Media Conference - 21/10/2010- Perfecting your production work

Lecturer: Pete Fraser

Research
Look at examples
codes and conventions
Media Magazine
Target audiences
 Institutions

Planning
Plan for what can go wrong
Record all planning
Show process of planning

Blogging Evidence
Storyboard
Script

Ideas/ Feedback
at every stage take feedback to improve

Logistics
People, place, props, costume
Rehearse and prepare
Share contact details

Media Conference - 21/10/2010- Online media, Cleggmania, and The Cowell Factor

Lecturer Dr Julian McDougall talked about “How do online media and convergence impact on the ways audiences and producers use and create media?” He went on to speak about the links between reality show TV and the online media and that the media landscape with the help of Web 2.0 has offers more democracy as people are able to express their feelings and opinions making people like Simon Cowell arguably more powerful then politicians as there is more interest in the media he creates than any other individual. Whereas Web 1.0 only allowed people to public content which couldn’t be altered and changed in any way and people won’t able to comment and leave feedback or their opinion on the matter.   

Media Conference - 21/10/2010- Chewing Gum for the Brain: Why do people talk such rubbish about Media Studies?

Lecturer: Professor David Buckingham talked about the critics of media studies and referred to: “Angry parents accuse school of 'dumbing down' English by showing The Simpsons in class” Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1295062/Angry-parents-accuse-school-dumbing-English-showing-The-Simpsons-class.html. In addition he went on to say that a Media study is a dumbing down of English where they favour The Simpsons over the traditional Shakespeare. However schools argue that studying The Simpsons makes students more critical thinkers and make them understand the code and conventions of moving image as well as the overall narrative. He also went on to say that the opening of The Simpsons is just as challenging as studying the opening of Dickens' Great Expectations

Another article he referred to was "Tories to tackle the Media Studies Menace", The Independent http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/tories-to-tackle-the-media-studies-menace-1772933.html which suggested that Media studies alongside sociology is a Mickey Mouse subject which aimed to brainwash young people and that schools should be teaching the traditional Maths, Science and English more academic subjects.  

Laura Mulvey.

Eric Prydz - Call On Me

The above music video is a music video which conforms to the ideas of Laura Mulvey that women are presented as sex objects and just there to appeal to the male gaze. This is outlined in the above music video as the women are negative representation through the lack of clothing and costume worn by the females along with the fact that they seem to be having orgasmic (sexual) facial expressions and seem to be posing in sexual positions which connotes that they are being sexually objectified.

In addition the women seem to also be looking directly into the camera, which is a direct mode of address and connotes that fact that they are deliberately inviting the male gaze to have a look at them. There are also a lot of women in the music video in comparison to the one male character which connotes that the music video is aimed at appealing to males instead of females but women are able to watch it and get sexual pleasure from watching the male character whose is being sexually objectified.

The use of low camera angles to capture and emphasise on the female body specially the female chest and legs being the main focus of the music video also shown with the use of close up shots which again relates back to the whole music video appealing and inviting the male gaze  

Laura Mulvey says: Applying these ideas to Hollywood film viewing, Mulvey suggested that women in film are represented as ‘objects’, images with visual and erotic impact, which she termed their ‘to-be-looked-at-ness’. Classical Hollywood films positioned the audience as male, and through identification with the male protagonist (Lacan) gave him an active role in viewing the female subject and gaining pleasure from doing so (Freud). This look, from audience to actress, is termed ‘the look’ or ‘the gaze’. According to Mulvey the look could be ‘voyeuristic’ (women are viewed as virtuous and beautiful) or ‘fetishistic’ (women are viewed as excessively sexual beings).

Post Feminism Reading Questions

Wonderbra Eva Herzingova

The above poster is an advert for Wonderbra Eva Herzingova the image is a negative representation of women this is emphasised with the use of a medium shot which focuses on the females body and the women in the frame is shown to be appealing to the male gaze and judging by her facial expressions and body language she seems to be directing the male gaze as she looks down at her breast. In addition the text on the advert “Hello Boys” reiterates the fact that the advert is primary target audience is men. However some may say that the advert is representing feminism and shows her to be in control even though she’s showing her body parts she’s in control as she doesn’t seem to be showing too much... "taking feminism into account by showing it to be a thing of the past, by provocatively “enacting sexism” while at the same time playing with those debates in film theory about women as the object of the gaze (Laura Mulvey 1975) and even with female desire (Rosalind Coward 1984 Teresa de Lauretis 1988)." as well as the theory.. "The composition of the image had such a textbook “sexist ad” dimension that one could be forgiven for supposing some familiarity with both cultural studies and with feminist critiques of advertising (Judith Williamson 1987)."

Citroen Car advert

The above Citron advert can be highlighted as being a ‘Sexist advert’ as” feminist critiques of it are deliberately evoked". this suggest that feminist oppose the ideas that they are being shown to be sex objects as well as being shown to be subordinated this is outlined in the body language and facial expressions of the women in the advert who goes across as performing a striptease. However some argue this is not the case as she’s doing it for herself and no male presents. "The shadow of disapproval is introduced (the striptease as site of female exploitation), only instantly to be dismissed as belonging to the past, to a time when feminists used to object to such imagery. To make such an objection nowadays would run the risk ofidicule".

Lad’s Magazine

 

"...young women endorse (or else refuse to condemn) the ironic normalisation of pornography, where they indicate their approval of and desire to be pin up girls for the centrefolds of the soft porn “lad mags".

"...we are witness to a hyper-culture of commercial sexuality, one aspect of which is the repudiation of a feminism invoked only to be summarily dismissed (see also Rosalind Gill 2003)".

"As a mark of a post-feminist identity young women journalists refuse to condemn the enormous growth of lap dancing clubs despite the opportunities available for them to do so across the media".

Lad’s magazines present women in a negative way as they show them to be subordinated this is outlined by their lack of costume and clothing, as well as the way the pose in the frame as sexually inviting the male gaze to look. However some would disagree and say that women in these lads’ magazines are not subordinated as they seem to be enjoying themselves this is outlined through their body language and facial expressions.

Bridget Jones Diary

Bridget Jones Diary outlines that women are treated fairly and equally this is highlighted in the Media as in the film she’s portrayed to be the protagonist and she’s given a dominate active role in the film this is shown through her positioning in the frame in the film as she’s shown to be in the centre connoting she’s the central character and the film is all about her, this is reiterated with the name of the film “Bridget Jones Diary” connoting that the film is about her diary entries and this is a positive representation of women as the film is from a respectable women’s point of view it also shows her to be educated and not a negative subordinated sex object allowing certain women to personally identify themselves with the protagonist.

"she confides in her friends, she keeps a diary, she endlessly reflects on her fluctuating weight, noting hercalorie intake, she plans, plots and has projects. She is also deeply uncertain as to what the future holds for her. Despite the choices she has, there are also any number of risks of which she is regularly reminded"

“It might be more accurate to remark on the keen interest across the equality and popular media (themselves wishing to increase their female readers and audiences), in ideas of female success.”

FAQ: What is “Post-feminism”?

Post feminism

• A more positive look at post-feminism:
In raising these questions, I am only at the beginning of figuring out what a more positive kind of post-feminist account of religion and family might look like, and so have no compelling summary to offer, let alone a call to a specific research agenda. In my own work, I do want to take some feminist insights for granted. But I explicitly reject the idea that strong feminist critiques have had their day and must now give way gracefully to approaches that favor a consensual and functional, or even communitarian, interpretation of the good society. I am feeling more combative, or at least constructively critical, about theories that neatly divide society into a “public” and a “private” realm, while systematically devaluing those feminine things (religion, family) assigned to the private (cf., Warner 1999). I am not sure where it will lead, but it feels right to begin pushing back the boundaries of post-feminism by asking a different set of questions.

This Post-feminism concept highlights that woman have done there job and given post- feminism a positive representation and now its down to society.

• Post-feminism as backlash to feminism:
What the hell is postfeminism, anyway? I would think it would refer to a time when complete gender equality has been achieved. That hasn’t happened, of course, but we (especially young women) are supposed to think it has. Postfeminism, as a term, suggests that women have made plenty of progress because of feminism, but that feminism is now irrelevant and even undesirable because it has made millions of women unhappy, unfeminine, childless, lonely, and bitter, prompting them to fill their closets with combat boots and really bad India print skirts.

This Post-feminism concept highlights that woman are now considered to be equal to men and that there is no longer a gender war.


• Post-feminism as a colloquialism:
It’s about deeply held political convictions, not to mention strategy. If there’s a wad of people out there extolling postfeminism and meaning “I think feminism is flawed and I’d like to see some goal-shifting, fresh tactics, and revisiting of contentious topics,” this isn’t just an issue of what’s going on in a speech group that doesn’t overlap with mine. It’s about defending feminism’s ground. Feminism is already doing the work that these (as I have come to think of them) non-evil postfeminists think comes with their prefix. And it’s beyond obvious that feminism suffers from its terrible reputation and from the vast misunderstandings that stunning numbers of people still have about it (no matter how many times it happens, I will never, ever get used to being asked if I hate men). I can’t help but see even the non-evil usage of “postfeminism” as a rejection of and attack on feminism, and an implication that the movement is finished. And that means I need to challenge it at every turn.


This Post-feminism concept highlights that woman are now considered to be moving away from feminism.
• The ambiguity of the prefix “post”:
I’ve come accross the term used in the way Lurker describes, similarly, in academic circles, and for academic reasons I don’t think anyone should use it. The problem lies in the ambiguity of the prefix “post”, because post can mean since something commenced OR since something concluded. So, while technically a “post-feminist society” could mean a society since feminism began to be an influence, there will always be people who think you mean since feminism ended.


This Post-feminism concept highlights post-feminism is not so clear as women think and that it's failing to have a positive effect on society.

Comment on Female Representions of 2 Ads.

A2 Media Exam Blog (mest 3): Female Representions on 2 Ads.:
"First Ad.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SrqSc-GHS0&NR=1&feature=fvwpIn Parisienne YSL: Kate Moss Commercial, women are clearly sexually ob..."

WWW: Good use of media language, Good Research of representation

EBI: Analyse more then one clip of representation

Bianca's essay- What are the different representations of women in adverts and how are they signified?

Gucci Guilty


Stella Artois Bath Commercial

The representation of women can be positive: challenging the roles and expectations of women or negative: reinforcing a patriarchal society. This essay questions how and why these representations are constructed in an advert for Gucci Guilty Perfume and Stella Artois beer.

Firstly the Gucci advert is in widescreen which connotes a dramatic cinematic experience to engage its audience. More attention is gained by the female character first seen in the text and her protagonist is signified through this. The protagonist has female dominance which is signified through the use of colour- everything is in black and white while her hair is gold/blonde. This colour connotes gold, power and divinity signifying her importance in the text.

The use of intertextuality in this text will appeal to a particular audience. The film references a great deal to the neo film noir Sin City, with the use of colour and the female dominant femme fatale character. Sin City appeals to a male audience due to the action genre, this trailer could also appeal to the same audience due to the intertextuality. In terms of the Uses and Gratifications theory, a female audience might realise and accept the protagonist in the text is a form of escapism and also a male gaze, by theorist Mulvey, and therefore might aspire, from Young and Rubicam's 4Cs, to be the object ofmale gaze too.

Though the protagonist is an object of male gaze, it could be suggested that she sexually objectifies herself to tease the audience. The protagonist puts her leg into the frame of the shot. As she puts into the frame, it signifies self objectification, allowing the audience to fetishise her body. Another shot, a high angle, of their sexual activities signifies CCTV and spying which is voyeuristic. The fact she is on top signifies her control of the situation for both the male character and the audience.

Not only does the protagonist exert her feminity through self objectification she also presents herself as an anarchic character signified by adopting male stereotypes. The advert begins with a long shot of an unknown character speeding down the motorway, which stereotypically would be expected to be a male character. However, the audience's expectations are challenged when a medium shot of the driver shows to be a female.

In contrast, women are negatively represented in the Stella Artois text. The most obvious editing technique used in the advert is the split screen: one side shows the female getting dressed and the other side is of the beer getting "prepared". This use of split screen signifies that neither the beer nor the woman know they have been placed side by side. This puts the audience in position of control as they can voyeur the woman, in a socially acceptable way. Audiences may identify this control as patriarchy, and also identify with the unknown male character whose presence is felt within the text. This text then reinforces the idea of a patriarchal society and that women are subordinated by men.

Not only does the female share the screen with the beer, but the screen is split equally between the two "objects" which connotes the woman is equally objectified to the status of beer. It is suggested the audience is male due to the female and beer subject. Though the advert is targeted at men, it also negatively stereotypes men as people who have little respect for women which however is a dominant representation.

A range of close up shots of the female are used to fetishise her body. There is a close up shot of the female's leg slowly and elegantly rising from the bath tub. On one hand this could signify femininity and her control over it which is the oppositional reading. However, the more dominant reading is that her legs are an important part of the female body and connotes a male audience who can voyeur her body.

The text near the beginning of the trailer says "the preparation" which is an enigma code as the audience question "what event is the preparation for?. It is signified through the shots that the woman and beer preparation is for the male through the use of action codes. Action codes of both the preparation of the woman and the glass of beer are the same.

Women are represented as people who prioritise their looks and appearance, and this ad reinforces this ideology. Action codes including close ups of her: brushing her hair, doing her make up and putting on heels strongly represent women as image conscious. It could be said that the advert reinforces this representation, which is always seen in the media. Funnily enough, it could also be said that the media itself is the cause of this representation as this ideal, perfect woman is always represented in the media, and women feel they have to aspire to it.

In conclusion, both texts females are the protagonists and are sexually objectified for male audiences to fetishise and vouyer their bodies. However, while Gucci’s advert’s protagonist controls her sexuality through self objectification, the Stella Artois’ protagonist is objectified by an unknown but present male character.

In the Gucci’s ad, there are many examples in the text that signify the protagonist’s femaledominance, but it is arguable whether this could be seen as a positive representation. Thedominant reading is that the protagonist exerts her female dominance over the male challenging the historical patriarchal society and even subordinating males as easily manipulated and easily tempted by women and sex and this would favour feminism. However the oppositional reading which would favour the ideologies of the Stella Artois advert, might be that females can control their sexuality, but it is still for the male gaze and male dominant society.

Gender in Advertising

Gender in Advertising 

1. What sort of images of women and men dominated advertising pre-1970s? Why was this the case?

Prior to the 1970s women were represented as being very traditional housewife’s doing tasks such as cooking and cleaning. “Women were more than twice as likely to be seen inside the home”. This highlights that the males were in control and women were subordinated emphasised in the adverts at that time as men were given the more authoritative roles were as the women were given the minor roles were they didn’t have much to do, and adverts often had male voice over to outline that the males dominated, however when women were the protagonist of an advert it would be for an advert promoting a cleaning product or a house product so women were used so that the audience can personally indentify themselves with the female character.  

                     
2. How did the advertising of the 1970’s continue to perpetuate the stereotype of women, despite depicting women in a greater range of roles?

women were continued to be depicted as housewife’s even though time were changing, however it took the role of women within media to change the representation of women as well as women freedom and equal rights. The dominant had seen this as a treat and continued to bombard the media with stereotypical representation of women instead of alternative representation of women

3. Can Gaye Tuchman’s quote regarding under-representation and the ‘symbolic annihilation of women’ still be applied in 21st Century advertising? If so, how?

Gaye Tuchman's quote regarding the 'symbolic annihilation of women' could still be applied in 21st Century as women in adverts are still under represented, this is due to the fact that the main media institution are owned and run by males so their ideologies are influenced into the production of adverts. However there are big named females in the media industry working for large institution but I debt they are very influential at persuading the male dominated producers to produce an advert of an alternative representation of women. In addition most 21st Century advertising is aimed at appealing to the male gaze as they say “sex sells” hence the reason women are subordinated, underrepresented and shown to be sexual objects.

4. Do you agree that adverts, such as those for the 1990’s Boots No. 7, ‘It’s not make-up. It’s ammunition.’ campaign, are post-feminist (thereby representing women as better than men?). Explain your answer.

The Boots No 7 advert ' It's not make up. It's ammunition', is a post feminist advert as the women represented in the advert are shown to be single and independent as well as that the women are shown to revealing there beauty however they are shown to be in control as they don’t show a lot and are in control as to how much they show presenting them as being dominate and superior as they ant playing into the male gaze.

5. Is the representation of women by the media accountable for the results of a survey in which ‘women were up to ten times more likely than men to be unhappy with their body image’?

I believe that the representation of women by media institutions doesn’t really affect a woman’s body image. However The representation of women affects the women depending on what type of advert it is and weather the advert has a hypodermic needle were it aims to inject the ideologies of the institution into the passive viewer or weather the individuals consuming the media product challenges the issues raised in the advert and takes an oppositional reading

6. Is the contemporary representation of men in advertising perhaps also a negative one where they too are treated as sex objects?

The contemporary representation of men in advertising is mainly negative, as they are shown to be strong physical build outlined with the lack of clothing of some of the male actors which is a dominant representations of men which also suggest that man are being represented as sex objects and being subordinated to meet the needs of the female gaze instead of the traditional male gaze, in addition this type of representation is highlighted in perfume and fragrance adverts such as D&G, Armani ect. 

Representation in adverts

THREE historical adverts (1950s-1970s) featuring women



The above link is a positive representation of women in the 1950’s as the woman shown in the advert is shown to be in the middle of the frame which suggest that her and the male character in the advert are both equal in the role they play in the advert. In addition the male character in the advert is not portrayed as being a Misogynist as he respects the female by standing with her side to side and offering her a seat towards the end. Furthermore the advert is a positive representation of women as she doesn’t represent herself as being a sex object and doesn’t self objectifies herself playing off the male gaze.



The above link is a negative representation of women in the 1950’s as the woman shown in the advert is shown to be self objectifies herself as you can see by her sexual facial expressions and body language this suggest that she is appealing to the male gaze. In addition the woman in the advert is a negative representation of women judging by her costume she is shown to have a pair of devil horns on her head which suggest fetishization as she uses phallic symbols to again appeal to the male gaze. Lastly the devil horns on her head can also connote that she’s a Femme fatale as the devilish horn represents danger.



The above link could be a positive representation and negative representation of women in the 1950’s. It can be shown to be a positive representation of women in the 1950’s as the female in the advert is shown to be wearing all her clothes and covered up meaning the costume she is wearing is not aimed to meet the desire of the male gaze and that she’s not being sexually objectified. In addition she is shown to be on the same level as the male in the advertisement when it comes to camera angles and her positioning in the frame meaning she is not inferior to the male character not dominate but she equal to him. However this could be a negative representation of women in the 1950’s as the female in the advert is show to be smoking which is stereotypically associated with the fame fatale.

THREE adverts featuring men

This historic advert represents men as being more dominate then females as highlighted by the diegetic sound from the speck of the man in the advert he is shown to be raising his voice at the female character and looking down at her. In addition he’s anger is shown through the use of his aggressive body language and facial expressions this is emphasised with the use of close up shots to emphasises the angry facial expressions of the male character and the gesture he makes when he points the finger at women in the scene suggest that he’s in control.

 

This advert represents women who sexually objectify a man, the male character is sexually objectify with the lack of clothing for costume which appeals to the male gaze, rather than the male gaze. In addition the use of non-diegetic sound such as the music added on to the scene which is parallel to the scene and also brings out the sexual objectification of the male character. the use of high key lighting on the male shows that the male character is the dominate attraction and that fact that he’s outnumbered by the women suggest that he’s inferior



The above advert is a negative representation of men as it shows them to by lazy and unmotivated this is outlined by the use of the close up shots of the different male characters to capture their body language and facial expression and as they are placed in the centre of the frame. in addition the use of speech in the advert highlights the negative serotype of males.

A post-feminist advert

The above advert can be called a post feminist advert has it shows women to be in control through the use of them being positioned in the middle of the frame. in addition the fact that there is no sight of any male influence and that the women take up roles of man this is suggested by the use of uniformed costume which signifies power and being in control as they are not sexually objective themselves and not appealing to the male gaze as they are showing skin but not too much, as well as the routine the women go through. Furthermore the use of a celebrity figure in the advert can appeal to other females as well as the use of ordinary women which other feminist can personally identify themselves with.

Repersentation of women in ads

Positive Representation

The above advert is a positive representation of women as this ad is advertising windows 7 which is a worldwide product which appeals to a wide target audience females as well as males meaning the types of shots used are not primarily for the male gaze but for more general viewing as they may not wish to offend their target audience. It uses a medium long shot to capture the body language as well as a medium close up to capture the facial expressions of the female protagonist who seems to be smiling throughout the advert suggesting she is not be subordinated and that she is happy. In addition it’s a positive representation as the camera is not cropped or framed to focus on parts of her body which would appeal to the male gaze its always on her face suggesting she’s dominate and in control and never once objectified. Moreover her positioning within the camera frame is quite central meaning she is dominate and the face of the advert and she’s not being shown to be at the bottom of the frame which could suggest her being inferior and being subordinated as well as point of view shot sued when she’s looking at her laptop so other females maybe post feminist can personally identify themselves with the female protagonist. Furthermore the advert shows positive representation of women as the representation of women being illustrated in the advert is an alternative representation of women being smart and well educated outlined by her speech/dialogue compared to the dominate stereotypical representation of women being bimbos and sex objects.

In addition if you look at the mis-en-scene you will notice that the clothes/costume she is wearing are clothes an ordinary woman would wear very causal which also highlights a positive representation of women as there’s no sign of fetishization because she’s not shown to be wearing high heels a lot of makeup and a short dress which are stereotypically associated with fetisization and she’s not shown to be holding a fetish symbol. Lastly positive representation is outlines with the use of the protagonist name being mentioned in the advert ‘Angela’ which suggest she is not being subordinated as she able to be herself and not take up a role of a stereotypical blonde woman in any ordinary advert who has been objective and subordinated by the mass male majority who are in charge of media institution and in charge of the production whose ideologies greatly influence the media landscape

Negative Representation

This advert shows a negative representation of women this is illustrated by the use of shots in the ad, the use of close up shots which show sexual facial expressions suggest that the females in the advert are being objectified and are being portrayed as sex objects.  As well as the use of body language of the females in the advert come across as very sexual as they are posing in sexual position e.g the eyes rolling backwards, shortness of breath, the firm griping of items around them as well as the open mouth this highlights that they are not in control and maybe inferior as they aim to pleasure the male gaze. Furthermore women are represented negatively in this advert this is outlined by the use of close up shots of their bodies for example shots of the females legs and breast which suggest that the females are being objectified stereotypically. In addition the use of red lipstick by the females and lip-gloss are all signs of fetishization which could also suggest that the women are being subordinated even though it is a dominant representation of women. However some will argue that they are not being subordinated or suppressed as they seem happy judging by their facial expressions and the fact that there is no use of a fetish object or prop to accompany the scene which is rather strange. In addition the fact that they are placed at the centre of the frame suggested that they are not inferiors as they would have been placed at the bottom of the camera frame.

nevertheless if you look at the mis-en-scene you will notice the lack of clothes/costume warn my the females in advert which plays of the notion of the male gaze as well as the number of girls used it’s not just a single woman there’s a number of women used in the advert suggesting that women may be subordinated in general. furthermore the sue of high key lighting used to emphasises the facial expression and body language of the women used which has a great influence as it makes them look more glamorous. In addition the use of non digetic sound in the form of music which is parallel and accompanies the scene. Furthermore women are represented negatively through their behaviour as well their appearance.