Comparing complex representations in Adbusters and Woman

Explore how the magazines you have studied both reinforce and challenge stereotypical representations of issues and events. Make reference to…

Woman 

• Genre: women’s lifestyle (clear and conventional)
• Straightward messages about…
• Simple, straightforward, sexist
• Women. Specifically housewives. White, British, middle aged, and working class

Adbusters

Genre: politics, art, activism (unclear and unconventional)

Complicated messages about…

Complicated, complex and progressive 

An unconventional collection of representations, including issues such as climate change, big fashion conglomerates, gender, war and conflict. All these representations are grouped together with every expectation of the audience being able to understand it

Woman - Breeze soap and Adbusters: water DPS

In woman magazine, the issue of living up to hegemonic gender norms is addressed in a simple and straightforward way. The use of lexis provides a direct mode of address for the target audience, imploring the audience, “Darling, you need breeze”. Here the advert takes the address of a woman talking to another woman, and reinforces the dominant stereotype that in order to be successful, a woman must be hegemonically clean and attractive. This is anchored through the main image of a highly hegemonically attractive, very young and also highly sexualised image of a woman. Here, a representation is constructed of a hegemonically perfect woman that the target audience is highly unlikely to look like. Here, this representation is a highly aspirational image that cultivates the sexist and patriarchal ideology that only beautiful women have value. This reflects the dominant cultural ideal of the time, and allows the target audience to live up to hegemonic standards. A hyperreal representation. In Adbusters, the issue of water poverty is addressed in a complex and highly polysemic manner, with three completely different elements (article quote, bath scene and tap) constructing a guilty and confusing mode of address. A binary opposition between rich and poor is utilised to create a confusing mode of address. While Adbusters features no paid for advertising, the right image is a full page, completely untouched advertisement for a luxury Zucchetti tap. This represents a legal grey area, although no money has changed hands. Regardless, by contextualising this image, and anchoring it with the images of poverty on the other side, the producer of Adbusters has doutourned or culture jammed this advert, giving it a radical and sarcastic mode of address. Here the issue of water poverty is delivered through a complex and mocking mode of address. This ironic mode of address will specifically appeal to a middle aged anti consumerist audience. However, Adbusters, being highly polysemic, also addresses the issue of sexualisation of women in media products. While the preferred reading of this double page spread is to reject luxury brands and coming to face with poverty, the close up high angle shot of a completely nude woman sitting in a bath subversively tackles the hegemonic norm of women being used for a heterosexual male gaze. The closely cropped close up omits the models face and breasts, which is in complete opposition to the almost pornographic Breeze soap advert. Van Zoonen argues that the representation of gender has become more complex and diverse over time. Comparing these two very different magazines makes this absolutely clear.

• Front covers - Woman magazine contemporary female representation, shy and timid and nameless woman. Adbusters, a soldier, a violent individual, with no anchorage, unconventional and highly upsetting
• Woman - A-level beauty, huge amount of information instructing the target audience to look like a teenager vs the 350 ppm DPS, with ambiguous representations of women, one a glamorous model, the other a homeless woman
• Adbusters - “save the planet kill yourself’: extremely depressing, nightmarish mode of address, vs “they’re like snow capped volcanoes’, presenting a relentlessly sexist and reductive ideology. Second wave feminists of the 1960s would object to these reductive stereotypes 
• Both magazines take the address of using depressing modes of address to upset and demoralise their target audience. For adbusters, they use the representation of environmental issues to construct a bleak and depressing reality where we have no hoe, but we really must protest. Perhaps even worse, Woman magazine constructs a world where only young, hegemonically attractive and conservative women will succeed in society. By reinforcing these patriarchal values, it ensures the simple, sexist straightforward audience will buy the same magazine every week. 

Revising the feminist theories of media studies

bell hooks - feminist theory - ‘Feminism is for everybody’ 

Intersectional feminism. Welcomes everybody, trans women, sexual identity, appearance (pretty privilege), ethnicity, age, ability etc. Certain groups are more vulnerable than others. Feminism is also important for men, hooks argues because the expectations about gendered identity extend to men as well.

Feminism is a political belief. We must challenge the world around us. For example, hooks referred to Beyonce as a ‘terrorist’ for self sexualising herself. Rather than simply being hegemonically attractive or having lots of money, other ways of being successful include having a tight knit family, having close friends, education, happiness

Applying hooks to Woman magazine - many examples of the sexualisation of young white hegemonically attractive women constructs the ideological perspective not only that women exist to appeal to the heterosexual male gaze. It also suggests that the hegemonic ideal of beauty is to be young, white and hegemonically attractive. The producers here are reflecting the dominant ideology of the 1960s in order to minimise risk and maximise profit. 

Black Mirror - San Junipero - a good example of intersectional and complex representations of women. One character is bisexual, the other a lesbian, one is black and one is white, and one is in a coma and the other is also considering euthanasia. The episode is also highly involved in the cultural situations of the 1980s, including themes of homophobia. However both characters are highly hegemonically attractive, in order to appeal to a wider audience 

Judith Butler - gender performativity 

Sex - a biological distinction

Gender - an identity 

Gender performance - the actions that we carry out every day to construct our gender. Examples of this can be seen in the front cover of Adbusters, which constructs an oppressive, strong and intimidating re-presentation of masculinity. This is the complete opposite of the Tide advert, which constructs a conventional performance of gender, with her hegemonically appropriate and attractive hair and makeup, constructing the image of a perfect hyperreal housewife. 

Gender performativity - how our performance of gender shapes the world around us. The ways in which our performance of gender creates reactions 

Les Revenants - the tracking shot of Simon entering the Lake Pub constructs Simon as a hegemonically attractive and smartly dressed young man. He is moody, angry, and motivated. Lena’s reaction is highly seductive, and she uses seductive gesture codes to attempt to get Simon’s attention. However, Simon completely rejects her advances, which subverts the narrative expectations of the audience. This scene both conforms to and rejects Butler’s theory of gender performativity, and in doing so constructs a very complex representation of gender. 

Sam Fender - Fender’s costume is casual and stereotypical working class, demonstrating the area he is from and his working class roots. It constructs a reliable and attainable performance of gender that will appeal to his younger target audience. This is a complex representation of masculinity and portrays Fender as a vulnerable and emotional man.

Exploring micro elements in the ideology of conflict

Discuss the ways micro-elements of film are used to represent conflict and shape spectator response in the films you have studied. You must draw comparisons between the three films you have studied in your answer.

Conflict refers to an opposition of ideologies. Aristotle argued that all narrative is conflict, and diametric oppositions between values fuels all narrative cinema. Micro elements are absolutely essential in shaping spectatorial response to conflict. However, each film uses different micro elements in different ways, but always for the same reason; to emotionally manipulate the spectator to align with the ideology of the director. To explore this idea, I shall closely refer to…

Battle of Algiers - sound and cinematography - the torture montage

• Multiple CUs and ECUs of a weeping civilian positions spectator with the witness of the torture
• The intradiegetic gaze of the witness and the torture aligns spectatorial response
• The music is funereal and depressing. The music is non-diegetic
• A complete lack of diegetic sound forces the spectator to focus purely on the torture, and is symbolic of the lost voices of the civilians being tortured
• Without the anchorage of the sound effects, a sense of actuality is constructed
• The handheld cinematography in combination with the use of zoomed in CUs and ECUs constructs a documentary mode of address
• This recorded nature of the cinematography is cold, distant, and feels like a warning 
• A sense of abjection is constructed through the alarming MES of realistic  blood

District 9 - sound, performance -  cat food and hand amputation

• Wikus is visibly shaking on the phone, anchored with the MES of sweat pouring off his face constructs Wikus as increasingly abject
• Wikus’s performance, in particular his deadpan delivery of “I did not have pornographic activity with a fokking creature!” reinforces the abject situation that Wikus is in and have been placed in by MNU, a shady multinational with the resources to frame him 
• The editing and cinematography of the claw amputation scene combine to construct intense spectatorial manipulation. The MES of the concrete slab reinforces the filthy and disgusting nature of this act. Furthermore, after the abject and disgusting imagery of the claw being severed in CU, we cut to a CU of Wikus’s screaming face. Followed immediately by an ELS of of Wikus screaming and isolated in the filthy township

Exploring micro elements in A bout de souffle

Cinematography - everything to do with the camera

MES - everything on the screen (‘put in scene’)

Sound - dialogue, music. We need to consider the diegesis

Editing - combining shots to create meaning. Also includes post production special effects

Performance - what the actors do. Naturalism and expressive performances. Proxemics… etc

EXPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE - Michel breaks the fourth wall, addressing the spectator with a boring monologue. This not only helps to engage the spectator in the NARRATIVE, it also defies film conventions (e.g. Classical Hollywood narrative) and breaks the rules

EXPRESSIVE CINEMATOGRAPHY. After being confronted by the police officer, there is a MONTAGE of ECUs in profile of Michel. This constructs not only Michel’s inner worry, but also the intensity of the sequence. This forms a binary opposition with Michel’s laid back PERFORMANCE, constructing a confusing mode of address for the spectator

There is an alarming use of JUMP CUTS throughout the sequence, where we cut from Michel to Michel. This constructs not only a confusing mode of address, it also breaks away from classical Hollywood narrative, and reminds the spectator that they are watching a film

The use of MONOLOGUE - nonsensical, jarring and even unpleasant. He objectifies women or ‘petite filles’, before deciding they are ‘dogs’ and not worth his time. He frequently sings, mutters, and makes banal statements like ‘I like the countryside’. This use of NATURALISTIC performance constructs a real and relatable persona for the audience to negotiate their own alignment to this hegemonically attractive but thoroughly unlikeable character

HANDHELD CINEMATOGRAPHY. Classical Hollywood films typically shoot car interiors in a sound stage, using external cameras and a blue screen. However, in Breathless, a sense of naturalism is achieved through shooting on handheld cameras in cars with available lighting. 

There is little music, mainly DIEGETIC MUSIC from the car radio, again constructing a naturalistic mode of address. However, there are elements of non-diegetic sound in this sequence. Michel’s leitmotif, a jaunty brass theme is repeated throughout the film to the point of frustration, not only reminding the spectator of Michel’s arrogance, but also the fact we are watching a film. Furthermore, the INTERNAL DIEGETIC SOUND of the PLEONASTIC gunshot not only positions the spectator in Michel’s confusing train of thoughts, it also makes INTERTEXTUAL reference to the kind of violent Hollywood movies that Michel loves so much

Revising documentary

Theories pertinent to documentary

1. John Grierson - documentary: the creative treatment of actuality 
2. DA Pennebaker - Direct cinema and documentary truth. Eg handheld cinematography, long takes
3. Christian Metz - the indexical bond. By filming something we make it real
4. Jean Baudrillard  - hyperreality. We are constantly bombarded with images that seem more real than the thing that’s being represented. The idea that representations are more real than reality

Question: The documentary theorists Grierson and Pennebaker continue to dominate discourse and discussion surrounding contemporary documentary films. Discuss this claim in relation to the examples from the documentary films we have studied

Knee jerk reaction

G and P are absolutely essential in understanding the complex and rich nature of Stories we Tell

Plan 

MES

Super-8

Direct cinema 

Handheld

Rough 

Modes of documentary

Performative

Reflexive

Poetic

Recreation of settings 

Hyperreality 

Fly scene

Emotional manipulation

Soundtrack

Talking heads 

Biased

Postmodern: a film about a film 

Unlikeable protagonist

Canadian 

Verisimilitude: like the truth 

Quixotic 

Introduction - DAC

A documentary is a genre of film with a contested definition. For Grierson, it is the creative treatment of actuality, where film form and micro elements can be used to construct a sense of verisimilitude. A somewhat opposing view comes from D.A Pennebaker , who believed that documentaries should be direct, unvarnished and real. G and P are absolutely essential in understanding the complex and rich nature of Stories we Tell. SWT is a documentary film regarding the documentary maker Sarah Polley, her film making family, and the complex and dramatic lives that they have led. 

Paragraphs: PEA

What points could we make here?

One way in which Polley uses the creative treatment of actuality is through the highly stylised staged reconstructions throughout her film… 

Yet Polley also uses Pennebakian notions of direct cinema throughout her film. A perfect example of this can be found in the extensive use of talking head footage…

In fact, many scenes combine the utilisation of creative and direct cinema. A perfect example of this can be found in the final montage of the film, where Michael philosophically discusses life, love, and his obsession with flies. 

The MES of Michael is as chaotic and confusing as the film. His slouched performance, unbrushed hair and missing teeth present a complex and yet reliable character. Michael is often seen smoking and surrounded with alcohol. This unpolished representation constructs a reality where Michael is sad, fragile, but also real. This sense of verisimilitude is anchored and grounded through the Pennebakian utilisation of naturalistic, shaky and handled cinematography. Michael is often shot in ECU, aligning the spectator uncomfortably close to Michael. Additionally, Polley chooses to shoot Michael in grainy Super 8 footage, once more constructing a complex and confusing sense of verisimilitude. Here, Super 8 is a symbolic code, and suggests nostalgia and reminiscence. Yet here, confusingly, Polley chooses to use vintage technology to shoot contemporary footage. Here, a highly confusing mode of address is constructed, forcing the spectator to interpret this message. The footage is immediately nostalgic, and suggests that all moments will eventually be memories. Here, Nichol’s mode of poetic documentary filmmaking helps us understand the scene. Rather than meaning something clear and deep, a poetic and existentialist mode of address is constructed for the spectator.