For my media coursework I chose to create a short film in the fantasy genre. Having studied many of the conventions of the fantasy genre I came to the conclusion that my film would be based around the notion of a magical race of creatures (a key element to the fantasy genre) and the idea of a hero on a journey of self-discovery against a dark lord or villain. My short film follows the story of a woodland nymph named Melodie as she breaks away from what she knows in order to defeat the evil in form of the Woodland Queen.
I used a range of short film conventions in my short film. When I first started researching short film conventions I decided to search for short films from the fantasy short films on websites such as YouTube and shortoftheweek.com. In doing this I found two films that really inspired me called ‘Honorbound’ and ‘Ranger’ which were both set in a medieval fantasy filmic world. After watching a selection of short films I discovered that short films normally focus on one or two main characters and have a short running time that can range from around three minutes up to forty minutes. I found that short films such as ‘Ranger’ and a similar film called ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ - that were both over half an hour long - were exceptionally well made but the costumes and weapons looked authentic enough to be intimidating for me as a student filmmaker with a very limited budget. Upon looking at costumes such as those worn in the two films I discovered that just parts of some of the costumes cost over £100! I also realised that short films have a reasonably simplistic storyline that is normally followed by a plot twist, as can be seen in ‘Ranger’ when Ranger leaves on his journey only to be attacked. Short films also seem to have an abstract or creative element, a low budget and a niche audience. As well as this, I realised that short films are expected to have a very niche audience, especially when it comes to short films as fantasy films which are normally stretched out over hours of battles and trekking over mystical lands with complex plots.
When studying the conventions of a fantasy film I learnt that films that classify as part of the genre tend to include fantastical themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds - linking closely to the science-fiction genre which I studied last year in form of the dystopian category. The fantasy genre is normally separated into three categories: Speculative Fiction, High Fantasy and Sword and Sorcery. Both categories typically use medieval settings, wizards, magical creatures and other elements commonly associated with fantasy stories such as elements of wonder, escapism and the extraordinary. It typically strays from reality, featuring fictional beings like mythical creatures and supernatural entities. All of this is also part the speculative fiction genre, including elements, settings and characters created out of imagination and speculation rather than based on reality and everyday life. This meant that I had a lot to work with and that I could be as imaginative as I wanted with my storyline as well as drawing on aspects of mythology, folklore and legends that I might find inspiring. High Fantasy films tend to feature a more richly developed fantasy world, and may also be more character-oriented or thematically complex. Often, they feature a hero of humble origins and a clear distinction between good and evil battling. This can be seen in the film adaptation of J.R.R.Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ as it follows the journey of Frodo Baggins who has must destroy the One Ring (due to his clear distinction between good and evil) as he makes his way through Middle Earth, a highly developed fantasy world full of hobbits, men, elves, dwarves and all matter of strange creatures. In comparison, Sword and Sorcery tends to be more plot-driven than High Fantasy and focus heavily on action sequences, often putting a physically powerful via the use of the unsophisticated warrior against a supernaturally endowed enemy. This can be seen in the film adaptation of Christopher Paolini’s epic ‘Eragon’ when farm boy Eragon must train to defeat the evil King Galbatorix. Although Sword and Sorcery films sometimes describe an epic battle between good and evil - similar to those found in many High Fantasy movies - they may alternately present the hero as having more immediate motivations, such as the need to protect a vulnerable girl or village, or even being driven by the desire for vengeance. In regards to my own short film, ‘Halfbreed’ can be seen as as combination of both the Speculative Fiction category due to the imaginative creation of the nymphs, however this also merges with the ideas from the ‘High Fantasy’ and the ‘Sword and Sorcery’ categories due to the nymph being regarded as magical creatures as well as the the desire for vengeance.
Fantasy film conventions also tend to include a dark lord, a battle between good vs evil, a hero, medievalism, a quest and magical races. My film subverts the notion of a dark ‘lord’ and instead presents the antagonist of the film as a ‘dark lady’ in form of the Woodland Queen. A stereotypical dark lord is presented as the leader of the forces of the evil, possessing dark qualities, evil magical abilities, such as necromancy, and are normally portrayed as outcast and as a lone figure.. Examples of dark lords and ladies can be seen in fantasy works such as ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ with the character of Jadis/The White Witch or Melkor in ‘The Silmarillion’. The character of the Woodland Queen in my film does follow these conventions as she is a lone figure and is traditionally dressed in dark clothes. As well as this, my film also subverts the notion of a film having a hero as the protagonist. In my film the protagonist, Melodie, can be described as an anti-hero (a character divided between both light and dark) as she works for the Woodland Queen yet she is also the one to defeat the Woodland Queen, still possessing hero qualities. Anti-heroes are becoming a more common element in modern day films as the protagonists in films and television such as ‘Deadpool’ and ‘Vikings’. A stereotypical hero in the fantasy genre normally has a normal background or are a maltreated person who grow throughout the film to become the hero of the story via the fulfilment of a dream. They occasionally also turn out to be unknown royalty which could arguably be symbolic of the recognition of inner worth amongst the characters and perhaps the audience. In this way, the character of Melodie does fit into this character as she has a disturbing background and is in fact royalty, being the Woodland Queen’s niece. My film also follows the conventions of medievalism as seen by the costume design and plot. The word ‘medievalism’ means to be drawn from myth, legend and folklore; the medievalism genre fits nicely with the idea of magical races with many races of intelligent creatures such as elves and dwarves often being drawn from medieval or pre-Christian roots of origin. Therefore my film fits nicely into this convention with all of the characters being part of the race of nymphs instead of humans.
I also use narrative conventions in my film. Todorov suggests that a film starts happy or calm until a problem disrupts this equilibrium. The problem is next recognised and the characters attempt to return to the equilibrium before the problem is resolved and normality returns. In regards to Todorov’s theory my film subverts some of the stages of the disruption of equilibrium before the equilibrium has been established. This is shown when Sienna runs through the forest with Melodie tracking her. In this way it presents Sienna already in a case of disruption as she attempts to loose Melodie in the forest and therefore fails to present an equilibrium at the start. The film later returns to Todorov’s theory as Melodie identifies the problem and the film ends with the death of the Woodland Queen.
In conclusion I have learnt a great deal about short films and fantasy conventions. Through creating my short film ‘Halfbreed’ I realised that to create not only a short film but also the foundations of any storyline in my chosen genre is by following a set of conventions unique to the genre and the film. This helped me analyse a range of films in my chosen genre including a selection of short films as well as hour-long epics such as ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Eragon’.
Thursday, 9 March 2017
Sunday, 19 February 2017
Collective Identity Essay
For many years, the media representations of women has helped to construct their collective identity, both positively and negatively. However, as David Gauntlett says, “Identity is complicated; everybody thinks they’ve got one,” and I believe this is true concerning the representation of women as no two representations are the same.
In a semiotic analysis of ‘Cosmopolitan’ over the last four years, we see, in the words of the article in March 2014 ‘What does this remind you of...?’ “Feminist creatives from the world of art, fashion, photography and craft have a new muse: the vagina. The female form is being objectified in new ways, this time by women and men keen to represent it in all its glory.” December 2016 cover-lines include ‘The Slut Diaries’ and ‘In Bed with Kourtney Kardashian’, suggesting casual sexism due to the use of the word ‘Slut’, and the problem pages are on the lines of ‘he broke my heart’. As usual, the cover model, Kourtney Kardashian, is looking sexy, lying on a rumpled bed sheet with tousled hair. This is in line with Winship’s theory that women are seeing themselves in the way that masculine culture has defined them. The forthright tackling of sex issues could be seen as refreshing. But this is complex - women are still being objectified, even though these are 'strong' women. According to Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory, one of the reasons people consume the media is for social interaction and identification with a role model who appears to have similar innovative ideas to your own in order to escape from the problems of the real world; however ‘Cosmopolitan’ in many ways conforms this theory bringing formally ‘taboo’ issues into the spotlight. In this way the collective identity of women is constructed positively, however is an overt sexualisation of women which could be interpreted as damaging to the construction of women's representation.
However, in magazines such as ‘Women’s Health’, the magazine acts more as a friendly adviser. This magazine conforms to Giddens’ theory of structuration as it tells the reader ‘What to do? How to act? Who to be?’ in didactic cover-lines such as ‘Shed 3, 5, 7+ kilos’. However, it also features articles such as 'The Weird New Way To Sleep Better', which is reassuring to the general reader. The December 2016 issue focuses on fixing common problems such as lack of sleep, hunger cravings, stress, skin blemishes and fat. It is all about makeup, hair and skincare. The cover model, Laura Whitmore, is an aspirational figure, but this is common in just about all lifestyle magazines. In contrast, the models in ‘Men’s Health’ magazine look challenging and have a manly gaze into the camera, the females in ‘Women’s Health’ look cheerful, friendly and glowing, more like a ‘friend’. If we consider that the model reflects the image promoted by the magazine, men are represented as overtly stereotypical 'male' role model, whilst the cover models in 'Women's Health' appear more diverse in appearance, promoting a healthy lifestyle rather than a particular 'look'.
Moreover the representation of women in film has been surrounded by controversy in recent years. When we look back over time, film representations of women have tended to be. For example, in Hitchcock’s 1958 thriller, ‘Vertigo’ where Kim Novak is presented as a typical ‘ice woman’ in the film – perfect, beautiful and unattainable. In fact Hitchcock has been criticised as a misogynist, which may be why all the women in his films, particularly ‘Vertigo’, are presented as weak, even damsels in distress-type characters.
If we compare this to more recent films such as ‘Suffragette' (2015), directed by Sarah Gavron, women are presented in a much more positive light. The Marxist theory is relevant here as the factory managers try to exercise absolute control over the working class women. However, eventually the women rebel, which can be related to Faucault’s ‘Techniques of the Self’ as the protagonist changes society and leads the rebellion to fight for votes for women.
Similarly, Disney has introduced strong female representations in its films in recent years too. For example, Moana (2016) is a stronger character than her male counterpart, who is a demigod. Her grandmother, too, is a wise figure who gives Moana strength while her father tries to 'protect' her. Alike to this, Meridith in Brave (2012) fights for her own hand in marriage subverting the stereotypical Disney princess characterisation as she fights for her own freedom as well as acting as a powerful hero in saving her own mother. Disney have also subverted the female stereotype of requiring rescuing by a male hero as can be seen in Frozen (2013) which instead explores the idea of women standing up for each other through the relationship of sisters Anna and Elsa, as well as choosing to characterise elder sister Elsa as a female villain but as one that the audience can sympathise with instead of the stereotypical ‘ice woman’ seen in Hitchcock’s films.
Furthermore, films such as ‘Divergent’ (2014) directed by Neil Burger, totally subvert the idea of gender and therefore links to Butler’s idea of gender as a performance. The protagonist Tris changes her actions mentally in order to fit into the male-led society. However, women are in top leadership positions in this film.
In advertisements, women have been represented differently over the years. For example, in the Fairy Liquid adverts from the 1960s, the women are presented as stay-at-home mothers; she does educational activities with her young daughter whilst washing up. Even today, Mum is the main focus of the adverts. Fairy Liquid therefore conforms to the old fashioned hegemony that women belong in the home.
In conclusion, in the future I believe that there will be a rise in the number of feminist films, advertisements and magazines due to the current and increasing importance of Fourth Wave feminism, particularly after Emma Watson’s impassioned speech at the UN on gender equality. The collective identity of women is constantly changing in the media; as Judith Butler says, “Gender is a fluid variable” which “shifts and changes”.
In a semiotic analysis of ‘Cosmopolitan’ over the last four years, we see, in the words of the article in March 2014 ‘What does this remind you of...?’ “Feminist creatives from the world of art, fashion, photography and craft have a new muse: the vagina. The female form is being objectified in new ways, this time by women and men keen to represent it in all its glory.” December 2016 cover-lines include ‘The Slut Diaries’ and ‘In Bed with Kourtney Kardashian’, suggesting casual sexism due to the use of the word ‘Slut’, and the problem pages are on the lines of ‘he broke my heart’. As usual, the cover model, Kourtney Kardashian, is looking sexy, lying on a rumpled bed sheet with tousled hair. This is in line with Winship’s theory that women are seeing themselves in the way that masculine culture has defined them. The forthright tackling of sex issues could be seen as refreshing. But this is complex - women are still being objectified, even though these are 'strong' women. According to Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory, one of the reasons people consume the media is for social interaction and identification with a role model who appears to have similar innovative ideas to your own in order to escape from the problems of the real world; however ‘Cosmopolitan’ in many ways conforms this theory bringing formally ‘taboo’ issues into the spotlight. In this way the collective identity of women is constructed positively, however is an overt sexualisation of women which could be interpreted as damaging to the construction of women's representation.
However, in magazines such as ‘Women’s Health’, the magazine acts more as a friendly adviser. This magazine conforms to Giddens’ theory of structuration as it tells the reader ‘What to do? How to act? Who to be?’ in didactic cover-lines such as ‘Shed 3, 5, 7+ kilos’. However, it also features articles such as 'The Weird New Way To Sleep Better', which is reassuring to the general reader. The December 2016 issue focuses on fixing common problems such as lack of sleep, hunger cravings, stress, skin blemishes and fat. It is all about makeup, hair and skincare. The cover model, Laura Whitmore, is an aspirational figure, but this is common in just about all lifestyle magazines. In contrast, the models in ‘Men’s Health’ magazine look challenging and have a manly gaze into the camera, the females in ‘Women’s Health’ look cheerful, friendly and glowing, more like a ‘friend’. If we consider that the model reflects the image promoted by the magazine, men are represented as overtly stereotypical 'male' role model, whilst the cover models in 'Women's Health' appear more diverse in appearance, promoting a healthy lifestyle rather than a particular 'look'.
Moreover the representation of women in film has been surrounded by controversy in recent years. When we look back over time, film representations of women have tended to be. For example, in Hitchcock’s 1958 thriller, ‘Vertigo’ where Kim Novak is presented as a typical ‘ice woman’ in the film – perfect, beautiful and unattainable. In fact Hitchcock has been criticised as a misogynist, which may be why all the women in his films, particularly ‘Vertigo’, are presented as weak, even damsels in distress-type characters.
If we compare this to more recent films such as ‘Suffragette' (2015), directed by Sarah Gavron, women are presented in a much more positive light. The Marxist theory is relevant here as the factory managers try to exercise absolute control over the working class women. However, eventually the women rebel, which can be related to Faucault’s ‘Techniques of the Self’ as the protagonist changes society and leads the rebellion to fight for votes for women.
Similarly, Disney has introduced strong female representations in its films in recent years too. For example, Moana (2016) is a stronger character than her male counterpart, who is a demigod. Her grandmother, too, is a wise figure who gives Moana strength while her father tries to 'protect' her. Alike to this, Meridith in Brave (2012) fights for her own hand in marriage subverting the stereotypical Disney princess characterisation as she fights for her own freedom as well as acting as a powerful hero in saving her own mother. Disney have also subverted the female stereotype of requiring rescuing by a male hero as can be seen in Frozen (2013) which instead explores the idea of women standing up for each other through the relationship of sisters Anna and Elsa, as well as choosing to characterise elder sister Elsa as a female villain but as one that the audience can sympathise with instead of the stereotypical ‘ice woman’ seen in Hitchcock’s films.
Furthermore, films such as ‘Divergent’ (2014) directed by Neil Burger, totally subvert the idea of gender and therefore links to Butler’s idea of gender as a performance. The protagonist Tris changes her actions mentally in order to fit into the male-led society. However, women are in top leadership positions in this film.
In advertisements, women have been represented differently over the years. For example, in the Fairy Liquid adverts from the 1960s, the women are presented as stay-at-home mothers; she does educational activities with her young daughter whilst washing up. Even today, Mum is the main focus of the adverts. Fairy Liquid therefore conforms to the old fashioned hegemony that women belong in the home.
In conclusion, in the future I believe that there will be a rise in the number of feminist films, advertisements and magazines due to the current and increasing importance of Fourth Wave feminism, particularly after Emma Watson’s impassioned speech at the UN on gender equality. The collective identity of women is constantly changing in the media; as Judith Butler says, “Gender is a fluid variable” which “shifts and changes”.
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