one-to-one feedback - essay plan

Essay plan

Intro: I really like the way you’ve tried to write a snappy opening – it really adds to the overall effect. However, it does need re-phrasing slightly to make it clearer. In general, this is a solid introduction – it needs a bit of re-writing to make it clearer but the main ingredients are all there. 250 words.

Section 1: Historical text and background issues. Wider context. Excellent to see media theories well represented. Quotes from the Guardian are fine but try and get some quotes from books/theories as well. Textual analysis. 350 words.

Section 2: Second historical text – more theory and quotes. Discussing empowerment of women. Gender theory, feminism etc. Try and get some textual analysis in here too. 250 words.

Section 3: Primary text – FF7. At least one paragraph with very detailed textual analysis. Then feminist theory, quotes etc. 500 words.

Section 4: Secondary text – Catwoman linked to FF7 and feminist theory etc. You may want to move some of your current paragraph 6 planning back into the FF7 and Catwoman sections because you always need to return to the question throughout. 300 words.

Section 5: Wider context, feminism in modern society. Bring in some new/digital media – feminism online (Everyday Sexism blog/Twitter etc.) Sometimes called the ‘fourth wave’ of feminism. Effects theory – impact on audience. Why gender stereotypes can be damaging in society etc. You may also want to include here the future of the debate – what will gender stereotypes and feminism look like in 5-10 years? 400 words.

Conclusion: Sum up argument, use similar structure to intro. Aim for a snappy ending that is similar to how you open the essay. 150 words.

Next steps… update/finish your plan based on this tutorial. You don’t need to stick to the above by any means but hopefully it has at least clarified your thinking and provided a potential structure that will be easy to follow.

This essay has great potential – it could be SERIOUSLY good! I particularly like the fact you are already trying to write the essay in a way that is interesting and engaging for the reader. Be aware of word count and don’t go too far over. 

Task 4 - essay plan

Essay plan

To what extend does 'Fast and the Furious 7' reinforces gender stereotypes and how does this differ from Catwomen?

Introduction (250 words)

·         Question: Gender representation. Are they negative, positive or both?

·         Although feminists have progressed in society, the media still shows audiences negative representations for women, however are positive for men.

·         Clearly seen in Fast and furious 7 – audiences can be influenced by this

·         ‘Image is power, image is superefficient’ (Cameron Russel: looks aren’t everything believe me I’m a model) – refer to Catwoman. Her image is powerful etc.

·         FF7 – women are seen as sex objects – pleasure for men

·         Historical text

·         This essay will explore how gender representations are reinforced in fast and furious 7 and how this differs from Catwoman

Paragraph 2 (150 words)

First historical text – ‘The colour purple

·         In this paragraph I will talk about my historical text and how it has similarities and differences to my original media text – Fast and furious 7

·         What were the roles of women and men back then? How is this presented in ‘The colour purple’

·         This can be linked to feminism – say how

·         Some reference to Catwoman – say how she is seen as powerful but in a seductive way
      
      Theories:

·         Dominant representations                           

·         Patriarchy

·         Dominant ideologies

·         Male gaze – Mulvey

·         Levi Strauss – binary oppositions: Masculine VS feminine – Expectations of women in the past was to be feminine, however, the character of Letty in The fast and furious 7 challenges this dominate expectations by embracing her power

Quotes:

·         ‘Guardian research shows that many are over-whelming male dominated - http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/oct/23/women-media-representation-online-news

·         ‘Women have less power and control over things’ - http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/oct/23/women-media-representation-online-news

Paragraph 3 (200 words)

Second historical text – ‘All about my mother’

·         The representation of women and men is different in both media texts – say how

·         Textual analysis

·         Compare to fast and furious 7

·         Connotations & denotations?

Theories:

·         Stuart hall – Oppositional reading

·         Perkins: Stereotypes are not always negative – could use for FF7

Quotes:

·         “The empowerment of women is so important. World poverty, world hunger, health issues – all of this stuff lies within the empowerment of young girls and women” - http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/sep/30/female-leaders-gather-to-underline-importance-of-educating-girls

·         The glass ceiling preventing women from obtaining top job -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKqF0wcGhIE

·         Women being a caregiver, staying at home cooking and cleaning, whilst the husband – a breadwinner go to work and earns - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibiwHRVwCyc

Paragraph 4 – Primary text

Fast and furious 7

·         Textual analysis - paragrapgh on this

·       
            Another paragraph on this: Issues/debates: Representation and stereotyping, Ownership and control, Media technology and the digital revolution, The effect of globalisation on the media – expand on each point

Quotes:

·         Liberal feminists, those who believe that men and women are created equal and should be treated as such, would likely consider film franchises such as X-Men and The Fast and the Furious feminist as women fight alongside men, although they inhabit male dominated universes. https://blogs.wellesley.edu/cams20201fa13/2013/12/09/viewing-cams-202-through-a-lens-of-gender-and-sexuality/

·         ‘Previous research shows that few women hold positions of power and importance on screen’

·         Women’s faces and bodies have been advertised all over the media and is portrayed in a dirty way. For example, a woman is seen on the front page of a burger advertisement, her mouth is wide open and the long burger is opposite to her mouth, symbolising a male’s private part - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcpBFFClymY

·         women are often stereotyped and sexualized when they are depicted in popular content

·         ‘Rich, masculine, hot, sexy, Mac Mach, Perfect’

·         ‘In the media, they have become increasingly lean and muscular’

Paragraph 5 – Secondary text

Catwoman

The movie Catwoman contradicts my issue about how females are portrayed as sex objects in the media. Patience, the main protagonist, is seen as dominant and powerful; however she is represented in a seductive way, showing that the progress of feminism has not been that successful.

·         Textual analysis

Quotes:

·         "She spends her time using men as playthings in her scheme to better her life"  http://www.hollywood.com/news/movies/34622682/the-dark-knight-rises-why-anne-hathaway-s-catwoman-is-the-best-one-yet?page=all

·         TV commercials, ads and billboards stereotype women as sexual objects - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibiwHRVwCyc

·         Women are expected to look and act a certain way in order to uphold a feminine beauty ideal. http://gas.sagepub.com/site/misc/Index/Classroom/Media_Representations.xhtml

·         Male and female bodies are portrayed differently, with women’s body’s often commented on and male bodies, when commented on at all.  Female characters also engage in showcasing their sexiness and men are seen gazing at these women, two stereotypical behaviours of femininity and masculinity - http://gas.sagepub.com/site/misc/Index/Classroom/Media_Representations.xhtml

Theories –

·         Male gaze – Laura Mulvey

·         Dyer – stereotyping and power – those with power stereotype those with less power

·         Medhurst – stereotyping – Shorthand – fighting scene

Paragraph 6 –

This section will answer the question - To what extend does 'Fast and the Furious 7' reinforces gender stereotypes and how does this differ from Catwomen?

·         Fast and the furious 7 reinforces gender stereotypes and does this negatively. Whereas Catwoman does not, although the main protagonist is presented seductively…. ELABORATE…..

Quotes:

·         Women are expected to look and act a certain way in order to uphold a feminine beauty ideal.  – use this to back up Catwomen. http://gas.sagepub.com/site/misc/Index/Classroom/Media_Representations.xhtml

Paragraph 7 – This paragraph will talk about the ideas of feminism

·         What they believe in

·         Are they progressing in society? Yes or no? Use quotes to back this up

Quotes to support - 

  "Female characters have slowly but steadily evolved beyond the universal hostage, victims or conquest archetype and became the heroine of their own action" http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/01/the-rise-of-the-female-led-action-film/251678/

Paragraph 8 – Conclusion

·         Sum up my argument – Are these stereotypes negative or positive? elaborate

·         How does this have an impact on audiences?

·         Are they being influenced by it? How?

Media magazine notes

Media magazine notes

Bill Thompson: What does the internet do for me?

• Open to innovation
• Network is becoming seemless and very fast - accessible

Internet is valuable for free speech but is not yet safe

The internet is replacing many things such as newspapers

Ways to use the internet: 

• Connection
• Information
• Voices in your head
• Political action
• Cartias and campaighning 
• Financial reward
• Games
• Learning
• friendship

Downsides:

• Bullying
• Unwanted porn
• Images of child sexual abuse
• Abuse
• Scams and rip offs
• Fraud
• conspiracy theories
• The dark web

Over 50% of newspapers are controlled by billionaires e.g. Rupert Murdoch

Media representations: 

Stuart Hall - role of society - 'common-sense’

Rob Watson and Pete Fraser - film production

"Never simply about journalists behaving badly - it is about power

Media power:

Power over: 

• Media content
• journalists
• audiences
• government

Power to:

• censor
• mislead
• set the agenda

Media and democracy?

Diversity and plurality

Last few decades - 

• Rolling news
• Free newspapers
• mobile apps
• online news

Cut and paste journalists - 'cut and paste from the daily mail'

Hackgate - corruption of power

Chris Jeffres – documentary

Task 3 - historical text

Chosen historical text

The colour purple (1985)

A Southern black woman virtually sold into a life of servitude to her brutal husband. Celie pours out her innermost thoughts in letter form to her sister Nettie, but Albert has been hiding the letters Nettie writes back, allowing Celie to assume that Nettie is dead. Finally, Celie finds a champion in the don't-take-no-guff Sofia, the wife of Glover's son from a previous marriage. Alas, Sofia is "humbled" when she is beaten into submission by angry whites. Later, Celie is able to forge a strong friendship with Albert's mistress Shug. Emboldened by this, Celie begins rifling through her husband's belongings and finds Nettie's letters. Able at last to stand up to her husband, Celie leaves him to search for a new life on her own. 

How is it similar/different to your main text?

In the movie 'The colour purple', there are many similarities to the 'Fast and furious 7'. The women presented are seen as vulnerable and weak. They are portrayed as less powerful then the male characters.Their bodies have been abused and violate - dehumanising them. The males are seen as dominant and superior and in control of the women. For example, in the historical text, the male abuses the female and in the fast and furious 7, the women are told to dance for entertainment- mainly for males audiences pleasure. 

Although they do have a couple of differences. For example, in FF7 there is an anomaly. Letty is seen as powerful and strong, whereas in The colour purple all the women are helpless ans susceptible. So there is some equality shown in Fast and furious 7.

How does this show how genre/society/issue has changed?

This shows that the gains of feminism have been slightly successful in society today. This is due to the fact that in the past, women were being dehumanised and abused, however due to changes in society women are slowly increasingly becoming equal to men and are more independent rather than dependent. This is clearly seen in fast and furious 7 during the fighting scene between two female characters. The fact that the fight was so intense suggests that women are becoming more and more powerful everyday. 

All about my mother (1999)

The movie is about a single mother in Madrid sees her only son die on his 17th birthday as he runs to seek an actress's autograph. She goes to Barcelona to find the lad's father, a transvestite named Lola who does not know he has a child. First she finds her friend, Agrado, a wild yet caring transvestite; through him she meets Rosa, a young nun bound for El Salvador, but instead finds out she is pregnant by Lola. Manuela becomes the personal assistant of Huma Rojo, the actress her son admired, by helping Huma manage Nina, the co-star and Huma's lover. However, Agrado soon takes over when Manuela must care for Hermana Rosa's risky pregnancy. With echos of Lorca, "All About Eve," and " A Streetcar Named Desire," the mothers (and fathers and actors) live out grief, love, and friendship.

How is it similar/different to your main text?

In the movie 'all  about my mother', there are many similarities to 'Fast and furiois 7'. For example the women are still seen as vulnerable and weak. Their typical stereotypes are being presented for example, women are seen as mothers (Pauls wife) and caring - which is written in the trailer of the movie.

However, there are also a couple of differences between the two texts. In the movie 'All about my mother' the men are portrayed as women, they are presented wearing female clothing and make-up (cross-dressing), whereas in the 'Fast and furious 7' men are seen as powerful and dominant. Also, in the historical text, women are not seen as sexual objects, rather a housewife/caregiver. However, in the fast and furious 7 they are.

How does this show how genre/society/issue has changed?

This shows that womens position in society is still stereotyped negatively. They are seen as weak and helpless compared to males. It shows that there has been no major progress to women gaining equality to men. Inequality between males and females still exist in society today. 

One-to-one feedback

Notes & Quotes document just over 2,500 – a slight concern as many people are at 4,000+ by now. Good to see Textual Analysis (Task #1) and that is a separate blog post so would put up your word count if added to the N&Q doc. Need to take out the conference notes in the middle of it – these should be on a separate blog post.

Textual analysis looking solid in Task #1 – lacking the depth and detail for level 4 currently but plenty of opportunity to go back and add to this when you write your first draft. F&F7 stronger than Catwoman currently.

Academic books/journals is clearly an area to focus on over the next two weeks. Only 3 books at present and you need a minimum of 10+. The BFI trip will help with this but obviously you’ll need more on top of this. There are some really easy wins here in terms of improving this – the books in DF07 for a start. Feminism at the Movies – it’s on a plate for you!

If research seems to be more on female representations rather than men, perhaps consider changing the question slightly and then simply having one paragraph of your essay plan (Task #4) covering the other side of the argument – male representation.

There are at least seven PDFs in our archive that link to women in film. There are also five that link to males if you want to keep the question across both genders. Be careful with this – you may find it more helpful to narrow the focus of your investigation to ensure you get sufficient depth to your research and analysis.

This link has one great quote to consider: https://blogs.wellesley.edu/cams20201fa13/2013/12/09/viewing-cams-202-through-a-lens-of-gender-and-sexuality/

Research the Bechdel test – it’s a brilliant example of how women are sidelined in film.

Widen your search away from Fast & Furious and look at gender representation and feminism more generally. This will create far more opportunities for academic book and journal research. Also, media theory – you need to research the big feminist theories out there.

Web research is looking strong – a great cross-section of articles, TED talks, YouTube clips etc. This will all add a lot to your research as long as you have the academic theory to back it up.

I’d still look for more internet-based research – this will be one of next week’s tasks so come back to it then.

Bibliography (Task #2) is looking weak and needs to be a priority – get that done this week.

1. Go back to my textual analysis and include more. I havent written about SHEP so i need to add this on
2. Add more academic books into my notes and quotes. go onto the student resources and read the 7 articles on males and add to it
3. Mention the Bechdal test

Task 2 - Biblography

Bibliography

The new York Times. (2015, October Monday). Retrieved from Rose McGowan Pushes Own Agenda at Bipartisan Conference: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/fashion/rose-mcgowan-pushes-own-agenda-at-bipartisan-conference.html?ref=topics&_r=0

Dr. Stacy L. Smith, M. C. (n.d.). Gender bias without borders. Los Angeles.

Evans, J. N. (2012, October Tuesday). The Guardian. Retrieved from Women's representation in media: readers preferences for online news revealed: http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/oct/23/women-media-representation-online-news

Evans, J. N. (2015, October Tuesday). The Guardian. Retrieved from Women's representation in media: readers preferences for online news revealed: http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/oct/23/women-media-representation-online-news

Gajanan, M. (2015, September Wednesday). The Guardian . Retrieved from Female leaders gather to underline importance of educating girls: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/sep/30/female-leaders-gather-to-underline-importance-of-educating-girls

Lisa Evans, L. C. (2012, September Friday). The Guardian . Retrieved from Women's representation in media: the best data on the subject to date: http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/sep/07/gender-media-best-data-available

Portrayal of age and gender in films. (n.d.).

Representation of masculinities and men’s body in the popular media – student resources. (n.d.).

Ridgeway, C. L. (2011). How gender inequality exits in the modern world. USA: Cecilia L. Ridgeway.

Velding, V. (n.d.). Gender & Society in the Classroom: Media Representations. Retrieved from Sage Journals : http://gas.sagepub.com/site/misc/Index/Classroom/Media_Representations.xhtml

Zorana&Mičić!! (n.d.). Female Interactions on Film: Beyond the Bechdel Test. Stockholm!University!

Task 1 - Textual analysis

Textual analysis

Fast and the furious 7

Media Forms

In the extract shown above, the women have been portrayed as vulnerable and are presented as sexual objects. At 9 seconds into the clip, we immediately see a high angle shot of women painted in gold wearing a bikini which camouflages in with her shimmery skin making out as if she is fully naked. The use of a high angle shots shows the audiences her weakness and how she is defenceless. We see her dancing using slow movements, bending over and touching her legs, but no one is taking notice of her. This suggests she isn't respected and is only there for decoration purposes, she can almost pass off as is she is a trophy - something to be won. In addition, a close-up tilt shot is used on one of the dancing women, enhancing her feminine features and emphasises the fact that she is only there for entertainment reasons.

Although, a few seconds later a low angle shot is used on her allowing the audiences to see her whole body from different angles. Furthermore, the camera shows two women walking by, but their faces are not being shown, instead it’s their buttocks, suggesting that women are just seen as objects rather than an actual human. Lastly, the camera mostly films the women dancing rather than the men. This can be linked nicely to Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze, where women are presented for males to look at. It can also link to Berger’s theory ‘men act and women appear, suggesting that women are only used for amusement. However, as the extract progresses, we come across the main male characters who are dressed smartly wearing a suit and tie. They look dominant and powerful and seem as if they are in control with the current situation, compared to the women. This suggests that men are portrayed positively and women as negatively in the media. Feminists would argue that women are oppressed and subordinated by men, which is clearly seen in the media. Also, the one of the protagonists is seen making a speech to distract the guests and guards from seeing what the others are doing. The fact that a male is speaking suggests that women are not capable of making a speech in front of crowd.

In addition, the lighting used is high-key lighting which allows us to see everything within the extract; the sound is quite up-beat and fast which links to the speed of the cars. The sound played was parallel to the scene presented as it followed what was happening in it.

Narrative

Todorovs theory can be applied to the extract. For example, the equilibrium is where they are seen where all the characters are dancing and enjoying the party. The disequilibrium is where Gibson is seen making a small speech at the party which wasn’t planned for it and so was unusual to everyone else. The guards get suspicious and try arresting him. The new equilibrium is where he manages to run away from the guards and saves himself.

SHEP

Social 

• It creates a dominant representation on the genders in the media for the audiences
• objectified women in the media
• Men as more powerful and women as weak

Historical

• Women have changed dramatically in the media. They went from being reserved to now seen as sexual objects. 
• Seen wearing skimpy clothing
• Are exploited more by men then before
• Before, it was about their voice and now its all about their bodies

Economic

• The revenue - “Furious 7” has grossed $735.2 million overseas in 17 days and $273.7 million in North America after 15 days — making it the fastest movie to reach $1 billion.
• Profit - FF7 made a significant profit of $1.37 billion
• Cost to make it: $119 million 
• Box office: $1.512 billion

Political

• Equal pay
• Feminism

 Issues/Debates

Representation and stereotyping - This relates to my study as audiences are always representing females as sexual objects in the media as well as stereotyping them as weak and vulnerable which has been portrayed in Fast and furious.

·         Ownership and control - Control is seen where they were a given task to terminate Shaw

·         Media technology and the digital revolution – This relates to my study as it shows that technology has improved dramatically, which helps the editors to allow the audiences to see how women are really portrayed in the media

·         The effect of globalisation on the media - this relates to my topic as it shows that due to globalisation, representations of genders in the media have been influenced by society. 

Theories

·         Semiotics - This was introduced by Barthes and is about signs and denotations. The denotations of the costumes in FF7 such as their skimpy clothing symbolises freedom and individuality.

·         Gender and ethnicity - This relates to my study as the whole idea is about gender. The way both males and females are being represented in the media and how this has a huge damaging effect on the audiences.

·         Audience theories - For example the hypodermic needle model which injects information into the audiences head. This relates to my text as the way females are represented in the film e.g seen as sexual objects, this could inject a message in the audiences minds that it is okay for women to be seen as that. 

Catwomen

Media form

In this extract of the Catwoman, Patience (the main character) is seen running on her two arms and legs (exactly the way cats do) up against the walls showing her talents and skills. The fact that the camera speeds up dramatically whilsts she is running shows her quickness and agility. As the extract progresses we see Patience fighting against four men. Another use of the camera speeding up dramatically shows us how quickly she's knocking the men out - showing her strength and dominance. This contradicts the stereotypes audiences give women and women in the media as it tells us that women can be powerful and stronger than men and are not the negative representations we give them.

 In addition, close-up shots are used on her face to see her facial expressions. In this case, we see anger and thirst portrayed all over her face suggesting that she is after something and wants it before the villains grab it. This shows the audiences that she is mighty and authoritative and won’t stop until she succeeds. However, as she is a female character and they are presented as sexual objects in the media, she is seen wearing a figure hugging black outfit to emphasise her feminine features. Also, her bright red lipstick highlights her sexuality and seductiveness. Moreover, her mask covers her identity. As she is a women, the audience do not need to take any notice of her apart from her skills, almost as if her face/sex does not matter. 

Narrative 

Todorovs theory can be applied here. The equilibrium is where Catwomen is seen at the beginning of the extract is seductively walking into the jewellery shop. The disequilibrium is where she starts fighting against the male thief’s and the new equilibrium is where she walks away with the jewellery in her hands.  

SHEP

Social

• ·         It creates an alternative representation of women in the media as Catowomen is seen as dominant and powerful.
• ·         The men are seen as less powerful in this movie

Historical

• Women have changed dramatically in the media. They went from being reserved to now seen as sexual objects. 
• Seen wearing skimpy clothing, but she is the main protagonist
• Are exploited more by men then before, but in this extract she is seen more powerful than men
• Before, it was about their voice and now it’s all about their bodies

Economic

• ·         Budget: 100 million
• ·         Box office: £40.2 million
• ·         Revenue

Political 
Equal pay