Why are Female Directors such a rare Sight?

-Film is very male dominated and it’s very much about the ''who you know'', in terms of how you get promoted. The whole way the business is constructed- just men at every level', which makes it really hard for women to get their feet in the door.

- 9/10 will be high positioned males-so women aren't even given the opportunities.

-Women just do not get into the industry as much as men, because there not given the opportunity to do so.

-Women have children and have to play the motherly figure

-There’s too much competition that it’s really hard to get into the industry and men get more of a chance to so, more than females.

Ways to improve
-More speeches in schools should be given to girls to make them interested in making films-Like Beeban Kidron did.

-More females should step forward with fresh ideas, so people are aware of their potential.

-More women should submit there work instead of being scared of getting turned down(because they'll never know if their ideas are any good if they're just too scared to submit their work).

Shake and Vac advert
This advert is showing a sterotypical houewife from the 50s doing all housework. She is following Scheibes 1979 theory that women are concerned about beauty cleanliness and family. she looks happy to be doing the housework, as she is smiley and cheery, as if this is so much fun and excitment.

Mr Muscle Advert
This advert follows Comberbatch (1990s) study that men are cooking/cleaning more than women in advert. In this advert, the male is shown to be doing cleaning, something that would not of been shown in the 50s-80s.

Diet Coke Advert
In this advert women are changing positions with men by objectifying men- known as the female gaze. The advert shows how women use there breaks to go and sexually look at the men. This allows males to know how the females feeel when there bodies are always sexually gazed at.

J'Adore Advert
This is a j'adore advert advertising perfume. She is being portrayed a sophticated, classy woman. She is beautiful which supports Scheibe (1979) theory. This is a new advert of them 21st century whioch clearly shows how females now have lead roles but they are chosen based on their looks and what they cas offer on screen.

Female Film Directors

Gurinder Chadha:
She has as her career total 14 wins in major awards and 7 nominations in other awards
Successful Movies: Angus thongs and perfect snogging (2008)
Bend it like Beckham(2002)
Bride & Prejudice (2004)
What do you call an Indian women who's funny(1994)

Debbie Allen:
Allen first began receiving critical attention in 1980, when she appeared in the role of Anita in the Broadway revival of West Side Story which earned her a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award.
Successful Movies: Blank Check
Next Day Air
Ragtime

Kathryn Bigelow
Successful Movies:
The Set-Up (1978)
Point Break (1991)
Blue Steel (1990)
The weight of water(2000)

Lesli Linka Glatter
Successful Movies: Now and Then (1995)
Into the Homeland (1987)
Tales of Meeting and Parting (1984)

Barbara Albert
Successful Movies:
Fallen (2006)
Visions of europe(2004)
Nordrand (1999)
Somewhere else (1997)

''I'm a Real Woman with Real curves, with Real beautyyyy!!!!''

''Heyyy...

Does my Bum look Big in Thisss??''

''Am i Reallyyyyy Here for Pepsii???''

Book Research

• Macdonald Myra: 1995: Representing Women- Myths of Femininity in the Popular Media- Hodder Arnold (Page 187)

''Media still replay the Madonna/whore dichotomy, and focus in a way untypical of any other crime on the victim or, as support groups now prefer to characterize her, 'the survivor.

• Kimmel, M.S(ed.) 1987: Changing Men: New direction in research on Men and Masculinity. Newbury Park, CA, Beverly Hills, London, New Delhi:Sage(Page 212)

-''If anything, the media act to reinforce already existing attitudes and values regrading women and violence. They do contribute, but are only part of the problem''.

• Lewis Glenn, 1983: Real Men like violence:Australian Men, Media and Violence. Kenhurst:Kangaroo Press (page 11)

-''Within certain limits aggressive male behaviour is accepted as normal part of everyday''.

• Mason, David, (2000) Race and Ethnicity, Modern Britain Publishers (Page 9)

-‘The term racism… is frequently used to express patriotic fervour and straightforward ignorance about other cultures’

• Gauntlett, David (2002) ‘Media, Gender and Identity’ (page 66)

-‘Female roles have definitely become tougher’

• A. Cranny-Francis, P.Stavropoulos, J.Kirkby (2003) Palagrave Macmillan Publishing's :Gender Studies Terms and Debates (page 244)

-‘under a patriarchal regime, women are, by definition, excluded from positions of power and authority’

Representation of Gender in the Past (50s-90s)

High Noon (1952)
This film mainly focuses on male hero's. These men typically made the decisions which led the story, and were assertive, confident and dominant. Women were shown in films too but were shown to be as frightened and in need of protection and direction, and offering love and support to male characters.

The Sound of Music (1965)

In the 1960s gender roles did not differ greatlty from previous decades, with men still being represented as assertive and dominant. The Sound of Music is an excepption, with having a female protaganist in the film. She is represented as pure and ''The Madonna''.

Star Wars (1977)

In the 1970s there was second wave feminism; and film and television were taking women more seriously Princess Leia was the main protagonist in the 1977 Star Wars film. She is represented as Beautiful,brave and the surviving female character. In 1972 Sharon Smith says ''The role of a woman in a film almost always revolves around her physical attraction and the mating games she plays with the male characters''.

The Indiana Jones Series (1981,1984,1989)

- The reliable heroic male still featured prominently in most films. Society was changing but films weren't reflecting that. The Indiana Hones films show this by have a male character through-out the whole film, who is portrayed as strong, brave and dominant. In 1983 Ann Kaplan says ''Women are ultimately refused a voice'', which is represented in these films.

Fatal Attraction (1987)

This is an example of a fim that Susan Faludi (1991) argued saying that they are a part of a wider backlash against women's liberation and womens careers. This film shows the typical ''femme fatale'' woman (originated in the 1940s), who is sexy, classy, but will try to do anything to destory the male.

- REPRESENTATION OF GENDER TODAY (David Gauntlett)Chapter 4

(This handout focuses on men and women in the past 15years) GENDER IN CONTEMPORARY TV PROGRAMMES

• In prime time TV shows, 1992-1993, men took 61 per cent of the total number of speaking roles, with women having only 39per cent.
  
• In 1992-1993 a study found that only 3per cent of women were represented as housewives as their main occupation (a massive decrease from the 1970s)
  
• Between 1992-1993 a study found that 'the woman on prime time TV' was young, single, independent and free from family and work place pressures (Elasmer, Hasegawa, Brian 1999)
  
• Many sitcoms in the late 1990s, help portrayed women as free and independent, but still wanting a man, examples such as 'Sex and the City and Alley Mcbeal'

Representation and Gender linked to Sex and the City

- The women in Sex and the City are at the forefront, and are focused on their quests fore sex, pleasure and romantic love.

- The whole rationale of Sex&the City is that these women want pleasure, know how to get it and are determined to do so. And the kick is in the assumption that women are always great in bed, the men more variable.

- The character of Samantha has been particularly notable as a portrayal of a sexually assertive woman in her forties.

Gender in Contemporary Movies

Charlies Angels (2000)

• Michael Thomson of BBC online- 'Women's glamour and pouting', saying that the film's message was 'by all means be feisty, but never forget to be feminine'.
• The film does knowingly showcase the women's physical attractiveness, but their success comes from their brains, and their fighting skills.
• 'Barrymore, Diaz and Liu represent redhead, blond and brunette respectively ( as David Poland has pointed out, T[its], A[ss] and Hair.

REPRESENTATION OF GENDER IN THE PAST


Gunter and Elamer(Women and Men on TV)
- In the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, only 20per cent of characters were female.

-In the mid-1970s, Miles (1975) found that there were nearly equal proportions of men and women in situation comedies.

-Only 15 Per cent of the leading characters were women, a decade later a 1987 study found female characters to be the most common in comedy programmes (43per cent), but outnumbered two to one in dramas, and in action-adventures shows women had almost doubled their showing to a still low 29 per cent of characters(Davis,1990)

-Gunter study in 1970s consistently found that marriage, parenthood and domesticity were shown on television to be more important for women than men.

-1970s found men to be the dominant characters and the decision makers on TV.

-Men were more likely to be assertive (or aggressive), whilst women were more likely to be passive. Men were seen as: Adventurous, active, and victorious. Women were shown as being: Weak, ineffectaul, victimised, supportive, laughable or 'merely token females' (Gunter, 1995)

-Television proclaims that women don't count for much. They are underreprsented in television fictional life- they are 'symbolically annihilated'.

-Tuchman asserts that those women who were shown to be working were portrayed at 'incompetents and inferiors' as victims or having 'trival' interests, emotional and practical problems or women with little value in the TV world.

-In the mid 1980s television was increasing taking women seriously in programmmes such as (documentaries,discussion programmes and dramas on feamle topics such as infertilityt, cervical/breast cancer, rape ect. (dyer, 1987)

- Eleswhere, TV remained stubborn, with game shows not bothering to change their 'degrading and trivilalsing views of women', sports programmes remaining 'the preserveof men', and news programmes accused of tokenism or 'window dressing' by including some women in key positions whilst retaining a male-dominated cluture (Dyer,1987)

Hegemonic... or Pluralistic Views...

- i consider myself to be a pluralistic person, rather than Hegemonic..this is because i believe I'm more of an active person than passive. i believe i interpert a text however i want, and not just the way it has been made to be portrayed.
- However i do also agree with Marcuse saying that the media helps to 'indoctrinate and manipulate and promote a false consciousness to audiences. This is done through the fact that the media is controlled by the ruling classes..and only mainly their ideologies come through in the media.

key points i picked up from the independant study:

- Photographic images which make up the majority of the content of all three mags, depict and represent women as the protypical objects of desire, presenting the idea that women's purpose is to look appealing and attractive to a watching male audience.

- the formula to achieving a high successful readership within a dominantly male audience reflects and enforces the theory of 'Laddism' and the winning formula has been defined as "Beer + Sex + Babes' (Edwards)

-The photographic imagery within the texts is argued to be the most controversial representation of women within the newly developed lifestyle of men.

- 'Lads'- men aged between 15-25, their modern, fashionable young men, not afraid to admit they enjoy porn, women, sex, heavy drinking and sports.

-Women are stereotypically seen to men as only objects of their sexual desire, and should conform to what they view as attractive, this relates to the hypodermic needle, that audiences are passive and easily influenced.

- They depict the modern male as hard and untouchable whilst representing women as an object for men's contemplation with an aim to fulfil his desires and fantasies.

- the degree of sixism within the modern male lifestyle mags and the implict ideology that women should be attractive to the male population represents men as the dominant sex and women the weaker.

Homework!!!

Media Language:- There is a lot of low key lighting being used through-out the clip; giving it a dramtic look. The lighting makes the scene more action packed, it also shows the moods the actors are in. The main protaganist is dressed in asian dress, making the audience aware that this is an indian couple. There is also of tension being created through-out the scene, this is achieved through - the lighting, sound and camera angles.

Genre:-The film Provoked belongs to a more docu-drama and documentary genre because the main aim of the film is to inform, educate as well as entertain.

Representation:-Throughout the film Provoked Asians are being represented, the film predominantly focuses on women and the way in which they are treated.. For example Asians women are expected to stay at home until they get married, or stay home and look after the children whilst the man goes out to work.Stereotypes can be true – for instance a typical Asian housewife is usually forced to stay at home and look after the children and the home whilst the husband works.Women are still represented as a sex symbol, however roles in society as well as in movies have changed and women are now taking upon more masculine and mature roles.Women were categorised into two main groups which were as follows: - ‘whore’ and the ‘Madonna.’No longer a patriarchal society due to the fact that many more women are now working however there is still a problem of the glass ceiling effect which prevents women from achieving better and higher then men.Old fashion faiths has changed and faded in films such as ‘Kill Bill’ promotes female power, dominance and equality to challenge a patriarchal society.Nowadays in films women are portrayed to be strong minded and successful while still being sexy at the same time.

Audience:-The text mainly focuses on women who have/has suffered from domestic violence.

Ideology & Values:-Throughout the film Provoked there has been a lot of referance to the subject of patriarchy, due to the fact that in the film 'Provoked' the central protagonists husband is very strict and expects Ashriya Rai to dress as well as behave as a traditional Asian women. Furthermore, this film reinforces gender stereotypes and that women were seen and in some cultures are still considered to stay at home to look after the children as well as to cook and clean.

Narrative:-An enigma code is created because there is a start, a middle and an end, hence creating suspence as well as tension throughout the rest of the movie to keep the audience engaged to the rest of the film.

The Violence Against Women Survey - Highlights

-One-half of all women have experienced at least one incident of violence since the age of 16
-Almost one-half of women reported violence by men known to them and one-quarter reported violence by a stranger

-One-quarter of all women have experienced violence at the hands of their current or past marital partner (includes common-law unions)

-One-in-six currently married women reported violence by their spouses; one-half of women with previous marriages reported violence by a previous spouse

-More than one-in-ten women who reported violence in a current marriage have at some point felt their lives were in danger

-Six-in-ten Canadian women who walk alone in their own area after dark feel "very" or "somewhat" worried doing so

-Women with violent fathers-in-law are at three times the risk of assault by their partners than are women with non-violent fathers-in-law

http://www.womanabuseprevention.com/html/statistics.html

AO1 - demonstrate knowledge and application of the Key Concepts employed within Media Studies and the evaluation of texts and ideas using the Key Concepts:I feel this is an objective which helped me during yr 12 and i can use the technique fairly well. I feel it is a weakness in some areas when it comes to applying concept flow paragraph because i find i find it hard to sometimes link back from one thing to another. I have applied this technique to my independent study when analysing clips from the movie and trailer. The main key concepts my text focuses on is Representation. The representation of youths so it falls into ideologies and values as well as narrative to describe the movies background information. I feel i can explain use representation and narrative as good flowing paragraphs yet struggle to use the ideology concept accurately in my text. This is an area i have to focus around, to get the concept flow accurate as it is widely based around the exam.

AO2 - demonstrate knowledge and application of the wider contexts (historical, social, political, economic) relevant to Media Studies:I have not applied SHEP to y text yet although considering how my independent study is based on a true story, there will be a lot of background information i can get on all areas of SHEP. i will speak more about how the freedom writers at the time were i can focus on Historical (Rodney king a.k.a the Los Angeles riot - 1992) Social (effects on society).Although i have not yet applied these to my texti will definitely do it some time son because it will help me in the exam as it is an important area to know. I can also relate back to how times have changed also, Old movies compared to new movies etc.

AO5 - demonstrate the ability to use appropriate investigative and research techniques in carrying out an independent study of a media text, topic or issue:I feel very confident in this area as i feel i have carried out a lot of research that will be useful for my independent study and will relate back to my text. Not only this, but i can apply this in my final essay. I have various different types of research from book research to Internet resources and movie reviews etc.I feel i have a good question and I will be able to justify it when writing my final draft. As i m talking about representations and stereotypes as well as ethnic minorities, when all combined as one it will all flow together.

SYNOPTIC ABILTY- draw together understanding of Key Concepts, from different parts of the specification in order to make effective textual readings-draw upon knowledge and application of a wide range of possible relevant contexts, in order to account for the characteristics of media texts:I have liked my study to med 2 last year as i will obviously talk about narrative and audience theories in the final concept flow essay. As well as this i have applied the usage of different theorists which would apply to my text. Values and Ideologies is an area of which i am very weak at and as well as this i have looked at different media guardian stories. There was a story which spoke about gun crime and a young boy which would help me apply this to my independent study showing how times have changed over the different periods.

CRITICAL AUTONOMY - apply critical ideas and principles to new situations – and demonstrate media literacy in responses to media texts:As this text is based on a true story i am very keen and interested to find out as many information as possible. I have looked at different information from factual to actually analysing specific scenes in detail so that i can get used to the concept flow technique and i do not find it as difficult. I am working well on my independant study and because it is a text that i have chosen my self means that i am obviously doing my work on something that i enjoy and am interested in so it will make it a lot easier for the final piece.
QUALITY OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION-select and use forms and styles of writing appropriate to purpose and complex subject matter- organise relevant information clearly and coherently, using specialist vocabulary when appropriate-ensure text is legible, and spelling, grammar and punctuation are accurate, so that meaning is clear:I feel that my work all meets the media terms. I could perhaps add the usage of ore media terminology and explain and justify why i have chosen to do what (e.g - why including some types of research) i feel my work is presented well, but i should go over my spelling as i usually never consider writing Formally when on my blog!!

Self Assessment

AO1: Key Concepts
This objective is about writing an MIGRAIN analysis. This will be done through writing my independent study and about the film/poster were going to be analysing in med6.

AO2: Wider Context
I will begin reading more media related articles in the media guardian.This will help me with (SHEP)Social ,Historical, Economical and Political analysis which i can add in my essays AND INDEPENDENT STUDY.

AO3. i: Issues/Debates/Theories
I will begin researching more on the net about relevant theorists to do with my study. As well going to the library and lookig at books which can help- looking at feminists for example.

AO3.ii:Comparing and Accounting for similarities and differences
i wil practice comparing two texts in my free time, looking at for and against arguments- giving myself a time limit to compete it.

AO5: Research Techniques
As well as using the Internet as a research source i will now also begin going to the library, to find books that can help me with my independent study

Representation of Asian Women in Films

The portrayal of some Asian characters in films as docile, submissive or even as a threat to American society causes dangers to a lot of Asian people in reality. Edward Said also points out that these assumptions about the East and Eastern people strengthen "a web of racism, cultural stereotypes, political imperialism, dehumanizing ideology…". Some Western film producers or writers inadvertently employ Orientalist ideas by stereotyping Asian characters in Hollywood films. For example, Muslims are often represented as terrorists; the Indians are lazy;
http://www.pantown.com/group.php?url=content.php&id=36075&name=content2&area=3

Rotten Tomato Review

Provoked Year Released: 2007
Directed By: Jag Mundhra
Starring: Aishwarya Rai, Miranda Richardson, Naveen Andrews, Rebecca Pidgeon, Nandita Das, Robbie Coltrane, Steve McFadden, Nicholas Irons, Lorraine Bruce(NR, 113 min.)

What should have turned out as a terrific movie about the crime of spousal abuse has instead received the equivalent of a ham-handed molestation by director Mundhra. The film, which fictionalizes several aspects of this legal saga based on a true incident, tells the story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia (Rai), a Punjabi housewife in London, who after enduring 10 years of beatings and rape at the hand of her husband Deepak (Lost's Andrews), burns him to death in his bed while he is asleep. The seemingly meek and passive Kiranjit is remanded to prison for murder, but as her appeal wends its way through the British legal system, the case becomes a precedent-setter for that country's use of the battered-woman's defense. The impressive cast of actors raises Provoked's game somewhat, but still the film's mixture of melodrama and women-in-prison tropes is muted to the point of disinterest. There is no background, psychology, or dimension given to these characters in the screenplay by Carl Austin and Rahila Gupta. Furthermore, Mundhra, a filmmaker whose substantial career primarily comprises direct-to-video, softcore thrillers, delivers a work that is barely adequate in terms of its camera choices and shot compositions, pacing and editing. Provoked is additionally hobbled by the story's episodic structure that periodically inserts typewritten datelines for a journalistic effect, which only winds up disrupting any potential dramatic buildup. Bollywood superstar Rai, often referred to as the most beautiful woman in the world, tones down her stunning features and goes for a natural and unenhanced look (especially once inside prison). Unfortunately, her unvarnished look also extends to her performance, which seems too mild and remote especially for Western audiences and a non-Bollywood feature that doesn't call on her to parlay some of her best assets: singing and dancing. However, even though this is a British-made film, it's impossible not to wonder how this story that stars the national treasure Rai plays in India and other Punjabi enclaves throughout the world. The situation calls to mind the 1984 American television film, The Burning Bed, starring beauty icon Farrah Fawcett and covering surprisingly similar material. Provoked's women-in-prison aspect also disappoints, especially when gauged against the outrageousness of the American subgenre, although Richardson as Kiranjit's cell mate Ronnie gives the film its only real vibrancy. Kiranjit, who claims she finally feels free in prison, receives a cliched version of the sisterhood-is-powerful theme and then vanishes again into the background.

- These quotes suggest that provoked is somewhat confusing as there is too much going on in the narrative. This presents the womens confusion of what they should do in domestic violence.

The Guardian film review by..Philip French

Provoked has an important true-life story to tell, of how Punjabi woman Kiranjit Ahluwalia (Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai) came to England after an arranged marriage to a violent, drunken sadist and bore him two children. In 1988, unable to bear the brutality any longer, she poured petrol over him as he slept and set him alight. She was convicted of murder and jailed for 20 years, but after an appeal three years later, the charge was reduced to manslaughter and she was freed, the case creating a major precedent concerning the nature of provocation.

The film is decent enough but stilted and uncertain, and it doesn't get beneath the surface of the Indian community. The casting of a familiar heavy from EastEnders as a cop and a comedian from 'Allo 'Allo as a barrister creates a certain unease. There is, however, a peculiar poignancy in the presence as Kiranjit's cellmate of Miranda Richardson, who made her unforgettable movie debut as Ruth Ellis in Dance With a Stranger

- this quote suggests that the movie is satisfactory, however it does not get in to the extreme detail in order to explain the fundamentals of the indian society.

Migrain...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMrzYzIMMRA

M: In the trailer there are many uses of close-up shots especially on Aishwaryar’s tearful eyes, making the audience feel sympathetic towards her character. The huge use of emotional hard hitting shots, make the audience recognise and identify with the protagonist. The colours used are mainly dark, making the audience feel that the movie is pessimistic. the tone of music shows that there is something dark and deep with emotion unravelling in this movie.

I: Eros International

G: This a true story, with a 'Drama' genre, it can also be seen as a genre of Justice and revenge.

R: -The male is shown to be powerful and heavily dictates towards Kiranjit. It is also portraying male dominance and how we live in a patriarchal society. -The female character is represented as being 'provoked' and the victim in the situation, she is portrayed at being highly inferior compared to Deepak.

A: The target audience for this film is mainly females falling into a vast age group. This film would appeal to individuals aged from 18 to 50; who would fall in the B, C1, and C2 social class. -It would attract family based audience.

I: the ideology that the film is setting out is that do not let men rule the females and to fight back and to reject the patriarchal society. It is heavily based on justice

N: The story line for this film, starts off by a Nuclear family and then by the use of domestic violence, it ruins their relationship. -binary oppositions are imposed, such as good vs. evil

Theorists-LAURA MULVEY

Laura Mulvey, a typical feminist had based her study on the most famous work of ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema during 1973. What this really was about was the work of Hollywood films, and how the males were seen to be the main protagonist. This can be seen to be very ironic at the fact that looking at today’s generation females are seen to be the main protagonist as the audience can identify with them and relate back to them, however this was one of Mulvey’s aim in her study. She added on to say that the audience become familiar with the males protagonist by identification, admiration and aspiration.

The ‘male gaze’ simply means when females are seen to be sex objects, and in movies are only there to be looked at.

Linked to Provoked...
This can be linked back to my study, as I can easily mention the male gaze, looking at Provoked, we see Aishwarya to be the main protagonist as she gets abused by her husband, hence, during the scene of her getting raped by her husband ‘ Sopophilia is seen, we as the audience (male) enjoy watching this happen even though Aishwarya is not portrayed to be a sex symbol.

This is a review i found on IMDb, i found the review interesting, and i agree with most of the comments made..i agree that Aishwarya Rai's performance was brilliant, and very convincing. The film has brilliant aspects of sympathy; which looks extremely real..

REVIEW ON PROVOKED

What I found most compelling about this movie is the way in which the core subject matter of the husband abusing his wife was revealed to the audience. It didn't focus entirely on the actual act of abuse which is something the movie could've easily gone in the direction of. One might argue that showing the actual scenes might've garnered more sympathy for Kiranjit but I beg to differ. I think by showing glimpses of the violence and leaving much to the imagination the director has done well to extract genuine sympathy from his audience. I must also mention that Aishwarya Rai has portrayed this role earnestly and might perhaps be the peacock feather in her acting career. She was apt, didn't over or under act and perfectly exhibited the emotional trauma that Kiranjit might've actually been through. The movie was controlled realism, in it that it portrayed the story realistically but didn't go into the gory details, which I believe isn't necessary at all.

HOW ARE ASIAN WOMEN REPRESENTED IN THE FILM 'PROVOKED'?
- I will have to look at the representation of Asian women in cinema over the last few decades and compare them to how they are seen nowadays. I have decided to particularly focus on the film PROVOKED as the representation of the women in their is unfair and completely inferior to males.

Media Representations

Who is being represented?
Through-out the film Provoked both Asian males and females are being represented.

In what way?
The main Asian protagonist (Aishwarya Rai) is shown to be seen in a negative way, making the women look vulnerable and weak, being over ruled by men.

By whom?
kiranjit gets portrayed in a venerable way, by her husband and the judge/jury.

Is the representation fair and accurate?
No, because this is just one individuals view and other Asian males are not like what has been shown in the film, so this is not an accurate or fair representation of all Asian males

Media Languages and Forms

What is the significance mise-en-scene/sets/settings?
“Provoked” has various types of mise-en-scene. The main one is the house that kiranjit and Deepak are living in, with their two children: the audience gets an image of this being a typical nuclear family.
- The jail that Kiranjit is put in is also an important part of mise-en-scene, as it is extremely dull and gloomy which is just like how her married life began).
- From the clothing kiranjit is seen wearing (typical Asian dress), connotes how she is a typical Asian mother and wife. In addition kiranjit is not wearing any make-up through-out the film, being portrayed as very ‘simple’ and innocent looking.

What work is being done by the sound track/commentary/language of the text?
Through-out the film, a lot of parallel music is played; making the audience feel sympathy towards the protagonist. The music empathises on the scenes making them appear very emotional; it also helps the audience related to the victims abuse.

What are the dominant images and iconography, and what is their relevance to the major themes of the text?
The dominant Images we see throughout the movie is the marks of abuse that Kiranjit has received from her husband Deepak.

What are the major themes of the narrative?What values/ideologies does it embody?
The main themes are feminism: race, abuse and ethnicity. It makes the society look as of dominance still exists and that we are living in a patriarchal society. However feminism also does play a big part i the film, especially when they are trying to get justice for Kiranjit.

Genre

To which genre does the text belong? Justice and feminism.

What are the major generic conventions within the text? Abuse, justice, freedom and feminism.
What are the major iconographic features of the text? Abuse.

Does the text feature a star, a director, a writer etc who is strongly associated with the genre? What meanings and associations do they have?
Aishwarya Rai is a famous Bollywood star who is known for her independence. I believe it was good having such an inspirational role model to thousands of women in the world, as the protagonist in the film.

Media Institutions

What is the institutional source of the text?
Eros International is the institutional source of the text. In what ways has the text been influenced or shaped by the institution which produced it? Eros International has produced the text, and as it is such a well-known production they have helped get the film recognised .

Media Audiences

To whom is the text addressed? What is the target audience?
I would say the film is targeted at audiences aged 20-50, mainly females from a c1-c2 social class.

What assumptions about the audience’s characteristics are implicit within the text? The auidence will be able to identify with the characters in Provoked and have a strong impact towards them.

How do you, as an audience member, read and evaluate the text? To what extent is your reading and evaluation influenced by your age, gender, background etc?

i found the text extremely powerful and moving' it was interesting to see how some people can live in fear all those years. Being a female as well as Asian i can identify with 'Kianjit' as people can just stereotype females as with inferior capered to males.

A BRIEF SUMMARY

PROVOKED which is set in London, is a heart feeling story about the battle a Punjabi housewife under goes, when she is battered by her husband. Within time she is unable to bear the beatings from her alcoholic husband, and is left to take revenge by setting him on fire. Her actions leave her with being charged with first degree murder and this is sentenced to life imprisonment. In prison she becomes friends with in cell-mate who is so moved by Kamaljits story that she asks her brother, who is a respected queens counsel to file her appeal. the story also becomes noticed to a south Asian group of women called ' Black sisters'; and they also try to get media attention by raising rallies to gather public support for her freedom.

Independent Study Proposal

Independent Study Proposal

Title: Provoked
Director: Jag Mundra
Genre: Drama
Hypothesis: Male dominance still exists today and we live in a patriarchal society.
I am going to investigate: How are Asian women represented in the film 'Provoked'?

PROVOKED- How are Asian women represented in film, with particular reference to 'Provoked'.

Media Language: In the trailer there are many uses of close-up shots especially on Aishwaryar’s tearful eyes, making the audience feel sympathetic towards her character. The huge use of emotional hard hitting shots, make the audience recognise and identify with the protagonist. The colours used are mainly dark, making the audience feel that the movie is pessimistic. the tone of music shows that there is something dark and deep with emotion unravelling in this movie.

Institution: Eros International

Genre: This a true story, with a 'Drama' genre, it can also be seen as a genre of Justice and revenge.

Representation: -The male is shown to be powerful and heavily dictates towards Kiranjit. It is also portraying male dominance and how we live in a patriarchal society. -The female character is represented as being 'provoked' and the victim in the situation, she is portrayed at being highly inferior compared to Deepak.

Audience: The target audience for this film is mainly females falling into a vast age group. This film would appeal to individuals aged from 18 to 50; who would fall in the B, C1, and C2 social class. -It would attract family based audience.

Ideology: the ideology that the film is setting out is that do not let men rule the females and to fight back and to reject the patriarchal society. It is heavily based on justice.

Narrative: The story line for this film, starts off by a Nuclear family and then by the use of domestic violence, it ruins their relationship. -binary oppositions are imposed, such as good vs. evil

Theorists:
Relevant theorists i can use in my study are: Propp and Barthes.
Propp would be good to use in my study as he talks about a hero and villain in a film, and that is what Provoked is all about. Kamaljit(the hero) tyring to battle her way through the villain, who happens to play her husband in the film. Barthes will be good as he talks about enigma codes, and there are many enigma codes that can be seen in Provoked; such as good vs evil.

Where to research:

Types of research where information could be found based on my independent study:-Internet,Books,Asian magazines,People – based on the knowledge which they have based upon the subject,Television programmes,Radio, Newspapers,By watching the film itself can help you to understand and obtain research from it.