Detailed Essay Plan

Q. ‘I don’t think after Jurassic Park that we can, or should ever accept a model animated dinosaur again’.

How has CGI ensured the box office success of the animation genre, paying particular attention to ‘Shrek the Third’ (2007)?

Paragraph 1- Introduction

· What is animation? - Animation involves individual frames put together to create a moving image.

· What types of animation are there? - 1. Traditional hand drawing- e.g. Walt Disney classics- ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ (1937), 2. Stop-motion- Chicken Run (2001) 3. CGI animation- ‘Shrek the Third’ (2007)

· About ‘Shrek the Third’- upside down fairytale, the most successful CGI animation brand, third film of the films and fourth in development. One of the most successful individual animations.

· How am I going to prove CGI has ensured the success of animation- Looking through history, its social, historical and economical successes and at the impact of CGI animation, by looking at a range of CGI animation texts, and accomplishments and awards achieved by animation films e.g. ‘Finding Nemo’ (2003) - sold more DVD copies than any other film in history (28 million copies sold). Also looking at the animation conventions and key ingredients to make a successful animation film.

Paragraph 2- Discovery and development of animation

· Optical device- Phenakistoscope (Greek word meaning ‘deceiving viewer’) disc was developed in 1831 by Joseph Plateau. It gave the viewer the illusion of animation.

· No one founder of animation

· James Stuart Blackton created a short animation in 1906, it intrigued many and so began animation

· Windsor McCay- ‘Gertie the Dinosaur’ (1914)- Inspired many generations of animators to bring cartoons to life. Also developed and invented many standard animation techniques used now days e.g. Animation loop technique

Paragraph 3- 2D Traditional Cel Animations

· Animations were hand drawn. Every image was re-drawn again and again. This was a painstaking, tedious and time-consuming task.

· The Cel was introduced in 1910. It prevented animators from re-drawing backgrounds and focus on the animations.

· Walt Disney (founded 1923) classics were created through the traditional cel animation method up until 1989. They remain some of the most loved classic animations for kids which we will always reflect as films to love and enjoy in our childhood (37 films in total). Examples ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)- First ever Walt Disney animated film, ‘Pinocchio’ (1940), ‘Sleeping Beauty’ (1959), ‘The Jungle Book’ (1967)

· Walt Disney is a highly successful company. ‘Animation is central to Disney’s economic strength and cultural influence’. This shows that animation was the core to Walt Disney’s success.

· 2D Traditional cel animation developed to:

Paragraph 4- 3D Stop Motion animation

· Puppet and model animation using 3D physical objects (puppets, paper, clay, models, card) and creating motion was the next step in the development of animation.

· Aardman

· ‘Wallace and Gromit’ was an Oscar winning success and the animation success at the time is illustrated by its achievements. ‘Wallace and Gromit’ (British) - 1. A Grand Day Out (1989), won BAFTA Best Animated Film, nominated for Academy Award for Best Short Film, Animated, 2. The Wrong Trousers (1993), won BAFTA Best Animated Film, won Academy Award for Best Short Film, Animated, 3. A Close Shave (1995), won BAFTA Best Animation Film, won Academy Award for Best Short Film, Animated
· The arrival of CGI saw the decline of stop motion

Paragraph 5- The arrival of CGI

· Explain the quote in the title- ‘I don’t think after Jurassic Park that we can, or should ever accept a model animated dinosaur again’. The impact of CGI animation on the film industry was huge! In the past dinosaurs such as the one in ‘King Kong’ (19..) were made from models, however the dinosaurs of ‘Jurassic Park’ (1993), thanks to CGI were so life like and real that it made the world and the film industry stand up and notice the potential of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery). ‘Jurassic Park’ changed the movie industry forever.

· The purpose of the film ‘Jurassic Park’ (1993) was to actually alert the public of the dangers of biotechnology as it was around this time that scientist were trying to create life/clones and the film was warning them the dangers of cloning through the destruction the dinosaurs cause. However this was ignored as in 1996, Dolly the Sheep’ was cloned.

· Walt Disney computerised there animations from 1990 with ‘The Rescuers Down Under’ (1990) being the first.

· CGI was used in live action films

Paragraph 6- CGI animated films and its impact

· 'Toy Story' (1995) is the worlds first ever computer generated imagery feature film. It was from this film that the individual genre of CGI was born. The film grossed $191,773,049 at the box office was won a large amount of awards including Golden Globe awards such as ‘best motion picture’ and Saturn awards such as ‘Best family film’. It was also voted by the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) the best animated film of all time ahead of the likes of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) who finished third place and ‘Shrek’ (2001) who finished 15th in there list.

· From here many CGI animated films have been created and have become some of the greatest films ever.

· ‘Finding Nemo (2003)- sold more DVD copies than any other film in history, most successful commercial Pixar film

· Shrek 2 DVD (‘The making of Shrek 2’)- Quote from ED Leonard (chief Technology officer DreamWorks SKG)- “ Computer graphics is still relatively a young industry”. CGI animation has only been around for roughly a decade so compare to other films and genres, it is short, this in turn shows that CGI has yet to reach its potential, not been around long and so what is has achieved amongst other films just illustrates the success of CGI and animation e.g. ‘Shrek the Third’ (2007), third highest intake in an opening weekend at the box office in history’.

· Antonio Banderas (voice of ‘Puss in Boots’) at the ‘Shrek the Third’ Premiere- “A landmark for animation movies and movies in general”.

· Many highly successful CGI animation companies have emerged during the time of Toy Story’s release and along with them came more success for animation - 1. DreamWorks SKG (1994)- ‘Shrek’, ‘Madagascar’, Blue Sky Studios (1997)- ‘Ice Age’ (2002)

Paragraph 7- Factors that make animation’s successful

· Appeal to large audiences. Quote from Justin Timberlake (voice of ‘Artie’ in ‘Shrek the Third’) at the ‘Shrek the Third’ Premiere in California- “My favourite thing about Shrek is it meets the 8 year olds and the 38 year olds”. This is a big factor to the success of animation and as it illustrates the films have not only had an impact on there primary audience ‘kids’, but they also reach the adults ’38 year olds’. This shows that CGI has had a massive impact and that it draws in large audiences (kids, adults, families).

· Conventions of animation- hybrid. Animations unlike other films can depending on the story contain a large variety of genres e.g. ‘Shrek the Third’:

· Action- Fiona and the princesses break into kingdom to try and save ‘Shrek’.

· Adventure- ‘Shrek goes on a quest to find Artie to take over as the king of Far Far Away

· Horror- ‘Shrek’s nightmare of babies’

· Romance- Love between Shrek and Fiona (Fiona “ Love you”)

· Comedy- Donkey and Puss in Boots love and hate relationship.

· Magic- Merlin the wizard

· Fantasy- the film itself, fairy tale

· Sport- Artie doing sports at the high school

· Drama- Prince Charmings play

· Music- Songs in the end of Shrek films

· Historical- Old fashioned buildings e.g. the high school, castle, kingdom

· Comedy- One of animations key ingredients that make them popular is there use of comedy. Look at a few examples of comedy in a variety of animations such as ‘Shrek the Third’- Donkey, Finding Nemo- When Marlin and Dory are stranded on the surface, they have to stay still as a flock of Seagulls who continually repeat the word ‘Mine’, are waiting for movement.

· The use of Celebrities endorsement- More so in recent time, animations are using celebrities to appeal to audiences. Looking at Shrek the Third you can see the list of some of the biggest ‘A’ list celebs involved in the film giving it an even bigger appeal. Shrek the Third ‘A’ list- 1. Mike Myers (Shrek), 2. Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona), 3. Eddie Murphy (Donkey), 4. Justin Timberlake (Artie), 5. John Cleese (King Harold), 6. Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots).

· Animal characters have become a common feature of animation films

· Storylines e.g. Good vs Evil

Paragraph 8- Animations outside films

· Adverts- HSBC, Shrek the Third health advert tackling obesity- reflect society, BBC Report about obesity (see Med6 Blog). (S)

· Adult animations- ‘Family Guy’, ‘South Park’, American Dad’, King of the Hill’,

· TV- ‘The Simpsons’ (1989- still running) undoubtedly one of the most successful TV shows in the world and it’s an animation!

· Cartoons- Tom and Jerry (1940-1957)-(considered one of the best animated cartoon series ever), Looney Tunes (1930-1969)

· Music Videos- Counting Crows ‘Accidently in Love’

· Animation appear broadly over the media, illustrates success and impact of animation. Compare with other types of tv shows ratings

Paragraph 9- Patriarchy and society reflected by ‘Shrek the Third’ (2007)

· Patriarchy- Shrek and Artie, male heroes (phallic objects-swords)

· Female power- Princess Fiona, strong, smart, discuss history, feminism, penis envy. Look at theorist/theories e.g. David Gauntlet

· By covering major issues in society, it can also reach those audiences as they identify with them

Paragraph 10- Bullying

· Bullying is cover in ‘Shrek 2’. - BBC Bullying report 2002- serious issue reflected by film. Identify with the victims through ‘Shrek’. One reason for bullying is appearance e.g. stereotypes of geeks- smart, nerdy, goofy, glasses, weak) or in Shrek’s case ugly (appearance). Shrek is out casted from society through his appearance (illustrated in all Shrek films)- e.g. Shrek 2- reaction Shrek receives when he arrives at Far Far Away and King Harold treatment towards Shrek, degrading as he is an ogre.

Paragraph 10- Pregnancy

Pregnancy- Report of pregnancy in the UK. Ideologies and values of this topic. Use quotes from the film when the princesses discuss Fiona’s baby and the “stress” but also the “joy” of having a baby.

Paragraph 11- Development of the genre

· Look at a range of genre theorist and use examples from various the animation films (make links)

· Compare ‘Shrek’ (2001) and ‘Shrek 2’ (2004) and how Shrek 2 has developed and improved from Shrek one. Use the quotes from the making of ‘Shrek 2’, 1. “Technology is advancing”. 2. When you see Shrek 2 after a mere three years what we are able to realise of our artist dreams and imagination in that film, it kind of takes your breath away” 3. “Shrek 2 showcases some of the most astonishing breakthroughs ever in computer animation”.

· Shrek 2 uses a new bounce shader (explain and how it shows development)

Paragraph 12- Future of animation

· Colin Kennedy, editor of the Empire magazine- “Computer animation is the way forward simply because production techniques are getting so much cheaper and cost effective.” Kennedy also believes that it’s down to a “strong story” and “sharp scripts” that holds the success of animation.

· As technology is advancing more, the computer will be able to advance the quality and level of animation and in a short space of time e.g. Shrek (2001) and ‘Shrek 2’ (2004). Because of the technology, the computers can create anything in our imaginations however the storylines and scripts cannot.

· John Lasseter (chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney and Animation studios- “The term CGI is a misnomer - the computer doesn't generate the images. That would be like calling traditional animation Pencil-Generated Imagery. No matter what the tool is, it requires an artist to create art”. This shows that no matter what happens in the future of animation, the stories and ideas will never come from the computer that will always be in the power of the human.

· ‘Ratatouille’ (2007) the latest CGI animated film released, look at its box office success against others in 2007.

· Access to 3D animation now at peoples homes means it is available to anyone = growth in animation films.

· CGI has cemented it’s the film industry and its future is bright as it is a “young industry”, also used in live action films for special effects e.g. ‘Spiderman’ (2001) swinging around New York.

· Animation’s future has endless possibilities and this is best depicted in a famous animation quote from the first ever CGI animated film ‘Toy Story’ (1995) ‘To Infinity and beyond’.

Quote added to independant study title

I have added a quote to the title of my independant study. The quote comes from the book :
Barry Purves, 'The Emperor's New Clothes', Animation World 1.1, April 1996.

• 'I don't think after Jurassic Park that we can, or should ever accept a model animated dinosaur again.'. How has CGI ensured the box office successful of the animation genre, paying particular attention to 'Shrek the Third' (2007)

One reason I have chose to add this quote to my title as it reflects upon the idea that CGI, which was used in Jurassic Park, has had such an impact on the film industry and how things are now produced. In the past, dinosaurs were made from models, however no matter how hard they may try, the audience will always be aware that the dinosaurs a model, until now. Thanks to CGI, the dinosaurs have been transformed into almost life like dinosaurs (even though we all know there extinct). But it shows the potential of CGI and as i will mention in my essay, 'Jurassic Park' (1993) was to prove a pivotal point in the development of CGI animation and for the animation genre itself.

Another reason I added the quote is also 'Jurassic Park' is one of the historical texts I will be looking at.

SHREK THE HALLS

On Christmas Eve, BBC1 Broadcasted 'Shrek the Hall's, a short christmas special. I you misssed it, heres a chance to see it.

Historical Texts (part 5/5)- 'Shrek' (2001) & 'Shrek 2' (2004)

About the Text:

a. Shrek- DreamWorks Animation SKG ‘Shrek’ (2001) was the first of what was to become the most successful CGI animation brand of all time. It is said to be ‘the greatest fairy tale, NEVER TOLD!’ The film involves an ogre playing the role of the hero as he and an annoying donkey rescues Princess Fiona from a castle. The film plays with past fairy tales such as Pinocchio, the three little pigs and the big bad wolf; however they are altered for a comical effect. (E.g. the Big Bad Wolf from little red riding hood wears a grandma outfit.

b. Shrek 2- sequel to ‘Shrek’ (2001). Sometimes sequels are not as good as the original however ‘Shrek 2’ is shown through its ratings better than 'Shrek'.

Significance to the development of the genre/ achievements for the genre:

· Shrek is the most popular and successful animation brand

· Shrek 2 scored the fourth-largest three-day opening weekend in US history.

· The largest opening for an animated movie until May 18th, 2007, when it was eclipsed by its sequel ‘Shrek the Third’ (2007)

· In 2006, it was announced as the 3rd highest box office grossing film of all time in the United States Worldwide, it is the ninth highest-grossing film of all time.

· It went on to be the most successful film in 2004.

· Shrek 2 was the first animation to use technical software called the ‘bounce shader’. The software allowed light to naturally bounce from one surface to another to create more natural and life-like surroundings.

Society at the time:

2001

· Fairy Tales are well known for having morals. The moral of this fairy tale is that you should not judge a book by its cover. Shrek is a large, green ogre who has no friends and is an outcast of society. This reflects society as people are judged on their appearance and is shown by looking at Hollywood films who never having a person who could be defined as ‘ugly’. It is also due to appearance that sometimes bullying occurs. In addition, in Shrek 2, this is clearly illustrated by King Harold’s reaction to seeing that his daughter is married to an ogre, ‘Shrek’.

· Stereotypically, heroes tend to be big strong brave and handsome, not a big green ogre. Although through appearance, Shrek may not appear to be the hero, instead he has the appearance to be the villain, but through his actions he seen as a hero whereas the handsome ‘Prince Charming’ plays the villain as the roles is reversed.

· The beginning of the New Millennium (21st century)

· September 11th, The New York World Trader Centres are attacked and destroyed by terrorist
· War on Terrorism begins

2004

· Bullying was a problem in the UK. 1 in 5 parents have a child that is bullied. The issue is taken very serious and was shown by having the UK’s first ever ‘anti-bullying’ week. Shrek does reflect bullying through the way we see Shrek being treated by others.

Source/s:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrek
2. http://www.shrek.com/main.php
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrek_2
4. http://www.filmeducation.org/primary/animation/history.htmlhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4027089.stm

Other Texts:

· Here is short list of other significant animation texts which I may refer to when proving that ‘CGI animation has secured the box office success of the animation genre’.

· Useful site: http://www.filmeducation.org/primary/animation/history.html

1. ‘Shrek 2’ (2004)- used the first technical software to make light naturally bounce from one surface to another to create more natural and life-like surroundings.

2. ‘Finding Nemo’ (2003)- Best selling DVD of all time (28 million copies)

3. Walt Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ (1994)- the highest- grossing traditionally animated feature film

4. ‘Tom and Jerry’ (1940-57) - considered one of the best animated cartoon series ever, an Academy awarding winning animated cartoon series

5. ‘Wallace and Gromit’- Oscar winning stop-motion animation

6. Walt Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (1991)­- It is the first and only full-length animated feature film to ever be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.

7. 'Sprit: Stallion of the Cimarron’ (2002)- Combines CGI with hand drawn animation

8. ‘Tron’ (1982)- was the first animated feature film made by a computer

9. ‘Tin Toy’ (1988)- provided the inspiration for ‘Toy Story’ (1997)

Historical Texts (part 4/5)- 'Toy Story' (1995)

About this Text:

Released in 1995, Disney/Pixar (two merged companies in 1984) ‘Toy Story’ is the worlds first ever fully computer generated imagery feature film (first film to be made entirely by computer). The film was inspired from the short film ‘Tin Toy’ (1988) and became the grossing animated feature film in 1995.

Significance in the development of the genre/ achievements for the genre:

· ‘Toy Story’ is the worlds first ever computer generated feature length motion picture. It was from this film that the individual genre of CGI animation was born. Times involving having to hand drawing thousands of frames have now been replace by computers. This also reflects society in the advancement in technology. It was a time when major companies such as ‘DreamWorks Animation SKG’ (1994), ‘Blue Sky Studios’ (1997) and many others were starting to emerge.

Society at the time (in general):

1995

· The busiest hurricane season in 62 years beings (the Atlantic hurricane season)
· DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) was introduced
· eBay was founded
· James Bond ‘Golden Eye’ is released

Source/s:

1. http://www.pixar.com/featurefilms/ts/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Story

Historical Texts (part 3/5)- 'Jurassic Park' (1993)

About the Text:

Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster film ‘Jurassic Park’ (1993) is one of the most successful films of all time. It is currently the tenth highest grossing film of all time. The film involves an amusement park inhabited by genetically engineered dinosaurs that escape and cause havoc.

Significance in the development of the genre/ achievements for the genre:

· Not only was ‘Jurassic Park’ one of the most successful films of all time but it was the film that proved to be the springboard for CGI animated. The films use of CGI stunned audiences all over the world and really brought the dinosaurs to life. Thanks to CGI the dinosaurs were made to look almost life-like. Before the film CGI was not fully recognised, however Jurassic Park demonstrated to the world the potential of CGI. This film was to change the movie industry forever.

Society at the time (in general):

1993

· The Great Blizzard of 1993
· Zambia national football team die in an air crash
· World Trade Center bombings

The film’s ideologies and values were to alert the public to the dangers of biotechnology, science and computers. ‘Jurassic Park’ was used to show what could go wrong and the consequences of ‘acting as god’ by creating life. In 1996, Dolly the Sheep, a cloned sheep, was created.

Source/s:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic_Park_%28film%29
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993
3. http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/jurassic.html

Historical Texts (part 2/5)- 'Walt Disney 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' (1937)

About the text:

Walt Disney has produced many animation feature classics that we all know and love. Classics such as ‘Pinocchio’ (1940), ‘Sleeping Beauty’ (1959), ‘101 Dalmations’ (1961), ‘The Jungle Book’ (1967), ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (1991),’ ‘Aladdin’ (1992), ‘The Lion King (1994), the list is just endless. Altogether Walt Disney created 37 animation feature films in total and it all began with ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ (1937).

Significance in the development of the genre/ achievements for the genre:

· Since founded in 1923, Walt Disney has become one of the largest and most successful industries in the world ever. 'The Walt Disney Studios distributes motion pictures under Walt Disney Pictures - which includes Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios and DisneyToon Studios' (5).

. 'It was after ‘The Little Mermaid’ (1989), that Disney changed there method of animation from hand drawing and painting to ‘CAPS’ (Computerised Animation Production Systems). This reflects the development in animation moving from traditional hand drawings/paintings to computers. It also shows how technology was advancing. Computers have now become involved in creating animation films.

· Walt Disney movies starting from 1990 and beyond (8 in total) were all made using ‘CAPS’ , with ‘The Rescuers Down Under’( 1990) being the first Walt Disney film made through the new method. Others such as ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (1991) and ‘The Lion King’ (1994) followed
· the first full-length animated feature film in colour

Society at the time (in general):

1937

· Dandy, the worlds longest running comic strip was first published (Dec 4)
· The Great Hong Kong Typhoon killed 11.000 people
· Recession of the Great Depression- American economy going downhill, productions declined as did profits and unemployment increased



Source/s:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_White_and_the_Seven_Dwarfs_%281937_film%29
2. http://www.animated-news.com/
3. http://www.justdisney.com/animation/animated_features.html
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1937
5. http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/overview.html

__________________________________________________________________

Note: After traditional animation, Stop-motion animation developed and animations transformed from being 2D into 3D. ‘Wallace and Gromit’ and ‘Chicken Run’ are two examples. The arrival of stop motion animation was part of the development of animation however when CGI finally arrived, stop motion was disappearing

Historical Texts (part 1/5)- 'Gertie the Dinosaur' (1914)

About the Text:

In 1914, Windsor McCay created a short animated film titled ‘Gertie the Dinosaur’. The dinosaur character was based on the best known sauropods dinosaur, Diplodocus. The film was created before cels were introduced. To create ‘Gertie the Dinosaur’, Windsor McCay hand drew thousands of frames on 6.5 x 8.5 pieces of rice paper. This was a painstaking and tedious task. Whilst in production, McCay invented many techniques such as ‘animation loops’ (E.g. A dog walking- a frame by frame of a dog walking is drawn out once, as this motion of the dog is repetitive, the same drawings of the dog walking can be used again and again to illustrate the dog walking continuously. This prevents the animator from re-drawing the dog walking motion again), which are now standard in the industry.

Significance in the development of the genre/ achievements for the genre:

· Windsor McCay’s ‘Gertie the Dinosaur’ inspired many generations of animators to bring their cartoons to life.

Society at the time (in general):

1914

· World War 1 began
· Paramount Pictures is formed
· The last ever ‘Passenger Pigeon’ died in the Cincinnati zoo on September 1st. The passenger Pigeon is now extinct
· Gertie the Dinosaur, released 15th September 1914

From the events and looking at others, it seems that ‘Gertie the Dinosaur’ did not reflect society at the time. However the only link that I can make, although not a strong link is that Windsor McCay may have chose to make the character a dinosaur as they were known to be extinct and it was around this time the Passenger Pigeon was near the threat of extinct, which eventually they were, so the character was made as a dinosaur.
Also, animation was an area not explored until Windsor McCay illustrated its potential. By animation starting to blossom, it reflects how the film industry was developing at the time.




Source/s:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertie_the_Dinosaur
2. http://www.filmeducation.org/primary/animation/history.html
3. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0004008/

Task 11

Laura Mulvey Summary

Laura Mulvey is a media theorist well known for her theory of the ‘Male-Gaze’. The theory suggests that women are seen merely just as ‘sex objects’ (objectification) for the male’s pleasure. One way they are used as sex objects is by holding a phallic object (An object which represents the man’s penis) such as a Banana or Cucumber. This in turn degrades women. The phallic object represents the male’s power in society (patriarchy), as it’s the one thing that a woman does not have that gives the man his power. The woman has womb/penis envy in that she desires the penis as it is the penis that gives the man his power. Psychoanalysis is a psychological method employed by Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis is a psychological therapy which focuses on the repression of wishes, usually sexual, which is preserved in the unconscious. The unconscious refers to the mental functioning by subjects make themselves unaware. This is best explained through the iceberg idea. Icebergs are large masses of ice which float on the water. From a boat we would see the iceberg as large, we are conscious of this, however from the view we feel that the part we see is the iceberg as a whole, however we are unaware (unconscious) that the larger proportion of the iceberg is below the boat. By being unconscious of the large proportion of ice below, this is a resistance of the knowledge of our unconscious mind. So returning to the idea of the women not having a penis, in psychoanalytical terms, as the female does not have the man’s penis, they are to the man’s eye’s castrated (castration), which means that the women’s penis has symbolically been chopped off. Some men feel anxiety and so view women through a voyeuristic view (voyeurism- women are views as virtuous and beautiful). Whilst the other way women are view is in a fetishist (fetishization/fetish- the women is viewed as excessively ‘sexual beings’).

In the narrative cinema, the hero/protagonist is always or traditionally a male character. The hero, in films, are always presented as big, strong, handsome, brave which could be said through a male’s point of view is an idealised version of themselves (idealization). The audience identify with the character through characteristics which they can relate to (identification). Aspects of the mise-en-scene, such as point of view shots is a method used by directors to position the audience (audience positioning/spectatorship) to identify with the hero/protagonist and be in there position and feel what they feel.

Scopophilia involves watching something that can give us pleasure but should not been seen. For example the audience may be watching a sex scene in a film and receive scopophilic pleasure. The audience are watching two people making love, but the audience are watching them but they cannot be seen watching the scene. In addition, usually the audience is assumed to be male. The scene may have a protagonist or voiceover which describes the scene, in turn the audience is assumed to be male.

How the theory could be useful for my independent study

Although Laura Mulvey’s theory does not directly relate to my text ‘Shrek the Third’ (2007), it can be discussed in my wider context S.H.E.P.

The film ‘Shrek the Third’(2007) reflects how women have become more equal in society. From talking about female power and feminism and how females are fighting for equality, I can also debate about how the male backlash and how women are degraded. The film does have phallic objects such as swords for example in the first scene where we meet Artie; he is shown holding a sword. Phallic objects are objects which symbolises the man’s penis and the man’s power. The man’s power comes from his penis as it is the one thing the women does not have and envy’s. In turn, to the male’s eyes, as the woman does not posses the penis, the woman is castrated. So I can have a mini-debate about women’s fight for equality and the male backlash and how the man’s power comes from the phallic and that phallic objects are used in the film.

CGI Animation Films dominate Christmas Schedule

This Christmas, CGI animation will be all over our screens. This year BBC's BIG Christmas movie will be 'Finding Nemo'(2003) followed straight after by 'Shrek 2'(2004). Whilst BBC's rivals ITV1 will be televising 'The Polar Express'(2004).

Usually in the evenings, Christmas TV always provides a big family film. Over recent years, CGI animation films have been shown, for example, only last year 'Monsters Inc'(2001) was shown as the big christmas family movie. This illustrates that animation is not only targeted at children (primary audience) but in that they also appeal to family audiences (secondary).

'Shrek' short film on Christmas Eve

Shrek and the gang will be on our screens this Christmas Eve, but not in one of his feature lenght animated films in the cinema, but in a short film on our TV screens called 'Shrek the Halls'. Once again the 'Shrek' brand is expanding into new areas.

http://www.radiotimes.com/ListingsServlet?event=10&channelId=92&programmeId=71240988&jspLocation=/jsp/prog_details_fullpage.jsp

Subvertisments (Representations of gender)