BFI Study Day: follow-up work

1) Type up your notes from the day.

Samaritans links to hooks theory as it shows women being objectified. Gender is inbuilt and socially constructed."Gender becomes a set of connotations that have become naturalised"
Gender fluidity is reinforced in the music video 'Stay Where You Are'. Women are sexualised since the skirt kept lifting up. The main singer is dressed to appeal to others. Van Zoonen said media is quite male dominated.
Denotation is what it is and connotation is it may be or what its  inferring. 
Barthes says meanings aren't fixed; they're open to interpretations. Denotation is actually just a dominant connotation.
Key postmodern ideas:
There is no essential 'truth' instead there is a multiplicity of 'truths', each equally valid 
Nothing is 'original' - art, style, even values 
Meta-narrative means a totalising cultural narrative, that organises thoughts and experiences into a grand 'story' that makes sense of our lives. 
Simularca- iimitation that seems more real than the things it is imitating.
Readerly texts- fixed meaning, passive reception. sit back and enjoy
Writerly' texts- spectators contribute to their experience. "lean forward".

2) Write a one-sentence summary of the ideas of the theorists Matthew Daintrey-Hall covered (you can use your notes from task 1 here if relevant):

bell hooks:
"Gender becomes a set of connotations that have become naturalized." Gender roles are constructed, men and women are victimised from a patriarchal society.  bell hooks believes that traditionally masculine attitudes and behaviours aren't natural but rather constructed by a patriarchal society.

Liesbet van Zoonen:

Believes that treatment of women hasn’t changed since the 1960s and we still need equality between men and women. Van Zoonen also believes that in a patriarchal society, woman bodies are sexualised and vulnerable whilst men's bodies are sexualised through power and strength.

Judith Butler:
Butlers main theories about gender is that gender is a performance: series of gestures, actions, behavioural and dress codes that construct an imaginary 'man' or woman.

Saussure:
Saw society as a system of institution and social norms that form a collective system that provides conditions for meaning-making and hence decisions and actions for individuals.

Barthes:

Roland Barthes believed that signs we assume are denotations are actually 'dominant connotations' that hide ideologies. He called these 'myths'.

Stuart Hall:
'Authors' encode their work with meaning audiences decode it in often very different ways.

Lyotard:
Lyotard believes a totalising cultural narrative, that organises thought and experiences into a 'grand 'story' that makes sense of our lives.

Baudrillard:
Baudrillard states “Hyperreality – a condition in which ‘reality’ has been replaced by simulacra.” ◦ Simulacra –when a sign loses its relation to reality, it begins to simulate a simulation (the process in which a representation of something comes to replace the thing which is actually being represented.


3) Choose one of the films we saw extracts from and watch the whole movie: Captain Fantastic (2016), Pulp Fiction (1994) or Inception (2010). Write a 300 word analysis of your chosen film using theories from the study day (use the exam paragraph structure we were shown on the day - theory introduction, examples from text, why this 'proves' or 'disproves' the theory).

The narrative of inception is a protagonist named Cobb who has his own unique of finding or stealing intel from somewhere. This is not done by hacking a computer or causing harm to civilians to gain valuable information, instead its done by tapping into someones thoughts and dreams to steal information. Cobb is given an opportunity to reunite with his children therefore agrees on taking on the mission to implant something, something known as inception. Inception inhabits stuart hall's reception theory in its narrative since the audience may have a different point of view. The preferred reading is the director is trying to deliver not a standard spy genre film that consists of robberies however, subverts normal spy genre movie as everything is done through manipulating thoughts in the mind. Whereas, the oppisitional reading is the audience may think this movie is too unrealistic and can not be generalised in real life since you can't really enter into someones mind. Personal identity may not be created since its all based on a fictional story.
Postmodernism can be applied to this movie since you see a lot of simularca where the imitation is more realistic than the thing that being imitated. In inception real life locations are created in the mind however altered to look more appealing to the audience. 

Blog task: Maybelline 'That Boss Life' case study and wider reading

Blog task: Maybelline 'That Boss Life' case study and wider reading 

'That Boss Life' close textual analysis

Use your notes from class to write about the connotations and representations created by the following technical and audio codes. Write at least a paragraph on each:

1) Narrative & genre: narrative theory and sub-genre
Equilibrium- The new equilibrium is established by using the mascara and going out in New York.
Prop: character types- hero: The mascara, Bellboy:helper/donor- masculine/sexuality, very male stereo-typically reflects his transformation with gender fluid times. 
Barthes: Gold suitcase- Action/Adventure element to prop
Genre- intertextuality 'Sex and the city'
 
2) Cinematography: camera shots and movement
Close-up of putting mascara on- illustrates that you're rich/prestigious/luxury when using mascara. Manny + Shayla 
Crane shot- Bellboy- at the beginning, the bell boy was in uniform. When he used the mascara at the end of the advert, he was in a gold suit.
 
3) Mise-en-scene: costume & props
The use of Mise-en-scene, especially the use of costume and props have been used effectively. The use of costume is used to effective. The use of glamours and eye-catching colours does this. For example, the use of the golden suits and the glittering outfits makes it stand out, which grips the audience. The use of props had to be used effectively, as essentially the whole advert is based on a prop, the mascara, and the use of colour and glittering effects again makes it more eye-catching, also the golden suitcase, creates a striking image for the image, as it is gold, which catches the audience eye, aswell as the mascara. 

4) Mise-en-scene: actors, setting, lighting and colour
The use of Mise-en-scene is effective, especially with the actors, they have used a "gay man" to advertise this advert, this is very good from Maybelline as it subverts gender stereotypes as men being masculine and also, advert like these always tend to be just women, but two of the characters are men, which subvert gender stereotypes. The use of setting is used to represent how glamours the mascara is, as it set in New York, which is an iconic city, and this advert tries to implement the glamour into the mascara.  The use of lighting is effective aswell as it mostly natural light used, but the glittering lighting is also used to present the mascara and also the suitcase, to portray it as glamours, this done through the colours, as they have used a glamorous gold colour to portray these objects, which catches the audience's eye.

 5) Editing: pace, transitions and visual effects
Throughout the advert, the pace of each shot varies. When the stars are applying the mascara, the pace is quite fast. This is backed up with the background music. However, at 0.23, when they through the suitcase in the air, the use of a slo mo, creates tension for the audience, as they want to know what happens next. Also it puts further effect on the mascara as the editor wants that to be the main focus. The use of sparkling effects is used when the mascara is applied, which could have connotations of how you feel better when you apply the mascara.

 6) Graphics: text/graphics on screen
Maybelline is across the screen throughout the clip, however it is very subtle, as you don't really notice when watching the advert. Right at the end, the big slogan of "Big Shot Like A Boss" is presented on the screen to present the brand, and essentially engages people to buy it as, it subtle suggesting if you use if you will become a "boss." The use of the big slogan is a contrast from the actually mascara, as it is shown to be more tachy, and different colours, however the product is gold and different font, which could be more appealing to a youthful audience. 

7) Sound: dialogue, music and sound effects

The use of music is matched with the face paced editing. The background music is face paced and creates an upbeat mood for the audience. The use of the glitter sound effects is used throughout the advert, to show how good the mascara is. The use of dialogue is over-exaggerated from Manny, which indicates how amazing he thinks the mascara is.

Maybelline 'That Boss Life': wider reading

Read the following articles on this campaign:

Glamour: Manny Gutierrez Is the First Man to Star in a Maybelline Campaign, and It’s a Huge Deal
Your Story: Cosmetics giant breaks gender stereotypes by choosing male model as a face of the brand
Adweek: Maybelline Recruits Manny Gutierrez as Its First Male Beauty Star

Complete the following questions/tasks:

1) Why was this campaign such a landmark for beauty product advertising?
Maybelline was a landmark for beauty product advertising since they use the male star and digital influencer, manny Gutierrez. He subverts typical male stereotypes as he is not seen as very masculine and takes on a very feminie role, also the digital influencer manny gutierrez brings about gender fluidity.


2) What do the articles suggest regarding the changing representation of sexuality and masculinity?
This article suggests that masculinity is evolving as it is adapting to the idea of gender fluidity, neutrality and different interpretation of hyper masculinity.

3) Read this WWD article: Maybelline Taps Digital Makeup Influencers for New Mascara Campaign. Why might 'digital influencers' be so attractive to companies?
One reason why they are attractive to their companies is that Gutierrez and Mitchell share a combined Instagram following of 5.1 million followers and a YouTube subscribership of 2.5 million.the digital influencer phenomenon has already spread to the mass market, and Maybelline is certainly not the first mass brand to add a male makeup enthusiast to its system — last year.

4) Why do you think Maybelline chose to use MannyMUA and MakeUpShayla in particular?
Due to their large fan base,  by using these two digital influencer, it will allow maybelline to be more recgonised, also maybelline is taking a different approach by using you-tubers than actual actors. As i said before, Gutierrez and Mitchell share a combined Instagram following of 5.1 million followers and a YouTube subscribership of 2.5 million which helps when promoting this advert as they already had a hold of a larger population that are interested. 


5) What does the WWD article suggest is the crucial factor for brands regardless of whether they use influencers or more traditional celebrities?
The crucial factors for brands depends on how larger their target audience is and the social media following. If they have a large target audience, it would make it easier to advertise their product and if they have a large social media following, it would allow them to reach younger consumers. As said: “It tends to be a younger brand attracting younger consumers for which the power of the influencers is really strong,” noted Liebmann. In today’s consumer climate, said Liebmann, celebrities aren’t totally out — but it helps if they have a social media following.
Media Magazine: The Changing Face of Masculinity

Now go to our Media Magazine archive and read the feature 'The Changing Face of Masculinity' in MM63 (page 15). This will allow us to compare our two advertising CSPs - the Score hair cream advert and the Maybelline digital campaign. Answer the following questions:

1) What message does the article suggest the Score hair cream advert is trying to communicate to the 1967 audience?
The ‘Score’ ad uses a large image of a grinning man dressed like a hunter with a rifle nestled in the crook of his arm. The advert is using female sexuality to show men they can have power: you can conquer, you will be desired.

2) How does the article suggest the Score hair cream advert uses narrative to sell the product?
The ‘Score’ ad uses a large image of a grinning man dressed like a hunter with a rifle nestled in the crook of his arm. He is held aloft on a tiger- skin platform by five women dressed in sexualised hunting costume: short skirts, tied-up shirts and ammunition belts. Four women look up at him adoringly (one reaches out longingly) while the fifth, with a sultry expression, looks directly at the consumer.

3) What 1967 stereotypes does the article suggest the Score hair cream advert reinforces?
The advert is using female sexuality to show men they can have power: you can conquer, you will be desired. This reinforces the gender roles that men are much more superior than women. Also this advert followers the patriarchy society where men are dominant over women. 

4) Applying Stuart Hall's reception theory, what does the article suggest the preferred and oppositional readings could be for the Score hair cream advert?
The preferred or dominant reading is that if you apply this score hair cream product, you will gain all the attention from woman and this will raise your confidence and self-esteem. However, the oppositional reading is that woman are being sexually objectified and are being shown to be obedient towards men. The women dressed in sexualised hunting costume: short skirts, tied-up shirts and ammunition.

5) Moving on to the Maybelline advert, why is the background of Manny Gutierrez and Shayla Mitchell significant?
The background of both of the YouTubers is important, because it helps to emphasise how much the advertising industry has changed and developed over time. Also, Manny Gutierrez, a Mexican-
Spanish-American beauty vlogger and Instagram sensation. The video ad touches on issues of gender
representation, ethnicity and lifestyle, which has been a major talking point in society.

 6) What is the narrative of the Maybelline advert?
The advertisement tells the story of two YouTubers, Manny Gutierrez and Shayla Mitchell checking into a
New York hotel room with stunning views of the city. They open up a gold, glittery suitcase and out tumbles the product that everyone wants, the ‘Big Shot’ mascara. By simply applying the mascara, the wearer – female or male – is instantly transported to a more sophisticated cosmopolitan life surrounded by the finer things.

7) What does the article suggest the Maybelline advert's message is?
The ad, like its 1960s counterpart, uses an aspirational image showing two friends who do not conform to masculine and feminine ideals but are nonetheless powerful: happy in their own skin, confident in their bodies and their sexuality.

8) The final section of the article focuses on masculinity. What do the Score advert and the Maybelline advert suggest regarding the changes in society and media between 1967 and 2017?
The striking difference between the two advertisements is that ‘Score’ is celebrating everything believed to be great about a patriarchal society, while Maybelline is applauding the breakdown of hyper-masculine culture. The Score advert reflects the old, traditional values and ideologies that are currently being deconstructed by advertisements such as the Boss Life beauty campaign, which indicates how society has evolved over the years.

Advertising assessment: Learner response

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).
WWW:
There are occasional flashes when you make some good points using media theory. 
EBI:
You simply don't know know the theories or CSPs well enough.
Written English is very confusing: many of your points aren't clear or simply don't make sense. This is particularly important for topic sentences.
Lack of focus on the question... you need to use the key words from the question in every paragraph   

2) Read the whole mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify at least one potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment.
Q1: Monochrome (black and white) – stylish, sophisticated, reinforces traditional heterosexual meanings; consistent with aspirational branding. Low-key lighting, ‘chiaroscuro’, back lighting visible in shot – suggests stage lights/spotlights, fashion show?
Q2: Hypermasculine representation reflects traditional view of gender roles in 1950s and 1960s. Emphasis on traditional hegemonic masculinity perhaps a reaction against the gains made by women during the 1960s culminating in the Equal Pay Act in 1970.
Q3: Gauntlett argues that gender representation and identity is constantly changing (a “moving target”) but does not agree masculinity is in crisis. Instead finds that men are finding their place in a changing world – Manny Gutierrez provides a compelling example of this.

3) On a scale of 1-10 (1 = low, 10 = high), how much revision and preparation did you do for this assessment?
I would put my self as on 1 on the scale as i did no revision and my blog was incomplete therefore, lead me to gain such a low mark. 

4) Look at your answer and the mark scheme for Question 1. What aspect of technical film language (camerawork, mise-en-scene etc.) or advertising persuasive techniques do you need to revise to improve your response to this kind of question in future?
Mostly, i need to revise advertising persuasive techniques since i already know how to embed camerawork and mise-en-scene pretty fluently. However, i need to completely focus on revising the case studies such as the score cream advert and the Maybeline advert to gain full understanding to what i am referring to in each question.  

5) Look at your answer and the mark scheme for Question 2. What aspects of the cultural and historical context for the Score hair cream advert do you need to revise or develop in future?
 i need to revise hyper masculinity representation and the representation of women. Also need to know which each stage was and when did it occur such as the objectification of woman. Last but not least, revise the representation of gender also linking to Judith butler's theory on 'gender is a performance'.

6) Now look over your mark, teacher comments and the mark scheme for Question 3 - the 20 mark essay question on David Gauntlett and masculinity 'in crisis'. Write a completely new paragraph for this question based on the suggested theories/answers in the mark scheme. Make sure it is an extensive, detailed paragraph focused on the question and offering examples/textual analysis from the Advertising CSPs. 
I believe that masculinity is in crisis as during the increase in equality has had an increasingly abnormal impact on men. This is because woman outperform men in every task, mainly in education. in the last 20 years there hasn't been much change in society as it is still quite patriarchal with men holding a lot of power over women even though women are constantly protesting for their rights. This reinforces the reoccurring stereotype of men being superior over women and shows how masculinity is not in crisis at all because of how men constantly abuse their power over women to get what the want and do what they want. This indicates how masculinity is in crisis, and in the last 10 to 20 years nothing has really changed in which that it still is a patriarchal society and men hold dominance over women, which reinforces the stereotype of the male dominance, and somewhat a coping mechanism in which they deal with 'masculinity being in crisis' 

David Gauntlett: Media, Gender and Identity

David Gauntlett: Media, Gender and Identity

1) What examples does Gauntlett provide of the "decline of tradition"? How can we link our advertising CSPs (Score hair cream and Maybelline 'That Boss Life') to this idea?
the idea of 'role models', masculinity in (possible) crisis, 'girl power', popular feminism, diversity of sexualities, gender trouble, media power, contradictions and change. The example "masculinity in (possible) crisis, links to the maybelline 'That boss life' as it shows that masculinity is getting mocked and altered due to Manny demonstrating his non-binary views and language in the advert. 

2) How does Gauntlett suggest the media influences the way we construct our own identities?

Identity is becoming more fluid and transformable than ever before. the mass media is a force for change. The traditional view of a woman as a housewife or low-status worker has been kick-boxed out of the
picture by the feisty, successful 'girl power' icons.

3) How do the two CSPs reflect the generational differences that Gauntlett discusses? Is it a good thing that the media seems to promote modern liberal values?
 the quote "there are generational differences, This links to the Maybelline 'That boss life' since old people would be very sensitive to the message the Maybelline advert is communicating. However, young teenagers will be influenced as it is a common thing now. Maybelline targets young audience as they are distributed on youtube; young teenagers are familiar with digital influences than the older generation.

4) Why might Manny and Shayla be a good example of the role models that Gauntlett discusses - and also demonstrate how those role models have changed in recent years?
Gauntlett discusses that we expect role models to have an impact on individuals. Manny and shayla would be good examples of the role models Gauntlett discusses since Manny is very open with is sexuality which may influence young audience to represent their true identity. 


5) Why does the Score hair cream advert provide such a good example of traditional masculinity? How can you link this to Gauntlett's discussion of whether masculinity is in crisis?
The Score hair cream advert provides such a good example of traditional masculinity as in the advert you can clearly see the man is more superior and dominant over the women. This was traditional in 1960 where women are were used and described as kitchen wives whereas the man was controlling and authoritative over everything. Men are said to be anxious and confused about what their role is today.

6) Gauntlett consistently argues that masculinity is not in crisis. Can the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' advert be used as evidence of this?
Maybelline 'That Boss life' advert mainly focuses on Manny who is a male digital influence. He believes that he is not masculine nor feminine therefore states himself as non-binary. This shows that masculinity is not in crisis as it is not criticised. The bellboy in the advert shifts from masculinity to feminine, this suggests that masculinity is not fixated and it is more likely evolving.  

7) Does advertising still reinforce the "conventionally rugged, super-independent, extra-strong macho man" that Gauntlett discusses? Offer examples for both sides of the argument from the wider advertising industry.
Masculinity till this day is being objectified.One could argue, that it still does reinforce the "conventionally rugged, super-independent, extra-strong macho man" that Gauntlett discusses, as certain adverts are purposely shown the ideal man of being extra strong, which indicates how adverts are looking for a certain image of man, who have  a lot of muscles and conventionally rugged.
On the other hand, it could be argue that adverts do not, reinforce the "conventionally rugged, super-independent, extra-strong macho man" that Gauntlett discusses, as shown by the Maybelline advert, which the protagonist is a man, who trying on makeup, which reinforces how masculinity is not in crisis.

8) Gauntlett discusses the idea of 'girl power' and offers examples from music and film. Does advertising provide evidence to support the idea of 'girl power' or is the industry still reinforcing traditional representations of men and women?
Gauntlett believes magazines are promoting for young women to be who they want to be and to be as sexy as possible. This is shown through many examples as many media types in this era have featured lead female characters who are very intelligent and strong in many different ways. Similarly female talents in the music scene talk about and promote independence as times are changing.

9) Do you agree with Gauntlett's argument under 'Popular feminism, women and men' where he suggests that younger generations are not threatened by traditional gender roles and are comfortable with social changes? Does advertising (and our CSPs in particular) provide examples either reinforcing or challenging this idea that younger generations are more comfortable with changing gender roles?


10) How do the two advertising CSPs show the changing 'diversity of sexualities' that Gauntlett suggests?L
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people are still under-represented in much of the mainstream media, but things are slowly changing. In particular, television is offering prime-time audiences the chance to 'get to know' nice lesbian and gay characters in soap operas, drama series and sit-coms (see chapter four). Tolerance of sexual diversity is slowly growing in society (chapter one), and by bringing into people's homes images of sexual identities which they might not be familiar with, the media can play a role in making the 
population more - or less - comfortable with
these ways of living.

11) What examples from advertising does Gauntlett provide for the changing nature of gender in society (from the section on Judith Butler's Gender trouble)?

"Some advertising - such as the sexually charged but androgynous imagery promoting the CK One fragrance 'for a man or a woman' - had reminded viewers of the similarity of genders, hinting that it wouldn't matter which of the attractive male or female models you chose to desire."- 

12) How can the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' advert be applied to Judith Butler's work on 'gender trouble'? ("The binary division of 'male' and 'female' identities should be shattered, Butler suggested, and replaced with multiple forms of identity...")
Maybelline has done that by having a gay influencer in their very own advert and be their first male brand ambassador. This creating a new identity.

13) How can our two advertising CSPs be used to argue that power has shifted from media institutions to audiences? (Clue: how did Manny and Shayler from the Maybelline advert first become famous?)

They became famous through their audiences as they are social media influencers who first began as normal people and gained recognition through their viewers on social media promoting them rather than paid promos and known celebrities etc. 

14) Why is advertising such a good example of the 'contradictory elements' that Gauntlett discusses with regards to the mass media? In other words, how does advertising continue to both reinforce and challenge gender stereotypes?
Gaunlett says that contradictory elements are an inevitable by product of the drive for multiple points of excitement. These contradictions are important because the multiple messages contribute to the perception of an open realm of possibilities.

15) Finally, Gauntlett makes a clear case that things change and modern identities are increasingly fluid. How do our advertising CSPs demonstrate the changing attitudes towards gender and sexuality in society?
The striking difference between the two advertisements is that ‘Score’ is celebrating everything believed to be great about a patriarchal society, while Maybelline is applauding the breakdown of hyper-masculine culture. The Score advert reflects the old, traditional values and ideologies that are currently being deconstructed by advertisements such as the Boss Life beauty campaign, which indicates how society has evolved over the years. David Gauntlett, believes that, Views of gender and sexuality, masculinity and femininity, identity and self hood, are all in slow but steady processes of change and transformation. 

Planning

Planning

Create a SEPARATE blogpost called 'Magazine practical task planning' and complete the following tasks:

1) Plan your main flash - this is the main cover story that links to your central image.

“Create your own shape”
“6pack abs in 10 days”
“Reshape your beauty”
“Slim to big in 15 days”
“Hit to smash”
"become unbeatable"

2) Plan the image you will need for the cover - model, costume, make-up, lighting etc. At this point, simply describe the image you need to capture.

The model will be me which will be placed in the centre of the image; most likely would be a medium/long shot as i would only like to see the shape of the body and face. I would like to use high key lighting. High key lighting may be used to create realism and really give definition to the central image. The costume will consist of a t- shirt to present to the audience what they need to achieve when reading this magazine. 

3) Write the cover lines and any additional text you need for your magazine cover.

Best body weight plan
Build xxl arms
Bigger your biceps
double your strength 
dominate any dress code 
20 best diet plans
Your ultimate cardio plan 
50 style upgrades 
build v shape body 

4) Sketch out your cover on plain A4 paper using your written planning. Take a photo of your sketch and embed it in your blogpost.