MACS 100 Midterm

2 main points of analysis in Film studies

1. Formal/aesthetic

2. Social/ideological

What was the importance of the grieving man in the avengers

only gay man in avengers -- underrepresentation of lgbtq+

What is auteur

Directors with dominant creative voices in the production of a media text

Arguements for film as art

creativity, formal coherence, moral depth, sublime experience

qualities of realism

long takes, available light, locations

qualities of formalism

montage, editing, assembling shots. Manipulation of realism by compressing time or building meaning

What is mise en scene

arrangement of objects on the screen

components of mise en scene

composition, lighting, image, staging

different types of lighting (9)

studio, location, practical, directed, natural, diffuse, backlighting, german expressionism, film noir

Components of Narrative

story, plot, narration

what is "story"

events depicted or implied within a media text (depicted graphically, in dialogue, suggested through behavior)

what is plot?

structure of events (placing fight scenes strategically within the movie)

example of editing

- linking shots

- setting pace

- building scenes

- building sequence

- building units of menaing

define ideology

a system of ideas or assumptions that guide beliefs and behavior

(a set of values)

what is representation

to stand in for someone or something as a form of representation (ex. a congress man representing a large group of people)

re-presentation

media technologies are incapable of fully recreating the material world

define genre

a category of media text

define conventions

signs that reassure spectators that they are viewing a specific genre

define fomula

patterns made up of mixed and combined conventions

How is Genre a "social contract?"

the creation of films are impacted by genre expectations. Genres emerge through trial and error

Are genres universal?

They are not recognized globally

wuxia film? genre recognized?

chinese martial arts characterized by fantasy narratives, not familiar in america

how do genres change?

keep essential conventions intact while formulas change to keep audience engaged

conventions of comedy?

-emphasize gags over story

- happy ending

- character defined by physial feature

- the physical triumphs over intellectual

conventions of screwball comedy

- popular in 30s/40s

- fast talking

- verbal humor

- sexual tension replaced with barbed dialogue

conventions of rom com

- happiness

- emotional attraction is lighthearted

- awkward social predicament

conventions of horror movie?

- suspense/shock

- fear: psychological; sexual; social; etc.

- pervasiveness suggests cultural ritual

- admitting fears as a communal experience

characters with physical/psychological/spiritual abnormality

supernatural horror conventions?

- "spirtual evil" within the Human realm

- avenging a "moral wrong"

slasher film conventions?

- psychology of charter second to grisly violence

- relentless, unstoppable, frequently masked antagonist

- presence of "final girl"

"Rom-Coms Were Corny and Retrograde. Why Do I Miss Them so Much?"

what are its crticisms of rom coms?

- gender representation outdated and retrograde

- idealization of the search for love is unrealistic

"Rom-Coms Were Corny and Retrograde. Why Do I Miss Them so Much?"

what are the articles positives?

only genre where people interact meaningfully

"4 Reasons Why The Mindy Project Is a Rom-Com for the Real World"

what are those reasons?

self-sufficient

crass humor

appetite

believes in her worth

what is final girl?

the last girl standing at the end of a slasher film (horror)

what are the final girls traits?

- virginal and virtuous

- unisex name

- reflection of how society consumes horror and violence

who came up with the term "the final girl"?

Carol J. Clover

What does Stuart Hall mean when he refers to race as a "floating signifier?"

stereotypes and the meanings they produce are always changing

What was Har kondabolu's criticism of The Simpsons' Apu and its impact of South Asian Americans

- audience has the right to confront what is on screen if it undermines their real world experiences

- south AA felt offended because this characters stereotypes did not reflect them well

analysis of sterotypes

- reveals patterns of prejudice

- addressed destructive impact of stereotypes

- defined stereotypes as form of social control, not an error of perception

what are pitfalls in regards to stereotypes?

- essentialism is oversimplified

- ahistorical and diorced from issues like colorism

- moralizing becomes an issue of good v bad

- racism is defined as individual not institutional

native american representation in Dances With Wolves

positives: casted native americans, pro-indigenous perspective, use of native language

negatives: split portrayal (bad pawnee/good sioux), focuses on the pasts and makes racism apart of history and not current

stereotypes of model minorities

- racial categories percieved by the dominant representative group to be " hardworking, productive, and untroublesome"

- ex. asian guy loves to do math problems

problems with Green Book?

- proposes a solution for racism by creating a relationship between a white and black character

- did not propose any historical or cultural authenticity

- made it seem like racism was contained to the south

what is colorblind casting?

putting POC in roles that could be played by a white person

problems with colorblind casting?

- takes away form potential moments to go in depth with their experiences

- not acknowledging color is the same as ignoring inequities

what is color conciousness

identifies race practices

positives of color conciousness

- points out institutional racism

- "neutrality" of whiteness

- validate POC

What is hegemony?

the general direction imposed on social life by the dominant fundamental grup

ex. white men dominate media production and set the ideological agenda

define race

mixture of physical, behavioral, and cultural attributes

define ethnicity

differences between people based on language and culture

Hispanic representation in coco

- 1st pixar movie with minority lead

- latino voice actos

- fills frame with mexican culture

- code switches between spanish and english

strategic solutions offered by USC Annenberg diversity report to diversify media texts and production?

- set target inclusion goals

- combat explicit and implicit bias

- ensure environments do not trigger stereotypes

- support inclusive films

How is the trans community being erased from media texts

demographics are taken from US census which leaves out trans people who do not identify as either man or woman

What are judith butlers arguements of theories of gender?

- gender is both discourse and physical display

- everyone displays gender differently

- gender is not something we are but something we do

what are the practical consequences of judith butlers gender theories?

- gender neutral bathrooms

- academic arguement in popular culture

The "Mediaversity" Report for Booksmart

how does booksmart flip its own genre on its head?

women, one of which is gay, take on raunchy humor instead of the usual fare of straight boys affirming rape culture

WHat is the bechdel test?

1. is there more than one girl

2. do they talk to each other

3. do they talk about something other than dating

The "Mediaversity" Report for Booksmart

comments on race?

- every character is written with colorblindness

- no character has cultural touchpoints

- all characters could have been white

The NY Times article on "The Booksmart Conundrum"

what obstacles did booksmart face ?

released on the same weekend as live action Aladdin

The NY Times article on "The Booksmart Conundrum"

what are the consequences of the films box office failure?

Made only $26.6 million compared to Aladdin $170 million