Film noir conventions in 'Drive'

Character roles:

The character roles fit into the typical conventions of the film noir genre, including femme fatales, cynical protagonists and corrupted characters.
The lead protagonist 'the driver', shows very similar characteristics to the classic noir protagonists. 'The driver' is shown as being lonely with minimal dialogue. Goslings facial expression remains predominantly the same, showing a lack of emotion, giving an impression that he is in an un-stable mental state. In most texts, Noir protagonists are usually mentally or physically damaged, which reflects a trauma from a previous experience. Throughout the film, Gosling's character is not named, and only referred to as 'the driver', which suggests his lack of self value and his only purpose as a criminal get-away driver.
He does not value himself and acts to save the female (Irene). He is willing to sacrifice himself to ensure Irene is safe, proving his selflessness. This is evidenced when he and Irene are in the lift, when confronted by a man planning to kill them, however 'the driver' kills the man to ensure Irene's safety. Classic protagonists usually have a femme fatale they protect, however, they drag them into dangerous situations. These aspects are typical of a classic noir protagonist. The femme fatale character, Blanche, double crosses 'the driver', which creates fears of mis-trust and paranoia.

Narrative themes:
'The driver' is an anti-hero as he has no fatal flaw, and works to protect Irene and her son through acts of violence. Gosling's character has no desire for money or his own well-being, with his main purpose to protect Irene.

Blanche double crosses 'the driver', which creates a sense of paranoia. She informs the villains about the planned robbery, and also reveals their location, which results in her death, showing her naivety and lack of power.

Technical codes:

The beginning of the clip features Irene's face half cast in shadow, showing that she may have a corrupt side, which is a common noir convention. This mimics the 2005 hit film 'Sin City', as in the opening scene a similar lighting technique is shown on 'the assassin'. This is a technical code, in addition to the sinister music creating a binary opposition, as she is re-telling the story of how she met her husband. However, the clip has an eerie feel and tells the viewer that something bad is going to happen soon. This is confirmed when her husband is killed in the pawn shop robbery. This is shown through flashback, which is a very common film noir genre convention. Throughout the scene, low key lighting is used to show the corruptness and paranoia of the characters, in particular the lead protagonist, 'the driver'. After 'the driver' has just killed 2 people, his face is bloody and lit well in high key lighting with darkness around him, he then steps backwards into the shadow, therefore creating low key lighting on his face and body. This is an uncommon feature of a noir protagonist, as it shows his criminality and deceit.

Iconography and mise-en-scene:
The iconography of 'Drive' mimics the noir genre throughout. Many urban environments are used, in addition to a strip club and neon lights, which convey danger. Low key lighting is used to show the two sides to the characters, including 'the driver' and Blanche. The split lighting on their faces show their good side vs their corrupt side. We see this when 'the driver' commits an act of violence, however for a good reason to protect Irene. The split lighting shows the 2 sides to him, showing him as an anti-hero. Venetian blinds are also used, which is a large iconic visual convention used in film noir. Blanche is seen smoking which is another popular genre convention.

Short conclusion:
From just a short scene from the film, it is very apparent that the film contains many classic genre conventions from the film noir genre, although it is not classed as being part of the film noir genre, many conventions create noir themes.

The Bechdel Test

"The Bechdel test asks whether a work of fiction features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. Many contemporary works fail this test of gender bias."

"What is now known as the Bechdel test was introduced in Alison Bechdel's comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For. In a 1985 strip titled 'The Rule', an unnamed female character says that she only watches a movie if it satisfies the following requirements:

• It has to have at least two women in it
• Who talk to each other
• About something besides a man"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bechdel_test

Representation of males in Sin City

All of the male protagonist characters in Sin City essentially fit into both the film noir and comic book genre, hence why the film is a hybrid of the two genres.

John, Marv and Dwight all use violence, however they use violence to protect and defend the female characters from the villains. They all work towards good, not valuing themselves in the slightest, as they are prepared to die to protect the women. This is demonstrated when John Hartigan kills himself to protect Nancy. The protagonists all have some form of handicap, which is another film noir convention as they are the unlikely heroes, this can either by physical or mental, and sometimes both handicaps are apparent in one character. Their over-exaggerated violence is a comic book convention, as in the classic film noir films, violence was used, just not to this extent. The protagonists all wear long leather trench coats, which were used in the original film noir films. In Sin City the trench coats act as capes, as when they move the coat flows in the wind, emulating a cape. Before committing acts of violence, the protagonist removes the coat and 'de-capes', as he is about to do wrong.

Jackie Boy, Cardinal Rourke, Senator Rourke and The Yellow Bastard are all arch nemesis' of the protagonists. All are working against the protagonists, whilst abusing their power, which is an element of the film noir genre. An example of this is Rourke Jr's involvement in child exploitation, as he kidnaps Nancy, plans to rape then murder her.

Social-realism in Fish Tank

How typical is your chosen text to its genre?

Fish Tank is typical of its genre, social realism, through the characters roles, narrative themes, technical codes, iconography and mise-en-scene. All of these features joined together communicate the narrative of the text.

Character roles:
The character roles in Fish Tank are typical of its genre to an extent. In social realism the protagonist is typically a working class hero, striving for an improved life and circumstance than the one they find themselves in at the beginning of the narrative. Mia does strive for a better life and to escape her mundane life, however she does not have the characteristics of a hero, as she uses violence and is involved with issues such as underage drinking and underage sex.
In the clip from the scene above, Mia watches a group of girls dancing and reacts negatively towards them.
Also in the scene, Mia's mum swears at her and uses violence, this is showing that Mia does not have a good role-model, and is part of a non-nuclear dysfunctional/broken family. After the confrontation with her mum, Mia goes to her room where photographs of her and Keeley (her friend) are shown, in addition to an "i love you" ornament. This shows that Mia's family was possibly once functional and happy. Critics often argue that females are represented in a negative light in the social realism genre, often dependent on men. Mia does not have a father-figure in her life until Connor is introduced.

Narrative themes:
The narrative of the text is fairly linear. It follows the life of Mia and all of her hardships and struggles. Social realism films typically follow the lives of niche under represented groups of people, including issues such as underclass, underage and depression. This aspect is clearly shown in Fish Tank, as Mia is striving for a better life, and is involved in issues such as underclass, underage drinking and paedophilia. Fish Tank constructs a negative representation of women, as Mia uses violence to solve problems, is involved in controversial underage issues, is naive when Connor is introduced, and then runs away from her problems, re-locating to Wales with Billy at the end of the narrative.

Technical codes:
Fish Tank uses common conventions of the social realism genre. This scene and the rest of the film contains non-diegetic sound, with no edited diegetic sound or special effects e.g. CGI animation. The hand held camera aspect is one of the most important technical codes in social realism. This affect gives the viewer a sense of realism and the thought that they are in the same position/location as the character(s). The shaky camera movements and point of view shots are paramount and the largest technical aspect from the genre. Close-up shots also emphasise Mia's emotion and allow the viewer of the text to relate to her more. The lighting is always natural, with this clip proving this, giving a sense of realism. In a previous scene, Mia is standing looking out at the urban environment horizon. A shallow depth of field is being used, with Mia in the foreground in focus and the background out of focus, showing that Mia does not belong in this location as she is separated from her environment via technical codes. The social realism genre contains a linear narrative, containing an equilibrium, a disruption to the equilibrium, conflict, a resolution and a new equilibrium. Fish Tank almost follows this narrative structure, constructed by Todorov. In the text we do not see an equilibrium at the beginning, however we do see photographs of Mia happy and an ornament reading "i love you", proving that her life has previously been happy, reaching an equilibrium until the events of the film including Connor unravel.

Iconography and mise-en-scene:
The main aspect of iconography and mise-en-scene in the text is the urban environment. The tower blocks and council estate suggests the genre of the text and the characters, as the text is based around the underclass. The many establishing shots automatically suggest this to the viewer, in addition to the graffiti in the area. Mia is involved with alcohol, which is shown in the above scene. Her sexual relations with Connor is also breaking the law, as she is 15 years-old. Mia's fashion further establishes the genre and location, as she is wearing a grey tracksuit with hooped earrings and trainers in the above clip. During Mia's dance scene (shown above) the hip-hop music further establishes the genre, contributing to the mise-en-scene of the location.

Laura Mulvey's male gaze (1975)

"In her 1975 essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema", Laura Mulvey introduced the second-wave feminist concept of "male gaze" as a feature of gender power asymmetry in film. The concept was present in earlier studies of the gaze, but it was Mulvey who brought it to the forefront. Mulvey stated that women were objectified in film because heterosexual men were in control of the camera. Hollywood films played to the models of voyeurism and scopophilia. The concept has subsequently been influential in feminist film theory and media studies."

"Mulvey's essay also states that the female gaze is the same as the male gaze. This means that women look at themselves through the eyes of men. The male gaze may be seen by a feminist either as a manifestation of unequal power between gazer and gazed, or as a conscious or subconscious attempt to develop that inequality. From this perspective, a woman who welcomes an objectifying gaze may be simply conforming to norms established to benefit men, thereby reinforcing the power of the gaze to reduce a recipient to an object. Welcoming such objectification may be viewed as akin to exhibitionism."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaze#The_.22male_gaze.22_in_feminist_theory

Media Investigation - The Dark Knight Rises feminist view

"Anyway, while there are a few failures, my overall reactions to the gender situation are positive. The two main female characters, Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) and Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) are strong, independent, and pretty much badasses. It was a shift from the previous main character in Nolan's Batman universe, Rachel Dawes, who much more fell into the stereotype of the goodhearted woman who needs to be saved."

"I guess I'll get out of the way what I didn't like about the gender situation first. The movie failed the Brechdel test epically, as the only two women don't really ever converse. In fact, besides Selina Kyle and Miranda Tate, it's almost like Gotham is totally devoid of women. For example, major scenes involve a bus load of orphans (no really!) who are all male, an all male football team, and a police force of 3000 where I didn't spot a woman among them. And the main villain, Bane's, crew is all dudes too. And of course, when the movie only contains two thin, sexy, able bodied white women, it's a universe where women of color, fat women, women of differing abilities and looks, are almost nonexistent."

"It feels like a case of female exceptionalism--where Tate and Kyle are created to be so interesting, but we're not sure how Nolan views women in general. Additionally, both women have a physical relationship with Bruce Wayne at different points in the film, which was disappointing to me and felt unnecessary to the story. Honestly--I was puzzled what that element added at all."

"Kyle, much like the Black Widow in The Avengers, uses her femininity to her advantage and preys upon the sexism of the men she encounters to get ahead. In the end, she also becomes an ally to Batman and they work together to ultimate success. At first I was disappointed when Batman saved Catwoman, but later, she saves him too. Again, similar to The Avengers it displayed a sense of teamwork between the men and women instead of an unequal balance of power."

http://www.nerdyfeminist.com/2012/07/the-dark-knight-rises-women-can-be.html

The Dark Knight Rises/Superman - Film posters

Media investigation: Coursework question

Has the representation of females evolved in the comic book genre, playing particular attention to The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and Superman (1978).

Sin City - How your chosen texts use genre conventions?

Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez's 2005 film Sin City is a hybrid, combining film noir, comic book and horror. It is a post modern text, combining film noir genre conventions such as the use of shadows, mistrust and paranoia, combined with comic book classic conventions, including the Propp character roles, of a hero and villain (s).

Analysis 1:

In the opening scene, a man and a woman are shown standing on a rooftop in Sin City. The woman character is represented as a femme fatale, which is a classic character role in film noir. She is wearing a long red dress, red lipstick, and is seen smoking. The colour connotations show danger and passion, which is characteristic of a femme fatale, in addition to being beautiful and untrustworthy. Her red dress stands out against the black and white background, showing she has some importance. The female character walks to the end of the balcony, with a high camera angle, showing her power and authority. This angle also immediately gives the viewer an establishing shot of the urban environment location. The non-diegetic sound of sirens also gives us an idea of the crime in the city, which is also supported by the title of the film, Sin City.

The non-diegetic music of the scene emulates Jazz music, which is a common convention in film noir, as the original film noir films were made at a time where Jazz music was very popular, around the 1940's, Creating a romantic feel between the pair, over the diegetic sound of the characters speech. The male character is first to speak, with non-diegetic speech, giving us an insight into his personal thoughts. Voice overs are a common convention of the film noir genre, and are used to demonstrate the protagonist character's thoughts, views and personality. The self narration allows the viewer to hear things which the other characters are unaware of, giving the viewer a more personal knowledge and more information. When the male character shoots the female character, the film breaks away from the typical femme fatale character, this combines the usual narrative convention, and provides genre differences.

The scene ends with dramatic rain, both visually and in sound. The rain only begins just as the male character is about to kill the female character. This is pathetic fallacy, and a common convention of the comic book genre.

Analysis 2:

This scene features Marv killing Kevin, and contains many conventions of the horror genre, including blood, low key lighting, weapons and emphasised sound.

Marv is wearing a trench coat in this scene, which is a convention of film noir. Trench coats were often worn by protagonists in film noir, as they were some form of detective or private eye, giving an element of mystery. Marv removes his trench coat just before he kills Kevin, which is a convention of the comic book genre, as it acts as a long flowing cape, showing him to be a hero, however he removes his metaphorical cape, as he knows that he is about to do wrong, and is not being a classic hero.

The low key lighting covers Kevin's face, hiding his facial features. This is a convention of the horror genre, hiding his identity, creating tension and giving the audience a sense of unease. Kevin's eyes are an icey blue colour, which are originally the only aspect of his face clear to the viewer. His face is then shown in colour properly, perhaps showing that his power is decreasing and his identity has been discovered. Kevin's slick movements and long nails suggest animalistic behaviour.

Marv tortures Kevin by removing his limbs, and then feeding his remains to Kevin's dog. This is part of the comic book genre as Kevin does not make any noise and keeps the same facial expression throughout (blank), which is very unrealistic. The fight scene is also comic book, as the sound of the movements are very exaggerated, and the characters appear unphased by the violence, showing Marv's superhuman strength.

Conclusion:

Overall, the three genres (film noir, comic book and horror) of the film show their genre contentions through the mise-en-scene, similar traits of the same genres, and the technical aspects. All of these factors show that the film is a hybrid of these genres.

Fish Tank - 3 scene analysis

Andrea Arnold's 2009 drama film, Fish Tank is a social realism film. Here I will be analysing three scenes from the film, where the film introduces the main protagonist, Mia.

Analysis 1:

(First 4 minutes of the film - 00:48 - 04:00)

This scene begins with the diegetic sound of Mia breathing heavily, suggesting that she has been running from something, but the reason why is later confirmed later in the film. It then cuts to an establishing shot of where she is, which gives the viewer an idea of her location. This is accompanied by diegetic sound of the urban environment and street below. This is supported by an panning shot of the landscape, with Mia still in the frame, showing housing tower blocks. The scene then cuts to a tracking shot, confirming Mia's environment, via the urban environment location, and her clothing, as she is wearing a vest, jogging bottoms, hooped earrings and chains, instantly stereotyping her as a 'chav', also the other people around her e.g. children playing/screaming. Most of the camera angles are handheld, or point of view shots, which is a very common element of the social realism genre conventions.

The mise-en-scene at the beginning of the scene gives us an idea of Mia's character, as her clothes suggest her background and social class. She makes a phone call, and her accent/language also tells us that she is working class or under class, as she states "Ring me back you bitch". Her southern accent and very informal language throughout the scene also gives the viewer an idea of her upbringing and education, as she is a 15 year-old girl and is instantly swearing.

The last part of this scene shows Mia confront her friend Keeley, and a group of girls dancing. Again, the camera is handheld, in a documentary type style. The narrative throughout the film is basic, and we are instantly introduced to the main character, seeing events from her point of view, telling us that the film is about Mia, as social realism films are about events and issues of everyday life. The music at the end of the scene also creates an urban environment, as the girls are dancing to hip-hop music and dressed very provocatively, with low-cut tops, shorts, hooped earrings and trainers. There is also a group of lads watching the girls dancing, going against the Laura Mulvey (1975) male gaze theory, applying the female gaze. Mia is also violent to one of the girls, head butting her after a confrontation, showing violence within the young girls and environment.

Analysis 2:

(The scene just after Mia has sex with Connor - 1:22:20 - 1:25:45)

This is the scene just after Mia sleeps with her Mother's boyfriend, Connor. Mia wakes up to the sound of her Mother crying, and goes into her room. The sound of the scene is all diegetic, including the speech, footsteps running and Connor's car driving away.

The handheld tracking camera movement following Mia as she is running from the flat to Connor gives the film a sense of realism, and almost allows the viewer to see the events unfold from Mia's point of view. The diegetic sound of Mia's heavy breathing also gives a sense of realism to the scene.

At this point in the film we already know about Mia's character and social class, however this is supported by the furnishings in the flat, the location of the flat, and the clothing of Mia, her little sister and her mother, which is a part of the mise-en-scene.

Mia goes on a mission to track down Connor, and as she is walking down the street, her friend Billy attempts to speak to her. The camera angle is handheld and at constant eye level, with high key lighting, showing realism, as most of this scene is filmed outdoors.

Analysis 3:

(Last scene of the film - 1:57:27 - 1:59:28)

This scene is the last scene of the film, where Mia is leaving London to go and live with Billy in Wales. Mia is shown walking through a door with the sign "Fire Exit" sign, showing that she is finally escaping her life in the tower block.

Applying to Propp's theory, Billy acts as a hero, as he is helping Mia to escape her life in London and the troubles of the recent events. As the car is driving away, Mia's little sister, Tyler shouts "Bye you skank, don't forget to text me, say hello to the world for me", suggesting that as Mia is escaping from her mundane life, her sister is trapped there in the 'fish tank', unable to escape as she is so young.

As the scene ends, a balloon in the shape of a loveheart is seen floating away from the tower block, again, suggesting that the balloon is representing Mia, and is finally escaping from the tower block, however Mia would probably repeat her mistakes in Wales, as her Mother has set a bad example to her from a young age, of having numerous boyfriends, drinking and smoking.

The sound of the scene is completely diegetic, until the end titles, and the camera movement is handheld, giving a sense of realism.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the film/these three scenes contain many conventions of the social realism genre, including the completely diegetic sound and handheld camera movements. The narrative is simple throughout, applying to Todorov's theory of equilibrium. The only real problems within the film begin when Connor arrives and disrupts the equilibrium. The new equilibrium occurs when Mia escapes to Wales with Billy, finally suggesting a happy ending for Mia.

Fish Tank exam question

A1: To what extent are your chosen texts typical of their genre?

My chosen text is the British social realism film, Fish Tank. The film gives a realistic portrayal of society and life for the under class. Social realism represents real life, including all of the difficulties involved. Films within the genre are usually gritty drama, set within an urban environment, showing the struggles of everyday life. The film technique is very realistic also, allowing the viewer to relate at certain points, by effects such as hand held camera.

Fishtank is typical of its genre, using conventions of the genre. Some of these conventions include handheld camera movements, diegetic sound, shallow depth of field, non-professional actors, urban location shooting (non studio) and wider social issues. These conventions all show its genre and makes it appeal more realistic to the viewer. In the scene where Mia is chasing Connor, the camera action is hand held tracking, allowing the viewer to almost feel as though they are there. In another scene where Mia is confronting Connor after visiting his house, there is a shallow depth of field, as she is in the foreground, and is in focus, whereas the background is not, which once again, is natural, appearing more genuine and real. Long shot and mid-shot camera angles are used often, with point of view shots and eye level shots, again, allowing the viewer to relate to the scene. Facial expressions are often shown as close-ups, to emphasise the emotion that the character is going through, allowing the viewer to relate and empathise. This makes the viewer feel empathy, as they are shown the hardships of Mia's life and feel closer to her and her life situations, as the techniques used appear more factual. Even the name of the film suggests that Mia is trapped in a metaphorical fish tank and is unable to escape her life of growing up in an East London council estate, facing everyday problems, which she is unable to break free of, which is supported by her love for a horse she finds on a caravan park which is chained to a post. Mia empathises with the horse, perhaps because she feels the same way, as she is unable to break free, very similar to the horse. Although Mia is not physically tied up, she is unable to escape her under class lifestyle, and it is unlikely that she ever will. The general location is around East London, with no studio shots, used by major Hollywood blockbusters. This again shows realism. The environment is urban, with the other characters shown to be very similar to Mia in dress sense and language. Another representation of the underclass is money issues, as in numerous scenes Mia asks Connor for money, for example when she goes to his workplace asking him for money for alcohol, when she tells him that she has no money for a train fare home, and when she steals money from his wallet, in all scenarios, she eventually attains money from Connor. Showing that Connor is financially stable.

Fish Tank includes many conventions typical of its genre, social realism. Therefore allowing the viewer to feel more involved in the storyline, in addition to being able to relate to the characters in some scenarios.

Todorov theories of The Dark Knight Rises

"All texts follow similar narrative structures". The Dark Knight Rises, the third instalment in the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy contains the 5 stages of the narrative Todorov theory.

1. A state of equilibrium.

Bruce Wayne has become a social recluse, rarely leaving his estate. After taking the blame for Harvey Dent's crimes in the last installment, with a tarnished reputation, Batman feels compelled to intervene to help the city as they struggle with Bane's plans to destroy the city.

2. A disruption of order.

Bane aims to destroy the city, attempting to reveal the truth of who Harvey Dent really was. He also plots to steal a reactor from Wayne Enterprises. Bane injures Batman, taking him to a foreign prison, where escape is virtually impossible.

3. Recognition the order has been disrupted.

Bane lures the cities police officers underground, then collapses the exits, resulting in a lack of legal authority in the city. After killing the Mayor, he kidnaps a physicist, to convert the reactor core into a nuclear bomb. Holding the city hostage, exiling the wealthy and the powerful.

4. Attempt to repair the damage.

After months of re-training and after escaping the prison, Batman enlists the help of Selina, Blake, Tate, Commissioner Gordon and Lucius Fox to help stop the bombs detonation. Bane is defeated, however the bomb is only remotely destroyed.

5. State of new equilibrium.

With no way to stop the detonation, he hauls the bomb into the bay. The bomb detonates and Batman is presumed dead, honoured a hero.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The film 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' is typical of its genre through the iconographies, narrative aspects, representations, ideologies and technical conventions that it uses. There are many other similar aspects, making its genre easily identifiable.

Iconographies - The film uses iconography to establish the genre. Iconographies are visual symbols, that the audience decode to establish the genre of the text. Western films use many different iconographies to establish the genre, for example the costumes that the characters wear, with the typical cowboy wearing a stetson, jeans, a shirt and spurs. With the personality of each character being tellable by their clothing, as the villains usually wear mostly black clothing. Another iconography used are props, with handguns being the most common prop in western films, in addition to sheriff badges, cigarettes/cigars and horses. The location of western films is also crucial, with most set in isolated locations and saloon bars. Monument Valley in America was a popular filming location in western films. These visual codes allow the reader to establish the genre of the text almost instantly, and adjust their expectations accordingly.
        
Narrative aspects - The audience of the text will be able to identify the genre through the storyline and narrative aspects. Western films usually contain the same basic storyline, with a villain arriving in town, and stand offs with the hero and the villain, with the hero usually winning and receiving female attention as the prize. The title of the film "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" implies the Propp theory. This is confirmed in the above clip, as there are 3 characters having a shoot out, with it being clear who are the good and bad characters by features such as clothing and actions, although there is no dialogue til the end if the scene. This is binary opposition, as it shows the two different types of characters against each other, in the form of the hero and the villain.

Representations - In Western films, males are over represented, as they are shown as strong and always participating in violence, whether being shown as a bad character, or a good character in a position of trust, such as a sheriff or a hero, showing that whether a good or bad character, violence is shown in all types of characters. Women characters in the films are often a prize at the end of the violence, for the hero character to gain. They are shown as damsels in distress, sometimes taken/kidnapped by the bad character and are saved by the hero, with the outcomes usually ending positively for the 2 main characters, the hero and the princess.

Ideologies - Although each Western film has a different storyline, ideas and beliefs, the basic plot is the same, and often contain males fighting to hold their power, which appears to be the main theme in Western films. Western films are also set in a similar location and feature the same type of music, props and clothing, easily making films easily identifiable as being part of the western genre.

Technical conventions - The music of the film also helps to determine the genre. The music in Western films is usually instrumental to build tension, or with slight singing, but in a different scenario. The diegetic sounds are usually rather sharp and sound slightly muffled, due to the technology at the era they were filmed in. The camera angles are usually fast cuts in the shoot outs, as demonstrated in the video clip above. The fast cuts of extreme close-ups to the eyes are edited in post-production and are to create suspense for the viewer. Western films are usually shot in the same kind of way.

The female gaze: James Bond - Die Another Day

The James Bond franchise is a clear example of film objectifying females and forcing the audience to view females via the female gaze. The scene within, "Die Another Day" when James Bond meets the character Jinx demonstrates my previous statement by the various technical conventions; slow motion, the camera taking on the view of the male, conversation and music.

When Jinx surfaces from the water, her movements are slowed down, emphasising her physique, giving the viewer more time to admire her physical appearance. The angle is a mid shot, only showing half of her body, focusing on her face and part of her body, with the first view of her being objectified. Once she is fully out of the water, her movement is at normal speed, with a long shot of her whole body, once again allowing the viewer to idolise her, but for her whole body instead. When she is walking towards Bond, her walk is exaggerated, emphasising her features, she is also wearing make-up, highlighting her facial appearance.

Bond looks through binoculars when he spots Jinx in the water. Her movement is slowed down, focusing on her through the male view, which objectifies her, following Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory. The camera zooms into Bond just as he is about to look at Jinx through the binoculars for the first time closely, which tells the viewer that she is going to be attractive, which is reinforced by him then adjusting his binoculars, to attain a clearer view of her. Whether the audience is male or female, they have no choice but to objectify Jinx.

Favourite TV programme

Sherlock: Sherlock is a British television crime drama, which presents a contemporary version of The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It follows the main characters, detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson, as they solve mysteries and crimes in modern day London. Aired on BBC, the popularity of the show has grown, created and written by Steven Moffat, who writes scripts for Doctor Who.

The gratifications of the programme include escapism, as it allows the viewers to enter the mind set of the world famous detective. Learning is also part of the uses and gratifications, as the viewer is constantly learning new terms, with the programme allowing the viewer to mentally collect the clues and attempt to figure out the answer to the mystery, satisfying curiosity at the end of the programme. An emotional release can also be felt in some episodes, for example, at the end of series 2 when Dr Watson believes that Holmes has died, the viewer knows that Holmes is actually alive, but by this point the viewer is sympathising with Watson and feeling witnessing his emotion, which may be mirrored in the viewer.

I have personally watched every series of the show, watching it with my sister a lot of the time, allowing us to spend time together, which I find relaxing. After watching many episodes and following the mysteries, it allowed me to emotionally attach to them, which can act as a substitute for real life companionship for some people.

Sherlock has aspects of each of the uses and gratifications theory.

Rush film trailer

Rush - 2013

Directed by Ron Howard, the trailer to the film Rush features men as the dominant characters, in control and womanising. Men have the vast proportion of showing time, and when any females are shown they are emotional, nurses, dancers, models, and are objectified in some sort of way.
The men are racing drivers, in a dangerous profession, with the women caring for them (female nurse), proven by the heading in the trailer 'driven by danger'. Also emphasised by the colour red featuring numerous times, which has connotations of danger, but also passion, as the trailer features the lead character seducing a nurse.
The main song played on the trailer is a cover version of David Bowie's 'Fame', emphasising that the men in the film have the power and are earning the money, however no women are shown in any high authority roles, apart from the caring role of a nurse, and even then, she is easily seduced by her male patient, proving once again that the men have the power in the film, which is also supported by the predominantly male cast.
Chris Hemsworth's character, James Hunt, is objectified, including a scene where he is topless, which follows Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory, attracting women, which may then go on to watch the film as a result of this. There is also aspects of the female gaze, featuring women with small amounts of clothes on.

The film is based on a true story, which may have personal and emotional meaning to some people if they are fans of the characters whom the film is based on. The trailer begins with sexualisaion of both men and women, but starts to focus on the racing aspect of the film, still retaining the influence of women in fast cut shots.

In my opinion, the gender stereotypes of men and women are being followed, as both genders are objectified, especially women. The film is set in the 1970's, which is noticeable by the outfits worn by the women. In a time period when women were dressing more and more provocatively, the the film is conforming to the stereotype of women at the time. The men are also adhering to the typical stereotype of the authoritative male with power and sex appeal.

Niche and mainstream audiences

NICHE VS. MAINSTREAM

Niche audience - A niche audience is a small number of consumers/users who are attracted to a specific subject or area. For example, the television programme Time Team has a specific audience with an interest in history, whereas people without an interest in history may not view the programme in the same way.

County living magazine has a specific audience, as only people that are interested in the specific genre would buy the magazine. The target audience of the magazine would be middle aged/older women, middle/upper class, with a particular interest in home furnishing, baking, sewing, health, gardening etc. The mode of address is formal, appealing to the target audience. The magazine is niche, as only people with an interest of the contents of the magazine would purchase it, for example, a person who particularly enjoys baking may not buy the magazine because of the small number of baking pages, they would purchase a cooking or baking orientated magazine, as this magazine reaches a range of hobbies that can be done around and in the home. The magazine may be available in some shops, but readers are also able to subscribe to the magazine, with a vast website and newsletter, making it easily accessible to its audience. The price of the magazine has risen considerably in the past few years, perhaps because the writers have realised that they have a specific niche audience and not many other magazines offer what they are selling, therefore raising their price because they know that their audience will still buy or subscribe to it.

Breaking Bad is a US television programme, which is niche because of its specific storyline, however as the programme has entered more series', it has become more mainstream and grown in popularity worldwide. Making it more mainstream now than initially, but it still has a very specific target audience. The show is based around drugs, in particular, crystal meth, which is a big problem in America, where the show is a big hit. Meaning that the American audience can relate and identify with the problems in the show, finding about more information about the drug. However, the audience is limited as it features violence and drug use, limiting the age of the viewers. The programme is available on many online websites, including Netflix, where it is the most watched TV series. The show had a few episodes aired on UK television a few years ago but they were unsuccessful, until recently, but as it is not shown on UK television, people wanting to watch it have to look elsewhere, almost guaranteeing that they will like and actually want to watch the programme, as opposed to watching it on television to fill time.

Mainstream audience - Mainstream is considered as the most typical and conventional, because they belong to the same group that most other people use or watch. For example, popular music is mainstream, as many people use and enjoy it.

The X-Factor is a perfect example of mainstream, as people watch it nationally and worldwide. The programme is aired on Saturday night at 8pm - 9pm, which is prime time, attracting the maximum viewing number. People may also watch the programme to gain the ability to socially interact with a friendship group e.g. to fit in and join a conversation about the most recent episode. It is a form of entertainment and relaxation, however as it is mainly live, people watch the shows at the time they are aired on television, as opposed to re-watching the episodes online months or years after the initial airing date, as the event has already passed, limiting its viewing in the longterm.

BBC Radio 1 is mainly known for playing popular (pop) music. This is mainstream because it has a wide national audience who listen to the station often, and even the audience that does not choose to listen to the station are still exposed to the music, in the form of the featured music played in shops and television. The air time is played mostly all of the time, but the more famous radio presenters have shows at peak times, such as the morning show with Greg James and the evening show with Scott Mills. The show is also available to listen to live online and on mobile devices, in addition to the radio. The website is an extension of the radio show, with videos, photographs and blogs, which is edging away from the original radio aspect. Listening to the radio station is also free of charge, widening its audience and making it more easily accessible.