Assignment 4- Films and their audiences -Nada & Tanvir

Nada Mudawi---Film Studies - Unit 26 - Assignment 2 - Film Remakes Old Virsus New

Nada Mudawi

Remakes are effectively something which has either been changed into something new as a response or reaction from its original or simply copied except with slight change and reorder. In the film industry there have been many notable remakes of films which some consider a great success whereas others see as almost a parody. It is thought that often films are remade for a number of reasons, these could be; the original was not in English and so by remaking a film in English language you get a wider audience and ultimately more money.
Another is that as society is constantly changing, by remaking a film you can add some modern elements and keep to original ideas, this means that you're modern audience will be engaged if the film was a success in the era the original was released you don't have that much work on the storyline. Lastly, as original's can sometimes be from 'old' times, the editing software was perhaps not so sophisticated and as there has been a shift in technology you get a much more visually engaging film by remaking the original.

I will be comparing two films, an original and the remake of it. Then evaluating which one I preferred better. Firstly, I have decided to talk about 'The Karate Kid' (1984) which was in fact a serial of another two films continuing the plot. Comparing it to the remake which was in 2010 also
called 'The Karate Kid'. Both films, contain the same genre's ; Action, drama, family and sport.



For starters, the original Karate kid was released on June 22nd 1984 and directed by John Avidsen, the film had a massive hit with the box office(s), the estimated budget and revenue raised from tickets sold was $8,000,000 the film brought in a budget of $90,800,000 (gross).
In comparison the 2010 remake was released on 11th June 2010, exactly 11 days and 26 years later. This remake was directed by Harald Zwart , the budget in the box office was $40,000,00 and the gross $176,591,618.

Therefore, looking at the figures and the fact that one of the main reasons remakes are done is to gain money and this is usually to the director and producers benefit, I would say that the original definitely did a better job, as the gross was not so far off the box office budget, this means that the film was a success and they got their money's worth, also they gained more money than they spent on making the film. They only wasted one million, eighty thousand - which to an American film company means nothing. Whereas the remake wasted too much money on the film and the figure at the box office was much lower , the money made from the box office affected the input budget which was much higher, so in total they lost one hundred seventy-two million five hundred ninety-one thousand six hundred eighteen- now that is painful. To
 conclude, the remake did the opposite of its intention by loss not gain.

Next, I will talk about the cast and characters we meet in both films, and discuss historically what was different in each and the effect on the audience. The original included many interesting actors, one of which ; Ralph Macchio who played the teenage character 'Daniel' (the karate kid). The original I feel portrays this character, quite poorly. He and his mother move from New Jersey to the Valley via car. At first he meets new friends and finds it difficult to fit into his new surrounding. Although he only moved a short distance this character complains with passion about this change. The original teaches the audience of teenagers that perhaps the idea of change is not so easy, especially when the change becomes life changing. It also embarks on the fact that being a teenager means that is when you begin to change physically and mentally, and the character represents that change, he is not only unable to cope with his situation but also finds is extremely hard to control, having to seek help from his mother now and then.

On the other hand, in the remade version, Jaeden Smith who is the karate kid, and is 12 years of age,

not only moves to a new place, but almost half way across the world. Moving from Detroit to China, this character also, shows weaknesses and struggles to adapt. Having said that that, it is useful to consider that Smith is not only a young boy but also, not yet a teenager. This means that he could be excused from complaining about his change. Teenagers watching this version, would confide in him and accept that he is unhappy, this is mainly due his age. When you are young, and you get upset you tend to get much more attention. The audience sympathies with his frustration.

Nevertheless, both the original and the remake show a young male, and historically the idea of a figure head, this being the mother as a source of aid hasn't changed. This means that in modern society the mother is still viewed as an important figure whom we look up to. Both characters represent how hard it could be to fit into a new place. The original, sheds ideas on changes that we humans experience and so does the remake. Again, both versions, are admittedly ranging across a similar concept of change. However, the remade version is more legitimate I would say, in terms of feelings and emotions, the connection we have with the character is much more understandable and makes more sense. The original is a weaker option because again the character is much older and we expect more responsibility and resilience from him.

Ultimately, the better version which best portrayed this character I would say is the remake, because although the original is packed with snappy scenes where the character is involved in fights and quarrels with rivals. The remake, justifies this idea of fighting allowing us to empathies with the young Jaeden Smith, naturally we are uncomfortable seeing a child being punched or kicked, it makes us almost urged to jump into the screen and help him, as he is young and cannot defend himself. On the other hand the original version we don't feel the same because the character is in high school, perhaps a point where you should defend yourself.

Moving on, another key character that appears throughout the films is the maintenance man. In the original Mr. Miyagi is played by Pat Morita, this character is an elderly, short man. His role in the original is to teach, mentor and guide 'the karate kid' into becoming a fearsome fighter. We see him as a wise man who helps Daniel to conquer his fears and defend himself against enemies. He can be viewed as a deceiving character because he looks old and his height speaks for it self, however we soon get to learn that this character has gone through some tough times, and there is a darker meaning to him.

The remake also offers us the same back story, the maintenance man who is Jackie Chan, is a middle aged character, who plays a similar role. One thing i could say that is perhaps different is that in the original this character can be viewed as a granddad to Daniel but in the remake Jackie Chan is almost a father figure to Dre. We do not know whether Dre has a father but we soon find out that Mr. Han lost his family including his son in a tragic car accident which make us think that he is re-building that responsibility with Dre.

Although, both actor do a good job in the martial arts teacher, I believe that the remade version is better because not only does Mr. Han offer Dre sustainability in China , teaching him to cope but also he is more believable than the original , he often gives reasons for his teaching of kung Fu. Which makes him a more theoretical teacher, making us become memorized by this talent.


The storyline, is perhaps the one which most people want to understand, has it changed? is it still the same concept? Well to answer that, I could say that in the original version the story consists of the idea of moving to somewhere different and adapting to change, also being open and ready to face the world. The remake is exactly the same picture, except it is also briefly about forgetting the past and moving on , for Mr. Han, Dre taught him to stay strong emotionally , whereas Mr. Han taught Dre to stay strong physically.

To conclude, I can honestly say that I much better preferred the modern version, as not only were some of my favorite actors casting but also it was fun engaging and left me feeling massively impressed. The storyline was quirky and different and box office figures spoke for themselves.

Nada Mudawi---Film Studies - Unit 26 - Assignment 2 - Film Remakes Old Virsus New (2)

Remakes are effectively something which has either been changed into something new as a response or reaction from its original or simply copied except with slight change and reorder. In the film industry there have been many notable remakes of films which some consider a great success whereas others see as almost a parody. It is thought that often films are remade for a number of reasons, these could be; the original was not in English and so by remaking a film in English language you get a wider audience and ultimately more money.
Another is that as society is constantly changing, by remaking a film you can add some modern elements and keep to original ideas, this means that you're modern audience will be engaged if the film was a success in the era the original was released you don't have that much work on the storyline. Lastly, as original's can sometimes be from 'old' times, the editing software was perhaps not so sophisticated and as there has been a shift in technology you get a much more visually engaging

film by remaking the original.

This blog will analyze two films- one an original and the other the remake of it, then concluding which one I preferred better.I have chosen to talk about the film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971) and the remade version 'Charlie and the chocolate factory' (2005). Both films, have similar genre's of, fantasy, adventure and comedy.

WWCF (1971) to begin, the original was released on  August 12, 1971 and directed by Mel Stuart, the film's estimated budget and revenue raised from tickets sold was $3,000,000 the film brought in a budget of $4,000,000 (gross).

The remake, which was called 'Charlie and the Chocolate factory' (2005) directed by the amazing Tim Burton, the box office figures were $150,000,000 and the overall money that went into making the film was $206,456,431.

On review, both films have done well in advertisement and attraction. However, credit goes to the remake which did not lose out on too much money, this is always good for directors because it means that their remake was a success as well as economically successful. Whereas the original lost a lot of money.

The cast in both films are very carefully picked and the directors have done a good job in allocating
these characters with their roles as I believe in both films they play an excellent  job of acting.

In WWCF Willy Wonka is played by Gene Wilder, who although the film is in his name is not in fact the lead character, the film focuses mostly on Charlie the young boy. Willy Wonka just plays the role of leading and being a guide for the rest of the characters. The original portrays him in an interesting light he always seems to have things under control and planned out, but he does have an element of mystery about him. He is seen to be welcoming and kind on most occasions, the audience are embraced with his warming character.

On the other hand, in Charlie and the chocolate factory, the lead character is not Charlie like it says in the title, but willy wonka. The character of willy wonka is played by Johnny Depp- as well as charm and elegance this character is the least of kindness, he is portrayed as a full on man who is witty and doesn't stick to the purpose of the 'golden ticket' or at least for the right child.

This means that I'd much better prefer watching the original version, because although the directors in the remade version stuck to the same ideas, and the events driven were also similar, the more engaging would be WWCF. Yes, the remade version introduces technology, with scenes in a glass lift which enforces the idea of this remake, to modernize it. But again it doesn't win over the

acting, if the acting is not perfect then the whole film is a doom.

The next important character we see is Charlie, he is a young boy who's aim is to visit the chocolate factory and  get the golden ticket, which he does and ends up with the last one available. Charlie's character is a loving boy who is content and enjoys good times with his family. Although his family aren't particularly wealthy, his break though is to go to the factory and meet willy wonka.
In WWCF Charlie is a stereotypical character of that era , the 1970s was a period of tradition and culture, and Charlie most certainly conforms to this as he is  seen mostly, giving and sharing. A bit like Christmas, which is a festive season for sharing and giving.

In the remake , Charlie again is solid on family values , he says and

I quote '' We need the money more than we need the chocolate' which proves that he is perhaps a little thinker, meaning he thinks bigger than his age and is alerted of everything that will benefit him in the end. However, in saying this I'm not sure I like this character because in nearly every scene he seems out of place, acting as an adult not a child.

Both films give us a good profile of the character Charlie, however I like the original version better as Charlie is more realistic, being sad and happy and cheerful etc. Not like in the remake where they've made him a perfect poppy. An audience of children may enjoy the remade version however because of the adventure that Charlie goes through, he is having a good time and young children would want to be in his place.

Another thing I picked up about both films is the sound design, of course you cannot have a musical without music. In  WWCF the music we hear is quite snappy and quick, most songs are ones which I have heard before and I'm sure many other people have too. The composition of these pieces is fair and sung by a range of different characters in the film.

However, in the remake the music is diverse and is only sung by the umpa-lumpas, we hear songs from the 50s-90s. The technique used was quite clever and successful, with every song there is a different dance, which makes it fun and exciting to watch. I would say the remake is successful because the audience watching whoever it may be, whether you're 60 or younger you could relate and it also brings back memories for these viewers.



The one I was engaged by the most would have to be the remade version as it offers a selection of songs from a wide period of time. Also, the audience on a whole would probably have picked the remake as it is like a ring to their ears and opens doors for a larger market. Also, some people may argue that the original was for them considered bad audibly.

Lastly, I will talk about the storyline, both films I think deviate from the novel, they both try to create a clear vision of what they are trying to send across. However, like before the original is more focused on Charlie and the remake is more focused on Willy Wonka. The remake seemed unique like it wasn't just re-telling the WWCF versions. In the remake we see the results of everything , showing us whether the children survived or not, but in the original we never get to know.
The moral in the original is to be good and look out for yourself , and you'll get your reward. The moral in the remake is to not spend your adult life being a kid, but surely this message is directed towards grown ups not children. The one which i feel is the most effective and successful has to be the original , the classic as it engages me more from all aspects than the remake version, which is of course a shame to the director.

Nada Mudawi-- Unit 26-- Intertextuality in Media Texts

This blog will explore the use of intertextuality in media texts , and how it has influenced the film's content. In addition, I will then go on to discuss the benefits of these references to producers and especially audience members watching them.

To begin, the term intertextuality simply refers to the relationship between different texts, or the cross referencing between film. Intertextuality has been repeatedly used and adapted to over centuries and this blog will outline exactly why these references are used amongst some of the most iconic films. As well as intertextuality being mainly action that is almost copied, there are many other derived things linked to it which follow, these could be the basis of an idea, or a beginning or even an ending. The texts I will be looking at is the Simpsons use of intertextuality. Whilst watching The Simpsons I find that in nearly every episode, there is some sort of reference whether that be political or religious references. Nearly every reference contains aspects of politics/religion/culture.

The best reference Michael Polcino has made with Alfred Hichcock's 'Psycho'. The famous shower scene is ever more recognized on a global level, and is certainly the most famous 1960s scene. The scene is of Janet Leigh who goes into the shower tub, and starts bathing. Soon someone appears behind her and attacks her with a knife quite brutally, she is attacked with seven stabs. The subject then walks off, leaving her to die a slow death. We then see her pull the curtain down and collapse to the ground.

The camera is then slowly panned closer to the sink hole , where eventually we see an eye instead. Hitchcock's clever manipulation of the sink hole shot, is very effective to me personally. I feel as though he intended for the viewer to feel as though they were there as well, which can either be exciting where we feel part of something big, or on the other hand we feel guilty and helpless to assist poor Janet from surviving. This scene not only is effective but also is visually entertaining, in the sense that although during the 60's colored screens had not developed so much. The audience are still entertained by the camera work the mise-en-scene and the overwhelmingly apparent fake blood. In the Simpsons version, however the intertextuality is used in a rather different way for entertainment. We see a similar content of which Homer is attacked by his baby daughter. The audience may have a different reaction to this way of reflecting Hitchcock's shower scene, I would personally say that the Simpsons reference was disappointing, this is because the action was not as entertaining and seemed more of a comment on homer and nothing else. Whereas in Psycho I feel it was a comment on the vulnerability of women, or that women are weak and as it was quite a domesticated society during the 60's, a generalization on the way women should be at home, not out, otherwise they will be targeted for sexual services.

This scene shows Maggie who is the youngest child in the Simpsons family, raise a hammer attempting to attack her father. This is a clear example of intertextuality being used, as we see the same/ similar scene in Pyscho. The male figure is holding up a knife and is about to again attack this time the female character who is in the shower. Both scenes are reflective of each other, however in the Simpsons the producer has decided to use the same idea but implement a completely different character. By making the character Maggie be the evil killer, it shows a sense of contrast between her age (a baby) and her personality. We don't expect a baby to have such cruel intentions, however it is funny and therefore entertaining as we gain pleasure from the young minded Maggie with what we'd call some adult's way of thinking.

Therefore, the benefit to using intertextuality is that it almost changes the way we see things. This particular example shows us, as the audience what benefit we gain, which is entertainment and constant engagement. However, another benefit for say the younger audience , who are more likely to watch The Simpsons, would be personal identification as they may see a mirror of perhaps their behavior, because often young children are mischievous.

The next scene is when the character realizes what is coming for her, but does nothing more than try to push her attacker away, using her hands. This again comments on women being weak, and as the attacker is male, shows how men are dominant in the sense that they can over power you physically and you as a woman have no power to stop them. Hitchcock has successfully, shown us how a simple murder scene in black and white can be beneficial to us. This is cross-referenced in The Simpsons version, the only difference I would say is that the producers of The Simpsons have deliberately changed the action, as Homer is not in a shower but is trying to mend or put together a set of wood planks. The reference would still be considered intertextuality though, because the reaction is exactly the same and the camera angles are pretty much similar. The audience who watch this reference might not necessarily recognize it instantly though, because the two films are so dissimilar for many reasons. For example, the target audience will certainly differ, the production team for each would be different as well. This all effects the way the reference is portrayed.        

This extreme close up shot displays how precise the intertextuality is between Psycho and The Simpsons. We see virtually the exact image except in Psycho it is a black and white , shower scene and in The Simpsons it's an animation. The production team who have created these two productions are clearly divided. The differences between them are almost mirrored in the productions, we know from looking at Psycho that the producers must have been fairly old fashioned aged people, however in The Simpsons the production team are probably young goofy adults, who have a good sense of humor. The producers benefit from this reference because they can spend less money on developing an idea, it is already thought of for them. The directors however benefit as they don't spend much time and effort in getting people to storyboard all these scenes, also they can be lazy and almost play the system, earning money out of nothing, and no one can stand in their way or tell them otherwise.

This scene again illustrates to us the accuracy of these references, in Psycho the killer walks away from their attack and leaves us with an impression of coldness, almost like this attacker is emotion-less. However with the reference in The Simpsons, Maggie who walks away from her insult leaves us with a mean to laugh at her, as we wouldn't expect such a young child to commit such action. It effects us as the audience as we are reminded of our childhood, and when we were up to no good. In a way this reference is quite clever as it is not intended for us to be particularly angry with the young Maggie. As the target audience for The Simpsons is something like a family as the production is about The Simpsons family and any race/ethnicity. This reference not only benefits the producers and directors but also the audience, because the producers have done their job successfully the audience are not overcome with the similarity. Also something important to realize is that one of the strengths of The Simpsons is that you're quite rarely not engaged. The plot is always humorous and the audience are entertained. The hammer which Maggie Is carrying reminds me personally of the Avengers movie. Thor who is one of the superhero's  uses it as his defense tool against any enemy's.

Again, looking at target audiences both texts are aimed at a completely different market. This means that who ever watches the Simpsons version may or may not recognize that it was copied from Psycho. This simply relies on the target audience who would not be the same for both. Another noticeable thing is that in Psycho the attack happens in a bathroom, and in The Simpsons it happens in the basement , so the producers have played around a bit with the plot and locations in order to make it a tiny bit different. Here I would say the producers benefit because they do not have to think about new ideas, and that is the good thing I guess about intertextuality that the producers, directors and audience all gain in some shape or form. One thing I have noticed is that in Psycho the attack lasts longer than in The Simpsons version. Where the female is being stabbed multiple times, in The Simpsons however Homer only gets one knock to the head with the hammer then he drops to the ground. Therefore in this case, is the intertextuality trying to show men as being weak or easy to overcome? And in Psycho are women more eligible to take pain regardless of the severity?

This scene is very widely recognised, Hitchcock's excellence in directing Psycho has created a mesmerizing scene which will never be forgotten.
The good thing about this particular reference is that the clever manipulation of the sink hole makes it look original in the understanding that if anybody tried to do it like Hitchcock, they would never get it quite as good. The fact that in The Simpsons the water is paint which is much thicker than water and it happens to go down a random hole on the floor is quite unrealistic and that is probably one of the problems about intertextuality- most of the time you don't get what you wanted how you intended for it to be. The producers and directors don't gain anything here because whilst the paint is itself looks like blood, we're given a much more negative image of The Simpsons. Water is much more vulnerable and connotes nature and is an important life source, whilst blood is natural however in a completely different sense.

The extreme close up used here is following the sink hole scene where the camera zooms in to the hole and back out again showing us this eye. The effect this has on the audience is they get to see the victims reaction or more a less her emotions after being stabbed nearly seven times. In The Simpsons the extreme close up doesn't work as well, this is because it is not a real eye - just a drawn version and I would say the only way the audience know how Homer is feeling is from the size of the pupil where is small to show shock. Intertextuality is again unsuccessful because the audience don't know that this shot is used to show expression or emotion, although it  looks like an eye you don't get the same information from it compared to Psycho. The producers don't benefit anything here because as an audience member I am not overwhelmed at his state , the eye position of the eye in Psycho is from the perspective of someone looking down at It which makes it look fearful and harmless, however with the reference in The Simpsons we don't know whether the eye is looking at an eye level to you or you're looking down at it. This creates confusion and although it isn't apparent makes it look less realistic.

It is often thought that one film references another because they're fans of that film. I think that The Simpsons could well be fans of Psycho, but that is by the by. Like I've said before the filmmakers of The Simpsons would be different to the filmmakers of Psycho, therefore they would view things differently, however it is interesting to see their passion towards Psycho, by making a film reference they're showing inspiration.  This example to the left shows a clear reference as Homer is sitting in the same position as Janet, looking up towards us. The image is slightly different however because Homer looks like he is dead not just injured and Janet looks genuinely on the brink of death. What is successful here though is the accuracy of intertextuality, I would say that the directors and producers have been well aware of the precision they will have to do. The audience benefit enormously because they notice this reference and both the target audience for The Simpsons and Psycho come together and gain entertainment and engagement. Also something else they may enjoy is watching something that is from both Alfred Hitchcock and  Michael Polcino in one film!  

Unit 26 - Assignment 4- Films and their Audiences

Why have pre and post-viewing experiences become so popular amongst film fans?

This blog will talk widely on the pre and post experiences gained from audience members, in particular film fans, and why these experiences have become so popular.

Audience members can interactively be engaged with this website resource 

I will do so by answering the question above, for which involves things such as ; synergy which simply refers to the merge of two companies who work together and help to promote each other, passive and active audience members, interactivity which allows audiences to engage not only with the film itself, but other things connected to it such as toys , computer games etc. Another way of being interactive is by pretending to be the characters in the film , buying merchandise , getting autographs from premieres  and so on.

This is a graph showing the nonproliferation of audience viewing in the cinema/ Theater. It suggests that from the year 1998 to 2012- the amount of people going to watch a film in the cinema has decreased massively. You may be asking why is the results over the years dropped to such devastation? Well, I have the answer to this, the reason is simple. As years pass and things develop so does the technology around us, with this in mind, the internet for example is custom to billions of people around world, who can use it or abuse. People have come up with new ways to experience film without having to go to the cinema, for instance there is Netflix which is an on demand streaming provider for films and TV shows. This is hugely beneficial from different perspectives, someone who is disabled for example, can watch films at home and it makes life easier for them. Also, as it is streaming you can pause and come back to it whenever suits you, and it is more comfier and enjoyable whilst you're at home. I think that viewing experience here has changed because people are more demanding , they'd rather take more than what they give. I personally feel like I have wasted too much money, when going to the cinema, because although you're excited after watching a film at the cinema , that feeling wears off after a while.

Passive audiences are ones who not only associate themselves with films but are actively involved, often making sense of the message within their personal or social contexts. On the other hand an active audience member may come across as an easily influenced person by the film. They may copy what they see in a film, say that was violence and a lot of action and they end up hurting someone. A good example of active audience members is where young children are copying the song 'Let it Go' in the animation film 'Frozen'. The clip that  I have trimmed is one I thought mostly shows how young children have been actively engaged with Frozen, the girl in the clip is simultaneously doing what Elsa does in the song, showing she is engaged so much that shes learnt the moves and now she is enjoying herself acting them.

Sweded website showing various sweded videos 

Sweded videos, these could be found on YouTube and refers to the pleasures some fans get from films which make them almost copy them to entertain themselves, they may dress up as the characters from the film and imitate the action, in their own video.
These are usually done by active audience members.  The example I have given shows you what a sweded video looks like.
There is a website I've found on sweded videos of films called 'Sweded Cinema', this website includes a list of movies that have been sweded by fans. This is very useful for audience members because it is a platform where fans engage with each other and share their love for movies together in one place.
Another benefit they get from a source like this is they get to soc










The term fandom is in other words a fan, someone who supports and champions the film ; they can often show this support by dressing up as the characters of that film (comic-cons) or owning collections of merchandise etc. Comic-cons are a very effective way of showing passion for a film, people who usually go to these events are more likely to be fans of the film, who simply show devotion through dressing up as their favorite character. This shows development of pre- and post viewing experience because these fans have clearly enjoyed the film so much, that they have put an effort into showcasing this impression. I think that comic-cons are good in post viewing because they encourage others to watch the films, not only that but they also enforce on the greatness or success of a film. They , in other words help distribute the film through being a personal promoter.

















This is a source taken from social media. Snapchat , is a social media app where users can take videos and pictures of what they're doing/ what they're interested in etc. This example is one which I have taken from a contact on my own Snapchat, it is a post showing them watching the movie 'Frozen'. This shows good audience enthusiasm, this person hasn't just decided to watch Snapchat, he wanted to engage others , by spreading his interest through social. This would result in other uses who see this post to watch the movie too. I would consider this a form of fandom, but to some extent this could also be seen as a actively engaged audience member. In the second hand he is almost distributing Disney's film for them. This shows how post viewing experience has effected film fans, because

Social Media (Snapchat) Posts 

Analysing Mise-en-Scene - Unit 26 Task 1

Nada Mudawi-- Representation Theories-- Media Studies Unit 26 -- Task 3

Analyzing the representation theories of Mulvey, Dyer, Gaunlett, Perkins and Barker in film.

Representation is an expression used generally to describe how something or someone is portrayed in a certain way to somebody, media representations however, differ slightly although there are some similarities, it expresses the ways in which the media portrays particular groups, that being groups such as; homosexual groups, teenage groups, groups of males/females etc. Also, the representation of ideas or topics from a particular religion or culture.
The media is often criticized by many people, complaining that the media often emphasizes or rather enforces ideas, these are sometimes seen as stereotypes. People believe the media can be unjustly for repeatedly using theses ideas, which often result in change of opinion or even behavior from someone watching. It is sometimes argued that it is not the media's use of stereotypes that is the problematic but the audiences assumptions that the representation can be applied to a particular group,
Many media theorists have evaluated the representation of social groups, suggesting that sometimes these could be controversial.

Laura Mulvey- 'Male Gaze' Suggested that media represents females (women in particular) as sexual objects or simply as passive objects for men's desire, and 'gaze'. The audience are almost forced to view women from a point of view of a male , or sometimes as heterosexual. It has become a leading representation that women should be made to look alluring and attractive for males satisfaction. 

'That girl'-1968                              

This is a good example of how Mulvey's theory can sometimes not be true. This series of 'That Girl' subverts Mulvey's theory as it portrays women in a completely different light. The female character we see here is not like Mulvey said an object for 'male gaze' or just a sexual object, she is actually represented as an educated , self dignified and talented young girl according to her. We see the young women telling her opposite sex that she is a self respectful person, making him as a male figure not see her as an object. Audience's watching this would be prone to feel the same way because although sometimes what the media feeds us about women can take control of what we personally feel , it is examples like this which reinforce the idea of changing that mind set. Female audience members would feel proud that they as a collective are given a place , other audience members such as men for instance might feel a mixture of emotions, some who deeply disagree with the idea of women standing by anything would show their disagreement by socially interacting with other men , saying their opinion of it.

However one example that definitely conforms to Mulvey's theory, is where we see modern day media represent females as sexual objects. The example I am going to use for this is the production company Walt Disney, this is because I have noticed some common ideas amongst most of Disney's films. Many reasons why people are driven to think of women in a generalized stereotypical way is because of the media, which feeds them with specific ideas about what a women should be.




Disney is a strong media source which does so, they as a production body express their views about women through their female characters in their films. For instance , a film such as 'Beauty and the
 Beast' is a good enforcer of Mulvey's theory the idea is based around women being in a abusive relationship and accepting it. In todays society, figures show that almost 50% of women in an abusive relationship are sexually objectified and therefore are unable to say anything because of the fear of 'male dominance'. This shows us how Disney's portrayal of women being in an abusive relationship makes them sexual objects to men-because they're week and are inferior to them. I would defiantly agree with Mulvey's theory but on the other hand would agree with the stereotype.  The clip above is a brief overview of some of Disney's films, showing for each the stereotype of women.  
 
-'The Ugly Truth'

The next example underlines modern society's view of women. We see in this clip, another young female being represented in a completely different way than the example above (That Girl). With the example above the women changes the cliché and represents herself, being a voice for other women as an independent women who is educated. This example from the film 'The Ugly Truth' shows us the female character doing the opposite, here there is also a male figure with her and he tells her what society knows.. or at least thinks of women. That she should be a 'sexually teasing tornado'' . Of course she accepts this , and again this media text portrays the female stereotype and conforms to Mulvey's theory. This impacts the audience would react to this with many attitudes depending on who is watching. A female teenage audience member  may think that this is in fact what she should be doing and the character becomes an idol to her, teaching her new ideas she may not have known about what is to come for her- being a teenager who will soon become a woman. Another audience member such as a women in her 20s, may find this quite amusing as she understands it better than the teenage audience member would. However, an elderly women who may see this would be offended at the representation of women, because she will be dignified

Perkins- Suggested that stereotypes are not always negative for instance ''Chinese people are smart'  this is widely seen as an insult or justification towards Chinese people, however truth is that it is a good thing if not exceptional, because being smart is not a negative thing. This is perhaps a stereotype usually intended as a reaction from those with under average skill or knowledge, towards Chinese people. Also, another assumption that Perkins suggested was a stereotype that is not always false, and that they often contain an element of truth, for example the stereotype of Asian families - ''every Asian in world owns a corner shop'' .(example)  and that stereotypes are not

 -'The Spy Next Door'

The clip to the right that I have trimmed from the film 'The Spy Next Door' shows how the media represents Jackie Chan, as a Chinese man. The understanding or stereotype of him is going to be that he is a really intelligent person. Here Jackie Chan gets a call to 'check out a file' because they can't crack a website and need him to do it for them. Of course this is confirmatory to the theory Perkins suggested as it shows people watching this film that this is what Chinese people are good at just because they are highly smart. The audience may react to this in many ways, some for example, Chinese people would be offended by this, as they may disagree with this common assumption of them. They gain no particular pleasure, but you would assume that would be pressurized to lower their intelligence on purpose in order to be seen as normal as everyone else. This is a way of showing positive stereotyping that is also negative.

-'Finding Forrester'

One way of applying Perkins' theory is where she suggests that stereotypes are not always negative, well I take the opposite look and say stereotypes are not always positive.  The example from 'Finding Forrester' suggests perhaps that being smart isn't always good. The young black male character we see in the clip is on top of the class, and plays the role of a black genius. Of course there is something wrong because , there is in fact a stereotype that black people are stupid or ignorant, in this case though the black character we see is the smartest character in the whole film. In this scene , we see the character in University , sitting an English class, the professor is soon interrupted by this character. Then he goes on to try and make test his understanding, but the genius throws at him facts and knowledgeable things, amazing the class and the professor, forcing him to from humiliation , tell this character to leave the classroom. This could be seen to subvert Perkins' theory but there is argument there.

-'Ratatouille' 

Again looking at Perkins , where she suggests that stereotypes are not always negative. One stereotype that has been around for years is the assumption that all the French are good cooks. This stereotype can be seen as a negative thing towards French people , because people say that they eat animals such as frogs- and that this is vile. This example is from the film 'Ratatouille', in the clip we see the french female cook ask with all normality..... a rat, whether he is sure that he is picking the right dish to serve for review. The rat is certain of his decision and cooks the famous ''peasant'' dish Ratatouille which ultimately results them in success. The french cooks weren't bad after all.. or were they? After all they didn't cook the dish, the rat did. Does this mean that this example  may be a conformation as well as a subversion to Perkins' theory?

Richard Dyer, who argued that stereotyping is an exaggeration of representing social groups, according to Dyer all the media does is reinforce what the stereotype is saying about certain social groups.

-'Inside Man'

This clip from the film 'Inside Man' is a good example for proving Dyers theory to be right. The media is a major mislead in terms of many things, one being religion. In the clip we see one of the hostages that were let free, being detained for questioning by the officers. he mentions that one of the officers called him an 'arab' referring to a terrorist. This scene is highly appropriate for Dyers theory because, as in today's news we regularly hear about 'arab terrorits' and i reckon the officer in the clip was representing and reinforcing what the media puts out there. The Sikh is understandably worried for his human rights, he complains about being 'harrasted' where ever he goes , simply because society see him as an Arab with a beard so he must be a terrorist. This idea proposed by Richard Dyer is really interesting because audience members who watching this scene in the film will perhaps have each a different take to it. 

From looking at reviews on this film, I have found that people are mostly suggesting that Spike Lee (Director) has on a whole purposefully put in characters who are often stereotyped, in order to reinforce the idea for diversity and change. 

-'The Dictator'

The next example I am going to be talking about is from the film, 'The Dictator'. In this helicopter scene we see two American citizens with two presumably Syrian males. I found this scene quite humorous because of the manipulation of dialogue, the representation of both the Americans and the foreigners is quite blunt. Although we know that the foreigners are talking about a car ... that is called 911. The couple think otherwise- they promptly think of the incident of 9/11 and assume these two males are terrorists. This is a good example in regards of Dyers theory because of the references to terrorism , the Director has decided to represent those two 'arab' men in this way to show that this is what society interprets them as , when I first saw them I honestly thought this , and with the dialogue it made it even more convincing. The audiences reaction to this representation can vary, Muslims may feel quite defensive to this, and even offended racially. Other audience members such as Americans who are stereotyped as racists will understand the feelings of these two Americans we see in this scene, they would be more emotionally engaged towards them more than the other two 'arabs' I reckon. The day and age we live in is very shaky on issues like these and like Dyer says , the media only reinforce these attitudes back into society. 

  

Theorists such as Gauntlett, claim that collective identity is difficult to show, as we all have individual personalities. He also argues that "identity is complicated. Everybody thinks they've got one. Artists play with the idea of identity in modern society." The film Im going to be discussing is 'Inside man' which is about a tough detective (Denzel Washington matches wit with a cunning bank robber (Clive Owen) , as a tense hostage crisis is unfolding. Into a volatile situation comes a women named Madeleine (Jodie Foster) , a mysterious women power broker who has a hidden agenda and threatens to push a tense situation past the breaking point.

In this film the detective is actually black and the robber is white, now the audience wouldn't really expect that because black people are sometimes seen as being the trouble makers in films. Not just in films but in reality also , I agree with Gauntlett and his theory that collective identity is difficult to show. Even when someones identity is clearly shown by their behavior others may take it the wrong way and this has been going on between mainly between white and black people. In today's society black people are not satisfied at the way they are treated in public.

However, in this film its the complete opposite because the audience get to see a white American being the trouble maker in the film. It not  a good representation in my opinion but it could have been worse if it was to be black person being the bank robber. Being a bank robber doesn't really suit anyone's race judging by their skin color so even though its not a good representation at least its something different, for the audience to see. This film shows that white and black people can be equal in society today because when slavery started in 1619 mainly black people were targeted as being slaves. It's not like that anymore again its the 21st century even though some are treated unfairly today its not to that great extent like it was nearly 300 years ago.

Nada Mudawi-- The Reception Theory -- Unit 26 Film Studies - Task 2

Reception Theory

Stuart Hall - 'Media seems to reflect reality, but in fact they construct it'

Stuart Hall's reception theory explains the logic within movies. This means that it is a way of unpicking a film to understand it better. The filmmaker has intentionally placed hidden messages within their film, these could be religious or political, which allows audience members to decide upon either or. 'Encoding' is a term used to translate the directors meaning to what is happening in the film, the opposite to this 'decoding' is where the audience take this intended idea and convert it into their own preferred way of understanding. An example that i could give is say in a film we see a character and they are only allowed to drink half of a drink, the encoded message is that the director wants us to think that this character is redistricted in their life and only allowed therefore of half or certain things. However, a decode of this would be the audience seeing it in a completely different light, where they say actually this character is being tested to see whether they will drink the other half of the drink, and therefore the message is that we're all being tested throughout life and the outcome of the test is what we put in it from the start.

A preferred or dominant reading can be described in a similar way as encoding , the director has placed a message/moral/meaning in the narrative in order for the audience to understand or learn something. It is the 'preferred' way a director wants viewers to see something, in other words- the way in which they themselves see it or interpret it, however this is not always the case. An oppositional reading is a way for the audience to 'read' a message in a completely different way, or even rejecting the preferred reading of the code. A negotiated reading is where the audience have control over the preferred reading, whether they want to accept it as their own or not, they may read the film through their own agenda. Although, the audience may accept or welcome the dominant reading, their interpretation will be mainly occupied with their opinion on a particular social group. Hence the negotiated reading is the most peculiar one, because the audiences decisions is usually swayed away from the dominant reading based on their ideas on representation, which is always interesting to hear.

The film I've chosen to analyze is Bhogal's 'Sket'. I have to say although it is not your ideal system calmer, the true grit of this film made it really enjoyable for me personally, and I feel as though it is really suitable for this essay as there are many things that happen in the film which conform to Hall's theory. Below I will be providing various examples where appropriate for when I feel there has been a hidden message or a teaching/ moral from the director. The audience's uses and gratifications is a very important thing to consider and I will also be discussing what possible pleasures people get after watching this film.

Sket: Nirpal Bhogal 

A 2012 release which talks broadly about, the North West of London, taking us through a chilling experience of the people and the environment there. In the film we meet many characters, some of whom are young teenagers or adolescents strictly involved with terrifying things like drugs and sex. The main character in the film is 'Kayla' 16 years of age and a rebellious teenager seeking revenge for her older sister who has been cruelly attacked by a gang of boys, led by the other man character 'Trey'.

In this scene we see the young girl, get into a bus and sit down on the top deck. Soon a group of noisy, rude girls also come and seat themselves on the back chairs- vaguely they chit chat about sex and parties, the young girl hears their conversation and smiles, indicating that she is impressed by what they're saying. I reckon this is a good example of where the director has hidden a message. We learn from this scene that the directors dominant reading is that he wants us to see how care free teenagers have become these days. This could be considered the encoded message. We as an audience have a decoding to this or a preferred reading, for instance a teenage audience member may look at this and not think much of it, simply because they can personally identify with these girls through the similarity in age, so we also discuss similar things amongst ourselves, therefore we go against the intended reading. Another, reading which could be the negotiated reading is where an audience member such as a parent who when they see this may remember when they were a similar age and they also used to say this, it all becomes memories for them. This offers them escapism as they're strayed away from realistic truth of the reading. 

Another thing we see happen in this scene is where two males enter the bus and make their way upstarts, they head straight to the back where the girls are sitting. Again one of the boys says ' I wanna have sex with you, and you , but not you , you're butters' now the fact that they randomly turn up and talk in such a way tells us that the director again has a hidden message he wants us to figure out. A dominant reading to this would be that the director wants us to embrace the fact that the London transport system is not very safe, especially for young children. It is a commentary on the way that youngsters are abusing the transport they travel with for free. The audience however may have a different take to it. 

The preferred reading here would be looking at it from the teenagers point of view, perhaps they have no place to go, is the area they live in unsafe? a teenager would argue that if they had a local community center to keep themselves busy, then perhaps they wouldn't have time to bother girls or even think about sex and other issues. The negotiated reading would come from a parent again arguing that their kids are not safe on London Buses , although they would totally be against what happened to the boy who fell down the stairs they still want safety for their children. I think if someone who hasn't lived in London sees this film their initial reaction would be that the government is poor (as a law-making body, weak) and cannot find solutions for situations like this, they gain 'bad' information about London, and its transport.

This scene shows us the same girls as before, this time Kayla decides to join them after they quite successfully saved her from boys.  Here we see the ring leader, coerce Kayla into being like them by telling her to steal from an off licenses shop.

The scene can convey two different types of messages, one to each of the targeted active audience. The message in this case I think is a moral about friendship. It is trying to show us how people who you might think are good and help you out , turn out to be horrible and a bad influence on you. In the scene Kayla is being pressurized to break the law, teenagers watching this may personally identify with it, as they were once in this situation (because everyone has been) and stole even if they didn't mean it - another way of looking at it from a more mature audience member. A parent may see that it is also a comment on crime in London, the fact that these characters are easy going with robbery and it doesn't seem to move a hair on them. Also, it is quite important to notice the choice of gender, these are young females who are committing crime-not the usual group of males. The directors choices make us question his ideas on the different behaviors of both genders. I would say that a negotiated reading here would come from someone who has had similar life experiences , someone who can personally identify with them. Their take on this would be that the they're justified to go around robbing because they have no job- the employment for young people is scarce, so they are forced into acting in such way.   

Again, this is a good example to illustrate Hall's theory because clearly the hidden messages here are all moral and political readings of the youth in the North West of London. 

the next...--- females as sexual objects --- female character is standing up for her friends social / human rights ,, her friend mentions the man didn't give her a choice -- the dominant reading is that sex has become a norm amongst teenagers and girls are almost selling their bodies to boys , for their satisfaction. I think the character named 'Danielle who defends her friend who is being sexually objectified is the voice for this director -- also something interesting to note is that the director is a female , does this mean she might have went through these terrors and is a strong face against female rights? A preferred reading is that you're young and reckless so why should you not be free to do as you wish, another preferred reading would be that the girl is justified to do that because the law makes it legal for her decisions as she is past the age of 18. A negotiated reading would be that because we never see whether these girls have parents it allows us to imagine what life at home would have been like for them, we also then imagine how different their lives would have been , had they had a parent along side them, the difference would've been massive.

Finally,  this scene talks about the troubles both females face, where they tell each other about these situations. Death of family members is mentioned during the conversation , and in particular the death of both their mothers. Danielle explains how her mum lived an abusive life with her dad - he often beat her brutally and the mother stayed quite and never spoke out. The girl feels no sympathy for her dead mum , she is completely cold blooded and cold - hearted. Through this we can understand the meaning , we interpret this scene as a broad comment on abusive relationships. The dominant reading here says that the director wants us to encode the message as, not to stay in an abusive relationship with a partner and always speak about it if it happens. Quite a simple message right? Well , I think an adult watching this trying to decode this message would think differently, they may see this scene as a lesson on family values , if this girl was so concerned about her mum not speaking out , she should have spoken out. This gives us the impression that she perhaps didn't have the relationship value with her mum, to intuitively help her out.

Another audience member , such as a teenager who perhaps doesn't realize the importance of value within a family just yet, may simply not read into so much, and concentrate on the two females, their way of speaking and their carelessness of the society they live in. This too can be a preferred reading.  However, a negotiated reading would come from some who can personally identify with the hidden meaning , they know what being in an abusive relationship is like , so they moralize the scene themselves if you like. The good thing about negotiated readings is that the audience member is free interpret the scene (message) how they want.