bravado.' (Tolson)
Feminism and gay rights have meant that the superiority of men came under ideological attack and ideas of what masculinity should be were unclear. Faludi recognised that men would face difficulties in fitting into a changed environment where they are not automatically the 'ruling class'.
Barthes - Semiology
1. Denotations can signify connotations, associated meaning for the same sign.
2. Denotations and connotations are organised into myths.
3. Myths create an ideological meaning and help ideology feel natural, real and acceptable.
1960s Men
Controlling
Dominant
Violent
Breadwinner
Strong
Powerful
1990s Men
Desperate for Control
Losing Control
Lacking Superiority
Sexualised
Worker
Manual Labour
Not as capable/intelligent
2020s Men
Sexualisation of men
Capable
Strong/brave
Challenges toxic masculinity
Changes in Representation of Masculinity
Representations of masculinity have shifted heavily in the years since the 1960s to distance themselves from the patriarchal societal values that have finally been challenged in more recent years. In the 1960s, men are represented as the breadwinning, strong and capable members of the family, though Tolson says that even in the 60s men could not express themselves with the sexual bravado the media desired them to hold. By the 1990s, feminism and gay rights progress meant that men had now experienced a further crisis of masculinity, as the previous status quo of masculinity had been shifted, with their place in the food chain upset. The idea that women could hold as much power as men is displayed in 'Basic Instinct'
Tuesday 15th November 2022
Ideologies
What representations are created here? - The representations are positive, as the main commander is smiling and there are no dead or injured soldiers, which suggests that the "Green Berets" are the superior people.
Consent - Permission for something to happen.
Dissent - The holding of expression of opinions that oppose that are commonly held.
Todorov - Narratology
Todorov's theory states that it is possible to identify key elements to a narrative:
Equilibrium
Disruption to the equilibrium
Recognition of disruption
Resolution of disruption
A new equilibrium is established at the end
What is important is what the narrative suggests about ideologies by identifying the equilibrium.
Apocalypse Now
The equilibrium shows us a soldier with a broken state of mind, who is experiencing flashbacks of the war while a backing track of a pop song plays. This juxtaposition is fairly critical of the Vietnam war, as normalcy (the pop song, probably played back in America) is placed against the horrors of war (explosions, fire). This dissent against the war is further reinforced through the representation of the soldier's PTSD, in his monologue, he states how he 'barely said a word to my wife till I said yes to a divorce', this suggests that his mind was trapped in the war, and ruined his life in some ways.
Hall - Reception Theory
Encoding/decoding model
Media producers encode with a preferred meaning. Each audience can decode in one of 3 ways:
1. Dominant reading - Accepts the preferred meaning and ideological meaning.
2. Negotiated reading - Some of the decoded message is accepted but the audience disagrees with parts off it and so changes it to fit their experience and values.
3. Oppositional reading - Both the preferred meaning and any ideological assumptions encoded in the product are rejected.
bell hooks
Feminism challenges patriarchy and sexist representations, with hooks arguing for an intersectional approach considering how identities such as race, class and sexuality contribute to oppression alongside gender.
hooks argues media representations often reflect these oppressive ideologies and create a 'white supremacist capitalist patriarchy', whose ideologies dominate media representation.
How are ideologies integrated into media texts?
The ideologies that are integrated into the film 'Apocalypse Now' are that war has a detrimental effect on the individual soldiers the establishment carelessly throws into battle in order to increase their numbers. This is seen when the soldier is experiencing flashbacks to the battlefield, the mise-en-scene depicts fire and explosions, but the audience does not hear them, the sound is instead a song. This suggests that the audience at home, while they can see war, they cannot and should never experience the horrors of war, as it creates a disconnect between the audience and the soldier's experiences. It is extremely detrimental to the soldier's mental health and noone else should experience. This is further reinforced during the soldier's monologue, he states that he 'barely said a word to my wife till I said yes to divorce', it suggests to the audience that he is trapped in the jungle and unable to focus on his life at home. Through Todorov's theory of narratology, we can view this equilibrium as deeply disturbing, the experience of the soldier in 'Apocalypse Now' is a disgusting negligence from the US army, and the audience would most likely dissent the actions of the state. We can see the text as a dissent of the Vietnam war and it's carelessness towards the individual, as we now know it was a pointless war that was perpetuated and extended by the US government as a proxy war against Communism, an opposing ideology to it's own Capitalism. The Vietnam war is looked back on as a waste of time that caused far more harm than good, and 'Apocalypse Now' dissents it.
Tuesday 22nd November 2022
Media Theory: DIRT
Exam Question
Representations can vary within long form television drama. Discuss how and why audiences might respond to and interpret these representations differently.
The representations do vary.
Levi Strauss - Binary Oppositions
Gauntlett - Identity varies in the media so the audience have lots of identities to choose to identify with.
Butler - Performance of gender roles.
Mise-en-scene - Mike - Light, warm setting Vs Will - Dark cold atmosphere. Dialogue reinforces the differences in gender roles and authority - Mike's mum - Stern and calm, Vs Joyce - Hysterical, lack of authority.
Camera shots and editing - Close up on empty drink cans, ash trays, take away items, mess and unorganised. Reveals the hidden elements of the police chief, incapable. Long shots of him later in uniform later in uniform coordinating the search for Will - authoritative and caring.
Teenage roles Nancy - Studying hard, focused on success, secondary interest of Steve. Vs the boys interested in their friendships and adventure/having fun.
Representations do vary within long form TV dramas, audiences respond to and interpret these representations differently due to their own beliefs and backgrounds as well as the nature of the representations shown on screen.
This is first shown through the representation of traditional family values within 'Stranger Things', Mike's mother represents positive, traditional family values. This is shown through both mise-en-scene and sound.
Missing half of 2, then 3, 4, 5.
13/9- great notes, also excellent discussion, can you add some of your discussion notes to your blog?
ReplyDelete27/9 Excellent response to the question. T for 3, you have started your analysis and explanation but you just need to go into a little more detail to fully explore the point you are making. e.g. In the belly dancer scene refer to the costume being revealing and a contrast to the fully clothed men in the scene to reassert the power of men in the scene through their respectable attire and the power of women only fitting to their appearance and use as a sexual object. The juxtaposition of these two costume choices highlights the difference in power and position.
ReplyDeleteThen try to explain in your second paragraph this a little more using your media language analysis to help you structure the points you are going to make.
11/10- Good response here great analysis, T: 5 you need to then draw this into contexts and decide a relevant context to link to- social or cultural expectations of gender perhaps.
ReplyDelete1/11- Excellent analysis of the scene and the use of Levi Strauss, T: You could add this by commenting on what this reveals about cultural context in terms of production as you started to mention about historical contexts.
ReplyDelete