feminist theory music videos 20/9/13. feminist theory the male gaze the function of women in...
TRANSCRIPT
Feminist Theory
Music Videos
20/9/13
Feminist Theory
The Male Gaze The function of women in particular genres Feminist criticism in general
The Male Gaze
Film constructs a “view” for us of the events, like looking through a keyhole
The film-maker, the film system, ultimately society itself, conspires to construct that “view” or GAZE
The Male Gaze
Laura Mulvey, ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ (1975)
The Male Gaze
scopophilia - the pleasure involved in looking at other people’s bodies as (particularly, erotic) objects. Cf. Big Brother
“Traditional films present men as active, controlling subjects and treat women as passive objects of desire for men in both the story and in the audience, and do not allow women to be desiring sexual subjects in their own right.” (Notes on 'The Gaze‘, Daniel Chandler)
Cf. Hip-hop/dance videos
The Male Gaze
‘As the spectator identifies with the main male protagonist, he projects his look onto that of his like, his screen surrogate, so that the power of the male protagonist as he controls events coincides with the active power of the erotic look, both giving a satisfying sense of omnipotence’
Cf. identification with singer in hip-hop/RnB videos
The Male Gaze
Shot Reverse Shot:
1. We see the face of the (male) actor look at something.
2. We see the object s/he are looking at
3. We go back to the face of the actor to see his/her reaction
The Function of Women
The villain The donor The helper The Princess (or
sought-for person) The dispatcher The hero/victim The false hero
Vladimir Propp, The Morphology of the Folk Tale
The Function of Women in music video •The object of desire
Or
•The embodiment of power and control?
Roles in music video genres
Rock Hip-hop R’n’B Indie Garage/Dance Reality Pop
Women’s roles
Video makers – directors, producers
Singers/bands Extras
http://www.musicvideowire.com/
Feminist criticism
Looks at the film from the perspective of women e.g. Babe
A film about a woman (the farmer’s wife)’s attempts to break free from male dominated industry (she tries to have the pig killed) but is thwarted by his sentimentality.