Script

Location report

Elizabeth's office

I will be using this location as Elizabeth's office. I believe that this room will help me present my key themes that I discovered in my textual analysis essay as the shades of blue represent my main study of masculinity, with the use of a closed room to be used as a office that will symbolise the success of the feminine character. It is easily accessible for all my actors to reach as this is a newly constructed board room, it is safe due to it being spacious. The room also provides good lighting so I will not have to worrying about editing. However due to this being a board room I have to book a allocated spot where I only have a brief period of time making the process stressful.

Simons living room

I want to use my own dining table as Simons living room to achieve the home like feel. This will give the sense of Simon not feeling safe and secure in his own home. It is easily accessible for me as I live here, however my actor may struggle to get to my desired location due to him living so far away. And because this is actual house it will make it more believable. The environment is safe and provides good lighting it is also does not need any booking allowing time to develop my key frames effectively.

Evaluation

What were the aims/purposes of the script and key frames?

The aim of my script and key frames was to explore my macro from my textual analysis essay on the representation of masculinity, where I focused on the films Trance and Starred Up. This was done as a prequel of Trance in a disruption scene. My creative artefacts explored my thesis that masculinity is presented as inferior to femininity, this is portrayed through the use of camera angles, props and blocking. 

What codes and conventions identified in the textual analysis essay were used in the script and key frames?

Throughout my textual analysis essay I argue that both Starred Up and Trance portray masculinity as being weak and destructive, against its self or shown to be inferior compared to femininity. I incorporated this into all of my key frames.

One of my points in my essay that I incorporated into my 1st key frame was that in both Trance and Starred Up women are shown to be successful.  In starred Up this is shown by having the woman as the boss of all the men and in Trance it is shown by having the woman as the most successful in all of the characters outcomes. In my key frames I showed Elizabeth to be successful as it is set in her office and by that the camera  shows her to be either equal with Simon through medium mid level shots or to be more powerful as she dominates the space within the shot.

Another convention I used from my essay that I adopted into my key frames was the use of showing masculinity being destructive against itself. This was identified in Trance when Simon attacks the criminals and shoots Nate in the testicles. I showed it in my flashback sequence where I had Simon drinking and attempting to commit suicide whilst under the influence. 

I also identified from my essay that woman use their sexuality to entice men to then manipulate them into what she wants him to. This key idea that is shown in my 9th frame is extracted from Trance where Elizabeth uses her body to suduce Simon then she hypnotises him to tell her where the painting is. I show it by her touching Simons leg with him reacting to suggest that it has turned him on, which then enables her to control him into what she wants him to do, showing how masculinity only tires to provide for femininity making women higher on a social hierarchy.

Finally my two films are both dramas which I supported by using the typical conventions that are used in these genres such as crying and a relationship. I have also supported this, to and extent, with typical character threads such as a man and a woman, however I have also subverted these threads by portraying the woman as a villain as she manipulates the male character into what she wants to do.

How was the location report used in construction of the key frames?

For the use of Elizabeth's office I wanted to use a room with a modern and slick atmoshere to it, to represent a London office. I used a small board room at my school that was built only a matter of months ago, it also had elements to fit my macro from my textual analysis essay as the carpet, window shutters and walls were coloured blue, to represent masculinity. However for the use of Simon living room, my actor had no way of getting to my intended location due to the length of the journey It would have taken him. So I had to make do with a class room at my school, which I had to arrange to make it look like a flat, this did not change anything from my script nor did it change my orginal ideas for camera angles. I would however still liked to have used my orginal location but my makeshift flat was not a major disruption to the process and development of my key frames, which still represent my macro.

How successful was the script and key frames in achieving its aims? 

I feel that my script and key frames are successful in acheiving it's aims to create an artefact that shows the representation of masculinity. I believe that I have incoperated the key themes that I discovered in my textual analysis essay  and conveyed them effectively through my 10 key frames. I felt that my all of my frames carry weight in showing the weakness of masculinity. However I do feel that I could have used a more appropriate location for Simons flat as it did not look convincing enough to look like a homely environment, although this was an issue it did not prevent me in showing my key themes in my frames. Finally I also felt that I did not use appropriate costume for the role of Elizabeth, in my key frames I aimed to show that Elizabeth used her sexuality to entice Simon and I believe that the actress did not wear revealing tops to suggest this. Albeit these minor inconveniences I still felt that they did not affect my overall aim and objectives that I wanted to show in my key frames. 

Key frames on the representation of masculinity

This frame shows Simon entering Elizabeth's office. The look of uncertainty on his face shows how he is not confident or felling comfortable in his new environment. This supports my macro as it shows how the man is not displaying the confidence that a man should in a leading role. This frame is taken in Elizabeth's office to show her success and power she has. The colour grading of the shot is blue which represents masculinity, as blue is commonly associated with it.

In this shot we see Simon handing over his coat to Elizabeth. This shot shows Simon looking at the ground in embarrassment, whilst Elizabeth looks at Simon directly to show how she is more confident. The camera angle I have used is a medium shot to show how much smaller the masculine character is compared to the Femimine character to display the power and control she has over him. 

This shot shows Elizabeth showing Simon to his seat, this displays from my macro how woman have more powerful roles than men, this is shown through Elizabeth telling Simon where to sit instead of Simon doing so himself. This frame uses a over the shoulder shot of Elizabeth to show her looking down at Simon portraying how she is more powerful and dominant.

This frame shows how Elizabeth looks down at Simon, whilst he is crying. She comforts him acting like a mother role, this follows the Oedipal complex where a son fancies a woman who portrays qualities similar to his own mother. This shows how Elizabeth is comforting Simon in hope that he develops feelings for her, making it easier for her to manipulate him into what she wants. I've used a medium shot at a high angle so we see how the masculine character is cowering over to show how the feminine character is bigger and more dominant on the shot to show how she controls the  environment around her, this is to reinforce my macro that feminine characters dominate situations when masculine characters are present.

This frame is the flashback scene where Simon looks at his bank account balance and sees how he has no money. This shot shows how masculinity is weak  as Simons body position shows him as being afraid and not confident, which subverts hollwood character types, specifically for the leading role. This supports my macro as it shows how Simon is improsoned by higher authorities such as the bank, which could be run by a woman, this oppresses Simons free will as he must work to survive, which shows how masculinity is weak and futile. The colour grading of this shot is black and white to enforce that it is a flaskback scene.

This frame shows Simon drinking spirits to comfort himself and to ease the pain. This portrays masculinity as being destructive and reckless. The shot type is a medium shot at a high level for the audience to look down at Simon and to show how he is weak.

This frame shows Simon attempting to commit suicide. The use of the revolver is phallic imagery where Simon uses a masculine object to overpower himself. With him placing the barrel of the revolver into his mouth it show he is being dominated by a more powerful/ masculine object. This enforces my macro as it shows not only how masculinity is destructive but how masculinity can be taken away, rendering Simon as being in masculine. The use of the high medium shot is to show Simon as being vulnerable and for the audience to see the redundancy of his power and masculinity.

This frames is the return to present time and shows Simon crying and cowering over in embaresment, due to his weakness and vulnerablility, this is also supported by the use of a high angle medium shot where we look down at him which shows his weakness. 

This frame shows Elizabeth edge over to Simon and touch his thigh. This shows how she uses her sexuality to entice Simon into doing what she wants. This supports my macro as it shows the willingness of masculine characters to perform and impress feminine characters, which shows how woman are higher on the hierarchy of social standing compared to men, as women are seen as a goal for men to compete for. The idea of this shot is taken from the film Trance where Danny Boyle explores this, and how men are obsessed with women.

This is an extreme close up of Simons eyes, this shot occurs straight after Elizabeth tries to seduce him. His pupils are expanding where he is clearly feeling attracted to Elizabeth. This supports my macro as it shows how men easily subbcomb to women, which makes masculinity inferior as they are controlled by the woman's  sexuality into doing what's she wants, in order to impress her.

Textual analysis essay

 

The Representation of Masculinity

 

Hypothesis: "These two independent films subvert from the idea that the more masculine the character is the more dominant and powerful he is"

 

These two independent crime dramas support each other in the idea that masculinity does not provide power and subvert away from the tradition Hollywood have used for many years, they also show how woman can bring down criminality through their own power, thus showing that women are more superior. Starred up is set in a male prison, where it is usual for a battle of egos to take place, Starred up conforms to this however the governor is a woman and the most powerful and violent inmate is a homosexual, these two characters subvert from the idea that masculinity is the source to power. Trance is set in a glossy London where a woman manipulates her way around the men in order to become the top of the hierarchy among the criminals. This film focuses on the obsession of women and their genitalia and how men would go to extreme depths to satisfy woman and to show their masculinity.

 

In Trance and starred up we see a controlling woman in a male dominated world. In Trance we see Elizabeth show cards to Simon, confusing the gangsters who are spying in, this shows how the woman (Feminine) is in charge of the men (masculine). This is similar to starred up where the governor of a male prison is a woman, this means all of the men must answer to the woman. This can be seen when she allows Eric to go on anger management courses. Both films succumb to the idea of 'The Male Crisis' where men are becoming increasingly inferior to women due to the rise of feminism, thus meaning that masculinity is losing its power. This is usually through better grades, better jobs and better pay. We can see this by how the woman are dressed, this subverts from the male gaze as they are both smartly dressed which means we cannot see them in a sexual way, both female characters are all so center of the shot, giving them more space in the camera lens than any of the men. This is shown through an eye level medium shot in both films, showing that they have an equal stance among the men, or even a higher one.

 

Both films show male competitiveness and how it is a common technique used by men to impress and attract women. In Starred up the same clip is used to show how masculinity does not provide power. In this clip we see the men argue amongst each other in order to impress the woman. This is similar to Trance where we see Frank try and impress Elizabeth after sex by talking about using violence to get revenge. This shows how men are obsessed with the female genitalia and how they will go as far as physically abusing another man to show masculinity and power. This shows how masculinity has become inferior to femininity as men now look to impress and satisfy woman, almost like a boss or a farther figure. Trance shows Elizabeth and Frank from head to toe with a medium shot, both the ‘male gaze’ and the ‘female gaze’ are used to show gender equality and how men to can be seen in a demeaning way. Starred up uses the medium shot at eye level, with the men pushed to the side arguing, showing that what they say is irrelevant compared to the woman who is center giving the instructions, that the men must follow.

 

Furthermore, both films subvert from the idea that the most masculine man is the most feared and powerful character. In Trance we see Frank and his crew being hypnotized by Simon, the less masculine of the men, into their deepest fears. We can see that Simon is not as masculine as the criminals as he looks well groomed and tailored compared to the criminals, with the exception of Frank. This is similar to Starred up where the most violent and feared inmate is openly gay and kisses his boyfriend in front of the other inmates; he also hints that the two also have intercourse with each other. This completely subverts from traditions set by Hollywood, as homosexuals are usually seen as less masculine and powerful than straight men. It is also unusual for the least threating male character to be feared by criminals, who would be seen as more threatening and masculine. In Trance a low level medium shot is used for us to look up at Simon and see him how the criminals see him, with authority and power. Starred up shows us the two men kissing in a medium mid-level shot to show us that the homosexual act does not demasculise the character and that he should still be seen as a threating and powerful man.

 

Finally, both films show how masculinity can be easily taken away from men and be handed to the less masculine. In Trance we see Simon shoot and kill the criminals, in one case we see him shoot Nate in his testicles. This takes away the source of any man’s masculinity and any type of power that supposedly comes with it; this empowers Simon who has the capabilities to do such things. We also see Simon use a gun, which is ironically a phallic object which is seen as a source of power, which interns gives Simon more power and enhances his masculinity. The use of a phallic object destroying another mans ‘manhood’ and retracting any sought of power is symbolic of a saying ‘mines bigger than yours’. This shows how the most powerful and masculine men can have their masculinity taken away from them by someone who is not seen as masculine. This is similar to Starred up where we see a group of hardened criminals take anger management classes. During this scene we see how all of the men are wearing the same clothes, this demasculises them as it takes away their free will and identity. These two crucial factors are what men strive for and what makes them masculine, with them being taken away and handed to the female governor the less masculine character. The Starred up clip uses a rotating shot to show the steel bars covering the windows and doors. The steel bars are phallic objects, they represent the power the guards have and what the prisoners do not, thus showing how the less masculine guards are now being provided the power and masculinity that the prisoners have lost. Trance shows Nate from head to toe revealing his vulnerability, when he is shot the camera uses a high medium shot so the audience is looking over him; this is to show his redundancy of power.

 

Overall I believe that these two independent do subvert from the idea that the more masculine the character the more powerful he is. I believe that these films show that the rise of feminism is apparent and it is slowly making masculinity not inferior but weaker. These films support feminism through their characters, by making them bosess and the winner in their outcomes. But also through the audience by showing both the male and the female characters in vulnerable ways and also sexualizing them     

 

 

In depth plan for my essay

Macro: The representation of masculinity

Hypothesis: " These two independent films subvert from the idea that the more masculine the character is the more dominant and powerful he is "

These two independent crime dramas support each other in the idea that masculinity does not provide power and subvert away from the tradition Hollywood have used for many years, they also show how woman can bring down criminality through their own power, thus showing that women are more superior. Starred up is set in a male prison, where it is usual for a battle of egos to take place, Starred up conforms to this however the governor is a woman and the most powerful inmate does not use violence to portray dominance, where as the most violent inmate is a homosexual, these 3 characters subvert from the idea that masculinity is the source to power. Trance is set in a glossy London where a woman manipulates her way around the men in order to become the top of the hierarchy among the criminals. This film focuses on the obsession of women and their genitalia and how men would go to extreme depths to satisfy woman and to show their masculinity.

Point 1: A controlling female in a male world
Analysis:




 Both films succumb to the idea of 'The Male Crisis' where men are becoming increasingly inferior to women due to the rise of feminism

Trance clips

This shows that the women is in control of the situation, showing that masculinity does not hold the key to power.


Shows that the man with the shotgun ( Frank ) has more power than the others because of the gun. This shows that he has more power which makes him more masculine than the others. It could be said that the use of the gun is cowardly and could demasculise him.


This shows that power comes with strength and power all characteristics associated with men making masculinity a source of power