Research Project-Planning Portfolio

For my research project I will be looking into the uses and gratifications female audiences gain from watching superhero movies. In order to conduct this research I will be using focus groups and surveys with female subjects aged 18-26. In my previous post I detailed that I would be using both male and female subjects. However, considering the time constraints and the nature of my topic, I felt it was more suited to female participants. I also stated that I would be using surveys as my sole means of collecting data for this project. However upon reflection I feel this topic is suited to two means of collecting data.

 

Time Planning

I will be first to admit that my time management skills are not exceptional. This is why it is essential in my research project to have some kind of calculated timeline of when I intend to get things done. This timeline (hopefully) will ensure that my research stays on track and is completed in the allotted timeframe.

Week 5	Week 6	Week 7	Week 8
Research proposal detailing topic and method of research and preliminary readings.	Further research into methods and preliminary readings.	Risk management. Identifying anything that may go wrong with the project and finding alternatives.	Construct focus group/survey questions and create a letter of consent for participants detailing what will be involved .

 

Week 9	Week 10	Week 11	Week 12	Week 13	Week 14
Planning portfolio due 25th April 10 pm.	Conduct focus groups/ post surveys online.	Assimilate all the data collected from surveys and focus groups.	Analyse data and present in a way that is clear and coherent.	Publish results of research on blog.	Reflect upon results and what they mean.

 

Focus Group Questions/ Survey Questions and Letter of Consent

I intend to give the letter of consent to participants and have them sign before the commencement of the focus group. In terms of surveys I will post this letter of consent at the top of the survey before they begin.

Hello, my name is Elizabeth Bridges and I am an undergraduate student at UOW. I am currently undertaking a research project focused on exploring the uses and gratifications female audiences gain from watching superhero movies. This research will be conducted using both focus groups and surveys. If you agree to participate I will be asking you some questions about superhero movies and what interests you to watch them. These responses will also be recorded to refer back to later on, If you do not wish to be recorded at any time in the interview please feel free to let me know. This process will only take about 20 minutes of your time. Your participation is completely up to your discretion. You may withdraw at any time and you may skip any questions you would prefer not to answer. If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to ask. If you would like to stay updated regarding my research you can contact me via my word press blog (lizzellbee.wordpress.com) or my twitter (@lizzy_bridges) . Should you choose to take part I look forward to conducting my research with you and greatly appreciate your participation.

1. What is your favourite superhero movie? If you have one.
2. What is the main thing you notice when you watch these films?
3. What in particular influences you to watch this specific genre of film?
4. What is a feature of superhero movies that you like?
5. What is a feature of superhero movies you dislike or would change?
6. Do casting decisions influence your choice to watch or not to watch these films?
7. How do you feel about the representations of females in these films?
8. If there were a stronger female presence in these movies, would your current opinion about these films change?
9. Is there anything else you would like to say about superhero movies and the reasons you watch them?

 

Risk Planning

In my research I can only see two foreseeable risks, these being:

1. I do not receive an adequate response to my survey questions

This is a potentially problematic risk as my study is largely based upon female participation and is therefore my results are dependant on this. My focus group is estimated to take 20 minutes whilst my survey should only take about 15 minutes. These relatively short amounts of time taken out of participants days, coupled with the interesting topic of research will hopefully combat this issue. However, if female participants are unavailable, I could alter my question slightly to the male perception of why females watch superhero movies. Then when female participants are available, return to the initial research question.

2. The questions asked in the focus group go off-topic to what is being discussed.

This is a risky situation. If the discussion of my topic is not put back on track then I run the risk of having essentially useless data collected. In order to overcome this I will have prepared some questions that relate back directly to superhero films and why you watch them. For example if a contributor started talking about their favourite action movie, I would direct the conversation back to the topic by saying “Can you think of an example of this in relation to superhero films?” in this way I am not being disrespectful to my participants but still keeping the focus group on track.

 

Qualities of a Good Researcher

My current research project began understandably with curiosity, the desire to find out the answer to something. I had heard a lot of discussion on various media platforms regarding the representation or rather misrepresentation of women in superhero films. However, what seemed to be missing from the discussion and what I was curious to find out was the female audiences who actually watch these films and why it is that they watch them. When Marvel and Dc comics are filled with just 30% of female characters (Comics Alliance 2014) and when 2014 data from the MPAA shows that female audiences make up more than half of moviegoers in America alone, it would seem a logical decision to find out more about the female relationship to these films.

Being a female who enjoys this genre of film (for reasons separate to shirtless men), there is also a degree of reflexivity in this research for me, as I want to know if other females enjoy these movies for the similar reasons I do. In conducting this research, on a very small scale I hope to be able to be able to gain some insight for society on the reasons females watch superhero movies and perhaps challenge the existent stereotype that females “only watch superhero movies for the hot guys”.

In doing my preliminary readings for this project and critically analysing them, it became apparent that there was a distinct skills gap in current research done on the topic. All the readings I found focused on the representation of female characters within the movies and did not even mention the female audiences watching these films. So in that respect while the readings offered background context into my research, they were not overly helpful. One reading that turned out to be fundamental to my research was the Uses and Gratifications Theory. This theory developed by Herta Herzog and continued by Blumler and Katz looks at “why and how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs”(BCMS Glossary 2014).

It is important as a researcher to be accountable for your research and to make sure that we can be criticised if our research practices are not of an appropriate standard. In terms of my research project, this accountability shows in my time planning. I need to make sure I am adhering to a timeline in order to make progress and actually get the research done to achieve the goals I set out to achieve in the commencement of this project. I also need to ensure that no harm can be caused to the subjects of my research study, not that any harm is foreseeable with this particular topic.

It is important that research be both respectful and symmetrical both for the researcher and most importantly for participants in the study. This is shown so far in my research through the incorporation of consent forms that I created with the help of Duke University’s guide. In my letter of consent I have let participants know what it is I’m studying, how I intend to study it, what is required of them, how long the study will take, their rights as participants and my contact information if they have any concerns or questions. This ensures that I have shown participants the respect they deserve as collaborators in my research.

As this research is relatable to me and is something I am attached to finding out, I need to make sure that I uphold integrity by being impartial in my research to make sure that my personal views do not influence the end product of my research. This has included me re-wording some of my questions to make sure they don’t influence the participant to a particular frame of thought. Integrity also means making sure that people who are interested in my research can contact me and keep up to date with the progress I have made.

Flexibility is a fundamental quality. As human beings we desire to know things, this makes uncertainty frightening to us. As knowinnovation.com states “this drive to know absolutely can get in the way of innovation. It makes us inclined to latch on to an answer too quickly rather than live in the uncertainty… to see if a more suitable or interesting response is still at hand.” Thus it is important for my research project to be adaptable. For instance if the focus group questions were to go off track, I have some prepared questions to keep the discussion on the right track.

All of these elements in combination with each other make for a sound research project, which achieves its goals in a way that upholds the respect and integrity of those involved in the project and those who it may affect.

 

Communication

In terms of how I intend to keep people updated with my research I will be able to be contacted through my word press blog and my twitter. If people involved in the research have any questions or concerns they can message me directly through either of these platforms. I will also be consistently updating my research project on my blog for those who are interested in following my research.

WordPress: lizzellbee.wordpress.com

Twitter: @lizzy_bridges

 

References

• Matt D. Wilson, 2014,Five Thirty Eight Digs Into Demographics of Superheroes,Finds They’re Still Overwhelmingly Men,Comics Alliance, viewed 24^th March 2016,http://comicsalliance.com/fivethirtyeight-superhero-demographic/
• Melissa Silverstein,2014,MPAA Data Shows That Women Are Still the Majority of Moviegoers,com, Viewed 24^thMarch 2016,http://blogs.indiewire.com/womenandhollywood/mpaa-data-shows-that-women-are-still-the-majority-of-moviegoers
• Brown, J 2011,Dangerous Curves: Action Heroines, Gender, Fetishism, and Popular Culture, University Press of Mississippi, Mississippi.
• Herzog, H 1941,On Borrowed Experience: Studies in Philosophy and Social Science.
• Maloney, S 2014, Uses and Gratification Theory, BCMS glossary SOLS, viewed 24^thMarch 2016https://moodle.uowplatform.edu.au/mod/glossary/view.php?id=67244&mode=letter&hook=U&sortkey=&sortorder=
• BCPS, Planning the Methodology- Timeline, BCPS, viewed 20^th April 2016 , < https://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/researchcourse/develop_writing_methodology_timeline.html>
• Duke University, Guide to Writing Consent Forms and Oral Consent Scripts, Duke University, viewed 20^th April 2016 < https://ors.duke.edu/orsmanual/consent-forms-and-scripts>
• Duke University, How to Conduct a Focus Group, Duke University, viewed 21^st April 2016 < https://assessment.trinity.duke.edu/documents/How_to_Conduct_a_Focus_Group.pdf>
• Maggie Dugan, Tolerating Ambiguity,com, viewed 21^st April 2016 < http://knowinnovation.com/2013/04/tolerating-ambiguity/>

 

 

Annotated Bibliography-Digital Artefact

Source 1

https://www.triplejunearthed.com/comps-and-resources/about

Triple J Unearthed is a website where up-and-coming Australian musicians can have their music listened to by a global audience. Through this platform artists build a fan base, perform at music festivals and record professional standard music. This source is relevant to the digital artefact as our blog aims to promote local musicians and gigs in the area. Therefore this is a good source as it has essentially the same objective but on a wider scale. Where Triple J unearthed includes music from all over Australia, our blog focuses on up-and-coming gigs and musicians from the Illawarra and Sydney areas.

 

Source 2

http://national.thedelimagazine.com/homepage

The Deli mag is an American site that locates gigs and performances according to specified areas. It covers the twelve North American music scenes through twelve different blogs, focused on exposing unknown musicians to American audiences. As our digital artefact is a music blog dedicated to finding new and up-and-coming artists this is a relevant source. Although this source is less effective in terms of location relevance, the general idea of the Deli Mag can be utilised within our digital artefact through the incorporation of tags and categories for the different area and subjects we are covering.

 

Source 3

https://www.facebook.com/ChattrPresents/

http://chattr.com.au/

Chattr is a Wollongong University based website that posts weekly Vox-Pop videos related to different topics. This is a relevant source to our digital artefact as we want to post Vox-Pop videos onto our blog but with questions focused on music, such as favourite road trip songs or a musician gone too soon as examples. Therefore this source is useful as we intend to incorporate music-related Vox-Pops into our blog to make it more appealing and entertaining. This is also a useful source in terms of online presence as Chattr have a strong presence on all social media outlets and we intend to do the same thing.

 

Source 4

https://www.periscope.tv/

Periscope is an app available on Android and Apple, which enables people to experience events as they are happening through live-streamed video. This effectively offers audiences a first- person experience of the events taking place. This source is extremely relevant to our digital artefact as we can integrate live footage from the gigs we go to, along with our reviews of the gigs we attend. Therefore this source is highly useful as we are able to show audiences these performances as they are happening, allowing our readers to form their own opinion of the music we review.

 

Source 5

https://www.imforza.com/blog/growing-a-social-following-from-scratch/

This is a web article that provides readers with advice on how to build an online fan base from scratch. This is a relevant source for our digital artefact as we are curating a local music blog and in order for our blog to work as intended it is reliant on a local, online following. Therefore this source while predominately directed at businesses is still fairly useful to our digital artefact, as we intend to build a strong online presence and audience through the incorporation of various social media platforms. This will make our blog more engaging and achieve more web traffic to our site.

 

Source 6

https://www.reverbnation.com/main/local_scene?geo=local&geo_country=AU&geo_state=NSW&geo_city=Sydney&page=1&range_type=today

This website locates local gigs by typing in your area and country. It shows you all the artists and details about the gigs they are playing. This source is highly relevant as we will be reviewing and informing people about upcoming gigs. Therefore it is important to have accurate details regarding when and where they are performing. The only concern with this source is while it is useful for more well-known bands, it would be impossible to know if this site covers every possible gig in the area, especially new bands. It would also be interesting to know how often this website is updated.

 

Source 7

https://soundcloud.com/stream

SoundCloud is a website that offers musicians a free platform to post their music and have their content listened to by wider audiences. This is an extremely relevant source to our digital artefact, as we want to preview the music of the bands we review so readers can form their own opinions. We will also be using SoundCloud to interview bands and to explore the topic of music itself more broadly through podcasts on specific topics. This source will be of use to us if the bands we review have a SoundCloud artist page, if they don’t then the music can be sourced by other means.

 

Source 8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoBzn1nyONw

This is a short YouTube informational video by Alex Miotto, which provides advice on video editing. Miotto gives a rundown of the basic editing technique using iMovie. This is an extremely relevant source to our digital artefact as we have not had much experience with video editing and we definitely want to incorporate video content into our blog. This is a relatively useful source as it gives a first person perspective on editing techniques. However, in this same respect it is a limited source as this is just one person’s opinion and there are many different techniques and styles of video editing.

 

Source 9

http://www.npr.org/sections/music-interviews/

NPR is a music website which encompasses a wide variety of genres and aggregates them into a musicians network where like-minded people can share and discuss musical content in the form of video, articles, interviews and podcasts. This is a relevant source for our digital artefact as we intent to utilise these different platforms to get people’s attention about what gigs are happening in the area as well as fostering conversation about music in general. Therefore this is a useful source as incorporates all the different elements of music that we likewise want to include, particularly the versatile range of genres discussed.

 

Source 10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI2ucw7hP34

This is a YouTube series by Vogue that asks famous celebrities 73 questions while the interviewee goes about what they are doing. This is relevant to our digital artefact, as we want to incorporate interviews with the bands we see and I like this particular natural style of interview. There is a hand-held camera, impromptu questions and one-answer responses. Therefore in consideration of those elements, it’s a good source. However, there are aspects I didn’t like and would change, such as the irrelevant questions. We would have questions focused on their music such as what their influences are, when they first started playing an instrument etc.

-Lizzellbee 🙂

Research Project Proposal; Comic Book Films and the Female Audience

Recently it seems there has been a great deal of debate in the media regarding the representation, or rather the misrepresentation of female characters in the superhero movies of Marvel and DC. Whilst the comic books are filled with just over 30% of female characters (Comics Alliance 2014), an even smaller percentage makes it to the cinematic universe. This decision by Marvel and DC to exclude female characters from its movies seems counter-productive when the 2014 data from` the MPAA shows that females make up more than half of moviegoers in America alone!

Additionally, with current box-office hits trending towards superhero movies it would seem to be a logical decision to look further into the female relationship with these movies. It would be of interest to find out WHO is watching these movies? And for WHAT purpose do women watch these movies- if they do at all?

Therefore the question I would like to propose for this research project is:

To explore the Uses and Gratifications, Female Audiences Gain From Watching Superhero Movies.

My idea for this question initially came from two sources. The first was my comic book obsessed friend who was having a rant to me one day about the prejudice that exists for women in the comic-book fandom. She was telling me about how she herself had been subjected to comments such as “you only pretend to like comics to get guys” or “ you only watch superhero movies to look at the shirtless guys.” The feminist in me wanted to disprove this immediately and show that some females enjoy these movies in the same way men do. The second source of my inspiration came from the Huffington Post YouTube video about girls at comic-con. In the video the girls speak about their experiences at comic-con where men have harassed them. It would seem some men don’t understand that women can like comics for the same reasons. This type of attitude essentially perpetuates the “bluntness of the traditionally patriarchal fantasy played out in comics (2011, p.3).

In my preliminary research I was unable to find anything pertaining to my question as most of the studies were focused on the actual representation of females in superhero films. As there is an absence of studies in this area, this seems to be worthwhile looking into. I looked for some related sources that could help me in my analysis of this question.

I began with looking at the uses and gratifications theory, as I didn’t know too much about it. I’m glad I did as uses and gratifications theory turned out to be fundamental to what I want to research! This theory developed by Herta Herzog and continued by Blumler and Katz looks at “why and how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs” (BCMS glossary 2014). In this reading Herzog looks at housewives regarding their motivations for listening to radio soap operas. She wanted to research the satisfaction and fulfilment derived by listeners. This is very similar to what I want to investigate so I thought this was a good reading to start with.

Another reading I came across that I thought was relevant to my proposed study was ‘Demanding respect: the Evolution of the American Comic Book’. Although this doesn’t directly relate to the aspect of superhero movies I want to study, I thought it would be good to look at as it gives some context to the comic book culture, which drives the cinematic universe. In the chapters I’ve read, some good points are made about the differences between comic books and the movies they are based on.

The other reading I used to gain a better understanding of my question was Men, Masculinity and the Media by Steve Craig. This reading had some valuable information about the readership of comic books. DC comics claims that 91% of their audience is male, however this source didn’t account for the female readership or the shift that this may have taken when comics are adapted to film.

The way I intend to undertake this research is through a questionnaire about superhero movies, which I will give to both males and females in the demographic of 18-26 year olds. My questions will centre on why people watch these films and what it is that attracts them to watch them. For my study I will be focusing mainly on the female response but will use the male response to compare and analyse my raw data.

I hope that through this research project I find out why women watch superhero movies. Hopefully, my results will indicate that they like the compelling characters, action sequences and pop culture references. But, if it so happens that the majority of women watch these movies purely for the hot guys contained within them, then I see no harm in that either.

-Lizzellbee 🙂

References:

• Matt D. Wilson, 2014,Five Thirty Eight Digs Into Demographics of Superheroes,Finds They’re Still Overwhelmingly Men, Comics Alliance, viewed 24^th March 2016, http://comicsalliance.com/fivethirtyeight-superhero-demographic/

• Melissa Silverstein,2014,MPAA Data Shows That Women Are Still the Majority of Moviegoers,com, Viewed 24^th March 2016, http://blogs.indiewire.com/womenandhollywood/mpaa-data-shows-that-women-are-still-the-majority-of-moviegoers

• Huffington Post, 2015, Cosplay Women of Comic Con Talk Cat Calling, YouTube Video, 12^th October, YouTube, viewed 24^th March 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUeDVYHWHIs

• Brown, J 2011, Dangerous Curves: Action Heroines, Gender, Fetishism, and Popular Culture, University Press of Mississippi, Mississippi.

• Herzog, H 1941,On Borrowed Experience: Studies in Philosophy and Social Science.

• Maloney, S 2014, Uses and Gratification Theory, BCMS glossary SOLS, viewed 24^th March 2016 https://moodle.uowplatform.edu.au/mod/glossary/view.php?id=67244&mode=letter&hook=U&sortkey=&sortorder=

• Lopes, P 2009, Demanding Respect: The Evolution of the American Comic Book, Temple University Press, Philadelphia.

• Craig, S 1992, Men, Masculinity and the Media, Sage Publications, United States.

 

A Wearable Phone! THIS IS THE FUTURE

Image courtesy of ebay.com

Now I don’t just mean a phone costume you can wear like this hilariously awkward photo, but a  phone that is literally projected onto your skin! Seems like the stuff of science fiction but this could very soon be the norm within our society with a prototype for the Cicret bracelet already in operation. Check out the Soundcloud podcast I did on this wicked new piece of technology below!

-Lizzellbee 🙂

References:

Cicret 2016, Make Your Skin Your New Touchscreen #nomorescreens, cicret.com, viewed 24^th March 2016, http://cicret.com/wordpress/

Robarts, S 2014, ‘Cicret Wristband Turns Your Arm Into a Touch Screen’,Gizmag,8^th December, viewed 24^th March http://www.gizmag.com/cicret-bracelet/35109/

Mitew,T 2016 ‘I ❤ gadgets’, Lecture, BCM112, University of Wollongong,March 21^st https://esplay.uow.edu.au/ess/echo/presentation/a7b2e78e-104d-4101-a263-0b6b4f17173f?ec=true

 

Coldplay in Hot Water! Copyright Structures and Industry Control

The music industry is notorious for the legal battles that occur between artists regarding copyright Infringement. But let’s be real here there’s technically only twelve notes in western music so some similarities are bound to show up. I mean there’s only so many combinations of chords and melody that can be made that are unique. As I demonstrate the great musicians such as Bach, Handel and many others actively encouraged people to “steal” their works as it was a sign of honour that their works were good. So what has changed in society that has shaped the contemporary landscape?

The answer? The demand for monopoly and control regarding intellectual property. Essentially as we’ve become a more consumer based society, the desire for financial recognition for our works and ideas has increased.

This mass change of perspective in modern society has landed many musicians in hot water for copyright infringement. In the Coldplay vs. Satriani case, ‘Viva La Vida’ is a clear “rip off” of  Joe Satriani’s earlier work ‘If I Could Fly’. Without getting into all the musical theory; the chordal progressions, melody and tempo are far too similar, and this combined with the fact that Jonny Buckman was familiar with Satriani’s work basically proves the case itself.  A comparison is included in the Prezi below. Do you think Satriani’s case constituted copyright infringement? i’d love to hear your opinions in the comments below.

Also there’s more information about the case here.

Additionally, if you’re a lil music nerd like I am, you can dive into all that musical theory stuff to see just how similar they are here.

-Lizzellbee 🙂

References:

Oxford Dictionary, viewed 21^st March 2016, <http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/copyright>

What Is Intellectual Property, World Intellectual Property Organisation, viewed 21^st March 2016, < http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/>

Faden, E 2007, A Fair(y) Use Tale, Youtube video, May 21^st , Youtube.com, viewed 21^st March 2016 < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UycH2HvBRd4>

 2009, Viva La Vida/ If I could Fly- Full Song, Youtube video, March 15^th, Youtube.com, viewed 21^st March 2016 < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjB024bZoB4>

Mitew, T 2016 ‘Copyright Structures and Industry Control’, Lecture, BCM112, University of Wollongong, March 14^th < https://esplay.uow.edu.au/ess/echo/presentation/899c4003-1beb-4de1-8fe0-0e41bf779d0d?ec=true>

THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE!?!?

I’m finally beginning to understand this revolutionary concept. It revolves around the notion that the medium itself and not merely the content it provides should be the subject of study, as the way in which we interact and engage with mediums conveys messages separate from the content itself. The man behind the genius Marshall McLuhan describes this concept as:

“The personal and social consequences of any medium-, that is any extension of ourselves –result from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each extension of ourselves or by any new technology.” (McLuhan 1964)

 

That’s right sceptical African kid; absolutely everything we engage with on a daily basis is a medium. Additionally what’s more interesting is when we look at say the medium of cinema, ‘the content of a medium in almost all cases, is another distinct medium in itself (Federman 2004)

The cinema is constructed in such a way that makes us passive consumers. We sit in grouped chairs, in darkness and there is the expectation of silence as we watch a film. This is the first instance of the medium is the message at work. However as we watch the film itself through the techniques, camera angles, screenplay, and themes then we are receiving secondary messages from the medium of film. This is clearly displayed in the film Memento directed by Christopher Nolan in which the futility of the mind and the nature of memory is conveyed to audiences. In the video below, Nolan talks about his vision for this movie and how he tried to capture the messages he wanted to convey through his medium.

Also if you’re a bit of a film nerd like me there is more information about the film memento here.

 

-Lizzellbee 🙂

 

References

McLuhan, M 1964,Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. McGraw Hill. New York.

Federman,M 2004,What is the Meaning of the Medium is the Message? http://individual.utoronto.ca/markfederman/MeaningTheMediumistheMessage.pdf

Curiouser and Curiouser…

This famed quote from Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ perfectly captures the childlike innocence and naivety that is at the core of human curiosity. Curiosity drives each and every one of us, forwarding our understanding of the world in which we live. Quite simply put it is defined as the strong desire or urge to know or learn something new.

GIF image courtesy of quotesgram.com

I, much like the beloved fictional character Alice often find myself diving down rabbit holes driven by curiosity. Of course mine is in the contemporary sense, the rabbit hole I like to call the Internet. It still amazes me when I start looking at one thing say music covers on YouTube and slowly, click after click I dive deeper and deeper until I find myself watching strange conspiracy theories I never even knew existed! In one sense, it’s fantastic! I gain new knowledge about something I knew nothing about but… on the other hand when you have to then pull an all-nighter to get your work done my procrastination habits quickly lose their appeal. I think it is the sheer nature and accessibility of the internet that fosters our curiosity and points us in the direction of new (and sometimes) unwanted knowledge.

Image courtesy of bestmoviesbyfar.com

There have been many instances where my curiosity has led to gaining new knowledge but one that particularly comes to mind was when I had to research a character for a drama monologue I had to perform. My monologue was based on the life of Judy Garland. As Judy is one of my favourite entertainers of all time, I wanted to portray her character accurately and respectfully.

In order to do this I really had to do my research, things such as her accent, mannerisms, family life, where she came from, her movies and performances, her drug and alcohol dependency and everything about her basically. Through this research I discovered more and more about her life and in turn became more curious to find out more. This knowledge helped me portray her properly and convey the complexities of her character to audiences.

Curiosity is a powerful thing. It’s what has been behind every human discovery and shapes how we interact with the world around us. It shapes both our ontology and our epistemology. So personally I think it’s time to feed my curiosity and dive down some more rabbit holes to see what I can find!

Let me know in the comments what makes you curious! I’m curious to find out.

-Lizzellbee 🙂

References:

Gerber 2010,Alice Rabbit Hole Curiosity, GIF image, quotesgram.com, viewed Tenth March 2016 < http://quotesgram.com/alice-in-wonderland-curiosity-quotes/#pFkKoVQxeN >

2014,Judy Garland Singing, Image,bestmoviesbyfarr.com, viewed Tenth March 2016 < http://www.bestmoviesbyfarr.com/articles/did-judy-garland/2014/06 >

Back to Blogging!

As it’s a new semester it’s time to get back to old habits and begin blogging again! I am determined this semester to stay up to date with the blog posts as I’ll admit last year I was not entirely on top of it… Anyhow I look forward to sharing my coming blog posts from my BCMS subjects with you lovely people.  🙂

My! What Big Bruises You Have Mum!- Domestic Violence Campaign

Looking at this image it quite quickly becomes clear that what we are being presented with is not the typical fairy-tale image one might find in the pages of a beloved children’s book. We become aware almost instantaneously that this is a domestic violence ad campaign. But what is it about the image that causes us to recognise this and interpret it in that way? Is it the fact that little red appears to be a middle- aged women, or maybe it’s the scratches from the “big- bad wolf” on her cheek or the fearful expression on her face? Or perhaps the blood stained conventional storybook text?  The answer? All of these…combined together… to make a beautiful cake of semiotics.

But what is semiotics I hear you ask? Let me break it down for you. Defined most simply Semiotics is the science of signs and the meaning their interpretation elicits (Turnbull 2015).In the study of semiotics, there are two parts to any sign or image; the signifier (or denotation) which is what we see at face value, and the signified (or connotation) which is what the viewer interprets about the image, which thus allows them to form meaning of the sign or image.

However where this gets interesting is that an individual’s perception, changes the way in which they interpret the image or sign, based on their own ideologies and understanding of what they perceive the world around them to be (Turnbull 2015 ) . Chandler provides an accurate definition of this phenomenon in saying “the term ‘connotation’ is used to refer to the socio-cultural and ‘personal’ associations (ideological, emotional etc.) of the sign…Signs are more ‘polysemic’-more open to interpretation- in their connotations than their denotations” (Chandler 2014).The clearest example of this is the colour red. Many meanings can be interpreted from it ie. Passion, romance, anger, lust, luck. However when we place the colour red with a street sign, its meaning is transformed and it is universally understood that it means to stop. (Turnbull 2015).

GIF image courtesy of Tumblr.com

So in looking back to the image above the signifier is a woman in a red hood, crouching in the forest with scratches on her face. It’s not a particularly pleasant image is it? But once the connotations are then drawn from it and meaning associated with the image it becomes a powerful, evocative advertisement. To begin with the blood stained text “mum was reading me a tale until daddy came back…” is clearly written from the perspective of a young child, alluding to innocence and the destruction of that innocence when domestic violence is involved.

These few words aim to evoke a strong emotional response in the reader and encourage them to engage with the advertisement. Furthermore the font used is that of a conventional story book which relates directly both to the text and image presented within the advertisement. This image is a clear depiction of the fairy- tale “Little Red Riding Hood”. Was this a deliberate decision by Amnesty International? It is well known that the villain in Little Red Riding Hood is the Big Bad Wolf, who is generally stereotyped as a male character. In this images context however the Big Bad wolf becomes the father, demonstrated again through the text and by the scratch marks on the mother’s cheek and fearful expression.

When the concepts of semiotics are applied to this image, its meaning is transformed. However this advertisement is somewhat reliant on the fact that people know the story of Little Red Riding Hood, which further demonstrates the notion that interpretations rely on previous understanding of context. If this image was shown to someone with no knowledge of the fairy- tale it is possible they may perceive the image in an entirely different way. It’s kind of similar to when you quote a movie…. And no-one understands your reference… and you die just a little bit inside.  😛

So now as you go about living your life and doing whatever it is you do, know that every text, sign or image you see has a meaning behind it, and what is it that helps you determine this meaning? Semiotics.

If you are interested here are some other interesting domestic violence advertisement campaigns which utilize the concepts behind semiotics.

-Lizzellbee 🙂

References:

Eyzaguirre,J 2009, Little Red Riding Hood, advertisement, Amnesty International, viewed 18 April 2015 < http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/amnesty_international_red_little_tender>

Turnbull, S 2015, ‘Lecture Week 3: The Image Cannot Lie’, lecture content, BCM 110, University of Wollongong, March 17 2015.

Chandler, D 2014, Semiotics for Beginners, visual-memory.co.uk, viewed 16 April 2015, < http://visual-memory.co.uk/daniel/Documents/S4B/sem06.html >

Riley, A (tumblr user), STOP sign, GIF, Tumblr, Viewed 19 April 2015 <https://www.tumblr.com/search/stop+sign+gifs&gt;

Too Fat, Too Thin, You Just Can’t Win!

I  don’t know about you guys, but personally I find it extremely ironic that in flipping through the pages of one magazine I’m bombarded with articles about body positivity and self confidence, whilst in another I’m informed on how to achieve the “Perfect Body”  or encouraged to read yet another celebrity “Body- Bounce Back Diet”. It seems that I JUST CAN’T WIN…and the media is loving it (*maccas jingle* dada da da da). But why is it that the media keeps us; as consumers precariously balanced on a tightrope when it comes to body image and what constitutes the “perfect” body?

Well to quote Marilyn Manson…“It’s a campaign of fear and consumption…keep everyone afraid and they’ll consume” and this I think is at the heart of why the media promotes what always seems to be just out of our reach… THE PERFECT LOOK. I’d like to pose the question of what this “fear” actually is? This fear that keeps us wanting to trim those extra pounds, or skip that meal even when it has potentially detrimental effects upon our health? I mean as long as we’re healthy does that extra bit of tummy flab or our absence of a sizeable thigh gap really matter?

I think this innate “fear” that drives people in society, (myself included) to consume is something central to our very human nature: Wanting to be Wanted, an intrinsic need to belong (#belonging HSC mems). Whilst body image does impact upon both men and women, it’s effects are more predominant among females, particularly impressionable teenagers.In my opinion in our society and the media there has been an unhealthy link created between body image and this notion of being wanted. A simple google search reveals various internet articles detailing what men consider to be attractive qualities in a woman.It was whilst undertaking this search that I came across this blog post  which sums up perfectly the unattainable standards that are placed upon women in order to be more ‘desirable’ and ‘wanted’ by the opposite sex.

We are constantly told by the media that we don’t look good enough, or that we can improve ourselves in order to be considered more “attractive”. The objective? For us to consume. Think of  it this way; if we were told consistently that our complexion was flawless, our lips full and plump, our eyebrows on point and our eyelashes long and perfectly curled, then the multi-million dollar makeup industries who prey on these image insecurities, would be in a bigger mess than non-waterproof mascara after a good ol’ PMS cry. What’s sneaky about media is that it doesn’t necessarily explicitly say “YOU’RE TOO FAT” in an attractive bolded headline, instead it’s subtly implied through a more suggestive “TEN WAYS TO A SKINNIER YOU’ accompanied by a bikini shot of your favourite celebrity who you guessed it, is stick thin.

This leads us in a messed up “inception-like” way to perceive ourselves as fat, even when we are perfectly healthy because hey, I’m not as thin as (insert famous photo-shopped celebrity here) so therefore they’re right I must be fat.But what is often overlooked when it comes to the perception of body image in the media is the fact that often the ideal image is created. Just one example of this was when British GQ magazine slimmed down a shot of Kate Winslett (image below) but failed to adjust the mirror image as well, alerting people to the photo-shop culture that prevails within the media.

Image courtesy of http://www.complex.com

But should the blame for body-image insecurity rest entirely with the media? Of course not. There are a multitude of factors in play that contribute to the relentless pursuit of the perfect body. However, what is clear that the media is a fundamental influence on the way in which we perceive our bodies and our looks. There is a quote by Steve Furtick which I try to live by and I think resonates particularly in regards to this issue;

 ‘The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.’

So at the risk of sounding extremely cheesy, it’s important that we love ourselves and not try to attain unachievable standards that the media and society itself place upon us. So essentially… rock them curves and enjoy that extra cheesy slice of pizza, I know I will. 😀

Do you agree/disagree with me? Feel free to express thy opinions in the comments.

GIF courtesy of Tumblr.com

-Lizzellbee 🙂