The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Key Scenes)

Through the gothic image she creates for herself, it can be viewed as a removal of the traits that make her conform with the stereotypical female, appearing feminine with a delicate persona, as opposed to harsh black colours.

In this scene she is attacked by a group of men, which can be seen from the Female Gaze, as she manages to fight off the men under the persona that conveys her as more masculine. Due to the nature of the attack, it may also reinforce oppression of men against women, seen as a running theme throughout the film.

In these scenes, we see how her guardian abuses his power over her and keeps her in a position in which she can not retaliate, so he believes he can get away with these evils against her, without having to face any consequences. The first screen capture demonstrates how her psychological state of mind is so shot from the ordeal of having to carryout such as action, she physically has to wash her mouth out with soap. From this scene you would also be able to draw a strong emotional response, feeling uncomfortable and having the camera fixed on the rape, unable to escape from the situation like her.

In this scene she achieves retribution, through inserting a phallic object inside her guardian, making her experience the pain she felt. Here the audience receives satisfaction, feeling that our desires for revenge have been fulfilled. At the same time, we receive a feeling of uncomfortableness and negative emotions, being able to imagine the situation he is in and how horrible that would feel.  

It is apparent in these scenes that although her photographic memory has scarred her and it is hard for her to escape her memories, she feels that this is a man she can trust and is the first man to treat her with respect and kindness.

This shows the relationship between the journalist and the baby sitter, how he may feel he needs to find Harriet as a duty, feeling that she looked after him as a child, appearing to him as a motherly figure.

This scene can be used to reinforce the extent of the evil captured within the collection of photographs showing the killers victims. From a feminist reading, this can communicate the oppression of women.

This is the final scene, where she feels she can escape her past and recreate who she is; by adopting a new persona and stealing enough money to allow her to do this. This can be seen as a return to feminine characteristics now that the oppression against her, demonstrated through the guardian and misogynistic killer, have be conquered.

Selected Fandom (Terminator)

One film franchise that has acquired a large fan base is that of the Terminator films, starting in 1984. As a result of this, three Terminator movies and a Terminator television series followed. To demonstrate how the fan base for these films have remained strong since the first film, the franchise has continued with the latest film being released in 2009. Due to the popularity of the films and the guaranteed fan base there are another two Terminator films that are rumoured to be released.

Rumoured T5 & T6 films: http://www.terminatorfiles.com/saga/t5/

Terminator Salvation Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbjX7FwCZa8

The films resulted in fans being involved in the franchise in a whole manner of ways, such as using costumes to mimic the Terminator and even constructing theories on the future and what will happen with technological developments. In addition to these, involvement and references to the films are not exclusive to the fans, but the famous quote by Arnold Schwarzenegger "I'll be back" is used universally.

Due to the following the films have, there is also the creation of a whole database online of features such as characters, locations and the narrative of the films. Due to the success of the films, there was also a large amount of fans that created their own stories, based around the narrative and the Terminator universe.

http://terminator.wikia.com/wiki/Skynet 

How has Fandom shaped Spectatorship?

Fandom has shaped spectatorship in several ways. It is no longer seen as exclusively for men, but also incorporates varying ages and gender. A reason for this being that it is now excepted and integrated into mainstream society, helped through movies such as Lord of the Rings; which acted as a transition from Fandom being considered sad or obsessive, to an element of mainstream society. Specifically in relation to shaping spectatorship, having a Fandom allows the audience to get on board with the franchise and buy into all the other elements such as services like forums or merchandise. The audience can feel a part of the films and relate with favourite characters and express their views; becoming something that has its very own community of followers or dedicated fans. In having a Fandom for a series of films however, the segment of the audience that remains dedicated to the franchise and immerse themselves in the films, can often be enthusiastic to the point where they are uncritical.    

Flipped Classroom - Outcome 4

What has the following got to do with gender - why significant?

1) psychoanalysis 

2) mirror stage

3) Black Swan & Clockwork Orange

These three aspects are key to answering one of the questions in the exam. An example of a question that could come up reads: 

“How far does a spectator’s gender affect their viewing experience in contemporary cinema?”

This question is orientated around gender, yet the question may have a focus on other factors such as the spectator’s ethnicity and age.

It is important to link these three aspects however, on the basis the argument we formulate can still discuss gender as being less or more significant. This allows us formulate an argument, but adapt it to the question we are presented.

Another key feature is how the factor affects the spectator’s viewing experience in Contemporary cinema, so when discussing gender, this must be discussed in relation to our case studies Black Swan and Clockwork Orange. Black Swan is our contemporary text (last ten years), Clockwork Orange is our historical text.

In addition to Black Swan, we must reference contemporary films that demonstrate other gazes that link to the argument we have formulated. For example:

Female Gaze = True Grit, Magic Mike, Hunger Games, Brave. 

Black Gaze = Django.

Queer Gaze = Brokeback Mountain. 

Black Swan & Clockwork Orange can be associated most strongly with the Male Gaze. Clockwork Orange arguably more so, on the basis it is easier to interpret other Gazes such as Female and Queer.

Psychoanalysis

This can link with gender, on the grounds it ties in with characters trying to establish their identity, such as Nina in Black Swan. It explores ideas of the theorist Freud, who highlights how your gender could change your mentality. He discusses this in relation to sexual desire, how women would seek someone like there father, whilst men seek someone like their mother. Due to this exploration of sexuality as explaining heterosexual relationships only, it can be seen as a clear reflection of the Male Gaze.

Mirror Stage

One way the Mirror Stage links to gender is through viewers feeling omniscient when watching the film, being able to follow different situations and have knowledge of information other characters may not know. With this in mind, these films have historically been created mainly by male directors, which could mean that female viewers are made to take on the perspective of the stereotypical white heterosexual males that have made the film. This is apparent is scenes that are seen as voyeuristic and solely for the visual pleasure of men.  

Black Swan

This is our case study which is used to demonstrate that in contemporary cinema the Male Gaze is still present, but it is not the only Gaze to be communicated, taking into account the perspectives of the Female and Queer Gaze. For example, a scene that demonstrates this is when Nina has a sexual encounter with Lily. This can be seen as visual pleasure for the male viewers but may also be seen as her establishing her sexual identity.   

Clockwork Orange

This is our historical case study, which we will use to demonstrate the progression of change in the experiences of the spectator. It draws parallels with Black Swan in the way that both films can be seen to incorporate the Male Gaze. A point of contrast is how Clockwork Orange focuses only on the Male Gaze, and the use of the women are merely for sexual gratification of Alex and to provide visual pleasure for the audience.

Activity 1

Complete the following Venn diagram with additional films that either incorporate the Male Gaze, Oppositional Gazes or both. 

Activity 2

With the films you have found that fall under the Male Gaze and those under both, reference some key scenes from the films and explain how it is they incorporate the Male Gaze. Link it to the question, highlighting how the spectators gender would affect their experiences when watching that film.