Fresh Up

In this advert men are once again represented as sex objects. The whole reason for the male being in the advert is that he is there to promote the product by constantly showing his body therefore, representing him not only as promiscious but also as a sex object. Furthermore, the male is also a target of the female gaze as his sole purpose for being in the advert is to show his body.

Sexy Coke Advert

This advert is very similar to the diet coke advert as they both portray men as the sex objects. The male is seen with his top off which almost makes the female fall to her knees as she is aroused by his "perfect" body. She is seen slowly pulling her skirt up representing her as promiscious. This also brings up the ideology of a patriarchal society as the male has this sexual power of this woman due to his perfect looks. The male is also the subject of the female gaze as he is placed there for all woman to look at.

Subvertisements

Diet Coke Break

This commercial represents the male as the sex object as he is the subject of the female gaze. In the commercial all the women gather around one window to see the male take of his top while they are aroused by his body, this makes him the subject of the female gaze and puts men is a different light. On the contrary it could also be said that the male has this power over women and they fall to his feet because of his looks and his body raising the issue of a patriarchy society. It also brings up the issue of the perfect body as the advert is implying that by driking diet coke you can have a perfect body and get all the women like he does.

Flake

This advert portrays women in a different light and represents them as a sex object. The woman in the advert is dressed a skirt and shes seen unwrapping the Flake Chocolate almost in a sexual manner. The fact that the women is holding the Flake in such a sexual way makes it a phallic symbol. The women her self is an object of the male gaze therefore, she is represented as a sex object.

Flash

The Flash commercial is very similar to the Shake and Vac commercial as they both represent the female in the advertisement as a stereotypical housewife. The female promoting the product is seen wearing a typical housewife outfit consisting of an apron, a skirt etc. This represents the woman as a housewife not only isit the outfit that represents the woman as a stereotypical housewife its the domestic household tasks she is carrying out such as cleaning cupboard, cleaning windows etc. This all reinforces the idea that during that time period society expected women to fulfill these roles and take up the responsibility of a housewife leaving the male to work and allowing him to chase his dream.

Shake and Vac

At the beginning of the advert you can see the woman is dressed in a typical housewife outfit which instantly represents her as the housewife. The advert itself is promoting a cleaning product and with a woman promoting this cleaning product it brings up the ideology of a patriarchy society as males are not seen once in this advert therefore, it is seen as the males are the ones who are placing their women in the household making them clean. The woman is also seen carrying out domestic household tasks such as hoover once again representing her as the stereotypical housewife. This shows that womens place in society during that time did not change and they were there to please their husband, look after their children and make sure the house was clean. Society now expects much more women and these stereotypes attached to women are disposed of as women are more likely to go out and get a job.

Ways which female directors could improve

There is a lack of female directors in the film industry and this has to improve. There are various ways in which the number of female directors could improve:

• One of the ways which the number of female directors could improve is by the male sharing the household work with the female. There is the so called new man being formed but this needs to keep happening and improving in order for the females to have more free time and chase their dreams of directing. Women are currently having to take care of their young children which means they have no time to direct hence the low number of female directors. Therefore, it is seen that one of the ways in which the number of female directors could improve is by the male sharing household tasks with the women and also men sharing child rearing.

Female Directors

Sofia Coppola:
Born on May 14, 1972 in New York. Sofia Coppola has been one of the rare female directors to get recognition for her productions. She has won an Academy Award for being a screenwriter and is to be nominated for another Academy Award for directing. She is the daughter Francis Ford Coppola who directed the well known Godfather. She started off as an actor and is mostly known for her role in The Godfather as Mary Corleone but she later went on to directing. Her three most recognisable films are Lick the Star(1998), Virgin Suicide (1999) and Lost in Translation (2003) which won a Academy Award.
Filmography:
1996: Bed Bath and Beyond
1998: Lick the Star
1999: The Virgin Suicide
2003: Lost in Translation
2006:Mary Antoinette

Jane Campion:
Born on 30th of April, 1954 in Wellington, New Zealand, Jane Campion is a Academy Award winning screenwriter and has also been nominated for an Academy Award for directing. Jane Campion started off directing by making films at the Australian Film Telivision and Radio School. Her first short film, Peel won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. She later went on to direct many other films that won her international awards.
Filmography:
1989:Sweetie
1990:An Angel at My Table
1993: The Piano
1996:The Portrait of a Lady
1999: Holy Smoke
2003: In the Cut
2006: The Water Diary
2008: 8

Amy Heckerling:
Amy Heckerling was born on May 7 , 1954 in the Bronx. She ones of the few female directors to have multiple box office hits. Heckerling attended New York University where she studied film and then later went on to direct her first film, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. This movie was heavily praised and pathed a way for her success. She then produced another massive hit starring John Travolta titled Look Whos Talking. This movie was very successful that there was a sequel once again directed by Amy Heckerling titled Look Whos Talking Too. She then went on to produce another box office hit, Clueless. Her next few films were not as popular.
Filmography:
1977: Getting it Over With
1982: Fast Time at Ridgemont High
1984: Johnny Dangerously
1985: National Lampoons European Vacation
1989: Look Whos Talking
1990: Look Whos Talking Too
1995: Clueless
2000: Loser
2007: I Could Never Be Your Woman

Gurinder Chadha:
Gurinder Chadha was born on January 10 , 1960 in Nairobi, Kenya. She then moved to Southall, England when she was 2. She started off as a BBC Radio reporter until she made a documentary for Channel 4. She then went on to film production in 1993. Her main hits are, Bend it Like Beckham, Bride and Prejudice and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging which is her latest film.
Filmography:
1992: Acting Our Age
1993: Bhaji on the Beach
1994: What do you can an Indian women whos funny?
1994: Nice Arrangement
2000: Whats Cooking
2002: Bend it like Beckham
2004: Bride and Prejudice
2008: Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

Nora Ephron:
Nora Ephron May 19, 1941 in New York . She graduated from Wellesley College and then went on to be a reporter for the New York Post. She then went on to be a successful writer for the womens issue of Esquire. She later went on to film and directed box office hits such as Bewitched and Sleepless in Seattle.
Filmography:
1992:This is My Life
1993:Sleepless in Seattle
1994:Mixed Nuts
1996: Michael
1998: You've Got Mail
2005: Bewitched

Why women directors are such a rare sight

Media itself is generally dominated by males so a lack of women directors is not much of a suprise but actors themselves have wished to work with more women directors as it would be a change. So what are the reasons behind the lack of women directors:

• One reason is because of the prehistoric times when the men use to carry the equipment because it was too heavy for women. The equipment would of needed around 100 to 150 large men to carry therefore, a hierachy was built upon this and females were seen as useless. Although this weight of equipment is no longer a problem the hierachy still exists and women still find it difficult to break into directing.
• Another reason is womens role in a household. Women have to take care of their children while the men go off and work leaving women unable to direct. Although this is starting to change in society and males are sharing this role it has to continue in order for women to have that time to direct a film.
• Film itself is built by various levels and within each of these levels there are males making it a male dominated industry. This makes it very difficult for women to even get their ideas out let alone getting promoted and the industry is starting to become a "Who you know" industry which basically means that you have to know someone in a higher rank to even get your ideas out or get promoted.
• Having children also causes women to not succeed in the film industry and become directors. This is because directing asks for your all and expects you to give up all your time so that you can spend it on the project. Having a child makes it all the more difficult but this can also fixed by males taking on more a househusband role.
• The last and the most obvious reason is that men control the money in the world. Therefore, they are going to decide who to give the money to and unfortunately its not women hence the lack of female directors.

Propp Theory

Apocalypto does follow the stereotypical roles in a movie. There is a hero, villian, princess etc.

• Hero: Jaguar Paw is the hero in this movie as he is taken from his village and has to fight his way back to save his family. This role is typically filled by men which has been backed up by this movie as Jaguar Paw, a male is playing the hero role.
• Villian: The villian in this movie is the whole of the Mayan Kingdom as they are the ones who invade Jaguar Paw's village taking all of them slaves.
• The Magical Helper: The magical helper in this movie is Jaguar Paw's Brother as he is the one that takes a knife to the chest so that Jaguar Paw can carry on running from the Mayan Kingdom to go save his family.
• Princess: Jaguar Paw's wife as she is put in a hole but Jaguar Paw and is waiting to be saved by him as he makes his escape.

Ideologies in Apocalypto

Apocalypto is a film with many ideologies scattered throughout. The following ideologies are included in Apocalypto:

• Patriarchy: Partiarchy is the main ideology that has been implemented in the movie. The consistent shots that glamourise the males dominance of females reinforces the ideology throughout. The various long shots of the male speaking over the whole of kingdom certainly backs up the point of patriarchy existing in this movie. Another way patriarchal ideology is reinforced is by women having to play the traditional role of playing the housewife while the men go out and hunt for the food playing the "mans" role.
• Masculism: Masculism is another ideology which has been identified in Apocalypto. This ideology is basically referring to the belief that men should be the dominant ones. This ideology is reinforced throughout the movie. One of the major areas where it is reinforced are the fighting scenes. Majority of the time men are fighting each other to save the village while women are helpless and screaming. Alongside that, the women are also being manhandled by the men as they are dragged from their husbands and in some cases are raped. These are few of the scenes which help identify the ideology of masculism being implemented in the movie.

Del.ici.ous Links

http://www.imdb.com/ - This website can be used as it has information about my movie stating the sales it has generated, what genre type, key characters etc. All this information can be added in my final essay.

http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/index.html - This website has information about key theorists that link to media therefore, I can use the information about the theorists in my essay.

http://faculty.pittstate.edu/~knichols/colonial2.html#terms - Another website that has information about theorists and historial and cultural contexts. This historical and cultural contexts can be used in my essay as Apocalypto may follow some of the stereotypes from those times.

http://www.totalfilm.com/ - An online magazine which tells you about the latest magazines. This website is very useful as it gives information about the directors and characters of Apocalypto which can be included in the essay.

http://www.empireonline.com/ - Empire Magazine's online website. This website gives useful information about the background of Apocalypto and also a review.

http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/ - Website has a huge film database including information of Apocalypto which can be included in my final essay.

http://www.jahsonic.com/2006Feb.html - Website that has definitions of media key words and also has information about theorists. This information can be included in my essay.

http://marlowmedia.co.uk/ - Helps with the coursework by giving key links to websites that may help you with ur independent study.

http://www.katpad.co.uk/media%20website%202000/index.html - This website gives a guideline of what to include in the essay and how many words it should be. Very useful for when I am going to write my essay.

Media Dictionary Words

Action Code - This media dictionary word is very useful as the actual definition relates to the narrative structure of Apocalypto therefore, it can be used in my independent study.

Adventure Film - Adventure Film is a genre that Apocalypto uses as Jaguar Paw's village is kidnap and taken far away from home and he has to come back to save his family making him fight through many exciting challenges. From this it is seen that there is a clear link and the media dictionary word can be used in my independent study.

Disequilibrium - Disequilibrium is also included in Apocalypto as the villagers are kidnapped therefore, it can be used in the independent study.

Ellipsis - Ellipsis can be used in my independent study as in Apocalypto there are certain elements which of a normal action narrative structure that have been taken out to speed up the action.

Equilibrium - This media dictionary word can be used in my independent study as the start of the movie sees the village as a peaceful and harmonious village which then are disrupted by the Myrad Kingdom.

Hybrid - Hybrid genre links to my independent study movie, Apocalypto as Apocalypto is a cross between Action, Drama and Adventure.

Patriarchy - Another key word which can be included in my independent study as there are many scenes where the male are dominating the women which brings up the ideology of a patriarchal society.

Protagonist - One of main keywords as there are protagonists in almost every movie in the case of Apocalypto it is Jaguar Paw. This word can definitely be included in my independent study.

Media Dictionary Words

Action Code - A narrative structure based on a dramatic sequence of events, often leading to a violent resolution.

Adventure Film - A film genre in which the characters are placed in an exciting and often dangerous location far away from home.

Disequilibrium : The disruption of narrative by persons or events presenting a challenge to the harmonious equilibrium often found at the beginning of a film or other media text.

Ellipsis - The removal or shortening of elements of a narrative to speed up the action.

Equilibrium: The harmonious state that often exists at the start of a narrative before disruptive or transforming elements are introduced.

Hybrid - A cross between one film genre and another

Patriarchy - Male domination of the political, cultural and socioeconomic system.

Protagonist - The leading character or hero in a film with whom the audience can identify and from whose point of view the action is positioned, often set in binary opposition against the antagonist.

SHEP Analysis

Social:

Historical:

Economical:
The economical issue of poverty amongst the poorer is raised also the issue of the economical gap between the rich and poor and how it is increasing.
Political:
The political issue of freedom and human rights in raised in Apocalypto. Mayan Kingdom taking Jaguar Paw's village as slaves replicates the doings of the Slave Trade where the Whites took the Blacks from their native land(Africa) and forced them to work as slaves.

Media Representation

There are many different representations in Apocalypto. Starting off with the most obvious representation the hero, Jaguar Paw. He is represented as the hero due to the frequent shots of him battling to save the village. In one particular scene he puts his family in a hole and says "I will be back to save you" That one scene alone set him up as the hero. Jaguar Paw is also set up as the hero because the story follows his troubles more than anyone elses. It focuses on his escape from the rivals and also focuses on his family.

The Mayan Kingdom are set up as the evil from the start when they invade the village and brutally batter the Jaguar Paw's peaceful village. The long shots of the Mayan Kingdom dragging women from their loved ones whilst they are crying also set them up as the villians. One scene in particular where they slit Jaguar Paw's father throat infront of him and laugh show also sets them up.

Jaguar Paw's villagers are represented as the innocent people. This is set up by the scene where they are taken across the jungle tied up against wood and beaten along the way. This represents them as harmless and innocent.

BBC Review of Apocalypto

Apocalypto, Mel Gibson's follow up to the astonishingly successful Passion Of The Christ, is much in the same vein, complete with obscure subtitled language (Yucatec replacing Aramiac) and lashings of ultraviolence. Set in the dying days of the Mayan civilisation, the film follows a young village warrior (Rudy Youngblood) on a frantic jungle chase, pursued by grumpy hunters bent on a spot of human sacrifice.

While the ancient dialects and weighty quotations suggest an arthouse epic, Apocalypto is basically a really good period popcorn flick: Last of The Mohicans meets First Blood, or maybe Passion of the Christ II: The Mayan Adventure. Gibson might consider himself an auteur, but Apocalypto shows us his true nature: he is a hack to his fingertips, and this is hackwork of the very highest order, full of pleasantly familiar cliches (waterfall jump, quicksand, poison darts) and delightfully unnecessary sadism. Violence, it seems, is the only thing that gets Gibson's creative motor running; his epic vistas are squandered with dull framing, and the most original shot in the film is a point-of-view from a freshly severed head (this is not a movie for the squeamish).

"OUTRAGEOUSLY ENTERTAINING"

The first hour, with its emphasis on suffering and high production values, is a bit of a trudge because Gibson - a master of overstatement - is never content to tickle your senses when he can boot you in the crotch. However, once the actual chase gets going, Apocalypto is outrageously entertaininng and thrillingly kinetic. The camera barely stops for breath and the actors, all indigenous Americans, are universally first-class. It makes you wonder how good Passion would have been if Christ had escaped from the cross and led the Romans on a wacky race around Jerusalem, dropping miraculous oil puddles and spike nets into their path.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2007/01/01/apocalypto_2006_review.shtml

Apocalypto Sales Information

Theatrical Performance
Total US Gross
$50,866,635
International Gross
$66,918,416
Worldwide Gross
$117,785,051

Home Market Performance
US DVD Sales:
$48,983,977

Narrative

Apocalypto is a linear narrative text as it is chronological order. The linear narrative is there to set up heroes and villians. This done in various ways for example, the order in which the events happen set up the heroes and villians from when the residents are taken from the area within the jungle and are represented as innocent people. The frequent shots of Jaguar Paw insist that he is the hero. Whereas, the brutal beating that is given by the opposing clan represent them as evil. Therefore, there is a clear line between good and evil in this movie and that scene alone represented who is represented as what.

Within the movie the constant use of dramatic sound's add to the entertainment keeping the primary audience on the edge. For example, when Jaguar Paw is running through the jungle the constant stop and starts of loud action music adds to the entertainment. This is similar to the editing. In the same scene the constant quick cuts add to the anticipation of whether he will get to the other side.

Media Audiences

The age for the primary target audience of Apocalypto would be 18-40. The reason as to why I said that age bracket is firstly due to the age rating of the text which is 18. That instantly tells us that the movie is for anyone above 18. The social class of the primary target audience would be all social classes from C2 - E. The reason for this social class bracket is because they can relate to the struggle the people within the text are having to withstand. Although they do not live under the same circumstances they can still relate to movie. For example, estates are targeted in Britain as the slums, this is the same with Jaguar Paw's area as they are targeted by the higher class people and their area is seen as the slums therefore, it is taken over.

Media Audiences

Media Institutions

The institutions for Apocalypto are:

• Icon Productions
• Touchstone

Apocalypto was produced by Icon Productions which is owned by Mel Gibson. Icon Productions is renowned for its Action and Drama texts such as, 187, Braveheart and The Passion of the Christ. This lead to Apocalypto being shaped into a stereotypical Action/Drama text. Although there were new conventions which were implemented into the text, majority of the text used generic conventions from its predecessors.

Apocalypto was distributed by 3 different institutions. Icon Productions distributed the movie internationally whereas, Touchstone Pictures distributed the movie within the USA and 20th Century Fox distributed the movie within Argentina.

Independent Study

Title:
To what extent does Apocalypto follow the generic conventions of its predecessors in the Action genre?

Hypothesis:
The use of generic conventions in the Action genre has changed over time although, some movies such as 300 use similar generic conventions to those of its predecessors. The main reason for this investigation is to find whether Apocalypto has followed the generic conventions of its predecessors.

MIGRAIN Analysis of Apocalypto Trailer:
M-1- At the beginning the shot of the little girl helps the audience to acknowledge the lifestyle of the people within the movie.
2- The quick cuts and dark like music instantly help the audience to figure that the genre of Apocalypto is Action.
3- The shot of the man looking down on hundreds of people portrays him as the leader once again bringing up the idea of a patriarchy society.

I- 1- Touchstone Pictures
2 - Icon

G - 1- Action
2- Adventure
3- Drama

R - 1 - Males are represented as the leaders, for example, the birds eye view shot of the man looking over hundreds of people.
2- Women are represented as the carers and portrayed as weak and defenceless.

A - 1 - The primary audience of Apocalypto is seen to be Elder Teens around 18 to middle aged adults,40.

I- 1 - Patriarchy
2 - Feminism

N - Non-Linear narrative

Other Texts which would be relevant:
I will be relating Apocalypto to other texts that are similar. One of the texts that I will be relating it to is 300 other texts will be , 10,000 B.C.

Theories/Theorists:
A theory that I will be making a reference to is the Propp's Theory. I will be looking further for more theoriest and theories to include in my research that are relevant to help me along the way.

Where to and what to research:
To help me with my research I will be looking at websites and books about the action genre to understand the basic generic conventions used so that I can compare it to Apocalypto to help make my final judgement. The Internet will be best resource as many websites will contain the data needed.