Theory 1: The Male Gaze (Laura Mulvey)
The cinema puts the audience in a masculine positions.
The protagonists tend to be men.
There are two distinctive modes of male gaze:
1) Voyeuristic - women as whores
2) Fetish - women as unreachable Madonna's
(Also narcissistic - women watching see themselves reflected on the screen)
There is now an argument there is a female gaze.
Theory 2: The Bechdel Test (also know as the Mo Movie Measure or Bechdel Rule)
This theory has the following criteria:
1) There has to be at least two (named) women.
2) They have to have a conversation with each other...
3) ...about something besides a man.
Theory 3: Richard Dyer
He argues how we are seen determines how we are treated and how we treat other people is based on how we see them.
He believes stereotypes comes down to power. Those who have power stereotype those who don't.
Theory 4: Roland Barthes
Barthes looks at mythology, in regards to people and places.
He suggests the media often gives us mythic representations or a fairytale-like portrayal of a particular place or person.
Representation in a film opening of my choice:
In this film opening, Jack Sparrow is being represented. He is being represented through the new argument of the 'female gaze'. The protagonists tend to be men, but here, I think it is females. The cinema puts the audience in a feminine position, and men watching see themselves reflected on the screen. Although Laura Mulvey's theory is used here, I think the Dyer theory is more appropriate in relation to the opening. In the opening sequence, Jack Sparrow is seen to be 'higher up' when standing on the foot of the boat, therefore you would think he is well respected. However when he arrives at the docks, he is asked for money. But he is soon treated with respect and his asked for secrecy, as he offers the man more money, therefore is being treated how he is being seen. In return, the man who receives the money is being treated based on how Jack Sparrow sees him, unscrupulous. In terms of foreground/background, we can see the horizon behind Jack Sparrow when he is standing on the foot of the boat (e.g. for most of the scene), and then the busy docks when he arrives there. There are no notable absences for the foreground or background. I think this opening sequence is the representation of a pirate, and reflects a pirates interests, because in the sequence it shows fellow pirates who were hung, to which Jack Sparrow takes his pirate hat off in respect. Also, it shows the pirate (Jack Sparrow), arriving at the docks, and casually picking up a bag of stolen coins, a pirates interest. I think people make sense of this representation as it is presenting a stereotypical life of a pirate, which doesn't link with Barthes' theory. Barthes suggests media often gives us a mythic representation of a particular place or person. In this opening sequence, the pirate is being very stereotypical, and therefore there is nothing mythical about it. The denotations of this opening sequence is what we see, for example the pirate standing on the foot of the boat, then arriving at the docks, being approached by a man and then stealing money. The connotations of this opening sequence is what we understand, for example Jack Sparrow standing on the foot of the boat (higher than ground level) shows authority, power and someone who should be respected. Also, when he takes his pirate hat off for his fellow pirates, this shows respect, honour and revere. As the audience, regarding the overall direction of the film's representation, I have learnt that Jack Sparrow is represented in a stereotypical pirate way. I believe I am watching this opening sequence how the creator wants me to view the text, in a preferred reading way.
Hacker
