The Male Gaze: Die Another Day

The James Bond franchise is a clear example of film objectifying females and forcing the audience t view females via the male gaze. The scene within 'Die Another Day' when James Bond meets the character Jinx demonstrates my previous statement through the use of vignette in the post production of the film when editing the scene.

By doing this, the producers are knowingly portraying Halle Berry's character Jinx through the eyes of James Bond, and therefore through the perspective of a male. Because of this, Jinx is now looked at as an object, and this is supported by Laura Mulvey's theory in her essay 'Visual pleasure and the narrative cinema'. When editing, the vignette effect puts Jinx at the centre of Bond's attention, and the character is now looked at through the eyes of the male character (one of three ways of looking defined by Mulvey), rather than by individual audience members. 

Along with this, the slow motion effects used in editing as Berry's character exits the water further objectify the female character, without the audience even having much of an understanding as to who she may be. This also allows the camera to linger on the character (and her body) for longer than in a regular motion, and therefore objectifying her, allowing the audience's view of her body to last even longer. With this, other actions allow us to understand the exaggeration involved in her exit from the water. By throwing her hands up as she walks to wards the shore and skimming her hands along the water, Halle Berry accentuates her breasts and gives the scene a more sexual (and sensual) undertone, creating an even more intense visual pleasure from the audience, satisfying their scopophilia. During this scene, a mid shot is used to allow the audience to appreciate both Jinx's facial expressions and the movements of her body, and with any other characters from the scene missing, she is alone in the shot, with all focus and all thoughts (of both the male character's who's eyes we are supposedly looking through, and the audience) on her only.

One her exit from the water, the shot flips to Bond's reaction and back again to the female character, where she is out of the water and walking towards Bond. Here, she looks especially groomed considering she has just walked out from being under the water. This creates an ideology in both male and female audience members, leading them to believe that this is the norm and the standard 'ideal' woman after being in the sea.

By constructing and coding the female character in this scene, from something that can be argued as unrealistic, the producers have allowed the representation of the female character to be as they (probably male) would expect from a woman. As 82% of media creators are male, the likelihood of the producer of Die Another Day being female is slim, and therefore the ideals created in this film (in relation to male expectations of the female character) will be predominantly patriarchal. Other factors, for example the bikini worn by Jinx, the way that she exits the water, thrusting her hips in a non-realistic manor and even the way that she dries herself with the towel on the deck (barely at all, dabbing herself, too in a non-realistic way with the towel a couple of times) will have also been determined by this majority.

The non-diegetic music used on Jinx's exit from the water (which was already playing at the start of the clip being analysed) became extremely exaggerated and intensified as her movements and these to aspects put together create and extremely mysterious, romantic and fantasised scene.

Laura Mulvey: American Beauty

The scene from American Beauty being analysed takes place during a High School Basketball game in America, where a girl's (Jane) parents are on their way to watch their daughter take place in a performance at half time. Once there, Jane's father notices one of his daughter's friends, and creates a fantasy in his mind, containing her dancing provocatively.

The camera uses various techniques to intensify the scene, for example losing in from an extremely wide shot of the male character alone (without the audience who were previously there) to an extreme close up shot of just the characters eyes. Through these eyes, according to Laura Mulvey, both male and female audience members are socialised into the idea that what the male character deems attractive in a film, actually is. This is called 'the look of the character in the film' and is one of three ways of looking defined by Mulvey. When looking back at this still shot of the male character for a second time, the expression on his face is slightly dormant, difficult to read, but the most predominant and noticeable aspect is that (assuming that he is looking at the female character, which is assumed by the audience) he is looking at her as an object, a piece of meat, rather then a human. This shot is somewhere between a close up and an extreme close up and by objectifying the woman in this way, we are lead to believe that is the norm, that this is expected by men and that this look is something to strive towards by women, in order to be like the women that they see in such films as these.

The camera often fragments a females body when filming to objectify the female character, is this is no different in the scene we are analysing. The camera uses long shots of the girl, with her looking into the camera (which the audience are led to assume that this is the male character as we are watching through the look of the male character) seductively. The camera then moves on to fragment her body, filming her chest and her hands, as she undoes the zip of her dance costume. Because we are looking through the male character's eyes, female and male audience members will be lead to believe that this is an 'attractive' ideology and for females something to strive for and convince them that this is what a male wants to see in a woman.

We also see the expression on the male character's face as he dreams up the fantasy, playing it out in his mind as his daughter is dancing with her friends during the performance, however we do not get to see this as a member of the audience due to the father's fantasy. The character seems to be looking the woman up and down (as an object rather than a woman) and gaining voyeuristic pleasure from her performance.

At one point during the scene, there is a low key lighting on both characters, intensifying the fantasy and allowing the audience to view both characters at the same time, and highlighting the female character to both the male character and the member of the audience. Non-diegetic music begins ot play and adds to the highlighting of the female's role in the fantasy. As red petals fly out of her chest as she unzips her top (which may be used to indicate that this is in fact a fantasy and not reality or to maintain the female's dignity), the  colour of the petals may be considered by the audience and indication of lust (rather than love) due to the current emotions of the male character (and maybe even the female character due to her provocative dancing, however this was the male's fantasy and not hers).

Representation: The Hunger Games trailer

 

 

The trailer of the Hunger Games starts out with a male and female character talking about talking about running away from their lives and starting afresh somewhere else. We soon come to find that the film is set in the near, and this is proven through the technologies and gadgets used in the '12 districts of Panem'. By this being the first thing that the audience see, they are socialised into the ideology that a man needs a woman and a woman needs a man in order to survive this world.

 

The trailer tells the story of a girl, Katniss Everdeen who volunteers in place of her sister (who is chosen) to compete in the annual Hunger Games, against 11 other district (and 23 other children). We find out that she risked her life in order to protect her younger sister. In relation to most traditional films of a similar genre, the main character (and the one competing) would have been a male, and this twist on tradition challenges many stereotypes about the strength of females.

One of the characters that we come across during the trailer is filmed using extreme long shots, with the mise-en-scene taking the form of a forest. They are dressed in a camouflage-type outfit, and holding a bow and arrows. This indicates that the character in hand is likely to be male, as most stereotypes predict that anyone using weapons in a film will be a man, rather than a woman as traditional stereotypes predict that men are the breadwinners and women the caregivers. As the trailer continues we see the back of the head of a girl, and the representation of females as a gender develops as we come to understand that the main character and what would be classed as a 'Hero' by Propp is Katniss Everdeen.

 

Another female character represented in this film is Primrose or 'Prim', Katnisses younger sister. She is shown to be naïve and extremely innocent during the scenes within the trailer, and this may have been used to exaggerate the strength that her older sister contains. By using a traditionally stereotypes weakness in the younger sibling, the older sibling is able to challenge the stereotype. Tis is not the only stereotype in relation to gender which may be considered challenged by the audience, as about 20 seconds into the trailer, the male character is already seen as being an aid or help to the main (female) character when shooting for prey, which is something considered a male trait by many. This puts the male character is a position of lower authority than the female character, which in most cases (such as the Nuclear family) and pretty much every gender-based stereotype, defies the norm.

 

In the scenes containing the contestants training, all ages, races and genders are considered equal, with all shown as relatively strong (shown to be using weapons in self defence and combat), which again differs from most stereotypes, whether this is right or wrong.



Coursework: Draft

To what extent are women objectified and misrepresented in the media by fashion magazines such as 'Vogue' and 'Look'?

In this piece of coursework, my intention is to focus on the representation (or misrepresentation) of women in the media today, specifically focusing on magazines aimed at women's fashion. A popular assumption established within the UK is that the 'perfect' woman is stereotypically a slender, size 8-10 woman with a seemingly perfect complexion, however this stereotype is considered a false misrepresentation. This stereo-typification is supported by the images used in magazines such as Vogue and Look, however both magazines differ in how their women are represented through media texts such as adverts, written articles and interviews. I will be using the theories and work developed by theorists such as Laura Mulvey and the 'Male Gaze', Jacques Lacan, Karen Coats and John Fiske, and talking about why and how women are represented in such a way that many consider to dehumanise them.



Flicking through the latest edition of both Vogue and Look magazines, I have found than an astonishing amount of advertisements contain female models no larger than a clothes size 6. 132 in Vogue compared to a mere 37 advertisements in Look contained female models of this size. I also found there to be approximately 8 size 8 models in Vogue, in comparison to 23 in Look. Taking into consideration that Vogue contains more than four times the amount of pages than look does, and contains more advertisements as a whole (rather than articles etc.), Vogue is still showing more size 6 models in proportion to it's other advertisements than Look are. Over all, the number of models found in these editions that were found at and larger size than an 8 were astoundingly small. 6 were found in Vogue, and 3 in Look (both of which only showed models no larger than a British clothes size 12). This will no doubt convince the magazine's audience that this is the way that they are meant to look, if naturally sized women are not represented at all in these magazines, then why would women think that it is something to strive for? They wouldn't.

As a principal, Vogue as a magazine contains a larger amount of advertisements rather than articles and stories, in comparison to Look. This is over several editions of both magazines, rather than just the one. Because of this, Vogue's intentions and motives may be seen to differ compared to those of Look Magazine, which contains articles on the latest celebrity relationships, gossip articles and affordable fashion.  These sorts of articles tend to gratify the needs of it's audience members by giving them an insight into the latest celebrity news and gossip. By doing this, Look (as a magazine) is in a way advertising the celebrity as a lifestyle choice, in comparison to Vogue, which I have found to be advertising a specific product, name or brand. Therefore, Vogue is seen to be directly advertising a specific product, whereas Look are advertising a certain style, and showing the audience how to achieve this style through the brands directly advertised in Vogue (or similar products at a much more affordable price).

Skyfall: analysis

Propp's theory of the seven archetypal character identifications becomes extremely apparent in this scene, with the traditional Hero, Villain and Princess identified. As in all Bond films, James Bond can be obviously identified as the hero, and this is due to the Dark suit wore in the scene and the dark sunglasses worn, allowing the audience to obtain a sense of uncertainty and mystery, in comparison to the white suit, white hair and light, faded clothes worn by the typical 'Villain' in this scene. When stood together in the same (long) shot, the comparison between the Hero and the Villain made the identification between the two obvious for the audience. By wearing the white suit, the Villain is presenting himself (or rather being presented by the producers) as an innocent looking man, with white signifying innocence and naivety, characteristics which aren't stereotypically found in men of this character's age, or men at all. Also, by the character's name being unspoken, the audience are lead to watch the events unfold without knowing who he actually is. This however would only take place if the scene was being watched alone rather than with the rest of the film.

This scene support's Propp's theory by enforcing a similar one of Levi Straus, with the Binary Oppositions between, not only the typical hero and the villain, but between the good (hero) and the bad (villain), the good-looking and not so good-looking and the black suit and the white suit, all of which contribute to the audience's decision as to who may be who. Although traditionally the 'Princess' would survive such a scene, being saved by the hero and living happily ever after, both the 'hero' Bond and the audience watch her die, giving a more modern (and less traditional) twist to the scene.
During the clip, as Bond is preparing to shoot the shot glass from the 'princess'' head, she is shown to the audience via long shot, as the camera slowly zooms in on her, keeping her whole body in focus. By not cutting to her face or another part of the body. the audience are left to look in detail at how she has been tied up, her appearance( for example her hair being a tangled mess, her red dress (which may also signify something about her as a person, left for the audience to determine) which is damaged and the blood on her face. The shot flips back to bond as he struggles to shoot, his hand shaking, and again back to the woman, no zoomed in closer to her face using a mid shot, to intensify the moment where she looks at Bond in a desperate attempt to save herself. Each shot gets closer and closer to the woman's face, creating a tense moment for the audience, as they decide whether Bond will shoot or not.

There are several aspects within this short clip which enforces the typical genre, for example, the suit worn by the Hero, the weaponry (for example the guns in the case, used by the Hero and the Villain) and the help which arrives for Bond (for example the Choppers and other forms of aircraft which arrive at the same time as the traditional, repeated signature 'Bond music' known as iconic by the public comes into play). A traditional fight scene is also apparent within the scene, all of which are shot extremely low to the ground, which also encourages the idea that the film is that of a traditional spy/action genre. By supporting this typical genre, the producers are gratifying the audience's expectations in that the will know what sort of scenes would typically follow in a genre such as this. 

The music used when the characters enter the set and the scene begins, may signify that of a war (either physical or metaphorical), however also shows the audience a clam scene, at a steady pace as the characters emerge. The non-diegetic sounds soon turn to fast pace (more likely to be associated with such a film), indicating to the audience that a scene iconic to the James Bond films will be unveiling. While the fight scene continues, the audience are allowed to view Bond's triumph's through several mid shots extremely low to the ground as he tackles what may be considered by the audience 'villains' as all of the connotations associated with a Bond film are now present.

Describe Niche and Mainstream audiences with specific text examples

A mainstream text has a wider and less specific target audience than a niche text may do, due to aspects such as the airing time, scheduling, subject content (for example cast members, storyline etc.) and mode of address. A niche text is generally less popular than a mainstream text, and also has the following of a niche audience (in comparison to a mainstream text which is followed by a mass audience).

Now a programme with a mainstream audience following, which was once a niche text, Breaking Bad is aired at a mixture of different times, ranging from 7.57PM through to 4.58AM. In previous years, the earlier series of this text will have been aired into the late hours of the night and early hours of the morning, with less advertising due to the fact that it had a smaller following, and mainstream texts would have held priority in advertisement during the daytime. Throughout it's five series', Breaking Bad's subject content has adapted to gratify the mode of address of it's audience type, due to the fact that the programme was becoming more popular in the US and becoming well known in the UK. THis would have inspired producers to create a more mainstream storyline, including maybe even some of Todorov's theory of the equilibrium, with a disruption and cliffhanger ending each episode to entice the ass audience into watching the programme continuously weekly.

Advertising was once minimal for this media text, therefore the audience access would too have been minimal. This would have created a niche audience in the idea that the not many people would have seen advertising, and there are several reasons for this;
- By being aired on American channels such as AMC, Five* (or 5*) and Netflix (all of which are either advertised in the UK and other countries slightly, or not at all), which proves the programme's popularity in America only. Because of this, the range of audience types will be limited.
- Also, by having the main character turn into someone with non-tradiotional morals and beliefs, the programme will only gratify certain audience members. What started off as a normal, typical American family man, soon turned into someone who most members of the general public wouldn't agree with, making them either dislike the character or become disinterested in the programme, loosing followers and decreasing ratings, creating a niche text.


In comparison to this, British television programmes such as the X-Factor are well known in both Britain and other countries, with America (as one of a few examples) making their own version, 'X Factor US'. The British version of X Factor is also well known in the US, with a past British judge (Simon Cowell) taking the same role on in the US version. As a brand, The X Factor is one of the most mainstream British television programmes (competitions).

In regards to scheduling and placement, both at 8.00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays, this text takes up a large amount of one of the most popular and most-watched times on television. Saturdays and Sundays both lie on weekends, giving people the time to sit down (as a family or with friends) and watch the programme through. Similarly to this, Sundays (considered the 'day of rest') also allow people to do the same thing, and because of this, people are given the weekdays to talk about the programme and it's highlights before it continues on the next Saturday. Also, by using such accessible times, the audience will find that the programme itself becomes more accessible. Being broadcasted on ITV (and having ITV+1 and ITVPlayer to catch up on the episodes that they have missed) allows the audience to keep following the programme continuously throughout the weeks that it is being aired.

With interactive material on the ITV website, audience members can continue watching cuts and extra material form the previous week's episode, until the next week's is aired. In regards to the Mode of Address, the X Factor uses likeable characters (as well as characters which may generally be disliked by the majority of audiences), for example boy groups (appealing to young females), contestants with a heartfelt story (appealing to the family types) and so on. The subject content of this text is light, easy watching, however with the competitive streak of this type of programme, the audience can choose their favourite contestants and follow and support them, creating a mode of address, and keeping the ratings as high as possible, generating more profit.