Second Wave Feminism:

 The second wave feminism movement took place in the 1960s and 1970s and focused on issues of equality and discrimination. Starting initially in the United States with American women, the feminist liberation movement soon spread to other Western countries.

Unfolding in the context of the anti-war and civil rights movement, the catalyst for second wave feminism was Betty Friedan’s 1963 book, The Feminine Mystique, which criticized the postwar belief that a woman’s role was to marry and bear children. The feminist movement took off, focusing on public and private injustices, such as rape, reproductive rights, domestic violence, and workplace harassment.

Second wave feminists realized that women’s cultural and political inequalities were totally linked. They worked under a unifying goal of social equality, with sexuality and reproductive rights being central concerns to the liberation movement, and with much of the movement’s energy being focused on passing the Equal Rights Amendment.

Second wave feminism had many successes. The approval of the contraceptive pill by the Food and Drug Administration in 1960 gave women more control over their reproductive rights—within five years, around 6 million women were using it. Feminists also worked and gained women the right to hold credit cards and apply for mortgages in their own name and banned marital rape.

This wave of feminism was largely defined and led by educated, middle-class white American women, so the movement was centered on issues affecting white women. Alienated women of color viewed white feminists as incapable of understanding their concerns. Black women became increasingly excluded from the central platforms of the mainstream women’s movement, which didn’t view the issues of women of color, such as stopping the forced sterilization of people of color and people with disabilities, as a priority.

Feminist film theory is a theoretical film criticism derived from feminist politics The development of feminist film theory was influenced by second wave feminism and women's studies in the 1960s and 1970s. Initially, in the United States in the early 1970s, feminist film theory was generally based on sociological theory and focused on the function of female characters in film narratives or genres. Additionally, feminist critiques also examine common stereotypes depicted in film, the extent to which the women were shown as active or passive, and the amount of screen time given to women.

 

Considering the way that films are put together, many feminist film critics have pointed to what they argue is the "male gaze" that predominates classical Hollywood filmmaking.

 

 Budd Boetticher summarizes the view:

"What counts is what the heroine provokes, or rather what she represents. She is the one, or rather the love or fear she inspires in the hero, or else the concern he feels for her, who makes him act the way he does. In herself, the woman has not the slightest importance.

 

in cinema, women are typically depicted in a passive role that provides visual pleasure through scopophilia, and identification with the on-screen male actor.

 

Mulvey argues that the psychoanalytic theory of Jacques Lacan is the key to understanding how film creates such a space for female sexual objectification and exploitation through the combination of the patriarchal order of society, and 'looking' in itself as a pleasurable act of scopophilia,(sexual pleasure derived chiefly from watching others) as "the cinema satisfies a primordial wish for pleasurable looking.

 

While Laura Mulvey's paper has a particular place in the feminist film theory, it is important to note that her ideas regarding ways of watching the cinema (from the voyeuristic element to the feelings of identification) are important to some feminist film theorists in terms of defining spectatorship from the psychoanalytical viewpoint.

 

 

 

 

 

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THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN-Visual Design Basics

Visual design focuses on the aesthetics of a site and its related materials by strategically implementing images, colors, fonts, and other elements.  A successful visual design does not take away from the content on the page or function.  Instead, it enhances it by engaging users and helping to build trust and interest in the brand.

Basic Elements of Visual Design

The basic elements that combine to create visual designs include the following:

The elements of art are  like "building blocks" for creating something​

Point:

A point is a single dot or mark that has position but is otherwise limited. It is a single entity in itself and alone it can act as a focal point or a stopping point in a composition. For example a target or dart board has a single point as its focus. Together a number of points can have a leading effect where the eye naturally attempts to "connect the dots" to create a line or form. This is known as the Gestalt grouping principle.

LINE

Line can be considered in two ways. The linear marks made with a pen or brush or the edge created when two shapes meet. 

Lines connect two points and can be used to help define shapes, make divisions, and create textures.  All lines, if they’re straight, have a length, width, and direction.

A line is essentially a series of connected points. There are characterised by their length, direction and weight. Lines can be straight or wavy, long or short, heavy or soft, architectural or organic. As such they can be utilised in a variety of ways in a composition. They can be used to create perspective, outline a landscape, frame a composition etc. The directionality of a line will also have a big effect on your composition with oblique or slanted lines suggesting movement and dynamism while vertical or horizontal lines suggest structure, balance and conformity.

 

SHAPE 
A shape is a self contained defined area of geometric or organic form. A positive shape in a painting automatically creates a negative shape.

Shapes are self-contained areas.  To define the area, the graphic artist uses lines, differences in value, color, and/or texture.  Every object is composed of shapes.

Shapes are essentially closed lines. Shapes are two dimensional and forms are three dimensional. The basic two dimensional shapes are squares, rectangles and triangles with the related three dimensional forms being cubes, bricks (technical name is a rectangular prism) and pyramids. An infinite amount of other shapes exist of course, whether they are fluid organic shapes or rigid abstract shapes.

Form:

Forms

Forms are essentially three dimensional shapes. The basic two dimensional shapes are squares, rectangles and triangles with the related three dimensional forms being cubes, bricks (technical name is a rectangular prism) and pyramids. An infinite amount of other forms exist of course, 

Form applies to three-dimensional objects and describes their volume and mass.  Form may be created by combining two or more shapes and can be further enhanced by different tones, textures, and colors.

whether they are fluid organic forms or rigid abstract geometric forms.

Typography  refers to which fonts are chosen, their size, alignment, color, and spacing.

A typeface is a collection of letters. While each letter is unique, certain shapes are shared across letters. A typeface represents shared patterns across a collection of letters.

Typefaces that are selected for their style, legibility, and readability are most effective when following the fundamental principles of typographic design.

Weight

Weight refers to the relative thickness of a font’s stroke. A typeface can come in many weights; and four to six weights is a typical...

Weight refers to the relative thickness of a font’s stroke. A typeface can come in many weights; and four to six weights is a typical number available for a typeface.

DIRECTION 

All lines have direction - Horizontal, Vertical or Oblique. Horizontal suggests calmness, stability and tranquility. Vertical gives a feeling of balance, formality and alertness. Oblique suggests movement and action

 

SIZE 
Size is simply the relationship of the area occupied by one shape to that of another.

 

TEXTURE 
Texture is the surface quality of a shape - rough, smooth, soft hard glossy etc. Texture can be physical (tactile) or visual.

Texture refers to how a surface feels or is perceived to feel. By repeating an element, a texture will be created and a pattern formed. Depending on how a texture is applied, it may be used strategically to attract or deter attention.

Texture is the appearance of a surface material. The main differentiation between textures is that it is either rough or smooth. Textures suggest what a form/shape is made of and can be created using points, line, shapes or colour. Unlike the other elements, texture is both a visual and tactile element.

 

COLOUR palette 
Also called Hue.  Colour, also called hue, is how the eye perceives reflected light. There are many different theories about colour which are covered in more depth in the section on colour theory. What I will explain here are the three main components of a colour: hue, value and saturation

• Hue is where a colour is positioned on the colour wheel. Technically the hue is the colour which it a design element in itself.
• Value is the darkness or lightness of a colour and is a design element in itself.
• Saturation is the intensity of a colour.
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• Color palette choices and combinations are used to differentiate items, create depth, add emphasis, and/or help organize information.  Color theory examines how various choices psychologically impact users.

 

Value
Value is the lightness or darkness of a colour. Value is also called Tone

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The Elements of Design

 There are a variety of graphic design elements to consider when creating any visual work of art, whether it be for interior design, a logo, an advertisement, or web design. The basic elements of design are:

1.      Color: Color helps establish a mood for your composition. Artists and designers use color to depict and describe the subject. Color is used by designers to portray mood, light, depth, and point of view. Designers use the color wheel and the tenets of color theory—a set of guidelines for mixing, combining, and manipulating colors—to create color schemes.

CColor PALETTES

color story

 

2.      Line: Line refers to the way that two points in space are connected. Whether they’re horizontal lines, diagonal lines, or vertical lines, lines can help direct the eye toward a certain point in your composition. You can also create texture by incorporating different types of lines such as curved or patterned lines instead of just straight lines.

 

3.       3. Value: In design, value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. The values of a color are often visualized in a gradient, which displays a series of variations on one hue, arranged from the lightest to the darkest. Artists can use the various values of color to create the illusion of mass and volume in their work.

 

4. Space: Making proper use of space can help others view your design as you intended. White space or negative space is the space between or around the focal point of an image. Positive space is the space that your subject matter takes up in your composition. The spacing of your design is important because a layout that’s too crowded can overwhelm the viewer’s eye.

 

5. Shape: In its most basic form, a shape is a two-dimensional area that is surrounded by an outline. Graphic artists can use other elements including line, color, value, and shadow to give a shape the appearance of a three-dimensional shape.

 

1.  There are three types of shapes:
1. organic shapes which occur naturally in the world,
2. geometric shapes which are angular and mathematically consistent, and
3. abstract shapes that represent things in nature but aren’t perfectly representative.

 

6. Form: Form pertains to the way that a shape or physical configuration occupies space. Instead of creating form through three-dimensional physical shape, designers create the appearance of form on a flat surface by using light, shadow, the appearance of an object’s contours, negative space, and the surrounding objects around the subject matter.
7. Texture: Texture is one of the elements of design that is used to represent how an object appears or feels. Tactile texture is a physical sense of touch, whether it’s rough, smooth, or ribbed. Visual texture, on the other hand, refers to the imagined feel of the illustrated texture, which can create more visual interest and a heightened sensory experience.

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Different types of film analysis

Different types of film analysis

 This section deals some of the different types of film analyses you may have been assigned to write.

Semiotic analysis

A Semiotic Analysis is the study of signs codes and conventions on films. It describes a way of explaining what meaning the audience can take from codes. It is typically involving metaphors and analogies to both non-living objects and characters within a film. Because symbols have several meanings, writers often need to determine what a particular symbol means in the film and in a broader cultural or historical context.

 There is four types of signs and codes that exist in the semiotic analysis of film.

 

Indexical Signs

• This is one of the most straightforward ways to create meaning. Indexical signs act as cues to existing knowledge. This type of sign is very common and is used constantly in the media. 

 

One reason this title is said to be "La La Land" is right on the surface. Los Angeles has the initials "L" and "A", hence the "La" in the title. However, this title was also chosen as a satire and jab at Hollywood culture.

Hollywood is a dream for many and is definitely portrayed as such. While this movie is super dreamy, hence "La La Land", not all dreams come true for these two characters. This allusion to a dream-like state is both beautiful and realistically devastating.

Symbolic Code

• Symbolic codes only work when a society uses them widely. By themselves they might fail to convey meaning but because they have been used in popular culture many times, they turn into something meaningful. An example for this would be a red heart for love or the colour yellow for happiness.

 

·         A horse—and its young rider—feature in a heroic scene towards the end of the film. Perhaps the most relevant of them all to this film, the donkey that meek animal of labour—gets freed by Karnan. Haunting this film are visuals of those girls bearing the symbolic head of a guardian deity.

Enigma

• This type of code used in films creates a question in which the film makes potential viewers wonder what will happen. Often used in its trailers it draws viewers in to seeing the movie. This is very apparent in the final trailer, released by Warner Brothers.
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Convention

·         One more thing conventions used in this movie. The conventions of a genre are the elements that commonly occur in such films. They may include things like characters, situations, settings, props, themes and events. For example, a convention of the science-fiction genre is that the story often includes robots, aliens, time-travel or genetic manipulation.

o   The chief antagonist is a casteist IPS officer called Kannabiran (Natarajan Subramaniam) who cannot stomach the fact that the people of the village are not obsequious to his authority. Kannabiran is another name of Krishna, who in the epic justifies the actions of the Pandavas and the Kurukshetra war as one for righteousness.

• In the village of Podiyankulam, a little donkey hops on the road, its front legs tied with a rope. Nobody takes notice of it. They understand that the donkey's legs have been tied to prevent it from running, going where its heart takes it. It's normal to treat it that way, the people believe. But not Karnan (Dhanush). Every time he sees the donkey, he is bothered by its bondage. The fact that it is not free.

 

 

Narrative analysis

Narrative analysis is an examination of the story elements, including narrative structure, character, and plot. This type of analysis considers the entirety of the film and the story it seeks to tell.

To create this type of analysis, you could consider questions like:

·         How does the film correspond to the Three-Act Structure: Act One: Setup; Act Two: Confrontation; and Act Three: Resolution?

·         What is the plot of the film? How does this plot differ from the narrative, that is, how the story is told? For example, are events presented out of order and to what effect?

·         Does the plot revolve around one character? Does the plot revolve around multiple characters? How do these characters develop across the film?

Cultural/historical analysis

One of the most common types of analysis is the examination of a film’s relationship to its broader cultural, historical, or theoretical contexts. Whether films intentionally comment on their context or not, they are always a product of the culture or period in which they were created. By placing the film in a particular context, this type of analysis asks how the film models, challenges, or subverts different types of relations, whether historical, social, or even theoretical.

A few of the many questions you could ask in this vein include:

·         How does the film comment on, reinforce, or even critique social and political issues at the time it was released, including questions of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality?

·         How might a biographical understanding of the film’s creators and their historical moment affect the way you view the film?

·         How might a specific film theory, such as Queer Theory, Structuralist Theory, or Marxist Film Theory, provide a language or set of terms for articulating the attributes of the film?

Take advantage of class resources to explore possible approaches to cultural/historical film analyses, and find out whether you will be expected to do additional research into the film’s context.

Mise-en-scène analysis

A mise-en-scène analysis attends to how the filmmakers have arranged compositional elements in a film and specifically within a scene or even a single shot. This type of analysis organizes the individual elements of a scene to explore how they come together to produce meaning. You may focus on anything that adds meaning to the formal effect produced by a given scene, including: blocking, lighting, design, color, costume, as well as how these attributes work in conjunction with decisions related to sound, cinematography, and editing.

To conduct this type of analysis, you could ask:

·         What effects are created in a scene, and what is their purpose?

·         How does this scene represent the theme of the movie?

·         How does a scene work to express a broader point to the film’s plot?

This detailed approach to analyzing the formal elements of film can help you come up with concrete evidence for more general film analysis assignments.

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