Tuesday 27 October 2015

How is disablilty represented through the character of Donna in Eastenders?

Representation of disability - Donna



Donna portrays herself as being quite defensive and bitter towards the rest of the world, which could be seen as stereotypical of someone who is disabled. She does this by putting on a front and immediately shutting down/turning away anyone who tries to talk to her. By doing this she is showing that as a disabled person she is accepting and expecting everyone to see and treat her a certain way. E.g. she believes that everyone else will see her as a disabled before anything else. She is surprised when Fats makes her breakfast in bed after their one night stand and she claims that she 'isn't a lady' when Fats explains that he wants to treat a lady properly. A mid shot is used during this scene to imply that they are equals within the relationship. This is supported by the fact that when Fats comes in, he sits on the bed, therefore he is lowering himself (physically) so that they are on the same level. This helps to support the dominant ideology of able bodied people trying to make a conscious effort to try and make sure that disabled people feel equal.

Donna thinks nothing of what happened between them as though she doesn't feel like she is worthy of having a real relationship, without any awkwardness. However, everyone else wants her to have a real relationship and is very supportive of her as a disabled person. For example her friend Pam treats her like a child when they're talking about her one night stand and begins to tease her and treat her as though she were a small child who thinks they're in love. A mid shot is used in this scene to show to height difference between the two characters. The camera is also placed behind Donna at a slight distance as though the audience are viewing the conversation from across the square. The audience then sees how patronising Pam is being towards her by standing slightly over her and treating her as though she were a child. It is then emphasised as the camera gets closer and we see Pam from an over the shoulder/low angle shot. This could be representative of the fact that Donna is the talk of the square because a disabled person is stereotypically not expected to be sexually active.

When Fats goes over to Donna's house for a supposed date, she falls over and he runs in to help her up. The high camera angle means that we are looking down on her as well as Fats, making her seem more vulnerable and needy which is stereotypical of a disabled person. However, she shows power and control when she brings him down to her level to help her up where a midshot is used to show how she wants them to be equals. Never the less, she falls again and we then go back to seeing her from a high angle shot, therefore we are looking down on her. This could be representative of how disabled people feel (stereotypically) that are lower/limited in terms of living life the way other people do. The use of the midshot and the digetic sound of the radio playing upbeat music suggests that she is trying to create a warm, loving atmosphere for their 'date'. She also makes an effort to wear a nice dress and do her makeup, only to be ruined by Fats not being able to overlook the fact that she is disabled.





Peer Assessment:



good understanding of the question and excellent detail of representation however more explanation of terminology is needed and how it links to each other.


Wednesday 21 October 2015

Editing techniques: Penny Dreadful



Penny Dreadful




Editing Techniques and their effects:


Cross Cutting/Parallel editing

This editing technique is used mainly in the beginning of the clip where it shows the two characters, Ethan and Vanessa, in two separate locations at the same time, (Ethan is held captive on a boat taking him back to America whereas Vanessa is left in London, alone). This shows the audience how the characters are still emotionally connected even though they are physically apart. The use of the non-digetic spoken letter from Ethan to Vanessa along with the sad music emphasises the loss of their relationship through the loss of each other. This effect is supported by this editing technique as it shows the characters have been physically parted, though they are still emotionally connected at the same time, making the audience feel sympathetic towards them, echoing the words that are being spoken along with the sad tone of the music.


Continuity Editing

The chronological presentation of the narrative is used throughout the entire clip (showing Vanessa's perspective) as the series of events that are taking place are chronological and are there to represent the passing of time/the character moving on. Action matching is incorporated into the continuity sequences to give the impression of time passing along smoothly. These cuts follow Vanessa through her house, turning off all of the lights and leaving the dark rooms behind her, this shows her leaving the past behind and accepting her new life alone. As an audience, we also feel as though we are moving on/being left behind as the camera is left in the dark and Vanessa is shown to be walking away from the camera, involving the audience in her acceptance.



Cutaway

A cutaway shot is used at the beginning of the clip to briefly show where Ethan is before we are transported back to London to see the effect of his letter on Vanessa. I believe this is simply to give context to the scene so that we know they have been parted and he is in a worse place than she. This is effective as it shows Ethan is struggling just as much if not more than Vanessa, yet he is still trying to console and convince her that everything is going to be ok. This reinforces the heartbreak/desperation that the audience feel as we are temporarily given an omniscient viewpoint as we can see the situation that both of the characters are in whereas they don't know what's happening to the other.



Ellipsis

This could be seen in this clip as we aren't shown how Ethan came to be on the boat and the camera doesn't stay with Vanessa constantly. This is representative of the fact that both characters are distraught and otherwise disorientated due to their stress and sadness. By not constantly updating the audience on both characters whereabouts and emotional stability, we are also disorientated as an audience, creating an uneasy atmosphere.


Linear Narrative

The whole clip is linear in terms of how events are timed. We know this as Vanessa moves continuously and chronologically throughout the house, turning off each light as she goes. This helps the audience to understand what is going on by giving them checkpoints in her narrative to go by and piece together where she is going and what she is doing. It shows her final developments as a character as she goes from being paranoid and terrified to becoming cold, unfeeling and accepting of her fate/doom.

Film research: Mad Max - Fury Road



Mad Max - Fury Road (2015)

Producer/Production companies:

 This film was produced by Kennedy Miller Productions and Village Roadshow Pictures along with distributors such as Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox in over 30 countries all over the world including Australia, Canada, Taiwan as well as the UK and USA.

Director:

Name: George Miller
Best known for: 'Mad Max' (1979), 'Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior' (1981), 'Happy Feet' (2006), 'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015)


Screen Writers:

George Miller: known from previous 'Mad Max' films
Brendan McCarthy: known for - writing comics from 1977 onwards including 2000AD's 'Judge Dredd' comics
Nick Lathouris: known for - ''Mad Max' (1979), 'Death in Brunswick' (1990) and 'The Heartbreak Kid' (1993)


Actors (Top billed):


Name: Tom Hardy
Character: Max Rockatansky
Known for: 'Inception' (2010), 'The Dark Knight Rises' (2012), 'Warrior' (2011)


Name: Charlize Theron
Character: Imperator Furiosa
Known for: 'Monster' (2003), 'Hancock' (2008), 'Prometheus' (2012)



Name: Nicholas Hoult
Character: Nux
Known for: 'Warm Bodies' (2013), 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' (2014), 'About a Boy' (2002)



Budget/Box Office sales/Screens shown on:

This film had an estimated $150,000,000 as its budget, of which it made $44,440,000 back in the USA in its first weekend of being released on the 15th of May 2015. By the 18th of September, it had totalled a gross of $153,629,485 in the USA alone. Around this time in September, Mad Max: Fury Road had made roughly $374,712,032 worldwide. When the film was first released in May 2015, it was shown on around 3,702 screens in the USA, bringing $44,440,000 into the box office. Even in September when the movie is only being shown on around 50 screens at one time, it is still bringing in $17,453 at the weekend showings.



Composers:

Name: Junkie XL (aka: Tom Holkenborg)
Best Known for: 'Green Street' (2005), 'Resident Evil' (2002), '21' (2008) and 'The Animatrix' (2003)
Awards:
  • 2012 and 2007: Nominated for the Best Music award by Golden Calf


Marketing:


This movie was well advertised when the trailer was released at the San Diego Comic Con to an audience that were bound to want to see the film as it is a popular franchise within the Comic Con fans. It attracted a large audience as the movie posters, trailers, etc. showed Charlize Theron in the centre, portraying a strong female character (which is very popular in todays culture and society). She is also wearing a prosthetic arm, which shows and supports the importance of stronger representations of groups within TV and film, making this a popular film socially. The TV adverts and trailers were aired on around 45 networks on 858 national airings. Most of the airings were shown across MTV and Comedy Central, however the NBA basketball playoffs received the most spending on airings at around $1.5 million. A marketing campaign was also launched through social media where fans were asked movie-related questions and drawing questions and drawing them into this fictional post-apocalyptic world.





Special effects/Technical specs:

This movie mainly uses pyrotechnics/vehicle technology as most of the effects were based around car chases and fight/action scenes. Stunt doubles were needed for the amount of physical effects created between the actors and the vehicles. Surprisingly, CGI was used sparingly - only to enhance the fantasy/Namibian landscape. 

  • Runtime
2 hr (120 min)
  • Sound Mix
| | |
  • Color
  • Aspect Ratio
2.35 : 1
  • Camera
Arri Alexa M, Panavision Primo Lenses
Arri Alexa Plus, Panavision Primo Lenses
Blackmagic Cinema Camera (some shots)
Canon EOS 5D Mark II (some shots)
Olympus P5 (some shots)            
  • Film Length
(7 reels)
  • Negative Format
CF
Codex
  • Cinematographic Process
ARRIRAW (2.8K) (source format)
Digital Intermediate (2K) (master format)
ProRes 4:2:2 (1080p/24) (source format)
  • Printed Film Format
35 mm (anamorphic) (Kodak Vision 2383)
D-Cinema (also 3-D version)


Issues:

There were apparent issues during the filming of this film as two of the main actors, Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy did not get along on set which made it difficult during the filming process. Also, there are moral issues that are tackled in this movie such as the portrayal of a patriarchal society where women were abused which put the audience in a difficult position. There were also issues with the weather on some shooting days where it was cold when it was supposed to be hot, etc. Reshoots delayed the release of the film. 

Tuesday 6 October 2015

'Gaze' theory



Male gaze:


The male gaze is the way in which men view who and what is presented on screen, often women. It is also how men view themselves due to how men are stereotypically represented in the media. The male gaze is often the dominant ideology, therefore a lot of women look at themselves and other women through a male gaze and judge how they look through a male perspective as they feel that they have to be visually pleasing to men. Women then become objectified.

Female gaze:


Whether or not the female gaze actually exists is arguable as it simply reaffirms the male gaze of male power and dominance. The way most women see men is they way that men want to be seen themselves, eg: strong, muscular, powerful, wealthy, etc. Because of this, the question of the female gaze's existence is questionable as it is more of a male gaze but through a woman's perspective on a man.

My opinion:



I do agree with these theories in that they do exist and are quite prominent in todays society. Whilst these views can be quite objectifying and sexist (especially towards women) they are useful when creating things such as advertisements as they allow you to reach out to your target audience more. For example, by including a half naked or overly sexualised image of a woman in an advert directed at men, you are more likely to gain a male audience (the target audience) as it is what a man typically wants to see. This supports the male gaze as men see women the way they want to and woman see what they then feel is what men want them to be like, therefore they try to aspire to be like the women that are used in the adverts. 





An example of the male gaze is depicted above. In this case, the breasts are the only part of the woman that are on show, simply to draw men towards the advert. This advert objectifies women as it  shows them as sexual objects which are there 'for men'.



Regional identity (Representation)

Regional identity

Monday 5 October 2015

Gender


Gender Representation



Gender:

The state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones). Male and female are seen as sex categories whereas masculine and feminine are seen as gender categories . Overall, term gender refers to what is expected of males and females in terms of how they behave, what activities they participate in and what society deems appropriate for them.

Types of femininity:

  • Weaker, more emotional
  • Nurturing
  • Submissive
  • Fragile
  • Vulnerable

Types of masculinity:

  • Muscular/strong
  • powerful
  • wealthy
  • dominant
  • assertive
  • confident