MY EVALUATION

Prezi A2 Evaluation

A2 Horror movie trailer: DISPOSITION

Ancillary task 2: Website

DISPOSITION film website

Ancillary task 1: Movie Poster

For my first ancillary task I chose to produce a poster as part of the promotional package for our group's horror movie trailer: DISPOSITION.

This was the outcome.

Representations - Women in 28 days later

Horror films have been criticised for their traditional representations. Usually, in horror films, women are seen as either the helpless victim, or as the damsel in distress who runs into the arms of the nearest strong, capable male character. Women are also seen as an object of beauty for the 'male gaze' (Mulvey), who are owned and controlled by men. Women must be pure, virginial and 'proper', at least if they want to survive in a horror movie.

An example of a more traditional perception of females in horror:

• Cabin in the woods (The whore vs the virgin) - Virgin was the only survivor at the end of the film, and she refrained from sex and drugs throughout.
• Orphan (The mother character) - Typical female victim and was victimized throuought the film.

However, through the years, horror films have become more equal in terms of representation of men and women. In the film 28 days later, we become familiar with 2 female characters, who at first could not be more opposite.
Selena is a strong, decisive, emotionless forward-planning leader who has short hair and carries a wepon. These are all qualities that are associated with masculinity. Whereas Hannah, is a young, passive, quiet and innocent daddy's girl, who cooks, cleans and looks after her dad; traditional aspects of femininity. 

In this shot, and for the first half of the film, Selena is seen leading Jim, taking up most of the frame and always pictured in the centre. She is the one in charge.

 
                                                          Selena is again taller and in the centre in this shot.

As the film progresses, Selena and Jim almost experience a form of role-reversal, but back to a more tradtional state. As Selena begins to develop feelings for Jim, thus letting down her guard, she becomes more emotional and therefore more vunerable. Whereas she was the one to be saving Jim and protecting him from the infected, Jim now must save her from the controlling soldiors that plan to rape both her and Hannah. They both become defenceless and the film ends with the two women nursing Jim after the traumatic experiences throughout the movie. 

Camera work helps us understand the change in Selena's character, in addition to showing a large difference between the power between the men and women. 

Representation - disability in the media

CEEBEEBIES PRESENTER SACKED FOR HAVING ONE ARM.

Cerrie Burnell, former Ceebeebies presenter was fired from her job in 2009 for having one arm. The beloved children show recieved many complaints about their presenter, from parents, explaining that due to her disability she was 'scaring children'. 

Cerrie Burnell was born with her right arm not fully-developed, and the BBC argued that the sooner children came to recognise disability, the sooner they would learn to understand and accept it...

I chose to use this news story because it shows a split in audiences in terms of the acceptance of portraying minorities such as the disabled, on television. 

As people have different life experiences, opinions are more than likely to vary quite widely when it comes to something people are not yet use to.

While there are more and more people in contemporary society that are becoming more accepting of showing physical and mental disabilities in a more equal and positive light in the media, there are also many that are less accepting. Perhaps if there was more exposer for this social group in the media,  the innoculation theory would be put into practice. 

Traditionally, the disabled were shown in the media as:

• Pitiful
• Helpless/ vunerable
• Pathetic
• Can't fend for/ look after themselves
• Vunerable
• Not normal
• Outcast

Currently, the way we view the disabled is changing:

• "Superhumans" (The London Olympics)
• Perfectly capable
• Accepted

However, there are still many people who view this group in a more traditional way - as the previous article shows - and because of this, we still see them in a pitiful light.

Representations of the Elderly in the Media

How are the elderly depicted in the media today?
Misunderstanding
Harvey and Eddie
Smart phones

• Generally viewed in a stereotypical way:
  Slow, not up to date with technology, ill, friendly, outspoken, vulnerable and a burden, hard of hearing
• Depiction in the media is mainly limited to advertisements or programs attempting to appeal to all generations of a family - it's as if the elderly are portrayed in the media as non-existent, as if they do not matter.
• "Uncool" in the media's eyes

Why do we believe these representations?

CULTIVATION THEORY

• Cultivation theory is a social theory that examines the long term effects of television.
• When we are unsure about something, we often just take in the information given to us by mass media without questioning it. This information is then internalized by us as consumers of media and then used as social guidance to categorize social roles. Therefore, it leaves people with a mis-perception of what is true in our world.
• Cultivation theory in its most basic form suggests that exposure to television, overtime, subtly "cultivates" viewers' perceptions of reality.

Sometimes these misperceptions can be really off. Just because someone is older, doesn't mean they are all of these things.

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