2 discussions 1 assignment- reserved for someone [[[[[[Part 2]]]]]]]
kingrai04
BenschoffandGriffin.AmericaonFilmwrecording-1.Fichtner2.pptxAmerica on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality at the Movies
Chapter 1:Introduction to the Study of Film Form and Representation
Harry M. Benshoff & Sean Griffin
Jasmine Fichtner
06/29/2018
Learning Objectives
Know the five formal elements of film
Define different ideologies
Define hegemony
Discuss the case study on Lion King
Thesis
How films perpetuate and/or break stereotypes, spread information and open the audience’s eyes about different groups and cultures within the U.S
“…to understand…how film works to represent people and things, how and why social groupings are and have been formed, and how individuals interact with the larger socio-cultural structures of the United States of America”. (p3)
Formal Elements of Film
Literary Design- The story, setting(s), action, characters, dialogue, title and any deeper subtexts/thematic meanings
Visual Design- Set choice, costumes, make up, lighting, colors, actors performance and arrangement in scenes
Cinematographic Design- How the camera records the visual elements that have been dictated by the visual design; scene framing, different lenses to use, angle shots, what is in and out of focus in a shot
Montage/Editing-How individual shots are put together to create a scene and then how multiple scenes are put together to create the story or meaning in a film
Sound Design- What type of music, character lines, whether or not the character is always audible
Not So Formal Elements
Film form- The constitutive elements that make a film uniquely a “film”
Content-What the work is about
Form- How that content is expressed
Mise-en-scene-what goes in each individual shot; aspects include visual design and cinematographic design
Encoding and decoding- Producers encode stories and meaning into the film for the audience to decode
Ideologies
“We the People” gives the impression that the power is with “the People”
“All men are created equal”
General belief in the American Dream of “…life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” are part of you “inalienable rights”
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Ideologies
“Ideology is a term that refers to a system of beliefs that groups of people share and believe are inherently true and acceptable”(p8).
“Most ideological beliefs are rarely questioned by those who hold them; the beliefs are naturalized because of their constant and unquestioned usage”(p8).
For example, a dominant ideology would be the U.S is based on a white patriarchal capitalist model.
Stereotypes and Identity
When something becomes oversimplified and overgeneralized assumptions become standardized in media
“Identity becomes more fixed when it is able to define what it is not”(p8)
If certain groups feel “alienated” or left out then they feel that their chances at these “inalienable rights” aren’t for them.
Hegemony and Institutions
Hegemony- The ongoing struggle to maintain the consent of the people to a system that governs them( and which may or may not oppress them in some ways)
Repressive State Apparatuses (RSA)attempt to maintain social control through “…oppressive and violent means…”
Armies, wars, police forces, terrorism, etc..
Ideological State Apparatuses (ISA) spread ideas through example and education, such as- schools, family, churches, and media outlets
The media is the largest ISA, especially in our day
Case Study: The Lion King (1994)
“The film was arguably as popular as it was because it playfully and joyfully encoded dominant hegemonic ideas about white patriarchal capitalism…”(p17)
Male driven cast, hardly any female characters, based in Africa but had little African/ African American actors to voice cast & create soundtrack
Scar allegedly had stereotypical homosexual characteristics, two of the hyenas were voiced by people of color, and Rafiki, though wise was still made out to be a little crazy
First Row: Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Young Simba), Matthew Broderick (Teen/Adult Simba), James Earl Jones (Mufasa)
Second Row: Niketa Calame( Young Nala), Moira Kelly (Teen/Adult Nala), Madge Sinclair ( Sarabi)
Third Row: Nathan Lane( Timon), Ernie Sabella (Pumbaa). Robert Guillaume ( Rafiki)
Fourth Row: Jeremy Irons ( Scar), Rowan Atkinson ( Zazu)
Fifth Row: Whoopi Goldberg ( Shenzi), Cheech Marin (Banzai), Jim Cummings ( Ed)
Other Films with Meanings & Ideologies
Harry Potter series- Racism/Classism
Captain Fantastic- Educational barriers
Little Miss Sunshine- Breaking social norms
Into the Wild- Challenging Society’s norms
Discussion Questions
What movie(s) have you seen that helped educate, make you question and/or made you change your mind about a group of people/identity/culture?
Where else do we see examples of information changing people’s minds about other cultures/groups of people that are different from the “norm”?
Works Cited
Benshoff, Harry M. and Sean Griffin. “Introduction to the Study of Film Form and Representation.” America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality at the Movies, John Wiley & Sons, 2011, p3-19.
Minkoff, Rob dir. Lion King. Disney 1994.
Image Credit:
Demosthenes. “Disney's The Lion King.” ReelHistory.com, Blogger, 30 Jan. 2012, norlinreelhistory.blogspot.com/2012/01/disneys-lion-king.html.
