'Experimental Film requires a different kind of spectatorship.' Has this been your experience? [35]

'Experimental Film requires a different kind of spectatorship.' Has this been your experience? [35]

Some people struggle to follow experimental film as they tend to not have a clear narrative or dialogue. many people will also not like them as they aren't like mainstream films which are aimed at specific audiences. experimental films are made to experiment different ways are making film which is obviously why they are called experimental. 

La Jetee is a collection of photographs that are put together with a narrative about World War 3 and experiments to go into the past to change history.  As Chris Marker used still images some may have not been able to concentrate however because it has the dialogue it made it easier to follow. If la Jetee didn't have the narrative then you would have to try and make sense of the pictures which means there would be many different perspectives. It would have also been hard to concentrate as it runs for 28 minutes. 

On the other hand, I didn't enjoy Maya Deren's 'Meshes of The Afternoon' as I struggled to understand the meaning of the film. i believe that experimental film does require a different kind of spectatorship. As i was watching Meshes of The Afternoon several things were going through my head and it wasn't until the last couple of scenes that i understood that it was all in her mind and it was herself that she was scared of which meant that she ended up taking her own life. 

Is Mulvey's theory of 'the male gaze' relevant in todays Hollywood?

Is Mulvey's theory of 'the male gaze' relevant in today's Hollywood?

(Item 5) The Resident Trailer

Speaker: That was the trailer for The Resident which was made in 2011. I will be using this film as well as 'Peeping Tom' and 'Disturbia' to discuss whether the male gaze is relevant in todays Hollywood. I will also be looking at Laura Mulvey's work from 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' . As you can see in the trailer, the male gaze isn't always an attractive thing for someone to experience and it isn't always acceptable. In the film itself, Juliet's landlord has become obsessed with her and spies on her through secret holes in passage ways on a daily basis. Mulvey talks about 2 different roles women play in films. These are sexually active females and powerless females which are two very different types of behaviour for a character. A powerless female such as Juliet would be vulnerable which men would see and then take advantage, just as Juliet's landlord had. However a sexually active female would hold more control over men so they would be less able to take advantage of. Mulvey is distinguishing between women who want male attention for sexual pleasure and women who have unwanted male attention which in most thriller films turns into a dangerous obsession.

Disturbia looks at the male gaze in two different lights. Kale, who is played by the young attractive Shia LaBeouf,sees his neighbour as a sexual active female however Mr. Turner who lives across the road sees woman as powerless which gives him the chance to take advantage of this.

(Item 3) Clip from Disturbia: Caught in the Act scene for 1:40 seconds 

Speaker: This clip shows how the camera which is controlled by men, controls the women in the films. the women are continuing with what they are doing but the men control the way they are seen. Men in the audience look at the men in the film and how they control the women and women in the audience look at the way women are in the film as they are attracting the males attention. This is what Mulvey is saying in her work.

(Item 11) Quote from "Pleasure in Looking/ Fascination with the Human Form- Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema"

(Item 15) Quote: ‘Scopohilia. This term translates literally as the love of looking’

Speaker: The definition of Scopohilia is 'sexual pleasure derived chiefly from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity.' In film criticism, the term Scopohilia is often used by feminist theorists when talking about the predominant male gaze of Hollywood cinema. The James Bond films are good examples of where Scopohilia is presented. The Bond films have been around for over 50 years and are still being made today which is useful when considering Hollywood in today’s society. We can see that the male gaze has changed through out the years in the Bond films as in Doctor No, a white woman walks out from the ocean while 007 watches her.

(item 7)  Show from 20 seconds until 30 seconds of the YouTube video

Speaker: 40 years later, Halle Berry was the famous bond girl who walks out of the ocean while Bond watches her as well. However in one of the most recent films, James Bond is the one that walks out of the water while a woman looks at him. This shows that people are aware of the male gaze due to Laura Mulvey exposing it in her essay 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema'. Mulvey includes work from Freud and Lacan in explaining the pleasure of looking within film.

(Item 6) Show slides 6 and 8 of slideshow

Speaker: This proves Mulvey’s point of two types of women characters in films. The women who are killed in Peeping Tom are presented in this way.

(Item 2) show opening 4 minutes from Peeping Tom

Speaker: As shown in the opening scene of Peeping Tom we immediately see a frightened look in the woman’s eyes. The camera controls the women in films especially in thriller films as they are almost trapped. The way the killer is controlling the camera means she is being objectified sexually as the camera moves up and down her body. Even though she may seem to enjoy the male attention at the start and be presented as confident and in control we can see she is really just frightened and ‘in need of protection against the killer’. The view of the male gaze in thriller films hasn’t changed a considerable amount over the last few decades. This can be seen in Peeping Tom, which was made over 50 years ago and the resident which was made in 2011.

 

How far can it be argued that your chosen films provide a 'realistic' representation of the people and places they focus on?

City Of God is set in Brazil throughout the 1960's and 1970's. On the bonus DVD, it is revealed that the only professional actor with years of filming experience was Matheus Nachtergaele, who played the supporting role of Carrot. Most of the, cast were from real-life favelas, and in some cases, even the real-life City of God favela itself. These actors from real-life favelas give the film authenticity as they personally know how these gangs of drug dealers act and how they stay on top of their favelas. the film 'City Of God' even though it was based on a book was loosely based on a really story from the City of God with characters very similar to them in the film

La Haine Exam Question

How far does the impact of the films you have studied for this topic depend on distinctive uses of film techniques? (35marks)

The film techniques throughout the film had a small impact on me for example, in several scenes the director shows the time of the day on the screen and uses non-diagetic sound of a clock ticking used as a re-occurring motif.

This had an impact because it showed how slow time was going and we saw throughout the day how very little Vinz, Said and Hubert had to do because they don't have jobs and cant get them because they are uneducated. However in the last scene this film technique has a very big impact on me because as Vinz is shot time is going even slower,so it made me feel as if i was watching the shooting in slow motion. The time is shown from at 06:00 then to 06:01 literally showing how slow time is passing at this point. this also shows that its only a matter of time before something similar happens again, for example, the riots in London and other British cities in 2011 which were caused by similar reasons and saw mainly youths rioting on the streets.

In the very first scene of La Haine the audience knows that this isn't going to be about french tradition because the director uses Reggae music - which shows different cultural values. Throughout the film the music supports this view as we see when a DJ remixes American music - KRS-One 'its the sound of da police' - with a traditional french song by Edith Piaf  'Je Ne Regrette Rien' (which is a song about regretting nothing and moving on). this particular part of the film and the music used had a big impact on me because it shows that the youth are trying to change tradition and rebel against it however some are going about it in the wrong way, for example Vinz tries to use violence and keeps attempting to use a gun he found against people. However in the end he learns that he doesn't want to rebel in this way and doesn't actually like violence.

This had a big impact on me because it shows the youths in a different light, not all of the youths want to riot and cause harm, they just want to break out of the cycle of not having a job and living in the Projects.

The biggest impact wasn't due to film techniques but the narrative in the last scene of La Haine because Vinz's death wasn't expected. Throughout the film Vinz, Said and Hubert have had a negative view because of certain actions. The media also showed them to be negative and even though there were scenes where they weren't doing anything negative they haven't done anything positive either so the audience have this underlining view of them. However in that last scene i felt sorry for Vinz because even though he had wanted to commit a crime by killing a police officer he couldn't do it. i also felt sorry for Said and Hubert because Hubert didn't want to be involved in any crime, he was the only one with a job but because of the riots he had been forced into committing crime to make a living and Said has been stuck in the middle of the conflict throughout the film.

 Said was in the middle of the conflict in the hospital scene which we could see through the framing. This had an impact because you could clearly see that Said was stuck between supporting his friends and doing the right thing. He is seen as the mediator throughout the film.

The director used real footage from riots that regularly took place between youths and police between 1986 and 1996. the use of real footage was impacting because it was real life stuff that was happening in France. I could see all of the destruction and violence going on. I also know that the death of Vinz was based on a real story that the director Mathieu Kassovitz had heard about. A young Zairian, Makome M'Bowole was shot at point blank range in 1993 while in police custody and handcuffed to a radiator.

 'In court, Compain, who was suspended from the police and held in pre–trial custody for nearly two years, said he got out his pistol to intimidate the teenager because he was shouting and had insulted him'  (AI News-1996). The link between the story of Makome M'Bowole and Vinz's story are very similar which had a big impact on me because Vinz is acting out a real life event. Its not just a fiction story, Makome M'Bowole actually died in a similar situation.

The main impact for me was the narrative in the last scene because of how realistic it was and how unexpected Vinz's death was because the audience had just started to see him in a new light because he didn't want to commit crime. The film techniques like the use of time, framing and music did have an impact but not as big as the narrative.

Is Mulvey's theory of 'the male gaze' relevant in todays hollywood? - Annotated Catalogue

Item 1- The Resident (2011) 

The Resident is a British/American film directed by Antti Jokinen. It's a recent film which looks at the relationship between Juliet Devereau (Hilary Swank) and Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and how Max is fascinated with her (shown through the male gaze). Mulvey argues that women were given two character types;sexually active female and powerless female. Juliet is seen as a powerless female in The Resident. I will use this item as it is a modern day film which I can relate  to today's Hollywood. ( Very useful)


Item 2 - Peeping Tom (1960)

Peeping Tom is a British thriller film directed by Michael Powell and written by Leo Marks. The title derives from the slang expression 'peeping Tom' describing a voyeur. The film revolves around a serial killer who murders women while using a portable movie camera to record their dying expressions of terror.I will use this item to show how the male gaze was shown in film over 50 years ago which will help with showing how different the male gaze is in today's film industry. (Useful)


Item 3 - Disturbia (2007)

This film focuses on the male gaze in two lights. Kale (Shia LaBeouf) shows the male gaze with his neighbour Ashley (Sarah Roemer). This type of male gaze is seen as normal in society and accepted however Mr. Turner (David Morse) shows the male gaze in a sadistic, stalker-like way. This film was recently made so it helps with showing how the male gaze is relevant today. (Very useful)


Item 4 - At the Interface:Continuity and Transformation in Culture and Politics (Book by Joss Hands, Eugenia Siapera)

This book talks about the film Bridget Jones' Diary which is a romantic comedy. This shows how the male gaze is accepted and is seen as more romantic than in the films, The Resident and Peeping Tom. This will be useful for me because it shows an alternative side to the male gaze yet is still seen as objectifying women however it is seen in a better light. (Quite Useful)


Item 5 -


Item 6 -Male Gaze Using Film As Case Study (slide show-http://www.slideshare.net/sgummer/male-gaze-using-film-as-case-study)
This slide show talks about a variety of things in films where women are considered to be vulnerable. It also includes a fair amount of Mulvey's work which explains how the male gaze is shown in films and gives detain on the 2 different types of the male gaze. (Useful-however talks more about reality rather than the male gaze within films)


Item 7 -The Bond Gaze (youtube-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfL09c4cw2I )

This youtube clip will help me with my work because it applies Mulvey's 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' to the Bond films which have been around since 1962 so I can compare feminism and the male gaze from the past to the present to analyse whether the male gaze theory is relevant in today's Hollywood. the item is similar to item 6 as it also shows the alternate view of the male gaze where its seen as acceptable. It also gives me some good definitions of words relating to feminism and the male gaze. (Useful)


Item 8 - Film Theory Week 4-The Male Gaze (Blog- 
http://invertnormals.wordpress.com/2012/11/24/film-theory-week-4-the-male-gaze/) 

This blog is very useful because it goes into real depth about the male gaze, uses Mulvey's quotes and talks about camera techniques which help portray the male gaze in films which non of my other items talk about. it uses film examples like Shawshank Redemption and Peeping Tom which will be helpful in my work. (Very useful)


Item 9 -The Male Gaze-Laura Mulvey (Youtube-http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=bYhaRcfCEkI)

This video will be useful in criticising the male gaze as it shows another version of the male gaze where the woman uses different techniques to gain attention from males. this uses the film Bad Teacher as an example of the male gaze which is a recent film which will link into my question.


Item 10 -Wikipedia-Feminist Film Theory (Article-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_film_theory#The_gaze_and_the_female_spectator)

This article is slightly useful because it explains why Mulvey spoke about the male gaze and gives contextual information about the times which Mulvey wrote. However it isn't very useful because it repeats information from other items. (slightly useful)


Item 11 -Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1975) - Laura Mulvey (Book)
This book is very useful as it is the backbone to my essay. It provides all the information i need about the male gaze from Mulvey's point of view. (very useful)


Item 12 -Girls Kick Ass (Blog- http://everything2.com/title/Girls+Kick+Ass%253A+A+Feminist+Critique+of+the+New+Action+Heroine+and+the+Male+Gaze)

This blog will be useful with my essay as it gives good criticism towards the male gaze in todays hollywood. It explains how films focus more on 'women kicking ass' rather than the male gaze. i will use this to help me critically analyse the male gaze in todays hollywood. (Very useful)


Item 13 - Apply Male Gaze Theory (Youtube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWKkll9rb8I)

This video is useful for my essay because it explains Mulveys theory in more detail and uses different films to explain the theory. this is useful as it gives me more films i could use as examples. (Useful)

Item 14 -Laura Mulvey and The Male Gaze (Blog-http://katiehamilton25.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/the-male-gaze-theory.html)

This will be slightly useful to use in my work as it explains Mulvey's Theory and takes direct quotes from Mulveys' Essay. (slightly useful)


Item 15 - Scopophilia (Article-http://everything2.com/title/scopophilia)

This article is only slightly useful as it doesn't give me much information that I can use in my work however it does explain the male gaze in a little more detail. (Slightly useful)


Item 16 - Its A Man's World- The Male Gaze (http://gandt.blogs.brynmawr.edu/web-papers/web-papers-2/its-a-mans-world-the-male-gaze-and-the-film-industry/) 

This article is useful for my work as it talks about the film industry in hollywood as a whole. it also gives me useful statistics i plan on using in my work. (Useful)


Item 17- The Resident Trailer 

I will use this at the start of my presentation as it it a good video to show the audience straight away what my presentation will be about and the type of male gaze i will be looking at (Useful)



Rottentomatoes.com-Review of Disturbia - I have rejected this item as all it did was explain the plot of Disturbia. It didn't criticise Disturbia at all.


Everything2.com-Femininity - this article on this website isn't useful as all it did was give me a definition of femininity.


Questia-Feminist Film Theory - I have chosen to reject this item as there was only a small paragraph relating to the male gaze, most of the article was about feminism in real life rather than in films. the small paragraph on the male gaze didn't give me any extra information that would be useful to me.


Everything2.com-The Male Gaze - I rejected this website because the wasn't any extra information on there about the male gaze or Mulvey that I haven't already got from other sources.


Media Studies A2:Laura Mulvey and Carol Clover Final Girl Theory (Blog) - Ive rejected this Blog because the Final girl theory doesn't really relate to the male gaze. This blog didnt give me any useful information to use.

Skyfall and Iron Man 3 Case Studies

Skyfall

 

British stars: Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris etc.

Genre: Action

Production Company: Eon Production

Certificate: 12A

Marketing: used teasing banners in cinemas, posters, trailers on TV and at cinemas

Release Date: October 26^th-During half term

Box Office: hit US$1 billion So far Skyfall has grossed over $289 million inside the US and more than $710 million internationally, becoming Sony's box-office record-setter. Skyfall and just two more films have managed to hit $1 billion mark in 2012. The Avengers blockbuster and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises jumped over the barrier, earning $1.51 billion and $1.08 billion, respectively

 

The 2013 summer movie season finally kicks off this weekend as Robert Downey, Jr. and Marvel bring Tony Stark back to the big screen for the fourth time since 2008 in Iron Man 3. This will also mark the seventh consecutive year that a Marvel franchise has opened the first week of May (dating back to 2007's Spider-Man 3).

Iron Man 3

PROS:
- Last year's phenomenal success of The Avengers could help to reignite and/or expand interest in the solo Iron Man series.

- Adding 3D to its arsenal, this sequel should be able to comfortably outperform Iron Man 2's $128.1 million opening on the same weekend three years ago.

- The lack of competition in the early 2013 market combined with a huge location count will ensure strong upfront demand.

- Early reviews and online reactions from overseas audiences have been solid. Could social media and Avengers' own success help win back general audiences lost with Iron Man 2?

- The film has consistently trended strongly on Twitter and Facebook.

CONS:
- The Avengers aside, general reception of Iron Man 2 was less than stellar in 2010 and resulted in modest legs for a blockbuster despite minimal competition that May.

- Given the amount of competition the film faces after opening weekend this time around, more importance will be placed on the strength of the debut.

- The Avengers offered a unique premise and expanded interest from kids and adults alike with its collection of superheroes. Iron Man 3 is in new territory as the first return to the Marvel universe's solo films.

- Pre-sales have been strong, but not necessarily record-breaking.

Iron Man 3 has stormed to the top of the US box office, with the second-biggest ever opening weekend in the US.

The comic book sequel, starring Robert Downey Jr, took an estimated $175.3m (£112.5m) across the weekend.

…has easily outstripped the opening weekends of the first two films, which took $98.6m and $128.1m respectively

Producer: kevin feige-president of production at marvel studios

Director: Shane Black is an American actor, screenwriter and film director. He wrote such late 1980s and early 1990s action movie hits as Lethal Weapon and made his directorial debut with the film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

 

The $195.3 million estimated haul beats out The Avengers international opening of $185.1 million and is a sign of things to come. The biggest highlight we’re noting is that the film hasn’t even opened in China, Germany or Russia yet and that’s crucial because Disney and Marvel are banking hard in the Chinese box office with their partnership with Beijing-based DMG Entertainment to make Iron Man 3 a co-production.

 

Production companies- Walt Disney, Paramount Pictures, Marvel Studios, DMG Entertainment

Aims and Contexts: FM1 Creative Project

Genre of film:Melodrama(storyboard)
Extract from my film
Target Audience:older teenagers,12 certificate,young and older adults
Develop editing techniques 
Film issues raised:my actors dropped out before i could take any photos for my story board so i had to think of another idea for my story board and then get new actors