Critical investigation learner response

1) Feedback
Level: 4

WWW: Wow! This is seriously impressive and already at level 4. Research is a huge strength and clear argument is maintained throughout.

EBI: 

• In places, your written English needs a little work - a second draft should clear this up.
• The new/digital media section perhaps needs linking to film - it rather stands alone at present.
• The Dark Knight Rises section needs a bit of work,  particularly at the start of the paragraph.

2) The grade I am aiming to for in my second draft is an A.

3) The things that I will do in my second draft to achieve this grade will be:

• Read my work over carefully to make sure there is no grammar mistakes and to use more critical vocabulary. This is because, it would help me get full marks if I use sophisticated language throughout my essay.
• To link my new/digital media with film, as that is the industry I am focusing on. To help me with this, I could find tweets on whether there should be more strong female characters in Hollywood films. This is because, it would relate to my argument on how the development of digital media (social networking sites) has giving women but also men, the opportunity to express their views on female characters in film.
• I need to change the beginning sentence of my Dark Knight Rises paragraph, because it does not link to my essay question. By doing this, I need to write a clear topic sentence which shows that my paragraph is going to focus on how the female characters subvert the traditional stereotypes. 
• In my Anne Hathaway paragraph (subverting the traditional female stereotypes), I need to make a clear link to my essay question.  This is because, I have focused on the way she is represented during the bar scene but I have not made made explicit reference how the character is challenging the female stereotypes.
• To research further on different perspectives about the ways females are represented in Hollywood films and whether they reinforce or subvert the stereotypes.
• To include up to date social/economical issues which link my topic, as I did not include enough in my first draft. For instance, I can research on whether women are earning more or less than men compared to previous years, or if they are still facing inequality in society.

4) The information I want to take away from the BFI Library trip are:

• Further information on Feminist beliefs on the film industry and how it has changed from previous years.
• Find out information about new theorists/academics that focus on the issue of female representations in films.
• To learn more about the future of females in Hollywood films, as it would help me with my section in my essay.

Schedule for filming.

Week Beginning: 27^th January

Tuesday 28^th January:  Complete final planning for storyboard and shot list.

Thursday 30^th January:  Organise dates for shooting, decided which scenes to shoot, finalise everything.

Friday 31^st January:  Book camera to film.

Saturday 1^st January:  Begin filming the first scenes. (Outdoor)

Week Beginning: 3^rd February

Monday 3^rd February: Ask music department if we can film in the drama studio and to check if a room would be free to film.

Tuesday 4^th February: Film office scene.

Thursday 6^th February: Carry on filming the office scene during media lesson. If necessarily, film after school.

Friday 7^th February:  Filming the first Studio Scene after school.

Saturday 8^th February:  Split screen scene (Anita’s House) and shoot last scene of the music video (if we have time)

Tuesday 11th February:  Film Studio scene.

Thursday 13^th February: look through the entire scene we have filmed and to decide whether we have to film some shots again.  

MEST4: Production ideas

Group:

Anita and Gagan

Ideas:

All of our critical investigation essay focuses on the representation on gender and therefore we decided to create a music video, which focuses on a female character subverting the traditional stereotypes. Although, Anita and Gagan are focusing on music video in their essays and I am focusing on film, our production will contain a narrative and highlight a modern representation of female. The narrative will focuses on a female who is not happy in her relationship based on the way her partner is treating her. The female character will be positively portrayed as independent and fearless, which would be effective in highlighting the message that women are no longer submissive to men. As Anita is focusing on the representation of males in music videos in her essay, we thought it be a good idea to dominantly represent the male character as having typical characteristics from the beginning, but towards the end we will portray him subverting the masculine stereotype. Significantly, this would highlight a switch in gender roles as the female character would also be taking on masculine traits such as boxing.

We decided to use the song 'Roar' by Katy Perry for our production, as it clearly highlights a liberal message to the female audience of women no longer being subordinate to men in modern society. The primary audience for our production are females between the age demographic of 16-28 year old , which would be beneficial for them to identify with the character. Thus, this would encourage them to become independent and not to be afraid of taking on masculine traits, which stereotypically goes against the female domain. Ultimately, the aim of our production is to highlight a message to the audience that women are no longer submissive to men in contemporary society and therefore they are more than capable of being independent.

Criticial Investigation Plan

Migrain - higlighted in blue
Wider context - highlighted in pink  (Social, Political, Historical, Economical)

To what extent do the female characters in SALT and The Dark Knight Rises challenge the traditional female stereotypes.

Introduction

• "They no longer need protection; they are no longer victims or hostages or prizes" p63

•  "These images reflect the fact that women are challenging the male monopoly on power and aggression, a shift that broad ramifications of how gender is constructed"

Quotes used from: Sherrie A. Inness: Action Chicks - New Images of Tough Women in Pop Culture (2004)

Section 1A   (170 words)

First historical text - Rear Window

• In this paragraph I will be focusing the opening scene of film Rear Window which objectifies the female characters Miss Torso. 
• This will be followed by the textual analysis - linking to Mulvey theory of the Male Gaze and the pleasures the male audience would get out from watching this scene.  (for example, scopophilia)
• In a separate paragraph I will link this scene to Feminism issues/debates and briefly include what the roles of women were in the 50's and how it is projected in this film.
• I will end the paragraph by comparing my primary text (SALT) with Rear Windows and refer back to my essay question. (This historical example establishes that the representation of Miss Torso reinforces the traditional female stereotypes - going against my argument) (R,M,I,A) (S,H,)

Theories/ Key Words

• Mulvey - Male Gaze
• Dominate ideologies
• Patriarchy
• Narrative pleasures
• Reinforcing stereotypes
• Primary audience - males
• Dominate Representation

Quotes to use

• "Watching a limber young woman cleaning seems like a very stereotypical sight for the male gaze" https://my.vanderbilt.edu/wgs272/2013/01/rear-window-and-gender-roles/

• "Pressures on girls and women came from all angles.  To look normal and acceptable to men, and to be the women that could keep the home well for their future husbands" http://history-and-film.tripod.com/roles.html
• "The audience is absorbed into a voyeuristic situation within the screen scene and diegesis which parodies his own in the cinema"  http://crea.uparis10.fr/faaam/IMG/pdf/FAAAM_Modleski_sur_Hitchcock_handout_.pdf

•  "Pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female" p62  Laura Mulvey: Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1975)

• "..repeated images of women were considered to be objectionable distortions that would have a negative impact on the female spectator" http://best-movies-articles.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/background-of-feminist-film-theory.html

• Pressures on girls and women came from all angles.  To look normal and acceptable to men, and to be the women that could keep the home well for their future husbands.  http://history-and-film.tripod.com/roles.html

• "the eroticisation of women on the screen comes about through the way in which film assumes the spectator to be a white male and encourages his voyeurism, through specific camera and narrative techniques. http://filmstudz.tumblr.com/

Section 1B  (170 words)
Second historical text - Mulan

• Rear Window and Mulan are both represent the female characters differently.
• Textual analysis in a separate paragraph: Focusing on the transformation scene of Mulan - subverting the cultural expectations of women in China.
• Link to historical issues in China about the expectations of women in the 90's.
• Finally, compare Mulan to my primary text SALT

(R,M,I)  (H,P)

Quotes

• "An unwed girl will bring dishonor to her family and is to be looked down on by many" http://lauratobin.webs.com/mulan.htm
• "She is classed as a tomboy as she doesn't fit the stereotypical feminine traits." http://brontebailey.wordpress.com/disney-princesses/mulan/
• "She gains respect off of hundreds of men, showing that women are as equal as men and sometimes better" http://brontebailey.wordpress.com/disney-princesses/mulan/

Theories/ Key words 

• Liberal values
• Challenging the female stereotypes
• Levis Strauss binary oppositions - masculine vs feminine (Society expectations of women in the 90's was to be feminine, however the character of Mulan challenges this dominate expectations by embracing her masculinity. 
• Propp narrative roles
• Perkins - Stereotypes are not always negative, establish elements of the truth.
• Alternative representation

Section 2 (400words)
Primary Text - SALT  (agreeing with my critical investigation question)

• Institutional information.
• Separate paragraph on textual analysis - Escape Scene
• Separate paragraph on issues/debates - linking back to my question.

Quotes

• "We made a point not to use her sexuality or her femininity in the film in ways that is usually done in films, especially in this kind of genre," explain Jolie" 
• Jolie was pleased that the "gender change did not turn on the character's sexiness" http://sofiaecho.com/2010/07/30/939975_angelina-jolie-adds-spice-to-salt

• "Taskers points out that the evolution of women's action roles needs to be studied because it reflects the change of real women's roles in society" p6 Sherrie A. Inness: Action Chicks - New Images of Tough Women in Pop Culture (2004)

• “This year heroines of prime time and the big screen are muscular and trained in martial arts and they have no compunctions about slapping, immolating, and kicking their way through life”

Theories/ Key Words.

• Levis Strauss - Binary Oppositions
• Barthes - Action Codes
• Stuart Hall - Dominate Reading of Jolie's character
• Todorov narrative structure - this scene establishes the disequilibrium 
• Liberal Values
• Subverting social boundaries
• A Feminist Icon
• Generic conventions
• Alternative representation

(R,M,I,G,A) (S)

Section 3 (200 words)
Issues and Debates

• Focusing on the issues - Media technology and development on feminism & regulation and censorship. (Refer to everyday sexism website)
• Referring to guardian articles and Miss Representation documentary.
• Separate paragraph How this issue has changed women's lifestyle. S,P

Quotes

• "The rise of female action heroine was a sign of the different role available to women in real life" pg6 Sherrie A. Inness: Action Chicks - New Images of Tough Women in Pop Culture (2004)

• "No more page 3 is now backed by the Girl Guides Unison, the National Union of Teachers, the Association of Teachers and Lectures, and the National Union of Head Teachers" http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/aug/23/online-activism-page-3-campaign

• In the media there is "so much negatively towards women and their weight and how they look. It's just a representation of the pressure we feel to conform to men's ideas" (Miss Representation - Documentary)

• "The real shock came in FHM's revelation that it receives more than 1,200 submissions of women topless or in lingerie every single week"  http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/sep/13/comment.pressandpublishing

• "We should challenge the traditional views of masculinity and femininity, and sexuality by causing a gender trouble" P147 David Gauntlett Meids, Gender and Identity An Introduction  (2008)

• "Her Everyday Sexism Project has proved so successful that it was rolled out to 17 countries on its first anniversary this year, tens of thousands of women worldwide writing about the street harassment, sexual harassment, workplace discrimination and body-shaming they encounter" 

• Everyday Sexism currently has more than 108,000 followers on Twitter  http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/10/fourth-wave-feminism-rebel-women

Section 4 (300 words)
Secondary text - The Dark Knight Rises

• Textual Analysis 1 - Anne Hathaway (200)   - 
• Linking to issues/debates/referring to the question.
• Textual Analysis 2 - Marion Cottilard (150)  
•  Linking to issues/referring to the question

Quotes 

• "She sees her role as almost modern day, feminist Robin Hood" ttp://www.hollywood.com/news/movies/34622682/the-dark-knight-rises-why-anne-hathaway-s-catwoman-is-the-best-one-yet?page=all
• Catwoman’s case in ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ she uses female stereotypes like emotional weakness and vulnerability to cleverly manipulate her way out of dangerous situations http://screencrush.com/female-superhero-movie/
• "She spends her time using men as playthings in her scheme to better her life"  http://www.hollywood.com/news/movies/34622682/the-dark-knight-rises-why-anne-hathaway-s-catwoman-is-the-best-one-yet?page=all

Theories/Key Words

Levis Strauss - Binary oppositions

Female Fattale

Stuart Hall - Dominate Reading

Todorov - Narrative Structure

Propp - Character Roles

Barthes - Action Codes

Matriarchy

Section 5 (200)
This section will focus on the female characters in SALT and The Dark Knight Rises reinforcing the traditional stereotypes.

• Clothing/appearance of  Jolie's, Hathaway and Cottilard characters.
• separate paragraph: Impact it has on the audience - linking to my issues and debates.

Quotes 

• "No matter what a women does, no matter what her achievements are, their values still depends on how they look" 0:05:35 - 0:05:39   (Miss Representation - Documentary)

• "Representation and stereotypes serve to reinforce the dominate ideological views" p143 Nick Lacey - Image and Representation Key Concepts in Media Studies (1998)

• "Men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looking at" quotes by John Berger P65 . Media Magazine: December 2010 Issue 34: The Change issue

• "Females were five time as likely as males to be shown in sexually revealing clothing" P14 
•  P13 http://www.seejane.org/downloads/GDIGM_Gender_Stereotypes.pdf

• "Tough women are still expected to be feminine, attractive and heterosexual appealing" pg14 Sherrie A. Inness: Action Chicks - New Images of Tough Women in Pop Culture (2004)

• "At the beginning of the film, Evelyn is represented as highly feminine http://purpleprosearchive.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/salt-2010/

• "Sexualisation of culture is identified as a context that reinforces gender inequality by designating women as sexually available and objectified... P373 Milkshake, Lady Lumps and Growing up to want Boobies: How the sexualisation of popculture limits girls horizons

• "Smelik notes that such fixed and endlessly repeated images of women were considered to be objectionable distortions that would have a negative impact on the female spectator" http://best-movies-articles.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/background-of-feminist-film-theory.htmhttp://media.litmuse.net/bibliography/richard-dyer-the-role-of-stereotypes

Theories to use

• Mulvey Male Gaze
• Dyer - stereotypes are a projection of the real world.
• Dominate ideologies
• Narrative pleasures
• Genre expectations - reinforce the boundaries between men and women
• mis-en-scene - referring to the appearances of the female characters.

Section 5 (120)

Future of this Feminism

• "Feminist societies have popped up at university everywhere including Durham, Liverpool and Kings College London" http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/jackrivlin/100010138/warning-if-you-upset-todays-ferocious-online-feminists-prepare-for-a-flood-of-abuse/

• Ikamara Larasi, 24, started heading a campaign to address racist and sexist stereotypes in music videos, just as students began banning summer hit Blurred Lines on many UK campuses, in response to its sexist lyrics. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/10/fourth-wave-feminism-rebel-women
• As Yvonne Tasker states: The evolution of women’s role needs to be studied because it reflects the change of real women’s roles in society”. 

Conclusion (227)

• Sum up my argument
• How this issue will effect the audience

Quotes

• "Feminine film theorists also encouraged women filmmakers to create alternative film aesthetics"  http://best-movies-articles.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/background-of-feminist-film-theory.htm

• "Watching televised gender portrayals has an effect on individuals' real-world gender-based attitudes, beliefs and behaviours" P1 http://syndicatemizzou.org/resources/behm-morawitz/Mean_Girls.pdf

• "Cultural stereotypes still persist as to women's maternal role" P79 Kat Banyard: The Equality Illusion The Truth about Men and Women Today  (2010)

• "Female characters have slowly but steadily evolved beyond the universal hostage, victims or conquest archetype and became the heroine of their own action"
• http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/01/the-rise-of-the-female-led-action-film/251678/

• "Heroines all share in common portrayals as kick ass women who can physically power their way out of dangerous situations using any combination of weaponry and martial arts, all the while maintaining traditional signs of femininity Sherrie A. Inness: Action Chicks - New Images of Tough Women in Pop Culture