Friday 9 May 2014

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.  

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