GENRE THEORIES

CHANDLER

‘According to him, genres create order to simplify the mass of available information.’ ‘Chandler points out that very few works have all the characteristics of the genre in which they participate.

• Due to the interrelatedness of genres, none of them is clearly defined at the edges
• In his argument, genres tend to fade into each other, due to their interrelatedness
• Conventionally, genres are shaped by the conventions (themes/settings )which they follow.
• This conventions are distributed by the media texts which are regarded as belonging to them
• He argues that there is no absolute way to classify works, and this genres are still fluid

Examples:

An example would be Rammstein’s video for Mein Land. They are being ironic and creating a simulacrum. They are also ironising the male gaze with the close ups of bikini bottoms while this isnt their actual approach to gender.

Another example is the Thriller music video by Michael Jackson. The song is of a pop ‘genre’, however the music videos follows a counter-typical approach with connotations of horror stereotypically used by rock or death metal bands.

Another example is the music video for Sepultura - Ratamahatta. Brazilian Thrash metal band, but the music video doesn't reinforce verisimilitude of the instruments. There is an underlying horror theme, however it doesn’t follow all the conventions of thrash metal.

MITTEL 

Jason Mittell (2001) argues that genres are cultural categories that surpass the boundaries of media texts and operate within industry, audience, and cultural practices as well. In short, industries use genre to sell products to audiences. Media producers use familiar codes and conventions that often make cultural references to their audience’s knowledge of society + other texts. The genre allows audiences to make choices about what products they want to consume through acceptance in order to fulfill a particular pleasure.

GOODWIN

His starting point is that there are distinct video conventions for each musical genre (e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routines for boy/girl bands). This will most often, and at its simplest, come through performance footage: costume/make-up, dance/body language, focus (or not) on instruments and playing ability.

FISKE

John Fiske (1989) defines genres as ‘attempts to structure some order into the wide range of texts and meanings that circulate in our culture for the convenience of both producers and audiences.’

DAVID BORDWELL

David Bordwell notes, 'any theme may appear in any genre' (Bordwell 1989) ‘One could... argue that no set of necessary and sufficient conditions can mark off genres from other sorts of groupings in ways that all experts or ordinary film-goers would find acceptable'

ABERCROBIE

Nicholas Abercrombie (1996) suggests that 'the boundaries between genres are shifting and becoming more permeable' and argues that contemporary media (he specifically examined TV) is producing 'a steady dismantling of genre’

 

GENDER/QUEER THEORIES

BECHDEL WALLACE (1992) BECHDEL TEST:

To pass, the film or show must meet the following criteria: 1 It includes at least two women, 2 who have at least one conversation, and 3 about something other than men). The test was popularised by Alison Bechdel's comic.

This test isn't inherently an indicator if a movie is a feminist or if it is a good film or not. It's a test to see of there is a female presence in the movie and if they are engaging in things that are not men, however, it brings up a poignant issue that only 7% of films are directed by women, and there is a lack of female views in the industry. 

JOHN BERGER ‘Ways Of Seeing’ (1972)

“Men act and women appear”. “Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at”.

“Women are aware of being seen by a male spectator”

SCHWICHTENBERG (1992)

‘Action in the story is dominated by males who do things and females who passively react or wait for something to happen.’ 

LAURA MULVEY (1975) MALE GAZE: 

Laura Mulvey's theory is best known for her essay on Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. She is predominantly known for her theory regarding the sexual objectification of women in the media, more commonly known as The Male Gaze theory where women in the media are viewed from the eyes of a heterosexual man, and that these women are represented as passive objects of male desire. Audiences are forced to view women from the point of view of a heterosexual male, making the dominant view masculine. The female body is displayed for the male gaze to provide erotic pleasure for the male (voyeurism). Women are therefore objectified by the camera lens and whatever gender the spectator/audience is positioned to accept the masculine POV.

Typical examples of the male gaze include medium close-up shots of women from over the shoulder, shots that pan and fixate on a woman’s body and close-ups of the mouth, and scenes that frequently occur which show a man actively observing a passive woman.

Our video - male gaze seen in the high angle of a low cut top

Our video - male gaze seen in the liquid being poured

Example in music video: Welcome to the Jungle video by Guns n’Roses we follow singer Axl Rose’s gaze and slowly pan up the long legs of a woman in high heels, a close-up of her but and then cut away. 

Guns n'Roses - Welcome to the Jungle male gaze in the medium close-up lingering on her lower body

Clover and Kaplan put forward points that counter Mulvey’s view, while the male gaze theory has also been attacked as having a simplistic view of a passive audience – postfeminist analysis, by contrast, tends to assume highly active audiences able to interpret or read texts, not be guided or constrained by a male-dominated, patriarchal encoded view.

Our video - post-feminist reading, we are rejecting the male gaze

 

JIB FOWLES (1996)

“in advertising, males gaze and females are gazed at”.

PAUL MESSARIS (1997)

“Female models addressed to women....appear to imply a male point of view”.

JANICE WINSHIP (1987)

Her study of magazine covers is extremely influential.  “The gaze between cover model and women readers marks the complicity between women seeing themselves in the image masculine culture has defined”.

CAROLE CLOVER (1992) FINAL GIRL

If looking at video rather than film, the point here is that within narrative types that have been condemned as sexist, there may lie unappreciated counter-hegemonic representations which challenge the normative view. Whilst the final girl is partly a conservative archetype (her strength comes from sexual ‘purity’, ie virginity), ultimately she is the hero of the narrative and tougher, more resourceful than any male character – including the typically physically superior killer.

ANN KAPLAN (1978) FEMME FATALE

Kaplan used the example of the film noir genre to argue that the largely negative (from a feminist perspective) representations of women in film noir can actually be seen as inspirational; while the femmes fatales are essentially antagonists they display great power over men. Richard Dyer uses Kaplan to stress that representations are polysemic; competing readings are possible depending on the audience.

JUDITH BUTLER (1990) PERFORMATIVITY OF GENDER

Queer theorist Judith Butler (performativity of gender) also argues the binary opposite of gender is problematic. Gender is non-existent but performance is learnt, explicitly rejects binary gender opposition. 

'Gender reality is performative which means, quite simply, that it is real only to the extent that it is performed' (Butler, 1988). We learn to perform through the reinforcement of acceptable, ‘normal’ behavior through videos such as ours. We were aware of reflecting common stereotypes and encouraging such ‘performativity’ of gender. 
Judith Butler has written about how gender and sexual identities are wholly artificial constructs; concepts which do not have any objective meaning or exist in nature, but which we learn to perform through the reinforcement of acceptable, ‘normal’ behaviour through videos such as ours. We were aware of reflecting common stereotypes and encouraging such ‘performativity’ of gender, as Butler would put it, but felt that it was necessary to stay within the dominant discourse (as Fairclough would put it): we had fit within the expectations of the genre and our stated audience even if this meant being consciously heterormative, and indirectly contributing to the hegemonic perception of homosexuals as 'the other'. This highlights that genre is more than a neutral means of categorising content. Daniel Chandler has also raised similar points, arguing that genre texts provide a “reading position” for audiences; embedded within texts are assumptions about the 'ideal reader', including their attitudes towards the subject matter and often their class, age, gender and ethnicity.

Our video - polysemic reading of the drummer. Stereotypically male suit but long hair

ROUGH CUTS audience feedback/proof of directing

Rough cut 1: Bedroom and Kitchen scenes

This first rough cut includes the bedroom and kitchen shoot. It's missing text to explain what will go where as a "performance scene" will interrupt the intro before coming in at the end with the TV. This served to test out different transitions between scenes, including a match cut with the bedroom OR to the kitchen OR and a zoom cut into the TV, transitioning to the performance scene. We did not experiment with colouring yet which may be necessary later. A fade from black in the start would also be a good addition as it would fit the music fade in. It's also missing the notification simulacrum to put the bullying and crying into context.

Rough cut 2: Bedroom and Kitchen scenes

Not much changed in this cut, the text was added to help participants in audience feedback and a gradual, key framed fade from black was added.

Rough cut 3: Bathroom scenes

This rough cut is exclusively the bathroom scene, we experimented with masking in FCPX to create this effect of two different ORs in the mirror. The lighting of this location is quite harsh and some colour correcting may be necessary to create more of a strange atmosphere but also pop imagery. I believe the slow-mos and jump cuts look good as it makes this last verse more dramatic and cartoony, in addition it serves as a disruption/repair in the narrative (Todorov). 

Audience feedback:

Audience feedback summary:

• Using the music for action to fall on beat
• Cut zooms 
• Layering boots 
• Rewind / reverse movements
• Punchier editing 
• Fix frame cuts (framing changes with jump cuts)
• Speed up to slow mo 
• More stages of jump cut
• Cut from wet to pour and back
• Jump zooms
• Comic book effect for big expressions
• Finger lick is effective 

Rough cut 4

Audience feedback:

Audience feedback summary:

What do you think the music genre is and why?

pop/pop rock, grunge elements to the main character

What do you think the target audience would be?

Female 15-24, school setting, secondary audience under 15 girls

Are there any specific areas that need improvement?

The ending needed more shot variety

Any elements of intertextuality that stand out to you?

Posters and horror intertextual reference of Carrie

Would you be able to identify the preferred reading of a romantic relationship between Olivia and guitarists?

A polysemic reading, it could be anchored better. 

Proof of directing:

We all undertook different roles:

- Directing

- Cinematography

- Set-dressing

BEDROOM SCENE - evidence of be filming + set dressing

BEDROOM SCENE - me behind the camera + directing

CAKE SCENE - me behind the camera + set dressing + direction

SAMPLE SCENE 6

Not permanent location, likely in a bathroom with blue stalls (more stereotypical and aesthetically pleasing). We will use slow-mo and jump cuts to exaggerate the action and well as post production edits to make it punchy. The verse is also very short so minimal lip-syncing to properly convey the narrative. In this sample, it isn't very obvious but there are two characters who will be dressed differently with extreme makeup on one and not the other. The two characters should be binary opposites of each other. 

SAMPLE SCENE 5

It was important  for us to figure out transition from previous scene, maybe a fade or match cut with cake. We will include pink mise-en-scene and alternative clothing and makeup. The upside-down mugs we used in this sample will be cupcakes with BRUTAL written on them, the cork board will be a fake cake with 17 written on top. We will also include candle lighting. Transition to performance through an old TV.

SAMPLE SCENE 4

 As part of our performance aspect of the music video, we originally intended to use real instruments, but we then decided against it, and inspired by Lost in the Sound by Toy Boy, we opted for using Guitar Hero toy instruments. We also experimented with a digital background by using a screen. We used a pink wig for the colour pop, contrasting with the rest of the clothes and background, as well as the additinal colour correction in FCPX. 

We used a pink wig for colour pop and contrast with the rest of the clothes and background, the back is a TV to replicate the spray-painted walls. We added colour correction for even more pink. It was difficult to get different shot types as I was alone filming with a tripod. Here we were also testing the use of Guitar Hero gear instead of real instruments, I thought of adding Guitar Hero overlays in low opacity, another sample is needed with the "other band mates" and more handheld movement shots as well as the use of the Guitar Hero drum. 

SAMPLE SCENE 3

THE BEDROOM SCENE:

To visualize the technology and effects we were going to use during the bedroom scene to anchor the themes of cyberbullying. I started by creating the visuals in photoshop. 

After intricate key framing and using the transform tool in FCPX I was able to achieve the effect of messages popping up on screen. 

We then applied the mise-en-scene we wanted to use for our final shot, as well as the location we were planning to use. The poster we chose connotes the character's interests and the shift in her behavior, as well as an opportunity for multitude of intertextuality, with American coming-of-age media for an older secondary audience. 

This is the location we will use for the final shoot, posters are seen to connote the character's personality and interests, it's also an opportunity for intertextuality. The posters represent how she idolizes American coming-of-age films and content. 

Post-sample scene thoughts:

- More mise-en-scene

- Outfit change

- Lighting more precise 

- PInk sheets

- Needs a stronger opening shot

- Change posters, more verisimilitude of teen bedroom