Fish Tank Genre

How typical is your chosen text to its genre?

Fish Tank is typical to the social realist genre and displays a realistic, hard look at contemporary Britain. The film is typical to the genre as we see typical conventions belonging to the genre of social realism. The conventions could be categorised by; character roles, narrative themes, technical conventions and miss en scene/iconography. A common narrative theme is a representation of the under class life and their desires to create a better life for themselves. This is evident in the narrative when Mia breaks into an empty flat to practice her dance. We see her force to door open and close it behind her before she puts her belongings down, switches on the CD player and practice her routine. We see that her dream is to dance and by dancing she can get herself out of the run down environment that she's lives in. She has to practice behind closed doors as dancing is usually seen as a feminine quality and she is only good at being masculine. This is very typical to the social realist genre as she see's that her own ambitions can get herself out of a bad situation, which in this case is her environment. The shallow depth of field and use of natural lighting in the tower block is also a typical genre convention. This is evidenced in the narrative when she breaks into the flat and stares out the window and we see a long shot at her mother crossing the road in the area they live in. By looking out the window it gives the audience an indication to her surroundings and by using a shallow depth of field it allows us to see things as Mia would, allowing the audience to empathise with her. This is almost like the human eye as when we look at things far away, the closer things are in focus rather than blurred. The medium reflects the films concept of representing the lives of people going through hardship and by looking out of the window into the distance it almost mirrors the title and could have connotations of the 'fish tank' that she is trapped in. The typical protagonist in social realist films are usually a working class hero that strives for an improved life than the circumstance they find themselves in at the beginning of the narrative. Mia doesn't typically fit into this role.

The Hunger Games

The hunger games contains typical and re-occuring conventions from the Sci-Fi genre. The genre conventions could be categorised into themes such as character roles, technical conventions, narrative themes and iconography/mise en scene. This makes the narrative typical to the genre in many ways. There is as anti establishment ideology theme present in the Hunger Games and this is usually projected through a polysemic narrative device. This is evident in the narrative when the tributes are being chosen and we discover that the districts are ruled over by the government (or the capital) and the annual hunger games are a way of punishing the people as an act of rebellion against them. It is explained that the districts rebelled against being controlled and being left in poverty when the capital has all of the wealth and was flaunting this when people like Katniss are left to hunt their food to provide for their family. This is a typical Sci-Fi convention as usually there is someone in position of power and therefore reflects a hegemonic society. A technical convention which frequently occurs in the Sci-Fi genre is the use of advanced technology. A particular example of this is when Primrose goes to get her blood taken and advanced scanners are used and when we see the tributes lying in the laboratory.

What noir conventions are present in the film 'Drive'?

Technical Conventions- We see a series of technical conventions in the short clip that help us to establish that Drive is of the film noir genre. We see that shadows are cast on many of the characters to show a contrast, this is done by low key lighting and shadows which are cast by venetian blinds. This is evidenced in Drive when Ryan Gosling (the main protagonist) is sat round the table and also later on when the female gets shot and Ryan creeps in and out of the bathroom, between both the shadows in the darkness and light creeping through the windows. This is a classic Noir convention and because he is half covered by shadow we begin to question if he is good or evil. It makes the audience question his character and makes us feel uncertain about him. The darkness displays the bad acts he is committing which in this case is shooting and killing and the light shows how he is doing the actions with good intentions. 

Character Roles- The character roles also fit the typical character roles of the film noir genre. We see corruption, Femme Fatales and Cynical Protagonists. Ryan is the cynical protagonist and this is evidenced in the narrative when he doesn't accept money from the man and is willing to put himself in danger in order to make sure the woman is protected and safe. He is willing to sacrifice his wellbeing to make sure the woman lives showing how selfless he is, this is evidenced in the text when he kills the man in the lift to make sure she isn't hurt, he then lets her escape, showing his willingness to go to any length to safe guard her. This is typical of a noir protagonist as they are selfless and sometimes lonely. They usually have a femme fatale to protect and are dragged into dangerous situations. They are usually mentally damaged or have some kind of deflect from their past experiences. It could be argues that Ryan's is his mental state as all the time we see the same facial expression, he tends to show no emotion and gives off the impression to the audience that he is depressed. 

Mise En Scene/Iconography- In various parts of the narrative we see different icons associated with the film noir genre.

Research Investigation Draft

How do magazine advertisements represent women in order to sell products focusing on advertisements in Vogue and Look magazine?

The representation of women in advertising tends to vary depending on the product being sold and who the audience for the product is. I will investigate how women are represented in order to sell products focusing on the October 2013 issue of Vogue and the November 2013 issue of Look magazine. In order to sell a particular product, women are sold a set of ideologies in which they can aspire to, whether it be looks, or appeal to men. This is evidenced as "Advertisements -- also known as ads -- are the vehicle in which companies and the advertising industry drive their message to consumers. The goal is to motivate consumers through ads to buy goods or services, change their thinking or create excitement. " [1] These values in the advertisements appear to sell products successfully as women aspire to be like the flawless women they see in the adverts. Firstly, I will investigate how women are represented in advertisements and whether they reflect women in reality or what Jean Baudrillard called a hyper reality. I will also analyse how the use of ideologies and constructed representations can sell products in magazines. Often, it seems that it is not the product being sold but the attributes of the women selling the products. Lastly, I will look at the effects of representing women in a particular way and whether it could lead to a false ideology and expectations from both men and women of what a woman should look and act like. Jean Kilbourne says "The ideal image of beauty is becoming more extreme and impossible than ever before"[], is this adding to the pressure to conform to the beauty ideal? I will investigate these aims by applying different theories such as Laura Mulveys - The Male Gaze where women are objectified for mens pleasure, Postmodern and Feminist theory and the Hypodermic Needle Theory. 

Some areas of advertising are becoming increasingly more constructed therefore meaning females are being represented inaccurately more and more. Could this be down to the shocking reality that "Women hold only 5% of clout positions in mainstream media. -Men hold 95% of high up positions in mainstream media meaning they have the mist control about what information is fed into the audience and how constructed the images we see are."[2] As a result of the overwhelming proportion of men that edit and publish media, there is a higher chance that the audience is being fed images of women that men prefer to see. Men are likely to construct images of their 'ideal woman', an ideal that women can aspire to, rather that representing women in a way that they are viewed in reality. Women are often represented as domestic or are objectified for men's viewing pleasure. Often, In advertising we see an overwhelming representation of women as sex objects. Wolfs view is that "the images of women used by the media present women as sex objects to be consumed by what Mulvey calls the male gaze"[] and Kilbourne says that "the media presents women as mannequins: tall and thin, often US size zero, with very long legs, perfect teeth and skin without a blemish in sight."[3] This is evident through my chosen texts Vogue and Look magazine. They conform to the ideal that women should be skinny and flawless and adored by men. By looking through the advertisements in Vogue, I found that the majority of them included women with a petite body shape, shiny hair, nice teeth and airbrushed skin, a social desire for many women in todays society. Most of the women in Look are also depicted as desirable to readers through the use of the latest fashion and make up. An advertisement on the back page of look magazine for Paco Rabanne perfume shows an objectified female looking very suggestive. She is a young, skinny, flawless woman wearing a low cut dress clicking her fingers as if she is ordering someone to come to her. This shows dominance, a trait traditionally associated with men as they are seen as holding the power and taking on the traditional masculine gender role. However, we could apply Laura Mulveys male gaze theory here as by objectifying this woman the man will gain viewing pleasure or 'scopophilia' from looking at her and even women will take on the viewpoint of the male and view her from a males perspective. By objectifying a woman it devalues her and removes her humanity, she simply just exists as an object that is to be enjoyed. Mulvey would say that this reflects patriarchal society where men construct the ideal visions and have dominance over women. A passive audience may try to copy this representation of women, resulting in an inaccurate representation of women in society. By representing these women as 'perfect' and 'desirable' it creates aspiration for many women to look and behave this way, it could also inflict mens opinions that women should look like this and if they don't then they aren't attractive. 

2nd aim) It could be argued that the ideologies and constructed representations in the adverts can encourage people to buy the product being advertised by the magazine. Although the advertisements in Vogue and Look differ; as the companies will advertise different products, do they both conform to the idea that by representing females in a certain way can sell products? The November issue of Look magazine has 124 pages with 45 of these pages being adverts. This means approximately 36% of the magazine is advertisements and 64% are articles. The October issue of Vogue magazine has () pages with () being advertisements. This means approximately ( )% of Vogue is advertisements compared to Look magazine that is only made up of 36% advertising. 11,265,000 people are estimated to read Vogue magazine worldwide with 88% of these being female at an average age of 38. [] It is astonishing that Vogue has such a large amount of people buy Vogue and yet it is ( )% advertisements. We can see from this that people continue to buy the magazine each month not because of the articles but the sheer amount of advertisements which must be successful as the amount of consumers is as lot higher than other magazines such as Look. Less people tend to buy into Look magazine and yet it has a lower proportion of advertisements. Does this mean that consumers enjoy seeing females represented in particular ways? "The goal is to motivate consumers through ads to buy goods or services, change their thinking or create excitement." [] The adverts in Vogue and Look appear to conform to this statement as they both 'motivate' and 'entice' the consumer through the images and ideals they feed them in their advertisements. They sell lifestyles and looks that many women dream to have, either to feel confident in themselves or to attract the attention of a male. This is evident through the advert for Paco Rabanne in Look magazine.

3rd aim) Some may also say that by representing women in a particular way, it can lead to false expectations of what women in society should look like. Women that are fed this information could be led to believe that this is a social norm and that women should in fact look like the ones in the magazines. Maybe this is down to how women are represented in advertisements. "The developments in media allow consumers to reflect back to the world the gender stereotypes they've been exposed to." [] 


Bibliography
[1] http://smallbusiness.chron.com/differences-between-advertisements-commercials-10353.html
[2] http://www.missrepresentation.org/resources/
[3] http://revisionworld.co.uk/a2-level-level-revision/sociology/mass-media-0/media-representations-age-social-class-ethnicity-gender-sexuality-and-disability
[]http://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/boysgirlsandmediamessages_commonsensemedia_spring2013.pdf

Research Investigation Sources

Many of the women in vogue are skinny, flawless and some are adored by men. 

• Many women hold this ideology of being young, skinny and attractive and when they see other women behaving in this way they want to replicate it. 

• Look magazine has a different audience and will therefore use different techniques to sell their products. Their brands aren't as high end and less stigma is attached to the product and the people buying into the brand. 

http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2013/jul/05/vogue-truth-size-zero-kirstie-clements
"It cannot be denied that visually, clothes fall better on a slimmer frame, but there is slim, and then there is scary skinny."http://www.missrepresentation.org/resources/
Women hold only 5% of clout positions in mainstream media. -Men hold 95% of high up positions in mainstream media meaning they have the mist control about what information is fed into the audience and how constructed the images we see are. More likely to use the male gaze as it is what men prefer to see and how they aspire to see women. Advertising is a deeply pervasive part of all lives lived in consumerist economies. The average individual in Western society is bombarded with several hundred adverts per day Advertising is a deeply pervasive part of all lives lived in consumerist economies. The average individual in Western society is bombarded with several hundred adverts per day http://psp.sagepub.com/content/25/8/1049.abstract

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/02/15/the-psychology-of-advertising/http://www.fastcocreate.com/3020948/watch-photoshop-turn-a-woman-into-a-completely-different-womanProves we are not seeing reality, only a hyper reality which we are then trying to reflect in society.The key finding is that the girls and undergrads who viewed the sexualised athlete images tended to say they admired or were jealous of the athletes' bodies, they commented on the athletes' sexiness, and they evaluated their own bodies negatively. Some also said they found the images inappropriate. The participants who viewed the bikini-clad glamour models responded similarly, except they rarely commented on the inappropriateness of the images, as if they'd come to accept the portrayal of women in that way. Daniels said that sexy images of female athletes "are no more likely to prompt viewers to reflect on their own physical activity involvement or appreciation of sport than sexualised model images."

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/boysgirlsandmediamessages_commonsensemedia_spring2013.pdf

As media consumers and creators, kids and teens may mirror these kinds of gender stereotypes (and more) in the digital world – while taking photos, posting comments, texting, or crafting their online image. When kids are exposed to rigid ideas about boys’ and girls’ roles through their peers – both online and offline – it can be difficult to convince them to not adopt those ideas.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/17996975

The number of cosmetic surgical procedures performed on youth 18 or younger more than tripled from 1997 to 2007.
Among youth 18 and younger, liposuctions nearly quadrupled between 1997 and 2007 and breast augmentations increased nearly six-fold in the same 10-year period.

http://www.ipcadvertising.com/ipc-brands/look

http://www.condenast.com/brands/vogue/media-kit/print

This is evident as in Miss Representation they say "The exploitation of female bodies sell products". [4] "The average individual in Western society is bombarded with several hundred adverts per day" [5] As we can see from this we consume a large amount of adverts each day and the content in this is bound to have a knock on effect in society.

Advertising is a major mode of socialization, telling us how to think and feel (what's hip, what's sexy, what's normal), and what problems we need to worry about (lack of the latest e-gadget, insufficiently white teeth, mammary magnitude, etc.).
http://culturalpolitics.net/popular_culture/advertising

Advertisements -- also known as ads -- are the vehicle in which companies and the advertising industry drive their message to consumers. The goal is to motivate consumers through ads to buy goods or services, change their thinking or create excitement. 
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/differences-between-advertisements-commercials-10353.html

·      We replicate the world we grow up in – Film Director
  In the 1990’s studies found a steady increase in explicitly sexual images in advertising
The exploitation of female bodies sell products

As Ludy Benjamin and David Baker write in From Séance to Science: A History of the Profession of Psychology in America,Watson’s “…ads sold toothpaste, not because of its dental hygiene benefits, but because whiter teeth would presumably increase an individual’s sex appeal” (p. 121).

Watson also believed in doing market research, which meant that he applied objective, scientific approaches to advertising. For instance, according to C. James Goodwin in A History of Modern Psychology, Watson used “demographic data to target certain consumers” (p. 316). And, as stated above, Watson promoted the use of celebrity endorsements.

Wolf (1990) suggests that the images of women used by the media present women as sex objects to be consumed by what Mulvey calls the male gaze. According to Kilbourne (1995), this media representation presents women as mannequins: tall and thin, often US size zero, with very long legs, perfect teeth and hair, and skin without a blemish in sight. Wolf notes that the media encourage women to view their bodies as a project in constant need of improvement. 
http://revisionworld.co.uk/a2-level-level-revision/sociology/mass-media-0/media-representations-age-social-class-ethnicity-gender-sexuality-and-disability

http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.fr/2012/03/how-do-women-and-girls-feel-when-they.html


One study found that more than 50% of ads in womens magazines portrayed women as objects.
"Heavy exposure to media alters the viewers perception of social reality in a way that matches the media world" Levin and Kilbourne

“It would be really nice to see what the world actually looks like and have that recreated,” Casper said. “Yeah, give us the idealized version, give us our best selves, but give us ourselves.” 

-Researchers report that women’s magazines have 10.5 times more ads and articles promoting weight loss than men’s magazines do, and over 75% of women’s magazine covers include at least one article title about how to change a woman’s body by diet, exercise, or cosmetic surgery. -

 See more at: http://arbiteronline.com/2013/11/11/advertising-identity-part-1-objectification-gender-roles-society/#sthash.ThluO51y.dpuf

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2514658/fashion-branch-porn-industry-says-CARYN-FRANKLIN.html




In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female. The determining male gaze projects its phantasy on to the female form which is styled accordingly. In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness. Woman displayed as sexual object is the leit-motif of erotic spectacle: from pin-ups to striptease, from Ziegfeld to Busby Berkeley, she holds the look, plays to and signifies male desire.    

with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness. 

http://imlportfolio.usc.edu/ctcs505/mulveyVisualPleasureNarrativeCinema.pdf 


The features each month are very similar, and based around fashion, which is what appeals to its audience and is what the magazine is renowned for.
Many of the women who read Vogue, particularly those perhaps who are not regular readers may buy Vogue for aspiration and distraction purposes. Although not being able to afford the clothes and products being advertised, it gives the reader something to aspire towards to, or perhaps give an insight into that lifestyle. While reading the magazine, the reader can feel as if they have more money, or live the model lifestyle, reading about the lives of Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Lily Cole and other models, is in December 2007’s issue.
The feature content of Vogue is spread amongst its adverts. If advertisements were all in one place the reader would be able to avoid reading them, which would not be attractive to advertisers, therefore Vogue would lose vast amounts of money. By having content advertised at the beginning, the reader needs to read or peruse through the magazine to find the content they wish to read.
All of the advertising is very suited to the magazine, complying with the context, and many of the audience. The companies and products being advertised are high market, particular the opening few pages of the magazine, with top end designer labels choosing to place their advertisements there; in December 2007’s issue the first twelve pages are taken up with advertisements for Ralph Lauren (which have a six page spread), Gucci and Estee Lauder. Advertising exclusively makes up the opening pages, before any other content or editorial. It is a highly desirable place in the magazine as it is the first pages readers view. Later on in the magazines, readers may skim through, missing many advertisements.
http://journalism.winchester.ac.uk/?page=254

How typical is 'Sin City' to its genre(s)?

Sin City is a hybrid of two main genres: Film Noir and Comic Book. Film Noir tends to have themes of fear, despair and bleakness and the story lines tend to reflect the 'chilly' cold war period when the threat of annihilation was ever-present in society. The genre tends to reflect the time and society in which it was created, the cold war in 1950-90's. Typical Film Noir conventions are; typical character roles such as the cynical protagonist, femme fatale and corrupt cops, themes of mistrust and paranoia, low key lighting, a non linear narrative and use of voice over. Typical Comic Book conventions are; classic Propp character roles, tragic back stories of characters, protagonist tends to have a side kick/arch nemesis and finally in comic book films there tends to be high usage of special effects and over exaggerated sounds. Sin City is very typical of its genre although some classic conventions of the Film Noir genre have been diluted and toned down slightly.

We can instantly see that the characters in Sin City fit the typical film noir character roles. We have the Protagonists (John Hartigan, Marv and Dwight), The Femme Fatales (Goldie, Shelley, Gail and Nancy) and finally the corrupt cops (Senator Roarke, Cardinal Roarke and Bob). Noir Protagonists are usually a hard-hearted male character who's encountered a seductive femme fatale. They are usually driven by their past and have some form of physical/mental scar that hinders them. Hartigan says "an old man dies, a little girl lives", showing his typical protagonist personality, a who is willing to put himself at risk, valuing others lives more than his own. "I'll die laughing if I know I've done one thing right" is said by Marv, showing he is determined to do anything to get to Roarke, determination typical trait of a protagonist. The traditional Femme Fatale uses her femininity to manipulate the male protagonists and in the end are usually killed due to their own actions. We see this when Cecile takes charge, but ends up getting killed, showing her naivety. Here we see that women need men to do their dirty work, Cecile wouldn't have known the police were corrupt without Marv. Marv doesn't trust women to take charge of the situation and feels the need to step in, once again showing the typical masculine trait of a male protagonist in Film Noir. Marv also fulfills the typical male protagonist role as his current actions are hindered by an event in his past. His looks are a 'flaw' and he has health issues. At one point he see's a car and imagines Goldie driving it. He is confused and wonders if it is reality as he has forgotten to take his pills. "I have a condition, I get confused" shows he doubts his ability and really questions if he is imagining the events happening in front of him. As he says this the lighting changes and his his face is covered by even more darkness. The shadow on half of the face makes us question if the characters are good or bad or maybe Frank Miller (director and writer) is trying to tells there is some good and bad in everybody. Low Key lighting is a typical Film Noir convention and reflects the dark themes in the plot and society at the time in which it was based. 

Within the first two minutes we see areas of mistrust and betrayal. The man and woman go onto a balcony looking over the City. The two share a kiss and he shoots her; she dies in his arms. Someone she thought she could trust/share something with suddenly betrays her and does a horrific thing. We see a cartoon silhouette of the two 'lovers' on the balcony before she is tragically shot, this pays homage to Sin City as a comic book written by Frank Miller and is also a traditional convention as it is how we would have seen the characters if it were in comic book form. The use of voice over for the mans dialogue replicates the comic book narrative and familiarizes the audience with the texts genre. We see comic book over exaggerated violence throughout the film. Marv breaks out of a room and smashes door with only one fist and on the docks Haritgan takes a bullet to the shoulder that doesn't hinder or kill him. Although this is a common comic book genre convention, once again we see traditional traits of the male protagonists that go to any lengths to be a hero. In the scene where Hartigan gets shot on the docks we discover that all the male protagonists wear leather trench coats. This aspect of mise en scene is something we would expect from a typical Film Noir film. Trench Coats were very typical post war and so its not unfamiliar that these characters are wearing them. As the characters run in the wind, the coats follow them almost like a cape. We see that there are two sides to each of them as one moment they are just ordinary men in coats and the next they transform into hero's with capes on some mission to achieve a goal. It becomes very clear at this point that Sin City is a hybrid of both genre's as the coat/cape can be very typical to each genre. 

To what extent are your chosen texts typical of their genre?

A1. To what extent are your chosen texts typical of their genre? (30) 
Fish tank is a British social realism film that gives a very realistic portayal of british society. Social realism is a way of representing real life with all of its difficulties. Films within this genre are usually gritty, urban dramas demonstrating the struggle of every day life.

Fish tank is very typical of its genre as it uses conventions very common in this genre. These dramas use predominantly diegetic sound, handheld camera movements and narrow depth of field. The use of these technical codes reflects the concept of the film and makes it realistic. In the scene where Mia goes to find Connor the camera follows her with a hand held motion. It places the audience in her shoes and allows us to see the world as she sees it. This has been done to gain empathy from the audience as it almost seems like she is walking aimlessly, with little direction, almost like her life. She is alone, almost alienated from the rest of society and other social groups from the area. Alienation can be main theme of social realism films, also bringing up issues like homosexuality and relationship problems. When Mia Speaks to Connor we look at Mia from his point of view and the camera uses a shallow depth of field. This is when the foreground is in focus but the background is not.

Fish Tank Opening Scene

In the first scene we see natural lighting looking over a working class cityscape, full of terraced houses and blocks of flats towering high, instantly making the audience aware of the urban area and poverty that the drama will take place in. We are introduced to a young girl dressed in jogging bottoms, a tank top and trainers. She has a typical cockney accent. The audience then know that it is based in London and are given further clues about the location. You can tell the film fits into the social realist genre as within the first 2 minutes we are given a realistic portrayal of British society, some area's of England are truly like this. Already we can tell that the drama will represent this girls life and her difficulties, very typical to the social realist genre. The camera follows her around with a hand held movements, alienating her from the rest of the groups/characters in the scene. Social realist films predominantly use hand held camera movements, natural lighting and unknown actors as these all reflect the concept of it being 'real'. She is walking very fast as if she has some place to go but in actual fact she is going nowhere, just walking aimlessly with no direction. This could reflect her her life, no plans etc nothing to do but she masks it up with pretending she has some direction or aim. She swears and uses threatening language towards other characters, displaying her in a negative light. People tend to be products of their upbringing and environment and we soon learn that she has learnt to hit and swear off her mother, a stereotypical young working class mum that we soon learn drinks often and brings young men back frequently.

St Trinians Narrative

A Narrative is the way the texts is structured, containing various data into a cause and effect chain of events. These events tend to have a beginning, a middle and an end. The Narrative in St Trinians tends to follow Todorov's narrative structure quite well. It follows the general trend where equilibrium needs to be restored.

1. There is a state of equilibrium: The films begins with Annabelle Fritton getting sent to St Trinians boarding school. It takes a while for her to get used to being there as the school runs on anarchy and mischief and a series of events happen to 'initiate' her. She gets caught in a trap and has to play a hockey match against her rival. Apart from this the equilibrium is there.




2. A disruption of the order: During the hockey match, the education minister visits the school with intentions to raise the poor standards it already has. He sneaks into the school and is very surprised to find that he and the headmistress were previously lovers. He finds himself very intimidated by the pupils and so declares war on the school. The next morning a banker stops by the school to inform the headmistress that they owe over half a million pounds and so the school is stuck in a very tricky situation.


3. The recognition that the order has been disrupted: Kelly (the head girl) tells the girls that if the money isn't payed then the school will be shut down. They realise that if they don't earn the money they will have to go to normal schools. The girls turn to crime to get the money and hatch a plan to steal  a famous painting from the London National Art Gallery. They realise how difficult it will be until they hear of the news that School Challenge is to be filmed here and so decide to enter.


4. An attempt to repair the damage: The school make a team for school challenge. They manage to cheat their way into the final at the National Gallery. In the final, they use ear pieces to retrieve the answers. using this as a distraction, a team of pupils foil security and retrieve the painting.




5. A state of new equilibrium is restored: After the school challenge they return the painting to the police which they supposedly found. They then sell a fake copy of the painting to an art dealer and with the cash from both they manage to pay off the debt that the school owes. As a result of this the school stays open and the girls can stay on there, showing the equilibrium has been stored.





Overall, I'd say that St Trinians fits in very well with Todorov's narrative theory and demonstrates the 5 stages very well. It is clear for the audience to see how the equilibrium gets disrupted and that the film is based around restoring the equilibrium. The film mainly follows a linear structure as all the events are in chronological order. There is only one flashback of when the education minister realises his past with the headmistress.

Genre Conventions

The film 'The good, the bad and the ugly' is typical to its genre as  it uses generic codes and conventions.   The film fits the western genre well and it is easy for the audience to identify this. This is done through the repetition of Iconographies, Narrative, Representations and Ideologies that are used regularly across the genre. Audiences like genre texts as they like the familiarity of them and it gives them a choice. They are also very successful because they are favourite texts for many audiences. Predictability and Repetition could lead to boredom so genres like to change a few elements from time to time.

The good, the bad and the ugly
Iconographies- These are the typical visual symbols that the audiences uses to decode the genre. This film uses very typical iconographies to the Western genre. In a short clip from this film, we see many symbols of this. The characters are wearing hats, cow boy boots and holsters which have connotations of a typical western times, the gun has connotations shooting and violence, scenes that are expected from western films like itself. It is also set in a desert/the outback, a typical setting for a film of this kind. The setting also gives an indication of the time period this film is set in, as its very vast and lifeless.
Narrative- We can apply Propp's theory to western films as there is usually the typical hero and villain. It is clear that this film has a typical western narrative just from the title. 'The good, the bad and the ugly' makes it clear that there are three main characters in this plot, just as Propp said. We see this in the clip as three cowboys are having a shoot out. We see one defeat another and claim victory. This fits the typical narrative for a western film as we always expect someone to win and for a feud to occur. We can also apply Todorov's theory to this section of the film. The cowboys all stand around chatting and then all of a sudden a shoot out occurs, disrupting the equilibrium. One man is then shot, restoring the equilibrium and peace in the area.
Representations- In a typical western film such as this one, we don't see much representation of females. The main characters are male and they take on responsibility and power. We don't see any females throughout the scene, showing the dominance and control that they have. This is very typical of a western film. It's very very rare that we see females going out to fight and restoring the equilibrium. There's also a representation of age in the clip. All the characters we see are middle aged men. This is also very typical. Cowboys don't tend to be youthful or elderly and so it makes us even more familiar with the genre.
Ideologies- Although each film has a different set of ideas and beliefs. In western films there is a main concept/film. In each film there tends to be a battle break out and characters fight to hold their power. In this scene we see this demonstrated in the fight scene and it appears to be a main theme in western films.

Although it is hard to base an opinion of typical genre's on a short clip. I have come to the conclusion that the good, the bad ad the ugly is very typical of the western genre as is includes many of the codes and conventions of this genre.

Male gaze in James Bond

The James Bond franchise is a clear example of film objectifying females and forcing the audience to view females via the male gaze. The scene within, "Die Another Day" when James Bond meets the character Jinx demonstrates my previous statement by objectifying Jinx for both Bonds and the audiences pleasure. The extract starts by the audience seeing Bonds view through his binoculars. The audience is put into the perspective of the hetrosexual male and allows them to view Jinx from a masculine voyeuristic position. Through the binoculars we see Jinx rise from the water, the clip is in slow motion and immediately she is objectified. The camera is focused on her and takes on the viewpoint of the male through the binoculars so even females watching are forced to gaze at this woman. We immediately see that her presence is simply to give Bond something to look at and it gives the male in the text importance. All of her actions are exaggerated for males pleasure. For example as Jinx walks across the beach towards Bond the representation of females is even more constructed. She has perfect make-up even when she's just got out of the water and her skin is sun kissed, representing hyper reality rather than reality and creating a fake ideology for women. Bond then says "Magnificent view' clearly meaning the view of the woman, and even the audience knows this. As they have been placed in the males position the audience judge the woman as if they were the male. This then reflects in society as women will mirror this when they see other females, treating them as objects and judging them by their appearance. When talking to Jinx, Bond is positioned behind her, towering over her showing a position of authority. A high angle shot is used, to look down on Jinx, demonstrating her lack of power. This could reflect Patriarchal society where males are the dominant figure. Mulvey says that men set the rules and represent the ideal visions which then become reality. This is demonstrated here, as by seeing the female through his viewpoint we assume that this ideology of a woman is correct.

Stereotypical representation of teenagers - Project X Trailer

Project X is a movie about two 'average' teenagers hosting a house party whilst their parents are away and it getting out of hand by hundreds of people turning up. The main representation of teenagers in this trailer is very stereotypical and therefore not always accurate. The trailer is dominated mainly by footage of teenagers showing the audience that they are the main focus and that the teenagers 'hold the power'. We only ever see them doing things that are frowned upon, in society and by the older generation. Many of the girls are dressed in short dresses or bikinis and are shown flirting and dancing provocatively. The camera then stops and freezes on the image to put emphasis on this. For example when we see the shot of the girl slowly coming out of the pool showing a lot of flesh. One of the main representations of women in the media is a sex object and this is clearly shown in this trailer mainly through the appearance of the females. This presents them very negatively, giving off the impression that they are reckless and careless. This clip presents a false representation of teenage girls as it makes out that all teenage girls are like this when in reality this is only a small fraction of society and a small fraction of the time. Most of the footage is of males, showing that females hold less power and that the males are the more dominant character. The fact that the two main characters are male and they organise the house party is very typical as it shows they hold authority. This stereotype is then challenged when the party goes wrong and they are no longer the 'alpha males'. Other teenagers may also stereotype the characters in the trailer as a reaction to what they see the characters doing. The clip has been constructed so that the audience only see's the bits that will provoke a reaction such as girls in little clothing and the over crowded house brimming with people.

Uses and Gratifications

Eastenders
In order for the uses and gratifications model to work the audience needs to be active to make decisions and form opinions about the text that they are consuming. Everyone will make different decisions based on their background, needs and desires etc. This means that audiences chose to consume texts that make them feel good/that they enjoy.
Eastenders is a soap shown on BBC1 most weekday nights. It is a programme illustrating the drama in the life living in Walford on 'The Square'. I choose to watch Eastenders because of the different uses and gratifications i get from watching it. One of the main uses and gratifications i get from it that it is that it enables me to escape/divert from life's problems, to relax and to entertain myself. I, and many people enjoy watching Eastenders as it focuses on other peoples lives, even though it's fictional and allows me to forget my own problems just for the 30 minutes duration of the programme. Even though some of the plot is very unrealistic i enjoy watching what a very dramatic lifestyle could be like. If there was no drama in the programme i probably wouldn't watch it as it would be boring and uninteresting, with nothing to build up to. Eastenders also enables viewers to find models of behaviour and identify with their already gained values. Although the plot is fictional the characters are very relatable and there is something for everyone to relate to. Recently there was a character in Eastenders collecting her A level results, which of course was very relatable for many students at that time. The BBC aired this episode around the days that everyone in the country was collecting their results so it gave the show a sense of realism for me. By doing this, it allowed me as an audience to connect with Abi, and empathise with how she was feeling. The range of characters also makes Eastenders appealing to a large audience, there is a character for everyone to relate to. There are younger characters such as Lauren and Whitney who go to college, making it more relatable for college students like me as issues can be brought up like exams etc. and there are also the older characters who have had a place in the soap for a long time such as Dot, who the older generation will know well and be familiar with. Soaps can also satisfy curiosity and interest. for example, at times of the year like Christmas, soaps tend to be advertised more often as the drama hits the climax. Last year Derek Branning's death was hinted at in adverts and many people may have wanted to see the outcome. The use of adverts only showing clips of the story can attract more and more new viewers to the programme. A final, main reason people may watch soap opera's is because it enables them to connect with family, friends and society and can also help to find a basis for conversation and social interaction. Social media sites play a large part in peoples lives now and when a non-viewer see's tweets/status' about a certain programme, they don't want to feel left out and may watch to find a basis for conversation with their peers. When school friends/work colleagues talk about the latest episode of a programme you don't want to be the one left out and are left with an urge to watch it.

Niche and Mainstream audiences

There are two types of audiences, niche and mainstream. A niche audience is aimed at a small quantity of people which is very specific to the media text. A mainstream audience is aimed at a very large audience and many uses and gratifications can be gained from consuming these texts.

An example of niche audiences are programmes like time team or cult films. An example of a niche channel is MUTV. These appeal to niche audiences because of things like the time it's shown, the information given and the channel it is aired on. MUTV is a channel on sky where football fans can watch exclusive footage of interviews with players, full games and also the reserve teams. As it is aired on sky it makes it exclusive to people with sky subscriptions. Not only that, but it's very unlikely that people who aren't Manchester united fans will pay to subscribe to the channel. Niche programmes may have less uses and gratifications than mainstream programmes as the audience is smaller. Niche programmes may not allow the audience to discuss with their friends and family as it is not well known or not appealing to a wide range of people. Channels such as this may be less talked about than mainstream channels such as the BBC and ITV as less people know about it/have an interest.

Examples of programmes with mainstream audiences are Eastenders, The X Factor and Lost. Mainstream programmes tend to be shown on popular channels such as BBC1 and ITV at peak times in order to attract large audiences. Programmes like these get a lot of attention on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook and when people see posts about these it urges them to watch the text too. Eastenders is shown on BBC1 at around 7:30pm and so is very very easy for audiences to access as most people have the mainstream channels. Most people tend to be home from work/school by this time and so therefore leaves the audience quite open. Audiences can get a large range of uses and gratifications from mainstream programmes such as Eastenders and is a main reason it is largely watched. In Eastenders the cast is a very varied; there is young people, old people, families etc. and therefore there is something for everyone to watch. Drama in a programme lets the viewer escape for the duration of the time it's on. and that is the enjoyment the audience will get out of a programme like Eastenders. The mode of address is very mainstream. An example of this is at the end of each programme it ends on a cliffhanger, leaving the viewer wanting to watch the next episode. A good example of this is in a recent episode Carl crashed his car pushing Phil through the window screen. It left the audience wanting to see what happened to Phil.

Women in the media

http://www.slideshare.net/smcmediastudies/the-representation-of-women-in-the-media

Women have always been very beauty conscious and insecure about their appearance. Beauty advertisers have always exploited this by bombarding them with information and ways to ‘improve themselves'. More recently, the idea of being an independent and intelligent woman, not needing to rely on a partner, is ever growing.

Women often suffer from a narrow set of representations in the media. They can often be linked to being domesticated/playing the housewife role or another main stereotype is women being portrayed as sex objects (sexualised and objectified) to entertain the male audience of the media text. 

In advertising and magazines women are shown as young, slim, overwhelmingly white and also conforming to our ideal image of beauty (perfect skin, hair, body shape etc) when in reality the media has constructed this representation to make the models desirable to the audience. 

The Glamorous Ideal - Germaine Greer
Greer says that the media presents an ideal of beauty to its audiences. This is an image that women can conform and hold desirability to. Greer claims that the emphasis on the need to be 'beautiful' and 'sexy' leaves women thinking that if they do not conform to this, they will not be beautiful and are left unsuccessful and useless. The media emphasize how important beauty is and forgets about intelligence, humour and personality. 

DKNY 2013 Advertising Campaign

Question

How are women represented in the media today focusing on body image in advertising campaigns?

How does the representation of body image in advertising compare to body image in society focusing on (DKNY) and (   ) advertising campaign?