Friday, 23 October 2015

Narrative Notes

Bordwell and Thompson (1997)

Narrative is story and plot
Relationships between story performance 
A/b - story- what happens 
A) inferred events
B) explicitly shown events
C) non-diegetic
C- plot - how we see what happens

A is the things we don't see
Things that aren't important to include 

B is what we see
See what is important things 

C is things like text in screen, soundtrack etc

The beautiful south- song for whoever
What is the video about?


Looks like he is playing the piano but he is writing the lyrics ( self reflect- aware of its own form ) (post modernism) 
Focus on the piano player, pan round to the singer as he walks around the Piano, then leans on the piano 
Cut to new scene  
Text on screen conversation about audition( non diegetic material)
Cuts to old tv screen with them performing on stage, pink lighting/ red/ orange
General blue light on black stage.  
"I love you from the bottom of my pencil case" this identify gender and age because young females have pencil case 
"I love because you put me in my rightful place" she puts him at the top of the charts 
They find a (main star) the blancmange (metaphor for how pop stars are moulded) and then they get famous the lyrics sound like they are doing it to empress a girl
At the end they come together because they eat the blancmange, one hit wonder 

Visual essay Representaion

Laura Mulveys’ theory is 'The Male Gaze' it's about how women are seen in television programs, music videos and films. This theory mainly applies for women in olden day’s films however it is also seen in the media today. She claims that women are only in the media for men’s desire who are in the films and the men who are watching at home. Women are seen as sexual objects. Her theory suggests that women are made to act in a sexual ways to please the men. However in media products today the women do this because they know it will get them more viewers and fans which means more money this is shown throughout Taylor swifts' 'bad blood'. Thought out the video we see outfits which are suggestive for the male viewer' attention, however we also see a lot of fighting take place which in unconventional for a women and in the first scene contradicts Mulveys' theory because they are fighting the men not trying to impress the men. We still see elements of cinematography which evident her theory for example we see a medium shot of a women legs and this is the first shot we see of her which straight away gives sexual connotations because we are seeing her as an object not as a person. There are also elements of slow motion are connotations of a typical scene with a gorgeous women in. 

Richard Dyer's Theory 'The Star Theory' is that 'stars' are not really. Celebrities pretend to be something they are not to aspire to what the institutions want them to do to set an example for their fans and be a role modal for them. However they have many different characters to play for example Taylor Swift, Ellie Goulding and Selena Gomez all play their own roles as their fake selves but in Taylor's music video bad blood they all have a new conformed identities. Taylor plays 'Catastrophe' who is looking for revenge on Selena's Character 'Arsyn' for pushing her out the window. Ellie Goulding plays 'Destructa X' who is on Catastrophe's army to get revenge. Dyer's theory is shown excellently well in this video because it shows them clearing acting as something they are not demonstrating they are 'fake'.

Tessa Perkins's theory is all about stereotypes. She has five assumptions which identify a stereotype these are, stereotypes are not always negative, they are not always about minority groups or the less powerful, they can be held about one's own group, they are not rigid or unchanging and they are not always false. In Taylor Swift's music video there isn't any common stereotypes. Women are usually understood to be a damsel in distress, however in this video the women are seen as the heroes and villains which is unusual. Perkins says that stereotypes can not rigid or unchanging. This video goes against that theory however it still hasn't changed how women are identified in general but it touches on how women now can do most things men can for example fight in the army. 

Wednesday, 21 October 2015

Representation - Notes

Tessa Perkins (stereotypes)



  • What is a stereotype?
A stereotype is group of people which are associated with different things like words, clothes, colours
Assumptions which we think about the way people look and act 


  • Stereotypical groups at wyke
Indie
Btech sports turds
Twats/ dickheads 
Bitches
Couples 
Smokers
Geeks
Posh
People that just don't care
Art crew
Science lot
They come from films, media, past experience.
Stereotypes are exaggerated truths 
And we aren't always correct

5 assumptions

* Stereotypes are not always negative (French are good cooks)
* They are not always about minority groups or the less powerful (upper class twits)
* They can be held about one's own group 
* They are not rigid or unchanging (can change but very hard to change)
* They are bit always false
Stereotypes aren't always negative 
Not always about minority groups or the less powerful people assume this but it's not always the case can make stereotypes on above classes both positive and negative 

We still stereotypes our group

They are not rigid or unchanging

One a stereotype has been created it is really hard to change it but over time it can change and develop

They are not always false

* They have some truth
* We read stories in the media , watch films etc help us shape and understand these stereotypes 
* We may witness it first hand or second hand however there bust be some truth in a stereotype otherwise the ideology behind them would have existed in the first please 
- First hand when you know say a police officer and you stereotype them 
- Second hand when you stereotype a police officer from the media

* Stereotypes are usually wrong
* Negative concepts 
* Based stereotypes in things we still media we stereotype stereotypes 
*  If we didn't have stereotypes we wouldn't understand society 

The sheet

* Taylor is stereotyped as a helpful caring women 
* The normal stereotypes of a pop star who is stereotyped to be a sexual objects  she conforms to it in a clever way 
* In her video bad blood she 

Represention - Notes

Richard Dyer

(Good quotes to use in exam when applying this theory)
"Star are commodities that are produced by institutions"
"A star is a constructed image, represented across a range of media and mediums"
"Stars represent and embody certain ideologies"

Stars are not real, the stars we look up at aren't real people, stars are products. Institutions consume stars to make money - this is dyers theory

Magazine, films etc explore the significance of stardom.
This doesn't change within genres however they will adapt to the genre

Star theory

Dyer developed the idea that the viewers perception of a still I'd heavily influenced by a he perception of its stars, and the publicity materials and reviews determine the way that audience experience a media text.
With this in mind, dyer analysed critics writing, magazines, advertising and the films themselves, to explore the significance of stardom.
A star is an image not a real person they are constructed  for a financial gain.
Stars gain a representation of themselves, they have to present themselves in a certain way to what the institutions want them to do, the give a false representation, give off a certain part of them.

Independent still have the same representation won't change as much to them original selves 

Dyer's star theory is the idea that icons and celebrities are constructed by institutions for financial reasons and are built to target a specific audience or group of people. Dyer's theory can be broken down in 4 key components
The four bullet point will be used in our own work

* Stars as construction 

* Artificial images not real people to make people want to consume them, they are present as real people because they are but they change certain aspects of them. Certain outfits, props like to a person, gold cone bra- Madonna. Film stars are present in different ways because they play different characters. Stars are not real even though we think they are, they are always acting so we don't know they are fake. 

* Audience and industry/institutions 

* Stars are manufactured by an industry to make a profit, they change their stars and present them how they want them to be seen, for example Simon cowel says the X factor is to find someone new but they are all the same he build a constructed copycat star like one direction, certain costumes stars were they are copied for audience to consume like fancy dress, Cheryl Cole this makes them consumable and give the industry profit
* Stars share cultural values and attitudes to promote a certain ideology and is also what makes them a star by having such a powerful influence an audience. We copy off an construct we consumes something that is not real we prompt these 'stars' 

* Ideology and culture

* Having dominate star quality makes them more desirable, these stars present themselves in a real person, this makes us believe that we can establish them as a star and a Person, because of Instagram and social media this makes us see them as a person but isn't what they are like, we are conformed to this ideology that stars life's are perfect for example they out pictures of their children on Instagram looking adorable but they wouldn't put a video on of them screaming they want to look like a good parent
* Characters and personality
* 'Ideas of people are supposed to be like' because audience feel they need to be like the stars. I they are constructions of what an audience want to consume but not a real identity
* They make society fake because they want to be like these fake stars

Paradox

If stars was present in a normal way they wouldn't be unique
As an audience we understand the image that is presented 

Star images and motifs 

For stars to be an established artists or bands to make an audience want to carry on consuming them they create an iconic image or motif which is reoccurring to make you remember them 
 E.g. Fonts, logos, imagery 
Red hot chilli peppers 
Logo used across all over their products 
Motif is something which is carried though out all of the artists or bands products 

Representation Notes

Laura Mulveys

Her theory originally was how women was shown in films 
Women should be seen not heard only in films for men in the film for men watched by men only there to be desired. Seen as a sexual object.

Male gaze occurs when the audience is put into the perspective of a heterosexual man. A scene may focus on the curves of a woman's body, putting you the viewer in the eyes of a male

It is the male gaze theory is the curves are highlighted with septic conventions camera movements, slow motions and cut always.

The male gaze denies women human identity, status of objects and to be admired for physical appearance this is 'masculinizes' the audience 

They theory suggests women can often than not only watch a film from a secondary perspective and only view themselves from a mans perspective 

Three main ways for feminists:
How men look at women
How women look at themselves 
How women look at other women 

Men focus on the sexual features of a women and see them as an object . Men focus on things like curves or other parts of bodies  they see women as sexual objects ( Megan fox fixes the car does something a man would do you forget that because the camera angles make her look sexual)

Women are made to feel negative about themselves when viewing other women , they pick fault with their own appearances and gives them a self esteem. Women look and themselves and compare themselves to a unrealistic role model. 

Women look at other women to shake other identities. They take elements of what they like from women they see to try and construct an identity they deem fit and desirable for society. Women look at other women and compare themselves to them to create an ideal version of themselves.

v1:
- in her underwear showing off in a sexual way to the man her costume was for his needs not her comfort 
-mans point of view peeving on women getting undressed he was admiring her, she is using her sexuality to Impress the man and get her on way 
- dismiss the maid because she doesn't have a sexual way like the other women low angle only wearing towel 
-focused on legs and feet first looking at her body before you saw who she was ( looking at her body shows looking at her body is more important than knowing who the character is)

Scouting For Girls - She's So Lovely
first shot of her walking in looks at legs
"feels her cloths"
Slow motion actions of the women 
Smiling 
"Fitty"
Close up bitting lip
"Makes me druel"
Close up of hips
Men starring at her 
"I don't know how I can make it though this" can't control his self
 Stucking on straw looking at him(sexual connotations)
Men opening mouths 
Hands on hips 
Finishes looking at legs like 
"She looks just looks like them girls in vogue"
Centre of attention 
Men competing for her ( bowling rink connections) 

The Killers - Mr. Brightside
Women all over men 
Dressed up as fantasy characters
Women are there to sexually entertain the men
Close ups women's face
All about jealousy 
Touching the women 
Women performing for the men
Playing a game to win the women
Blurred shots on the women and man dancing like dying 
Women left alone vulnerable 
Moulin rouge theme can can girls dance tease lifting dresses up 
White face purity lifeless no personality she doesn't matter she is there for the men only glowing to the guy who likes her 

Visual Essay Video

Taylor Swift- Bad Blood

Brief

A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options:

•a website homepage for the band;
•
•a cover for its release as part of a digipak (CD/DVD package);
•

•a magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package).