Location is only a 10 minute walk from my house fortunately, which means when it comes to filming I will be able to do multiple trips for equipment (if required) and will be able to come/go with full flexibility. Besides the obvious, this is also beneficial incase I don't film enough shots because I can come/go when I need to.
Unit 1:
My client made a vivid expression that they hoped their work space looked neater, but I insisted I need to tour the work space to get a better understanding of what I have to film in. This spiraled however into that they wanted to clean the space that requires filming in, to which I asked 'how long' with no definitive reply; this was discouraging as I am already working on a tight deadline, but also because my client again was being very vague with their answers. I told them that I needed to film by the end of the following week which they agreed to.
Back to the recce however, I learned that getting the shots I envisioned would be harder than expected. Not only was the space between work surfaces quite narrow, but the machinery (for the majority) has something to cover it when it was active; this meant I would have to put more consideration into my shots like reflections and/or light glares. On the positive side, the space has a large work service, which would allow me to get some very high angle shots which would look interesting in the pre-discussed time lapses.
Unit 2:
The second unit across the road houses the larger machines which fortunately means a larger space to work in; it also means it is more hazardous however and more time will be taken into preparation than the first unit. I may even have to come after the unit is operationally closed (after work hours) to prioritise safety. I may also have to arrange certain workers to come activate the machines/use the machines to provide b-roll.
Unlike the other unit, this one is also significantly more 'sectioned' and most of the space is separated with storage; this is also good because it means my filming will be less likely to be in the way of workers on other sides of the unit. It also means if I need to bring external lighting (unlikely) I will be able to focus it on a smaller section each time. Working in a smaller space also means there will be slightly less hazards to focus on at one time, which as a general will provide a more comfortable filming surrounding.
On Location (Convention Hall):
This area I will have to recce on the day because I have no floor-plan nor rough idea of spacing between installations. Instead I think I will decide my methods of filming with the worker's health and safety in priority; I also want to be able to film them without getting in their way/distracting them from their work due to the possible hazardous materials (metal, machinery, heights etc).
I think the best case scenario of this is to film the location when they are on break so nobody is either infront of the structure (which I am filming to promote) nor distracted when working. I should also when filming use a more zoomed-in lens rather than being physically close to again not be in the way of anyone or anything, nor put myself in a hazardous situation either. This could be problematic in terms of focusing and even stability when not using a gimbal and/or tripod (though I shall try to avoid this situation entirely).
I chose a rock instrumental for a few reasons. From an artistic perspective, I think it represents the machinery the best without being cheesy (eg using techno music) and also has a good pace for matching shots up with; I also chose this genre because it is the company's employee's favourite genre. I thought by using a genre they liked would not only make the video more personal to them, but could also make thew video more favourable to them when watching it. The music also had to be royalty/copyright free in order to avoid causing revenue issues and/or copyright issues for the company.
However I do have some alternatives which I think would also work better for pacing the video:
Graphics:
My client discussed that he was keen to show the kind of machinery they have, so i thought i could include some graphics to show the specs of the machines. I thought I could also then include some picture examples of what the machine produces; this would also allow the client to show some of their previous work which they unfortunately only have images of. Editing Style & Shots:
My client was keen to have a visually stimulating video, which includes having text literally in the video; however he does not want the video to be heavily informative but rather visually stimulating. This meaning more creative transitions and possible even editing the text on screen throughout the process. He also said he wants a "Letterbox ratio" video as part of the 10 second(ish) opener, which visually won't have space to fit any heavy amounts of text and/or information.
Time Lapse:
My Client has mentioned numerous times his desire for a Time Lapse, however I have mentioned numerous times that this is not plausible because I do not have a large enough budget for the correct size memory card, intervalometer or my own time to be able to complete it; I also don't know how to do a time lapse successfully. I tried to negotiate into doing numerous cut long takes instead with close ups (or more detailed shots like specs) but he insisted. This will make the process significantly harder, but considering it is one of the few pieces he mentioned, I feel it is necessary to add.
One of the immediate things that is notable about my client, is that they heavily rely on social media to reach their market; but what is particularly apparent is that currently they only show their work through the Head's personal social media (Martin Cull on Facebook). However, they still get a far reach through this, despite most of their promotion through this being for their vinyl sticker & graphic store.
Examples of Media:
Posts like this shows the image the company is trying to promote, which is that of a funny, friendly and passive company. I think this openness is quite good to have to build customer rapport. I think I could entwine this somehow into my video by possibly even introducing the staff in the video somehow whilst still using the Call Out Titles; If i do this however, I will have to create a document allowing legally to include them in the video.
The client sent me a powerpoint that was sent to the lead designer of their new website to allow me to gain a better understanding of what they're seeking and what their companies demographic and image they want to portray is. It also says the types of exhibitions they do and previous employers/designs they do.
One of the most difficult things I was faced with this particular client was unfortunate timing. I myself have a part time job besides college, and him being the face of the company means he has to go to most events. This meant making a meeting or getting constant feedback/requests near impossible; fortunately because the client is related to me, I was able to see him out of working hours. This good because (as mentioned) there was little to no free time, but was also negative because I feel like I didn't really get a proper experience of working with a client; I wasn't challenged with real time constraints or availability because I was able to see the client out of work hours.
Moving forward, most discussions about the project will be made face to face for connivence sake. Either vocal recordings or notes will be taken as evidence of these conversations.
Meeting 10/05/2019:
My client was also very unhelpful in explicitly explaining what it was they wanted in their video, and I had to numerous times across the day ask for more pieces of information. Previously they had discussed they wanted the specs of just their machinery shown, but now they have dismissed this and just keep repeating that they want 'what is in the powerpoint'; my client stated this information too before abruptly ending the meeting:
- 3 mins long or less
- 2 versions: 1 10 sex sting - front page opener
full ver - choose to watch
- video of what they're working on currently
- time lapse
- no voice over
- workers showed working
- 'visually stimulating rather than informative'
- series of very distinct services: design, fabrication, logistics & installations
"I view these images appearing quite boldly in creative aspect of the video"
Wants words literally on screen
I would class this meeting as unhelpful, and somewhat discouraging; I felt more lost because the client was proving difficult to work with off the get go. This meant I would have to come up with a video with little to no guidance, in an already tight time constraint. Alas, I eventually got enough answers to work with and am hopeful to go do location recees, health and safety and my release forms in the next couple days.
After Tour 03/05/2019:
After the tour of the location (as seen in recce), I sent a follow up email with a couple queries about the machinery and what would realistically be available to use within the shoot. I also wanted to know what the machines were as my initial idea was to do a spec video. However, not to my surprise, I was left without a response; I was at this point beginning to think of alternative clients to shoot for because of the lack of continuous communication. Again, I would rather see this as a positive learning experience but personally I was beginning to feel annoyed and once again, discouraged.
Day 1 & Day 2 Off-Site (Miscellaneous):
Throughout the day, both me and my client exchanged constantly about shots and appropriate times to film throughout the day. This helped me massively with my health and safety which was having to be done on the day; it also helped me plan my day out easier too as I was required to work as part of the team.
The client was still very persistent on the idea of multiple time lapses which I slimmed down to just one each day (which unfortunately I was only able to film one), but I allowed him to choose where abouts he would prefer to have the laptop to film with. I also allowed him to decide how long he would like it to film for/how much he wanted the time lapse to cover each day; it was important to discuss this due to storage and as a general, a long time lapse could be viewed as boring and/or flat. I also think having long time lapses doesn't show as much detail that my client was looking for.
After First Video Draft:
Considering the long response times between each conversation with my client, his response times to my final edits were rather quick which was very useful; however, he was happy with the first draft/edit I made. I tried to encourage and suggest changes, but he seemed rather please with is and was very quick to share in onto his social media.
Whilst I am grateful my first edit was good enough for him which was the priority of this, I was hopeful there could be some changes I could have made; I think in long term, say in an editorial environment, I would be asked to make a few changes and have more updates. I don't think this really satisfied my idea of being challenged in this aspect.
This video is a difficult one to analyse when discussing the actual promotion material within the video. The video is more of an 'announcement' and teaser than your typical product launch. We are repeatedly shown the names of the two brands collaborating together in neon pink lighting, suiting the rest of the video which is shot int he same pink colour scheme; this is purposefully chosen to match the colours of the production scene very briefly throughout and in the final shot. Pink also gives stronger connotations of femininity, which is often associated with make-up and other beauty products.
What's actually interesting about the video itself is that theres actually little to no product shown, and instead relies on the artistic branding and the fame of the two companies/brands; in fact besides the last shot and a couple filler shots, they only way we learn what the products are is with the bold titles flashing on screen. If this was to be done for a kickstarter brand, I think reception would be quite poor because it wouldn't show how useful or good the product is. However, because the brands have a well established name in the makeup industry, it allows them to be less direct with the visualisation of the product. I suppose you could say the way it 'shows it works' is with Jeffree's makeup seen throughout the video.
Promote Key Messages & Values
Disneyland Tokyo commercial
This advertisement for Disneyland Tokyo is very different to most theme park's (and Disney's) advertisements because it is entirely animated. The Disney company itself prides on 'family oriented fun and entertainment', and for the most part is known as a family friendly (more so child friendly) company. Disneyland was built in order to create more happy family memories as visioned by Walt Disney himself, which this video focuses around.
First and foremost, the style of animation is very appropriate to the country it is marketed to because it is an 'anime style' (a Japanese style of animation seen in many famous shows such as Attack on Titan, JoJo's bizarre Adventure and Sailor Moon); this means most children who would see it would immediately recognise it or at least the art style, bringing a wider audience immediately. It also makes it more personal to the Japanese audience because it is done in a style they helped originate.
It shows the family values with the storyline of a growing woman with her family, and the introducing her family to the Disney parks. It follows the idea of create memories with your family, and even suggests the idea of different generations enjoying the parks for different reasons.
Show-reels
Episode promo for 'scoobynatural' (supernatural season 13x16)
Scoobynatural was a crossover between two fantasy shows Scooby Doo and Supernatural. I find this show reel particularly unique because again, it relies on prior knowledge of wither property; it also puts a twist on both properties which I think it relies on more than a plot synopsis, which it only briefly mentions (line: "we're in Scooby Doo"). It's difficult for me to gage whether or not you would be able to create an opinion without prior knowledge, but the show reel follows a few conventions of a typical trailer; a low voice explaining, a catchy theme, a cliff hanger and a generalisation of characters & plot.
I again think it is the uniqueness of the product which helps with the show reel more than anything else; however because it is an exclusive, singular episode, it is limited to the amount of clips it can show, without giving too much away. From an editing standpoint, this can make making a sequence much harder because of the limitations and it is something we see in trailers which can either damage or help a film/tv show/game/etcs story development.
Event Coverage
Promotional video for BTS' next world tour (continuation of their Love Yourself Tour)
This short video was used as promotion for BTS' World Tour. It is short in both time and the clip duration; the video is intended to show/hint at what to expect from the show, based off the previous instalment. From my own knowledge it was posted directly onto major social platforms including youtube and twitter, and used as an advertisement on the platforms too; this is why it needed to be short, it had to include a lot of information in a quick amount of time whilst remaining engaging.
The song choice is also fast and upbeat, to match the excitement seen by the performers and large audience. It is also meant to excite the customer and to propose an enjoyable experience. Having the bright colours also adds to this to bring more positive connotations.
I think by also having previous concert footage rather than music videos or other miscellaneous videos, it is more direct in what it is trying to advertise to you. It shows you the experience you will have, and the others that will be having it with you; it is live, rather than predetermined and tailored.
Besides the studio for the projections, I wanted to film outside or at minimum in other indoor locations. It was important to take into consideration that I would have to walk to each location because I cannot drive, so each location had to be reasonably accessible because of carrying equipment. I also thought it would be appropriate to check the weather for the days I intend to shoot due to health and safety in regards to the temperature and rain.
First location: Riversley Park
Located: 5 minutes from college/30 minutes from home (walking)
Accessibility: Public space
Positives:
- mostly natural environment (besides bridges and a couple man made structures)
- a few hidden spots
- has a river running through it
- trees provide shelter from the rain and/or the sun going directly into the lens
- option of filming/walking on path instead of grass if it has been raining
Negatives:
- public location which could result in problems regarding privacy or identity agreements
- many dogs and children running around, which again could cause multiple delays in regards to filming
Second Location: My house (bedroom & bathroom)
Located: 30 minutes from college (walking)
Accessibility: I live here & private property
Positives:
- more comfortable filming in my own space/home than in public
- can take as much time as I need to film/reshoot certain shots - can film at day or night because of artificial lighting (lightbulbs)
- safer than outdoors at night
- private property so there would be no disturbances
Negatives:
- confined to smaller spaces because of room sizes & furniture
- lots of personalised objects which I am unable to remove for filming - more considerate of people in the house too incase of late shooting, or they want to use the space
- dog in the home could provide problems when shooting
Third location: Ensor's Pool/Bermuda Park
Located: 40 minutes from college/20 minutes from home (walking)
Accessibility: Public space, but located next to private property
Positives:
- vacant of houses or man made structures (besides a small wire fence)
- quiet the majority/all of the time (based on own experiences)
- high up, so it could provide more choice of backdrop behind the subject (the sky or ground)
Negatives:
- could be difficult to get to if the weather gets bad as its all uphill
- next people's homes which could accidentally get in background
- not in a totally *safe* area due to reputation
- no cover if it starts to rain
Carol Versallis' studies are similar to that written by Andrew Goodwin, however she describes the relationship/connection between the editing techniques and the music video. 'She found the main differences between the editing of music videos and Hollywood films is that; Music videos have a unconventional order of shots, it has sometimes obscure and incomplete pathways and the editing can take us away from narratives and reality' [5]
This can be divided into 4 sub-categories:
- Narrative
- Editing
- Camera Movement & Framing
- Diegesis
Narrative:
'Narratives in Music Videos are not always complete'
Versallis believes that most music videos are left in-complete, and that they rest primarily on audience interpretation; they often have subject or theme having an overall lead, but this doesn't necessarily mean it HAS to be the narrative (alternatively it could be the editing or music itself). She also says they are 'unbalanced' and some videos focus more on performance rather than narrative.
Heavily narrative based video; but is also left completely up to interpretation.
Editing:
'The rules of continuity editing are broken to draw attention to what is happening on screen'
She also states how post-editing is important to the overall video, and even how it can become the leading visual/element in the video. This challenges the classic style of continuative editing seen in that of Hollywood stylised films. Versallis summaries the 4 styles into:
- Jump Cuts
- Breaking the 30 Degree rule
- Cutting to the beat or vocals of the song
- Juxtaposed frames
Jump Cuts and Multiple Cuts/Edits on the beat of the song & vocals
Camera Movement & Framing:
Establishing Shots and Close Ups of the subject(s) are the most frequently used shot types according to Vernallis. She also states the camera is similar to editing, in the sense it can change and/or move in time with the beat/vocals of the song. The Framing however is usually dependent on the genre of music; e.g. a 'breakup song' would most likely have a singular person either framed with just their face in shot, or possibly an extreme long shot.
Mixture of Close ups & Establishing/Long Shots used to focus on different people/groups.
Diegesis:
Definition - The World of Music Videos
This sub-category is similar to the Narrative; the actions within the video may be left un-finished. She puts emphasis on the fact that repetition of certain shots, frames or scenery will become more apparent and even more important than other shots. This is predominately done within post-editing, unlike the Camera Movement & Framing category.
Repetition of scenes like the bedroom and gas station.
Initially I am happy with the amount of responses I got because it meant I had more perspectives for the more 'controversial' aspect of my video. It also allowed me to see what could be considered a 'good music video' from someone else's perspective, which would allow me to make alterations to mine to make it more universally appealing.
Despite thee amount of people who took my questionnaire however, I wish I had done a focus group or have had more structured conversations about my work with peers. I think by having more of a conversation with people could have bled out more ideas for my work, and more so could have created more open end discussions for other people to answer with. Generally, it would just of benefited me a lot more.
BTS was an occurring trend throughout all my replies. This is both beneficial, and slightly annoying because it minimises the style of video I could make and also narrows my audience down into the genre of music they enjoy. Though initially I was doing a KPOP song, it was of a different genre so it is arguable whether or not the video would have been enjoyed by this audience. BTS also as a general have very cinematic stylised videos, with high budgets and mainly rely on star appeal; all of which I either don't possess or wasn't particularly attracted to.
I am also a little annoyed that some of my questions were 'skipped' because it means my data isn't equal to the amount of people who took the questionnaire, and more so doesn't give me as much information as I need. The majority of questions skipped were also my open ended questions which required the most information; fortunately the answers I were given provided enough information.
One question I found particularly intriguing was the 'Narrative or Conceptual' video question because despite 22 people taking it, the results ended up 50/50. This is both a negative and a positive; it means I can create the type of video I want without having to worry too much about my results, but it also means that my data isn't totally important or effective to how I would plan my video. There aren't really any repercussions per-say because of the indifference in the results.
- image to the right is how i want my subjects to be covered, but i also like the minimalism of the image on the left
- would be hard to isolate but could look very effective
- lots of use of strong colours contrasting with the dark backgrounds
- heavy use of motion
- visually is very interesting and engaging
- could use to represent subject's emotions
- could use same coloured album art or even the album art itself
- would need a very dark background and could be difficult to direct light/image
The first feature of a music video, Goodwin, claimed was that there is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals on screen.
This can either be:
- illustrating:
- literally showing the lyric on screen: lip syncing, text or the physical action.
- amplifying:
- like illustrating, but stressing the lyrics more: having physical effects, metaphorical meaning.
- contradicting:
- having what is seen on screen contradicting the lyrics sung.
Example of Illustrating (Lyrics)
Music & Visuals
This can either be:
- illustrating:
- literally showing the music on screen: music muted, instruments.
- amplifying:
- like illustrating, but stressing the music more: having physical effects, metaphorical meaning.
- contradicting:
- having what is seen on screen contradicting the music.
- Cutting visuals in time to music
Example of Amplifying (having something represent beats/instruments)
Genre Exists
The next key feature of a music video which Goodwin discovered was that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. Not just the genre of the music but the genre of the video itself
Genres include:
- Stadium Performance
- Studio Performance
- Location Performance
- Narrative
- Conceptual/experimental
Example of Studio Performance and Narrative
Artist Close-Up
Goodwin expressed that a key feature of music videos is several close ups of the artist. This is due to the record companies requirement that the artist is strongly featured within the music video. Some artist will often develop motifs that reoccur across multiple videos
This includes:
- artistic branding
- celebrity culture
- artistic portrayal
- implications on looking good
Example of Artistic Branding and Artistic Portrayal
Looking and Voyeurism
Goodwin also identified that within music videos that there is a concept of voyeurism. This is basically means the audience see something that they would or should not usually see.
This could be in the form of:
- Nudity/near nudity/revealing clothes
- exhibition
- an intimate location e.g. bedroom
- frame within a frame
The 'male gaze' is often used to attract a male audience. The male gaze is a focus on presenting things that appeal to men. This often means a voyeuristic view of, and an objectification, of women, The emphasis on looking also includes the artist looking directly into the camera helping the audience connect with the artist.
Example of Exhibition (though it could be considered that this video shows how she is exhibited by the media and men)
Intertextuality
There can be intertextual references to numerous things in music videos like:
- other music videos
- films
- tv programmes
This can be homage (kind reference), pastiche (sarcastic but not a parody, which is usually mocking) or even use some type of brand synergy.
Example of Parody and Pastiche (referencing music videos, tv and celebrities)
English Lyrics: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/instagram-instagram.html
Lyrics & Visuals - illustrative with lip syncing
Music & Visuals - amplified (guitar/skateboard & burned filter at bridge)
Genre - studio performance & conceptual (intertextuality to media & current issues, and black/white which multiple uses of post editing)
Close up - artistic branding (iconography of indie music with slightly 'edgy' clothing)
looking and voyerism - n/a
Intertextuality - clips of hacking, obama and other relevant issues
English Lyrics: https://genius.com/Genius-translations-sam-kim-feat-zico-its-you-english-translation-lyrics
Lyrics & Visuals - illustrative with lip syncing
Music & Visuals - cutting visuals to music & amplifying (objects and subject's movement)
Genre - studio performance & narrative (story of subject's thoughts and acceptance, there is even a physical discussion between the two subjects)
Close up - artistic portrayal
looking and voyerism - n/a
Intertextuality - n/a
English Lyrics: https://genius.com/Genius-translations-loco-and-gray-late-night-english-translation-lyrics
Lyrics & Visuals - illustrative with lip syncing
Music & Visuals - cutting visuals to music & amplifying (objects and subject's movement)
Genre - studio performance & conceptual (not quite a narrative, but shows inner mind of artists)
Close up - artistic portrayal & branding (video suit their personalities)
looking and voyerism - shots are set within a bedroom, but not for romantic intent
Intertextuality - pastiche of stereotypical rap videos in scene with television transition
English Lyrics: https://genius.com/Bts-blood-sweat-and-tears-english-ver-lyrics
Lyrics & Visuals - A mixture of two; there is illustrative (lip syncing), amplifying (dancing)
Music & Visuals - cutting visuals to music & amplifying (objects and subject's movement)
Genre - studio performance & conceptual (could be classed as narrative when watched with other connecting videos)
Close up - A mixture of all, but primarily artistic portrayal
looking and voyerism - men are wearing 'revealing' clothing that is loose on top, but wear tight trousers
Intertextuality - some religious inspiration, but again relies on the watching of other videos
Hello everybody. In today's film we will be discussing the male gaze. And no, i'm not talking about a local Specsavers trip. [laugh] You silly fool. Listen carefully, and I will teach you all you need to know.
'The Male Gaze is the act of depicting women and the world, in the visual arts and in literature, from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents and represents woman as sexual objects for the pleasure of the male view' Laura Mulvey is a British feminist theorist and professor of film and media studies at Birkbeck, University of London. Her most famous work would probably be her essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" written in 1973, then published in 1975 which includes her theory of 'the male gaze'. In her paper , Mulvey proposes that sexual inequality is a leading factor and social force when it comes to filmmaking and the cinematic representations of women within film and media as a general. Within media and feminist theory, the male gaze is conceptually derivative from characteristics of voyeurism, scopophilia and narcissism. The men are seen as the active role and the woman are to be looked as a passive; they are under control of the male gaze and therefore only exist for visual pleasure. Basically, her theory was that film is shot from a heterosexual, male perspective and so it was made through the eyes of men, for men. Throughout this video i'm going to discuss why this theory is factual, but also not completely seamless or inarguable. [Walt disney introduction to Disneyland] Disney has always been a controversial company, especially when it comes to the projection of women and their roles as protagonists. Their classics like Snow White, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin all have the stereotyped characteristics of a 'damsel in destress'. Snow White for example is petite, pale and speaks in a soft, innocent tone; her gestures are slightly oversized but delicate as she glides from scene to scene. This right here is a stereotyped character. Her innocent actions and motive are comparative to an angel, which men of that time would be seeking; unlike nowadays women were expected to be a certain way, rather than an individual. One of the most noticeable things about her being her dark curled hair and soft blushed cheeks and lips; this can be related back to the male gaze because she is so remarkably similar to the fashion ideals then. He poses even match that of the models, which were no doubt all told to be positioned that way to 'look attractive' in a traditional sense. Here we see Snow White walking around whilst singing about she waits for a prince.
The song is literally about her desire to fall in love with a handsome prince, because through the male's eyes that is what all women should want. Right? [sarcastic clip] Similar narratives follow in other princess stories like Cinderella who waits for her prince to come find her, and relies on the prince falling for her based on her looks. Ariel from The Little Mermaid is also the same as she trades her voice so that a man can fall for her based on looks alone, and somewhat sadly it works. Should of listened to Ursula if you ask me, she was telling the truth. This reinforces the male gaze in a different way of your typical theorem, because Disney almost makes the male gaze the driving narrative instead of filming style. We do get shots of the princes and the crowds reacting to the girls; but ultimately it is the men who must go after their 'dream girl' for the happily ever after to happen. That is not to say Disney does not have sexualised characters however. Jasmine from Aladdin is a mild example of this as she wears a crop top with low waisted trousers. She also moves by swaying her hips and even seduces Jafar later in the film as a distraction. Her actions to watch are somewhat uncomfortable, yet this is Jafar's desire as he can't stop himself from grinning and playing along. Again, this is the male's desire; though she is pretending to be bewitched, she is submissive. This isn't the only character in Aladdin to be like this either as we see numerous girls that look to be in a brothel earlier in the film, which even Aladdin himself looks happy to have seen. All female Disney characters as a general however have unrealistic body standards that have been both implemented and inspired by society's standards of beauty. Ariel for example has an incredibly small waist that has often been commented upon by feminists and reviews alike. There is also a question of whether her outfit is appropriate considering she is 16 years old in the film. But this small waist, skinny arms, long necks and legs are seen throughout numerous characters, including ones from newer Disney films too. This again exemplifies the male gaze as it follows a stereotype of what women are expected to look like proportionally. Then there are more explicitly sexualised characters like Jessica Rabbit and Esmeralda. Jessica Rabbit is the more famous out of the two, and is a featured character in the Roger Rabbit film's and series. She is literally classed as a sex icon, and has been jokingly and not-so jokingly been described as many boy's sexual awakening. I think she is meant to be designed this way as almost like a joke for when she is compared to Roger, her boyfriend. Her introduction scene is shot in the typical way of the male gaze.
She wears a red dress with connotations of sexual desire, that includes a high leg cut and a low neck line. She also has large features and red lips, which we physically see all the men crave after as she walks down the stage to numerous dog calls and yelling. The men here are meant to be animalistic in this way, but the camera also focus on features like her legs and chest as she pays attention to the men, further showing the heterosexual male gaze.
Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame is another example of pure sexual attraction and desire. She is the pinnacle character of the film, and what ultimately leads the antagonist into his lustful spiral of madness. The antagonist, Claude Frollo is an archdeacon of Notre Dame and is very particular in his structure of the city. When he meets Esmeralda he can't help but want to be with her and in the feature song 'HellFire' he confronts his subconscious as he sings of his disgust. For context, Esmeralda is a gypsy and he even believes her to be a witch, so he torments himself to destroy her as he blames her fro putting a spell on him to fall for her. I think this can be related to the male gaze because women are classed as distractions when it comes to narrative, rather than important aspects; and here we see Esmeralda changing the course of a character's being by just dancing. It could even fall into the category of scopophilia and how Frollo doesn't want it, or at least not with her.
In the scene at the festival, she dances for the audience and teases the antagonist who watches in disgust; however the guard and multiple men in the audience cheer loudly and whistle for her as she glides along the stage. Her tight red dress accentuates her curves, and again there are a couple shots that linger on these particular elements. There is also a shot-reverse-shot where she looks at Quasimodo who gets bashful at just the sight of her. This is related to the male gaze because the camera gives opportunity for the woman to directly look into the eyes of the male spectator.
I was surprised there was quite so many minuscule and not so minuscule links between the male gaze and Disney. From a company that makes quite a large portion of their money from 'showing girls how to a princess', it seems the view is almost biased from a male view.
So, the question is. Are there any female character's that break the male gaze?
Besides a few exceptions like Mulan, Kida, Pocahontas, and Rapunzel to an extent, it seems that it is only now recently that women have begun to break the male gaze in Disney films. With new licensed property like Pixar, George Lucas and Marvel, Disney is almost give like a structure on how the women in their films should be portrayed.
My first example of this is Rey from the 'Disney Era' Star Wars movies. Much like Princess Leia, Rey does not rely on the men surrounding her unless it follow her plan. She is covered in wrapped cloth and has her hair tied back in a futuristic manner. We even see her hunched over and live in a messy home, and she argues with a trader too. She doesn't care about how people view her, unless they see her as weak which is the premise of the male gaze. But unlike the female gaze which i will discuss later, she isn't infatuated by a man explicitly either and even tells Kylo to put a shirt on when they meet. Leia however int he earlier films was forced to become a slave and we see multiple shots of her wearing next to nothing. Her storyline to save Han is also romantic based which related to the male gaze because she is submissive to him. For the most part. [short montage of Leia hitting Han Solo]. Furthermore none of the men in the later franchises are sexualised either despite that brief moment of Kylo, which again breaks the female gaze. Personally, I find this refreshing as the films become more story based and allow you to enjoy the characters for their involvement with the story rather than their looks or romantic relationships.
This is arguable within the Marvel franchise however. The Marvel films have been stereotyped as films for men, and besides the new Captain Marvel coming out later this year there has only been featured men films with women appearances. However it is hard to blame Disney directly for this as they have to follow source material created by Stan Lee, Martin Goodman, Joe Simon and other Marvel originators. However you could say that films are shot through the male gaze nevertheless. Black Widow for example wears a tight leather outfit that leaves little to the imagination; it could be argued that she needs the outfit to be slim fitting due to her martial arts, but that doesn't explain the need to have the front zipper slightly down. Wanda or Scarlet Witch as she is also know is similar, but in the comic she is arguably wearing less clothing so it could be considered a mild improvement. In the comics her powers are also considered over powered, and in the movies her powers are barely shown to her full potential. It could be argued that this is simply done for run time, or the ability to see other heroes powers too; yet it also falls into the male gaze because she is still made inferior to the other male characters. However both the characters, whilst still strong and independent are both submissive to their male counterparts; Vision and Wanda's romance is more prominent in the comics, but the romance between Bruce Banner and Black Widow was entirely created fo the films. Which thinking now seems unnecessary, but it falls into the male gaze because she still wants him more than anything else and even cries when he says they shouldn't be together. Their weaknesses are the men they fall for.
Marvel is still good at representing women however, and has based the bechdel test on numerous occasions. It is possible the only reason it fails is because the male characters have to be discussed for a plan, but it is rare that personal discussions about the men occur.
I think one of the best films to discuss when talking about breaking the male gaze is 2018's Black Panther. Some of the strongest and overall best characters in the film are all female including Shuri and Okoye. It has been confirmed that Shuri is the smartest character in the MCU, and personally I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of Okoye either.
Both throughout the film outsmart, play around and intimidate the men; this makes them more active than submissive, and therefore falls into the female gaze. Their outfits are also not sexualised and follow traditional African designs. The only time they 'dress up' is when they go to Korea undercover, but quickly they use their disguise to their advantage. The only way they could be considered part of the male gaze it that their main priority is T'Challa, making them somewhat submissive to him; but again they save him and help him out constantly, especially Shuri with all her high tech gear.
Back to animation, Merida was the first Disney Princess not to have a romantic relationship and the film is shot and drawn through the female gaze. As we follow her story, she makes it explicit she does not want to get married and enjoys sports like Archery. This is a big step for Disney as we instead have a story about family relationships where Merida will save her mother to get the 'Happily Ever After', instead of a man. She also rips her dress and messes her hair to suit her style, instead of trying to look attractive to her male suitors. This means its shot through the female gaze, because otherwise she would have ripped it shorter or even in more 'sexual locations'; it is also shot through the female gaze as her ultimate desire is to help her mother and her family, rather than become a mother herself by natural instinct.
So as we can see, it is not terribly clear whether or not Disney is completely innocent of using the male gaze or not. Personally, i think Disney has improved their use of women in narrative in both animated and live action films; however, i do agree there is almost an underlying tone of misogyny and use of stereotyping that can flaw and limit their female characters massively. I will though continue to watch and enjoy their films, as i did before writing the script for this video. I still enjoy classics like The Little Mermaid just as much as newer ones like Moana, and in fact i enjoy that Disney is taking more care in character design and representation. I hope you enjoyed this video and perhaps learned something. Take care and don't forget [insert outro] Sources:
https://www.one.org/us/blog/black-panther-movie-women/
https://ginacalnan.pbworks.com/f/themalegaze.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Mulvey
