Good Looking

November 18. Breaking Dawn Part 1. Forever is only the Beginning. If this means nothing to you, you have managed to escape the whirlwind of marketing and popularity surrounding the Twilight film series. I just saw the trailer at my gym for the first time and some of the diversity of people present around the room had stopped working out to watch. Others sniggered. For major Twilight fans, or "Twi-hards" (see my other blogpost), this is a big deal. For educators, Edwards suggests it is an opportunity to use an item of massively popular culture to unpack the many complicated issues the films set up around gender and power relations especially as they relate to looking and the gaze (2009).

In the article, Good Looks and Sex Symbols: The Power of the Gaze and The Displacement of the Erotic in Twilight, Edwards sees the Twilight films as a context to talk about how youth negotiate and become aware of looking and being looked at and how this is represented in the fictional reality of Twilight. Edwards plays on several meanings of the word “look”, also mentioning the importance of taking on a certain “look” with regards to experimentation with constructing an identity and forming and belonging to social groups which are rigidly defined in the films (2009). Twilight fans adopt these looks in costume play performance and in the construction of their online identities.

The Twilight films and books draw upon many traditions of the gothic romance, for example the tension between desire and repulsion in the construction of it’s main characters, a late teenage girl named Bella and a vampire named Edward (Seltzer, 2008). However, Twilight recasts the vampire as “vampire-lite", an attractive boy, more mature than his looks, who wants to protect his girlfriend rather than a predator / prey relationship (Schiavo, 2008). In the films, for the most part

The female lead, Bella on the other hand, is constantly portrayed as relying on men, first her father, then Edward, then in Edward’s absence, upon a third character, Jacob, before returning to Edward again. She is at once victim and vulnerable in the space of high school and desiring, wanting to attain Edward (Seltzer, 2008).

Watching the film is an opportunity to deconstruct the director’s intention of our view into the world as we shift perspectives from characters along with their shifting passive and active roles of desire / objectification / prey. Edwards suggests this both as an opportunity to talk about a feminist understanding of the idea of the objectifying masculine gaze and the possibility it may shift as Bella takes an active role (2009). In the first film, for example, Bella is set on becoming a vampire to be with Edward. The film ends with Edward passively reclining in the grass with Bella looking down over him wanting to become vampire, having carved a space for herself saying “it’s my world too” (Godfrey, 2008).

The films and books have come under criticism from feminists for making a romantic fantasy out of a young girl drawn into a violent and controlling relationship with a much older man. (Housel, 2009). It has also been attacked for encoding a message of abstinence from sex. Both Edward and Bella long for intimacy but the male lead (vampire) keeps in check his dangerous sexual appetite in order to protect the fragile female (Seltzer, 2008). When they finally do have (post-marital) sex in the fourth film, Edward seriously injures Bella and gets her pregnant (Godfrey & Meyer, 2011). Housel suggests the series give many bad messages about gender and relationships to Twilight’s young female fans (2009).

Fans have responded to the controversy by forming their own answers to the questions raised by the films. In an example of participatory culture, the Twilight fan site, Bella and Edward, empowered its members to contribute to the publication of a book, “Bella Should Have Dumped Edward”, a compilation of their varied views to 31 questions.  These ranged from analysing whether Bella is strong or a “blank canvas” relying on Edward to whether the relationships between Bella and Edward and Jacob are controlling as suggested above or healthy (Pan, 2010).

In terms of popular culture, the Twilight films series can also be contrasted with the contemporary television series, “True Blood” (Ball, 2008). True Blood also addresses themes of gender, sexuality and relationships in a supernatural vampire world. It’s encoded messages about sexuality are against homophobia, with vampires coming out of the closet and fights with religious organisations who graffiti “God Hates Fangs” (Tyree, 2009). The female lead in True Blood, Sookie, played by Anna Paquin is also a non-vampire in love with a male vampire. Also, like Twilight, the vampire, Bill, positions himself to protect her but she can clearly protect herself and in the first episode it is she who saves him. Later, when she is being attacked, his vampire qualities prevent him from protecting her (Ball, 2008). Another example of a strong female lead is the Buffy the Vampire Slayer film and television series which plays with the genre of predator and prey in gothic fiction (Whedon, 1992).

References

Ball, A. (Creator). (2008). True Blood [Television Series]. USA: HBO.

Godfrey, W. & Meyer, S. (Producer), & Condon, B. (Director). (2011). The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 [Motion picture]. USA: Summit Entertainment.

Godfrey, W. (Producer), & Hardwicke, C. (Director). (2008). Twilight [Motion picture]. USA: Summit Entertainment.

Housel, R. (2009). The Real Danger: Fact vs Fiction for Girls. In Irwin, W., Housel, R. & Wisnewski, J. (Eds.) Twilight and Philosophy: Vampires, Vegetarians, and the Pursuit of Immortality. ISBN 0470554126.

Pan, M. (2010). Bella Should Have Dumped Edward. Berkely, CA: Ulysses Press

Seltzer, S, (2008). "Twilight": Sexual Longing in an Abstinence-Only World. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-seltzer/twilight-sexual-longing-i_b_117927.html

Schiavo, I. (2008, November 25). ‘Twilight’: Vampire lite, The Weekender. Retrieved from http://www.theweekender.com/

Tyree, J.M. (2009) Warm-Blooded: True Blood and Let the Right One In Film Quarterly Vol. 63, No. 2 (Winter 2009), pp. 31-37

Whedon, J. (Writer) & Kuzui, F. (Director). (1992) Buffy the Vampire Slayer [Motion Picture]. USA: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

Performing, Watching: Reaction videos to film trailers

NuttyMadam is a young, self-professed Twilight fan. So excited is she about the the popular series that she tapes herself watching the film trailers as they are released and then publishes these videos on YouTube.

NuttyMadam’s videos are shot in extreme close up of her face and consist of a lot of swearing, screaming and high emotion. They are also very popular. Her reaction video for the latest film has been viewed more than 900 thousand times at the time of writing after being featured on Perez Hilton.

The story of Courtney Malt viewing Wall•E

Another video maker, Courtney Mault, posted her reaction to the Wall•E teaser trailer when she realised it made her cry on cue. In a charming tale, Courtney blogs how exhausted Pixar employees found and used her video as motivation to complete the film and as thanks, flew her to the wrap party screening of the film.

The reaction video has a dark history of people either willingly watching or being set up to watch obscene or humorous videos and taping their reactions. The more extreme or funny the initial video, the bigger the reaction and the more entertaining the resulting reaction video (Tossell, 2008). For NuttyMadam and Courtney, they are conscious of their viewer and the genre of the reaction video in setting up the camera, constructing their image, editing the video and posting it online. In taking a private experience into a public forum, they break down the barrier between the spaces raising the question to what extent the reaction is genuine or performed (Lange, 2007).

If you can bear the noise (and language), the reaction video is an interesting genre to bring in to the class room to talk about performance of identity and fandom. Just imagine in an alternative universe a young David and Margaret starting out their reviewing career pointing webcams towards their faces as they sit down to watch film trailers.

NuttyMadam: Breaking Dawn Trailer Reaction video, July 2011



References

Lange, P. G. (2007), Publicly Private and Privately Public: Social Networking on YouTube. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13: 361–380. doi: 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00400.x

Tossell, Ivor (2008, July 18). Every action's reaction, now online, The Globe and Mail, 

Retrieved from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Silent and Sexy

A study published in USA Today shows the gender messages being sent to audiences through film today: women are seen but not heard, preferably adorned in sexy or no clothing and the younger the better (Hellmich, 2011).

The Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California analysed the 100 top-grossing movies of 2008 and came up with disturbing findings about the sexualisation of women and particularly teen girls in movies (Hellmich, 2011).

Here are some of the statistics about films revealed by the study:

• men had two-thirds of the speaking roles;

• 85 percent of film directors, writers and producers are male;

• female characters are more likely to dress provocatively or appear partially naked.

Most disturbingly however, was the sexualisation of teenage female characters who were 40 percent more likely to appear provocatively dressed than older female characters and 30 percent more likely to appear partially naked.

Heading the most successful films in 2008 were Twilight, the Dark Knight and Iron Man. This poster is from “Step Up 2 the Streets” which ranked 53.

Researcher, Stacy Smith believes that the data reflects an “overemphasis on beauty, thinness and sexualisation of women at younger and younger ages” (as cited in Hellmich, 2011).

In his article in the Sunday Age in 2010, John Bailey claimed that anxiety surrounding the sexualisation of teenagers bears “all the hallmarks of moral panic” and wrote that it was “ironic” that recent pop culture films such as Twilight do not depict teenagers actually engaging in sex (Bailey, 2010).

I believe that Bailey is missing the point here. Anxiety about the sexualisation of young people, particularly girls, is much more than a fear of potential sexual promiscuity. It is about the potential harm that can occur to girls’ social, academic and career development if they become obsessed about whether their appearance conforms with the unrealistic standards of beauty and sexiness dictated by films and other forms of popular culture (Curry & Choate, 2010).

References

Bailey, J. (2010, July 4). No sex please, we’re teenagers. The Sunday Age. Retrieved from http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/no-sex-please-were-teenagers-20100703-zv3v.html

Box Office Mojo. (2011, October 17). 2008 Domestic grosses #1-100 [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2008

Curry, J. & Choate, L. (2010). The oversexualisation of young adolescent girls: Implications for middle grades educators. Middle School Journal 42(1), 6-14. Retrieved from http://gateway.library.qut.edu.au/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/docview/760810993?accountid=13380

Hellmich, N. (2011, April 24). Film study: Men talk and women show skin. USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/2011-04-21-movies-men-women-roles-speaking-sexy.htm

Step up 2 the Streets. (2008). [Image]. Retrieved October 18, 2011 from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1023481/

Combatting Stereotypes

How do we engage young people in discussion about stereotypes and the influences on our identity formation in a way that is motivating? The following short film, “Slip of the Tongue” provides a visual performance to a slam poem and uses the type of language young people enjoy and respond to. The poem examines identity formation on two levels, gender and ethnicity, stemming from the question a young man asks a young woman at a bus stop: “What is your ethnic makeup?”.

Slip of the Tongue manages to pack some powerful metaphors and intense messages about ethnic and gender stereotypes into four minutes. Adriel Luis reads his poem with a visual performance by two actors, the film’s director, Karen Lum and William Tsang. It won the Jury Award at the Sixth Annual Media that Matters Film Festival a film festival open to young, independent film makers about topics of current interest, globally or in local communities.

The Media that Matters Film Festival website provides a higher quality video of the film than is available on You Tube. It also provides background information to the film’s creation and “take action” links, including to About Face "Empower Yourself 10 things you can do in your own life”, which is aimed at young women accepting themselves, rather than being governed by the ideals dictated by popular culture.

There are some disadvantages to using this pop culture film to stimulate discussion about stereotypes (including the short, cigarette smoking macho scene) and these might preclude its use in some schools. I believe however that if you look beyond this, the messages about identity formation and the rich metaphors used in the text make it a very suitable film for senior high school students.

References

About-Face (2011). Empower yourself [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.about-face.org/making-changes/empower-yourself/

Arts Engine, Inc. (2011). Media That Matters [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/

Media That Matters (May 4, 2007). Slip of the Tongue [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1zpX4R33CA

Film, Television and Transforming Pedagogy

By Sue

As modern educators, teachers are not only responsible for traditional education – “the 3Rs” – but also to educate the students in topics of the 21^st century.  These include media literacies. The internet and mobile media are important, however film and television, as two of the older media continue to be a vital part of most children’s lives.

My major focus in teaching and learning is that I believe learning should be an active process, with inquiry at the centre and the teacher as the facilitator of learning. I employ a constructivist approach to teaching and learning and believe in setting up a problem or a 'quest' and allowing students to construct their own knowledge by connecting from what they know to the new. I act as a facilitator in a majority of cases guiding the learning and allowing students to arrive at their own conclusions. As a social constructivist, I search for the Zone of Proximal Development - find where the students are at and therefore how they can be moved on. I act as a scaffold, providing support for students to achieve. I view learning as a collaborative and a social activity. I attempt to develop knowledge in authentic learning activities, which engage students in the kinds of problems and practices that are present outside of school. These practices must include media of all types as this is what students are using to acquire knowledge and develop socially at home. Therefore it is imperative that I use digital media in the learning context.

My above view of knowledge in the 21^st century is supported in a variety of research and current curriculum documents. The Essential Learnings Position Paper (2007) states that knowledge itself has a undergone a transformation.

Knowledge exists in a range of forms, and a comprehensive curriculum will ensure a balance of the most important ones. A synthesis of knowledge typologies illustrates the range which needs to be represented in the curriculum 

(Essential Learnings and Standards Position Paper 2007, p5

My view of the use of digital media in general and film and television in particular is supported by the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for young Australians where it is stated that although technologies are used in schools there is a need to increase the effectiveness of the use of such technologies over the next decade.  (Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, 2008) Therefore with the above beliefs in mind it is necessary to approach the media literacies and in particular film and television in a very similar manner, that being not of a passive participant but rather a creator and critical viewer of media.  Jenkins’ White Paper supports this assertation.

“ We are moving away from a world in which some produce and many consume media,

toward one in which everyone has a more active stake in the culture that is produced”  (Jenkins, 2006 P 10)

The 3C’s – Connect, Create and Critical– discussed in the Lecture 11 (QUT, 2011) are an excellent way of allowing students to construct knowledge when using film and television. No longer is it acceptable to just put on a TV show for children to gain knowledge from. I do recall such TV shows as “For the Juniors” where perhaps, sometimes, I would tune in at 1.40pm after second break just to allow my Yr 2 students some down time after play. In that situation I lacked purpose. After many years of teaching this type of activity is no longer acceptable (if it was ever?) It is now necessary to use the medium to connect students to their past knowledge allowing them to construct new learning from it. We can then ensure new   learning is connected through student’s creating with this knowledge. Most importantly, developing the critical aspect of film and television viewing is essential. This view is also supported in the Literacy for the 21^st Century Document where the process skills of media literacy are discussed as Access, Analyse, Evaluate and Create.  (Thoman, 2003)

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 1-2 hours of screen time per day.  (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2010). This includes film, television, computers, and mobile media. However realistically most children have up to 5 hours of screen time per day not including screen time at school.  So with screen – TV in particular such a major aspect of children’s lives, it is vital that children develop critical media literacy skills. With many children using TV as a background noise in their bedrooms and perhaps just watching to chill out, they may take all that is on ‘the box’ at face value. It is vital for educators to be modelling and practicing the critical viewing of television and movies targeting in particular, the moral panics, gender and ethnicity stereotyping and the sexualisation of children and women. Using TV in education is not just about the what, but rather the how. It is a time when the substantive conversations about important moral issues can take place.  In traditional literacies, teachers constantly discuss comprehension techniques – predicting, questioning, clarifying and synthesising. I consistently apply these known strategies to any film and television viewing. The connections between what is watched and what is read are established.  Television is used not just to support learning – or as a resource, but rather the use of TV and movies is the learning. This targeted use of film and TV resources ensures that, the use of film and television in schools does not become a moral panic in itself. In my community the use of a movie in learning is very rarely seen as an authentic medium – rather parents view this medium as down time and ‘fun’ for the students. This is a view that with publicity is gradually changing.

 I believe digital media is a most powerful medium for providing the optimal opportunity for transformative learning to take place and for students to construct knowledge. It is vital not to simply equip them with knowledge but rather with the skills and processes to access any knowledge they may need in order to achieve success. The appropriate use of film and television in schools assists in transforming learning, developing 21^st century skills that will allow students to be productive citizens. Thus film and Television continue to be viable education resources in my setting.

References

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2010). Policy Statement - Media Education. Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, 1-8.

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2011, March). Guide to understanding ICSEA. Retrieved April 5, 2011, from My School: http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Guide_to_understanding_ICSEA.pdf

Brown, J. (2002). Retrieved October 14, 2011, from Growing Up Digital: How the web changes work, education and the ways people learn.: http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/FEB02_Issue/article01.html

Jenkins, H. C. (2006, August). Confronting the Challenges of Particpatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. . Retrieved October 14, 2011, from http://digitallearning.macfound.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=enJLKQNlFiG&b=2108773&ct=3017973&notoc=1

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2008). Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. Retrieved April 4, 2011, from MCEEDYA: http://www.mceetya.edu.au/mceecdya/melbourne_declaration,25979.html

Queensland Studies Authority. (2007). Essential Learnings Position Paper. Retrieved March 30, 2011, from Queensland Studies Authority: http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/early_middle/qcar_el_position_paper.pdf

QUT. (2011). Youth, Popular Culture and Texts Blackboard Site - Week 11. Retrieved October 11, 2011, from Youth, Popular Culture and Texts: http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_75617_1%26url%3D

Thoman, E. (2003). Literacy for the 21st Century. London: Center for Media Literacy.

Who is Riding this

Moral High-horse?

by Jenny

Recently, the Courier Mail ran a story in its Federal Parliament news section.

I personally took a double take of the photo. It wasn’t, on closer examination, our Prime Minister sans clothes straddling a male, but her TV  look-alike Amanda Bishop.

Similar reports appeared across the nation, in the print media, declaring a “national outcry” due to the lack of respect (Devine, 2011). Was there really such moral panic? Was it a free plug for an ABC comedy? According to The Daily Telegraph, the show rated highly. Even the Prime Minister was planning to watch (she clearly wasn’t bothering to ride the ‘moral high-horse’)!

Interesting is the blasting the ABC satire At Home With Julia received from MPs from both sides. I suppose they were riding their ‘moral high-horses’...

Anne Caldwell reported it would air that evening - regardless of “calls for the show to be axed”…

Leading the charge was John Forrest MP who described the scene as “sick” (Caldwell, 2011).

So what was the fuss about???

... Seeing 'our P.M.' blanketed under the Australian flag, 

While having sex,

in the P.M.’s office...

... along with the possible “targeting” of Ms Gillard’s gender writes Ms Caldwell (2011).

Two separate issues!

One, intertwined with respect:

Set protocols surrounding the use of our flag exist. Therefore, it is understandable that this would make some viewers see red – as the parents of fallen soldiers did.

The flipside is the lack of respect toward our Prime Minister.

Really???

From Channel 9’s Today Show, it seems to me, the real Julia got it right. This so-called “National Outcry” became a “No Comment” for our PM. She added she wasn’t interested in making a comment to cross promote the show (news.com.au, 2011b).

With calls for investigating ABC funding by some sick of being offended; others simply say if you feel that way – turn the show off!

Bronwyn Bishop reminded other Liberals of political satires John Howard copped…

Political satires are nothing new. Undoubtedly the moral panic surrounding them are no different! They’ve appeared in film and on television for years, and not just in Australia.

[Blogger Neerav Bhatt notes his favourites claiming they’re “equal opportunity offenders… revealing their (individual’s and organisation’s) hypocrisy and stupidity while also informing and entertaining their audience”] (Bhatt, 2008).

Prior to this, politicians were often satirised in print in cartoons; including our first Prime Minister! 

So whilst politicians behave as they do, within (and out of) the public forum, they’ll always provide meaty subject-matter for satirists. And it’ll always get up someone’s nose, perhaps enough to bridle the ‘moral high-horse’.

That’s for certain!  

References

ABC. (2011). At Home With Julia. ABC Television,  Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/athomewithjulia.htm

Australian Government. (2009). Australian political cartooning - a rich tradition. Australia.gov.au  Retrieved October 7, 2011, from http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-political-cartooning

Australian Government. (2010). It's an Honour: Symbols: Australian National Flag. It's an honour: Australia celebrating Australians  Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/about.cfm

Bhatt, N. (2008). The Best Satirical Comedy from Australia and America. Rambling Thoughts Blog  Retrieved 7 October, 2011, from http://www.bhatt.id.au/blog/the-best-satirical-comedy-from-australia-and-america/

Caldwell, A. (2011, September 21). Sex scene flags support for Gillard. The Courier-Mail.

Devine, M. (2011). ABC crosses the boundary with sitcom At Home with Julia  Perth Now  Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from http://www.perthnow.com.au/abc-crosses-the-boundary-with-sitcom-at-home-with-julia/story-fn6mhct1-1226143777928

Microsoft. (2011). Gillard TV sex scene airs on MSN Video. ninemsn.video  Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from http://video.au.msn.com/watch/video/gillard-tv-sex-scene-airs/xcbmrew?cpkey=06c5c401-8164-4b44-abe1-107dbda9f1ed%7C%7C%7C%7C

National Film and Sound Archive. (2006-2011). Edmund Barton and the Velvet Soap Advertisement: Australian Studies, White Australia Policy. National Film and Sound Archive  Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from http://dl.nfsa.gov.au/module/1100/

News Limited. (2011). Sitcom disgusts soldiers' families Adelaidenow.com  Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/sitcom-disgusts-soldiers-families/story-e6frea8c-1226143143761

news.com.au. (2011a). Sex scene flags support for Gillard: Related Articles. News  Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from http://search.news.com.au/related/id%3Astory_1226142091423/0/Sex-scene-flags-support-for-Gillard/?us=ndmnews&sid=2&as=news&ac=travel&r=related

news.com.au. (2011b). Video: Gillard on that naked flag scene. News  Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from http://video.news.com.au/2137577147/Gillard-on-that-naked-flag-scene

The Daily Telegraph. (2011). At Home With Julia spoof draws ire over Aussie flag sex scene The Telegraph.com.au  Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/at-home-with-julia-spoof-draws-ire-over-flag/story-e6freuy9-1226141206678

The Punch Team. (2011). Gillardflagmain.jpg. The Punch  Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/uploads/Gillardflagmain.jpg

Wikipedia®. (2010). Category:Political satire films. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia  Retrieved October, 7, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Political_satire_films

Wikipedia®. (2011a). Amanda Bishop. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia  Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Bishop

Wikipedia®. (2011b). Category:Satirical television programmes. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia  Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Satirical_television_programmes

Wikipedia®. (2011c). Gender role Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia  Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_role

Wikipedia®. (2011d). Moral panic. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia  Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_panic

Wikipedia®. (2011e). Repect. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia  Retrieved October, 7, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respect