Exam Practice, Theorists and Homeworks

Exam Practice

Ella Ponting (EP) 

Question 1(a)
Using one of the following categories below relate how your skills have developed from AS to A2.

•   Digital Technology
•   Creativity
•   Research and planning
•   Post-production
•   Using conventions from real media texts

Since taking my Media AS Level I feel as though I have succeeded in developing my sense of creativity through learning how to produce a film with flair and by thoroughly researching and planning for our final product. I've had the opportunity to think through with my group different genres and ideas for our film which allowed us to eliminate the ideas that are common themes in typical large blockbuster films and to narrow it down to the films with the most unusual, not commonly discussed themes. Unlike in AS Media, where we decided on a set genre and theme without exploring and researching alternative ideas in depth, this brainstorm process allowed our whole group to collaborate and contribute different ideas which, in turn, led us to the decision of making a film about sleep paralysis - a mental health condition so rarely discussed, yet very frequently occurring in young people. Having the creative freedom to write a script for our film has also led to us being able to lay out the film's structure in a unique way, which has given me a deeper insight into how our film can map out visually. Being given small technological tasks has broadened my knowledge of filming and thus given me an insight into interesting and unique ways of producing a film in terms of camera shots, angles and techniques. In conclusion, my creative outlook towards filming and planning has evolved since taking my AS Media course, A2 Media thus far has allowed myself more freedom in terms of pre-production which has engaged me to discover new and original ways of filming and video editing. 

Ella Ponting (EP)

Question 1(b)
- Requires candidates to select one production and evaluate it in relation to a media concept.
- The list of concepts to which the questions will relate is as follows:

• Genre
• Narrative
• Representation
• Audience
• Media Language

During the production of my AS Level film project entitled 'The Illusion Experiment' I took a range of different measures to ensure that our characters were accurate representations of a social group and unbiased from stereotyping. I used the examples from the 'CAGED' group to display how my film either met, or rejected stereotypes from different social groups, the key groups being: class, age, gender, ethnicity and disability. Whilst our AS level film only included male characters, we used two people of different backgrounds and ages both of who are displayed to have very different personalities. A third character's voice-over is also involved who has the voice of an older man, illuminating that our inclusion of characters across a range of different ages has been used substantially. As our film was targeted at young people we decided to include a young male protagonist who our audience would be able to connect and relate to. Despite this no female characters were shot on-screen despite our story line including a female character, this was partially due to the short time slot in which we had to introduce our film. Yet, to avoid gender-bias for our A2 project we are including both male and female characters as well as the 'demon' characters in our film who will remain gender-less. We have decided to include a male character for the role of the counsellor to avoid typecasting and to go against the stereotypical female counsellor who are often seen as the most nurturing and compassionate gender to take up this job. 

Theorists

Laura Mulvey - Ella Ponting (EP)

During lesson time our teacher showed us this PowerPoint from Slideshare highlighting Mulvey's Male Gaze theory. The PowerPoint successfully and concisely summed up the key points in Mulvey's study, therefore I have attached it to the blog for revision purposes (as seen below).  As part of our homework we were given the task to write a short summary on this theorist to upload to the blog and to refer back to when studying for our exams at the end of the school year. 

Laura mulvey, the male gaze from christimothy12

The term 'male gaze' was first coined by Laura Mulvey in her 1975 essay on cinematography entitled 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema'. In this essay Mulvey discusses the objectification of women in film which is enhanced by camera techniques and angles, for which the majority of directors (most of which are male) are to blame. She points out the lack of diversity in directors and the lack of depth and diversity in female roles on-screen and accounts this for us living in a patriarchal society where men hold the highest positions of power with only 16% of media creators being female. The 'male gaze' describes the male, heterosexual perspective that the audience is experiencing the film from. For example, a slow motion shot of a woman's curves - used deliberately to draw in the male audience's attention. Mulvy regards the masculinisation of the audience as leading to hegemonic ideologies within our society. Mulvey points out that due to the media portraying women this way, women also adopt the 'male gaze' and are taught to objectify women too and regard them as competition for obtaining a man. In terms of visual pleasure, women hold one (or both) of these two functions: either as an erotic object for characters in the narrative to view or as an erotic object for spectators within the cinema to view.

John Berger - Ella Ponting (EP)

After watching 'Ways of Seeing' ep1 as a class, I decided to type up the notes I took so as to have this theorist available for revision purposes. 

- (on cameras) 'I am an eye, a mechanical eye'
- Images come to you, you do not go to them
- (on paintings) The uninterrupting silence and stillness of a painting can be very striking. The way a camera pans around a landscape can affect our interpretation.
- (on paintings) 'in paintings, there is no unfolded time' 

- KEY WORD: 'Reproduction' - Berger has taken lots of ideas from the 1936 essay by Walter Benjamin - he has condensed it and put his own spin on it. Discusses the 'mystification' of paintings and photographs where you're no longer in awe of it as you understand it.
- 1826: The invention of photography; daguerreotypes etc.
- 1895: Introduction of cinema (for the public experience)
- Uses examples of paintings in their original form as he believes them to be more authentic
- Uses the 'icon' as a fixed context in which it can be taken out and transmitted to a wider audience, this may lead to it becoming less holy/ or changing it's meaning. 
- He discusses that as technology converges, creators have less control over how their film/picture is viewed, due to it being viewed in different contexts e.g. someone with the tv in the background, channel-hopping etc.
- This episode tells us that the message the creators are getting out has to pass a medium, however once it has passed they lose control of the meaning.
- Berger tries to make sense of 'reproduction' but has consciously arranged it in a way for our viewing and we should be skeptical of this. 
- He took an authentic painting which was devoid of meaning. He then asked the children for their interpretations on it, he did this because he valued their opinion the most as they related their own experiences to it. 

A response to Bell Hooks' 'Straightening Our Hair' - Ella Ponting (EP)

Bell Hooks discusses in her article ‘Straightening Our Hair’ the controversial matter of hair-straightening and the complexities of the standards of beauty set by white supremacy vs the intimate ritualistic culture in which black women could get their hair pressed together as a rite of passage into womanhood.  For Bell Hooks, the process of ‘straightening black women’s hair with a hot comb’ was not connected with a conscious effort to look more ‘white’, rather emanating the much longed for transition from child to woman. She talks about the collective intimate nature of hair pressing for women who meet either at home or in the beauty parlour where they would exchange outrageous stories, laugh and generally just meet each other’s needs.

She discusses the pressure to have perfectly straight hair and even though she was considered one of the ‘lucky ones’ as her hair was fine, she still didn’t feel fulfilled in obtaining her idea of perfection for her hair. However, she doesn’t link the perception of black women with straight hair as being the most appealing with the notion that they were attempting to recreate the white standard of beauty. She cites this view as a product of the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy, the social and political custom of this pastime represents an imitation of dominant white group’s appearance – often indicating internalized racism, self-hatred and low self-esteem. Bell Hooks notes that during the 1960s the natural ‘afro’ became the norm for black women as a reflection of their resistance to racism and celebration of their culture. The amount of political pressure placed on appearance in politics became apparent as those who wore their hair straight were considered more respectable and represented the conformity to societal expectations. The scrutiny of political figure’s appearances declined as the number of black women who straightened their hair rose.

She argues that in our capitalist society, corporations now target black consumers selling permanent solutions to straightening their hair, which eliminated the need for hair-pressing and the hot comb. These new practices not only cost more, but eliminate the once ritualistic joyful nature of hair-straightening – the dialogue lost under the ‘noisy hair dryers’. She argues that the elimination of hair pressing rituals has led to hair-straightening becoming more of a signifier of white supremacy and reflects the imitation of white culture and desire to succeed in the white world. She recounts a discussion with black female students at Spelman College, all who were convinced that wearing their hair straight would enhance their chances of attaining a job. Bell Hooks shares her persona story of returning from Yale after being given a job, her hair worn in braids and her parents telling her she looked ‘disgusting’.

The obsession with straightening hair is depicted as reflecting troubles with self-actualization and self-esteem. Bell Hooks regards hair as a separate part of the body, as a ‘territory to be controlled’ linking to sexual repression. She discovered that several black women she taught were overcome with desire for straight hair as they linked it to desirability and remember receiving compliments for their hair only when it was worn straight. She cites Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin as two trend setters who are examples of crossovers between cultures, using hair implants and weaving to attain long straight blonde hair. She states that a lot of black women argue that the straightening of their hair is simply a survival strategy and it is easier to function in society this way. Whilst others whose hair is chemically straightened suggest that straightened hair is easier to manage, which Bell Hooks links to women believing they are unimportant/ do not deserve to take care of themselves and bodies. She believes that the combination of racism and sexism in today’s society projected through the media and advertising reaffirm that we need to change ourselves and our identity to become more desirable. She states that the reality of our society is that hair straightening links to racial domination and thus she has left her hair in her natural state and has gradually learned to appreciate it.

Miss Representation Documentary (notes and a response) - Ella Ponting (EP)

After watching the 'Miss Representation' documentary, I decided to type up my notes for future revision purposes and to record the many statistics and factual evidence that this documentary discusses. 

- On average teenagers spend:

• 31 hours per week watching television
• 17 hours per week listening to music
• 3 hours per week watching movies
• 10 hours per week online
• 10 hours 45 mins per week of internet consumption

- 1 billion use the internet everyday

- Media is derogatory towards the most powerful women in the country

- 53% of 13 year olds are unhappy with their body

- 78% of 15 year olds are unhappy with their body

- 65% of women and girls have an eating disorder

- 17% of women and girls indulge in self-harming behavior

- Propaganda supports male domination and the hyper-sexualisation of women

- $235.6 billion spent on products advertised

- $12-$15 billion spent on beauty and cosmetics

- Girls learn to see themselves as objects (self-objectification)

- Women who self-objectify have lower political efficacy 

- Only 17% of the congress are women

- 67 countries have a female president

- Iraq, China etc have more women in congress than in America

- Women earn 77 cents to every dollar a man earns

- There are few multidimensional roles for women in TV and film

- Only 16% of women are protagonists in TV and film

- Only 13 female protagonists between 1800s - 2010 and only 1 of those didn't seek romance 

- In the 20s, 30s and 40s women had more complex roles, now women are placed in boxes

- Men's needs get placed first in relationships on-screen

- In U rated films women are just as likely to be wearing similar things to in an R rated film

- The media doesn't give the message that you don't have to use sexuality to be empowered

- 71% of women on-screen are in their 20s and 30s

- Women portrayed as bitchy, catty and manipulative: natural enemies in competition for a man

- Female journalists and anchors are objectified and sexualised

- We are a nation of 'teenage boys'

- The more power women gain the more backlash

- Women scrutinised more about what they're wearing and who they're dating

- This trivialises them and makes them seem less powerful

- Female politicians have more reported on their appearance than the substance of their arguments

- Media-bias: words used, women 'complained...' men 'stated...'

- Hillary Clinton repeatedly called a 'bitch', people heckling at her 'iron my shirt'

- In contrast, Sarah Palin was displayed pornographically and strippified 

- Men feel threatened by empowered women, see them as attacking them

- Congress compromised of the fewest women in 30 years

Female jobs in media:

• 4/13 women in Walt Disney
• 2/13 women in Time Warner
• 1/13 women in FOX

- Women only compromise 13.5% of TV and 6% of radio

- There are 22 ESPN sports channels yet only one channel exclusively for women

- 16% of writers, directors, producers, editors and cinematographers are women

- Women watch stories based on men yet men don't watch stories based on women

- Male directors replicate the world they see and are used to

- Media can be an instrument of change and used to challenge the status quo, depending on who is presenting it

- Patriarchy: America's default setting, women often treated as 2nd class citizens

- 800,000 women fired from their jobs after the men returned from war

- TV shows sponsored by cleaning products etc (government + TV pushing capitalism)

- 1964 sex discrimination in the workplace banned

- 1972 sex discrimination in schools banned

- 1980s: conservative anchors + demonisation of liberalism, women's liberation movement targeted 

- 1982 equal rights ratification failed

- Deregulation of the media industry (largely controlled by conservative government)

- 1996 telecommunication regulation passed

- Sensationalistic news, all in competition against each other, yelling to try and get higher ratings

- Growth in the use of celebrity news (partly because it's cheap)

- We don't live with a democratic media

- 1982 the National Mental Health Institution make a link between TV violence and aggressive behavior (despite this, no changes have been made).

- 1 in 4 girls experience teen dating aggression 

- 15% of rape survivors are under 12 years old

- Rape survivors are more likely to have substance abuse and contemplate suicide

- Men are see as less of a man if they don't display hyper-masculinity or show emotions

- 70% of women in the workforce are women, yet no family leave is given

- 86% of purchasing power is held by women

In summary, the documentary 'Miss Representation' discusses the hyper-sexualisation of women in America which is amplified by the media through their presentation. Whilst men are presented as hyper-masculine dominant figures, women are presented as a mere object to their affection often aged in their 20s-30s all with a similar body-type and appearance. After watching a vast array of films, most of which that were directed by men, I noticed that whilst the films included men of a range of different ages, body-types and personalities women weren't given the same multi-dimensional roles. The documentary discusses how male directors replicate the world they are used to seeing, which frequently contains internalised sexism which is shown on screen through the 'male-gaze' in which the camera zooms into women's curves and figure. The last film that I've seen which displayed such techniques was 'John Tucker Must Die' in which three women were pitted against each other in competition over a man. Consequently the women were portrayed as catty, ‘bitchy’ and often mean. In contrast the male protagonist was celebrated by his classmates for managing to have three girlfriends at the same time whilst girls continued to fawn over him. This film contains many stereotypes and pigeonholes the women as 'the cheerleader, the slut, the intellectual and the outsider' whilst the male protagonist is portrayed as 'the basketball stud'. Films such as 'John Tucker Must Die' further emphasise the pressures to self-identify and reflects a conservative view that we all must hold different roles as to function sufficiently in society. In the course of the film the male lead breaks down which is met be laughter and awkwardness at a man expressing his emotions and is later told to 'suck it up and be a man'. Contrastingly, 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' contains a strong independent female lead also containing the first on-screen same sex couple. Despite having a male director, Joss Whedon succeeds in creating an empowered vision of a woman, showing fascinating character progressions throughout. One of Buffy’s male sidekicks is portrayed as clumsy, awkward and timid – characteristics which juxtapose with the hyper-masculine male characters that are often portrayed on-screen. The executive producers consist of half male and half female producers, creating an adequate balance between genders and perspectives.

We Are Legion (2012) Documentary (a response) - Ella Ponting (EP)

What are some of the political and social issues the documentary brings up? How would these issues affect you and your media work?

The documentary ‘We Are Legion’ centres around the theme of internet hacking, focusing primarily on the hacktivist group ‘Anonymous’ – a collective community of people who use activism to promote freedom and rebel against the censorship of information in a way that is often considered extreme. Their movement is often seen as a response to the prying eyes of the government and elite organisations that yield political and social control over what is displayed in the media. This is relevant to our studies of representation in the media and depicts just how biased and objective it can be; once the message has passed through a medium, you lose control of the meaning. ‘Anonymous’ are often associated with the infamous ‘WikiLeaks’ organisation which exposes government and political misconduct. However since the affirmation of ‘Anonymous’ there has been a division between those who are labelled as ‘moralfags’ who are more cause-oriented than the original ‘Anonymous’ group who were primarily seen as internet trolls that dominated the site ‘4chan’. 4chan is well known for ‘Anonymous’ in providing an unfiltered, open community where anybody can post pictures and comments either anonymously or under a username. The infamous ‘/b/’ room is particularly renowned for being the birthplace of anonymous allowing ‘random’ thoughts, feelings and ideas to be expressed freely. There have been many ethical controversies over these hacktivists, some claiming their movement to being empowering and freeing, others believing they are ‘hackers on steroids’ who have the ability to severely tarnish a person/organisation’s life and reputation.