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.