Music video analysis

I chose a music video that i thought we could apply the Male gaze theory to. At the very begining of the video it features a girls stomach where a close up shot it used. This is used to grab the attention of the audience as it appeals to many males. A long shot is also included to show a girl walking towards the camera, she is wearing a very small bikini which shows off her body. She also has a small tattoo towards the lower abdominal part of her body, this draws attention to her stomach. This is effective as it captures her whole body and shows her figure off. Both women and men want to see this as women aspire to look like that and men want their girlfriends to look like that. When she enters the gates the man on the door stares at her, and this is representing a stereotypical male. This is relating to Laura Mulveys theory as she said the media is viewed from the propspective of a hetrosexual male.

Seven areas of representation

There are seven areas of representation... Gender, sexuality, class and status, age, ethnicity, regional identity, and physical ability.

Shameless

We watched a clip of a series called Shameless. We had to analyse different characters to see how they were represented in series one and how Mise en scene is used.















Many binary opposites occur within Shameless as Fiona is a shy girl, who doesn't speak much and likes to do things herself. Her best friend is very loud, obnoxious, very forward and dresses very differently to Fiona. This is contrasting the two characters. Fiona and Veronica have a night in the town, Fiona is wearing a red dress which symbolises romance. Fiona dances on her own and the clip is slowed down to show Steve watching her, this is using the male gaze theory again as she is focused on to give her the attention from the male (Steve) who is watching her. Veronica is very different as she dresses in a shiny black dress and she has bleach blonde hair. She likes to dance with the boys and she speaks her mind. She calls the bouncer a 'fat twat' showing she is very outspoken and forward. This again contrasts the two characters as binary opposites. There is also Lip and Ian who are two brothers. They are very different to each other as Ian comes across as very insecure and innocent. He also hides the fact that he is gay from his family so he is shown as very secretive. However his brother Lip is very intelligent when it comes to physics, he is also very resourceful and is capable of looking after himself. He is very out spoken and doesn't hesitate to speak his mind. Again this is contrasting the two characters as Ian keeps himself to himself yet Lip speaks out.



The 39 steps




We watched a clip from the film The 39 steps. We analysed the two main characters from what we could see being represented. Josh Hannay is the main character. He is very well dressed as he wears a suit which we generally associate with upper class people. He is very well spoken and is seen as a bit posh as he has clear pronunciation of all his words. He comes across as a very 'manly man' as he is running away from spies and the police. He also comes across as unfazed that the spies are shooting him. The camera work used when filming this scene is clever as it uses a point of view shot which enables us to see the action from how the character would see it. This is effective as it involves us in the film more. He is shown to be a city boy but as it is shot in the country side we are left with the question as to why he is there. As he is alone he comes victimised and vunerable which lowers that 'alpha male' aspect. Victoria Sinclair is also another main character, she is one of the only women seen in the clip we watched. This highlights the time when the film was set, as women were very inferior. Victoria is a very strong minded, stuborn character as she likes to speak her mind. She believes very strongly in women rights as she is seen arguing for women rights in voting. She uses her feminity a lot throughout the film to get her way, however she shows masculine trates. For example she lifts her dress up to climb over a wall.

Camera Angles and filming

Long shot
When telling the audience where the film is set, a long shot is used. This lets you show all the important information.
Medium shot
The most commonly used shot, this is used to show any character interaction
Close up
This is used when there is something important to show/tell the audience.
Reverse shot
This is used for dialogue.It focuses on the character talking and the camera is positioned over their shoulders.
Tracking shot (parallel)
The camera is perpendicular to the action and follows the subject or action.

High angle
A high angle shot connotes power over the object you are viewing to show status. e.g. a giant over looking a human,
Low angle
This is designed to make an object appear stronger.

Editing
Continuity (Hollywood editing) follows the shows A to B
Montage (Soviet)
When shots are connected in different orders to have an effect on the audience, and make us think and fill in the blanks.
Montage (Hollywood)
The way the narrative is presented. A lot of action compressed into a small number of shots.
Transition
The move of one shot to another. E.g. one shot to a different one, or one faded into another. This sets the mood or the pace.
Cross cutting/ parallel editing
Editing that alternates shots of two or more lines of action occurring in different places, usually simultaneously.
Dissolve
Transition between two shots. First gradually disappears, second gradually appears.
Wipe
another shot comes across like a picture.
Action editing
the pace gets quicker.

i applied some of these techniques when filming my prelim. For example i used a reverse shot to film the dialogue. This was effective as it enabled the audience to see both sides of the conversation and who was speaking. I also included a long shot of me walking towards the computer room. This enabled the audience to get an idea of the scenery and where the film was taking place.

Valdimir Propp

Valdimir Propp was a theorist that studied ancient Bulgarian story tales. He analysed over 100 Russian fairy tales, and he believed that characters have certain functions and roles.

He stated that every story has certain characters within it...

• the hero = the one who seeks something


• the villain = the opposite of the hero


• the donor = helps the hero by providing the magic object


• dispatcher = sends the hero off


• false hero = falsely assuming the role of the hero


• helper = gives support to the hero


• princess = the reward for the hero, also to be protected from the villain

We watched a Disney Pixar called 'Boundin'. We had to analyse the film and determine the roles of each character.

typical male character roles

Coronation street

Tony Gordan

The typical business man

Tony is 38 years old, originally from Scotland. He is a co-owner of Underworld, which is a lingerie factory. He also is a property investor. Tony has very stereotypical characteristics of a business man. He is a good looking, middle aged man who is married to a gorgeous lady. He always wears a suit and always looks very presentable. He is also hated a lot by many people in the soap. The producers of Corrie would have used these characteristics to represent whats known as a 'typical business man'.

Ken Barlow

'wise old man

Ken is the longest remaining character within Corrie, he is a very kind man. He has been married four times and had three children. He follows the stereotypical 'wise old man' as has been a teacher, a newspaper editor, a community activist and a trolley-pusher at a supermarket, before returning to teaching and writing. He is also always trying to help everybody out as well as being the first to criticise everyone for their wrong doings.

Dev Alahan

'Player'

Dev owns seven corner shops around Manchester. Dev has a history of getting together with unsuitable women. He has had many relationships with different people within the street. He has a daughter and has previously been married. He has also had relationships within familys, for example he was with Deirdre and then moved onto his daughter Tracey.

Norris Cole

'Geek'

Norris has a very camp pasona and is known for his gossiping. His theories are usually true, for example he was suspicious about Richard Hillman being a killer. He has a very big ego and has innacurate views of his own abilities.

When analysing soap operas we can identify the typical male character roles because they are stereotyped to represent their role. For example a typical business man will be middle aged, good looking, have a lot of money and have some hatered by other characters. We can apply the theory of typical male character roles to help break down the program and analyse each character more thoroughly.

Representation

A stereotype is a simplified or standardized image investing with a special meaning and held in common with members of groups. Stereotypes can be used in many different ways. In many instances stereotypes are used pejoratively by dominant groups to describe subordinate groups. They are also seen as delineating, basically overviewing the invidual, the place and groups. Qualitites are often exagerated. The media industry does this alot and this is known as mediation.

Tessa Perkins
She stated many different facts about stereotypes...

1. Stereotypes are not aloways negative (e.g. black people are good at sports)
2. They are not always about minority groups or the less powerful (e.g. the police)
3. They can be hed about ones own group (e.g. teenagers are rebelious)
4. They are not rigid or changing (e.g. racism has decreased)
5. They are not always false (e.g. teenagers are moody because of hormonal changes)

Stereotypes play a big part within media as we create films and soap operas on typical everyday stories including typical everyday characters. For example many soaps have typical 'teenage chavs' included. They are usually around the age of 17, short hair, tracksuits, trainers and a cap. These ideas have only been produced because of our society and the roll of stereotypes.

Mise en scene

Mise en scene is a french term used for the analysis of what you see on screen. This does not include sound and involves five different categories.

Setting

Characters (facial expression, body language etc)

Costume/Props

Camera angles

lighting

Learning the Mise en scene has now enabled me to analyse films at a better and more detailed level.

The 'male gaze'

Laura Mulvey coined the term 'male gaze' in 1975. She believed that film audiences have to view characters from the perspective of a hetrosexual male.



She said that the features of the 'male gaze' included...

1. The camera lingers on the curves of a female body
2. Events which occur to women are presented largely in the context of a mans reaction of these events
3. The 'male gaze' relegates women to the status of objects
4. The female viewer must experience the secondarily, by identification with the male.

Laura Mulvey's theory of the 'male gaze' had been criticised as others said some women enjoy being looked at , for example we have beauty pageants etc.

Another criticism towards Laura's theory was that the gaze can also be directed towards members of the same gender, for several reasons, not all of which are sexual. Such as in comparison of their body or of their clothing.

I applied this theory of the Male Gaze to an essay i wrote. We had to analyse an advert for Calvin Klein. Eva Mendez a famous actress was modelling underwear and i had to create an essay on what effect her pose and and editing had on the audience.

Calvin Klein analysis

Narrative Codes

In our very first theory lesson we were taught the five narrative codes, and how they are used within films.

• Action code

applies to any action that implies a further narrative action. For example, a gunslinger draws his gun on an adversary and we wonder what the resolution of this action will be

• Enigma code

Refers to any element in a story that is not explained and therefore exists as an enigma for the audience, raising questions that demand an explanation.

• Semantic code

Any element in a text that suggests a particular, often additional meaning by the way of connotation.

• Cultural code

Any element in a narrative that refers to a science or a body of knowledge. In other words, the cultural codes tend to point to our shared knowledge about the way the world works.

• Symbolic code

We were taught that this is a very hard code to understand so we were taught Binary opposites to help us understand...

Binary Opposites

Levi Straus believed that the world was split into series of binary opposites. Essentially one thing can only be defined in a relation to something it isn't, e.g. a hero is only a hero if there is a cowardly option.

Director presentation

In one of our theory lessons we were set the task of creating a powerpoint on our given director. We were given Spike Jonze. We had to research different information about Spike, for example what films he has directed and information on how he likes to direct his productions. Below is my powerpoint

Spike Jonez

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