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Week 1- Week 6

Overall topic research and course structure

Week 6

Tutorial with Jac

Research into feminine historical fiction

Week 7

Create timeline

Fill in ethics form

Break down proposal form

Source 4-6 credible sources for literature review (email Jac)

Begin literature review

Structure draft 1

Week 8

Finish literature review

Check ethics form with Jac

Tutorial 2

Week 9

Finalise the question

Finish proposal form

Proposal form hand-in

Continue primary research

Structure draft 2

Introduction paragraph draft

Week 10

Tutorial

Paragraph 1 draft

Paragraph 2 draft

Begin to compile sources into a citation document

Week 11

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2/11/2023

how is colour used to interrogate gender in historical films by female directors in the 21st century?

how is colour used to interrogate gender roles in films by female directors?

in the 21st century, how is cinematography utilised in films of historical female figures?

9/11/2023

how are different aspects cinematography manipulated to influence the audiences view of women in historical fiction in the 21st century?

13/11/2023

female archetypes in ------

how are female archetypes explored through animals in film?

posthumous films of women?

How are female directors shaping the new wave of posthumous biopics?

Discussing the ethics of female led biopics through the a feminist lens

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2/11/2023

Cinematography, lighting, set design, colour grading - colour - relationship to femininity

Sophia Coppola - Virgin Suicides

Is the female gaze real?

How does the female gaze operate?

A good definition the female gaze would help - about perspective and visual storytelling

Colour and gender representation in films with female directors?

How might colour be used interrogate gender in films by female directors?

Greta Gerwig

Sophie Coppola

Celine Sciamma - Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Sally Potter - Orlando

Historical drama

Reimagining female agency in the past

Academic approach - possibly some tests

The symbolism of colour - the way female directors use this

-colour in Mary queen of scots

-colour and femininity?

-lesbians in comedy?????

????????????????????????

is the female gaze real?

celine sciamma

petite maman

tar

girlhood

lilypad

tomboy

sally potter- orlando

jamie babbit

historical films- reimagines female historical figures with agency

female mobility-agency

colour theory pink for boys

how is colour used to interrogate gender in historical films by female directors in the 21st century?

how is colour used to interrogate gender roles in films by female directors?

in the 21st century, how is cinematography utilised in films of historical female figures?

academic

the female gaze Alicia malone

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Preliminary research list for proposal, compiled 9/11/2023

Reel to Real bell hooks

If It's Purple Someone's Going To Die

cinematography from a female perspective, female gaze Alicia Malone?

historical fiction form a female perspective

What is History Now? Helen Carr Justin Bengry

Hollywood Heroines- Helen Hanson

(15/11/2023)

Gendering History on Screen: Women Filmmakers and Historical films-Reclaiming Undeserving Women: Contemporary Female Biopics-Julia Erhart explores the connections between women and historical documentary as a genre. She dedicates a chapter to biopics and how the creators of these films have to fill in blanks to create emotional attachments to the 'characters'. This is something I would like to unpick and explore with some of my film examples- particularly Spencer (2021).

Genre and Contemporary Hollywood- Hollywood lives: The State of he Biopic at the Turn of the Century-Carolyn Anderson and Jon Lupo

discusses biopics as a genre. This is useful for me to establish to the readers the codes and conventions of biopic cinema, how this is adhered to and challenged by female directors in the 21st century.

Projected Art History: Artists' biographies in film as popular art history

is useful to my studies as it deeply explores the definition of the biographical art across fine art, music and film. This gives depth to my research that goes just beyond the art of film. I will need to apply my own lens of feminism to this research in order to make it applicable to my research.

Whose Lives Are They Anyway? The Biopic as Contemporary Film Genre- Dennis Bingham

is a core text when thinking about biopics. Bingham discusses the ethics and codes and conventions of the modern biopic. He specifically focuses on the differences in biopics about male and female protagonists. This is useful for the feminist lens I want to approach my topic from. A challenge that I will encounter with this text is getting a full copy that isn't behind a paywall.

You Complete Me: Posthumous Works and Secondary Agency-Sondra Bacharach and Deborah Tollefsen

is an exploration of the ethics of releasing either an artists own works after they have died or creating art around them after their death. This creates 'secondary agency' where the artists works are finished by a secondary agent- whether this was their request or not. This gives me an interesting perspective on creating art surrounding people who aren't able to consent which I think is important to reference when thinking about biopics. I think a challenge that I will encounter using this source is that it primarily focuses on musical artists and their songs rather than films being made about famous figures in retrospect. To help with this I will find supplementary sources that can fill in this blank in my research.

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Research Question

Intro to Final Project aims, outputs and volume of work

-(9/11/2023) Aims to explore how cinematography has been used in the past and why. This can improve my own practice as a cinematographer as it allows me to explore different techniques and how they affect the audiences reading of the story/ character- for good or for bad. The out put would be a 4000+ word essay with possible practical experiments in the appendix.

Literature Review (250-300 words, 4-6 credible sources)

-(9/11/2023) Start with an overview paragraph identifying, key books and journal articles. Explain your approach – for example, that you may be looking for different voices, more contemporary texts, etc.. After that go into more depth for a couple of sources, evaluating their usefulness for your research.

Reel to Real, bell hooks-

female gaze- Alicia malone

if its purple someone will die

hollywood heroines- helen hanson

Planned Research Approach

THIS IS HOW IM DOING IT

-(9/11/2023) Academic pathway

-13/11/2023) I will be using secondary sources such as book, articles and journals to compile a written dissertation that uses a 'thesis' approach to research and analyse my chosen topic. I will be using this research to approach my topic from a feminist point of view.

I will not be conducting primary research as I believe the established knowledge of my topic give me enough varied opinions and coverage that I do not need to get first hand accounts or opinions.

Project Plan

THIS IS WHAT IM DOING!

-(13/11/2023)

Learning Outcomes

LO1: how does the work relate to your own creative film/industry practice?

(13/11/2023) This work will inform my own practice by allowing me to explore opinions on women in film/ filming women that will allow me to develop my own code of ethics and style within cinematography.

LO2: what relevant existing knowledge will inform and contextualise your project?

(13/11/2023) I will be referring to the conventions of cinematography in relation to filming women throughout the 20th century. I will also reference Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory, as well as other mainstream feminist theories concerning spectatorship and media.

LO3: what methodological framework will you use to shape and structure your project?

(13/11/2023) essay? pecta point, evidence, critical thinking, argument

LO4: how will you critically evaluate the success of your project, as well as demonstrating how you have used and responded to developmental feedback?

(13/11/2023) This project will be successful if I feel I have analysed and combined references to create my own unique voice and point of view.?

Conclusion

Bibliography

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

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Started 9/11/2023

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Introduction

What do I want to explore in this essay, what is the baseline knowledge and lens I am approaching this from.

autonomy in retrospect

Paragraph 1

What is the link between cinematography and story telling?

How do we tell historical stories- what is history now

Conventions of historical films cinematography

Paragraph 2

The relationship between feminism and cinematography throughout the 20th century.

How has this developed in the 21st century?

How do we look at women in film through cinematography?

The male gaze theory, bell hooks, Alicia Malone female gaze

Paragraph 3

case study one- the other boelyn

how is cinematography used to view these women? what is the effect?

from a feminist perspective.....

Paragraph 4

case study two-

how is cinematography used to view these women? what is the effect? what theories go along with this?

from a queer perspective.....

Paragraph 5

case study three- marie antoinette

how is cinematography used to view these women? what is the effect? what theories go along with this?

what autonomy does this give the women?

Paragraph 6

case study four- Little Women (this phenomenon carries on into fictional characters)

how is cinematography used to view these women? what is the effect? what theories go along with this?

Paragraph 7

Colour in historical fiction

bell hooks

Colour in new historical fiction- Anne boelyn, Mary queen of Scots etc

Conclusion

-how do cinematographers use their craft to view women and how does it effect the viewers.

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(16/11/2023)

What ethical issues are raised by biopics of women?

ethics of biopics

feminist lens

looked at proposal draft - almost completed

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Next steps:

o   Have a look at the links on your padlet called ‘Honest Truths: Documentary Filmmakers on Ethical Challenges in Their Work’ and the ual ‘Ethics for Making’ site

o   Add more detail to your plan – perhaps add the names of secondary sources to your breakdown and factor in your graduate film work

o   Consider whether part of your outcome might be to produce some ethical guidelines for anyone setting out to make a biopic about a woman’s life

Final section will be a conclusion addressing your research question: How do biopics navigate the ethics of using women's stories as entertainment?

Gender and representation theory - people representing themselves - stereotype - what is an authentic way of telling a story?

Ethics - explore your own ethical values - where do you stand?

Bring in the cinematography if relevant

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Introduction

-write it first then add a hook? See what feels natural

'I am approaching this from an academic standpoint.....'

I have studied case studies and applied (research) to them

thesis, antithesis, synthesis

Charlie knibbs- canvas

Critical evaluation at the end

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How to meet the LO's

LO1: Produce a piece of work

LO2: Lay out my existing knowledge and clearly apply to what I am exploring

LO3: Methodological framework, academic essay, case studies with research.

LO4: Create a critical evaluation at the end of the piece

possible articals

https://www.jstor.org/stable/1343167?searchText=historical+female+figures&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dhistorical%2Bfemale%2Bfigures&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3Ae87cc341eda0fef131c14dacf018fba0

https://www.jstor.org/stable/3174358?searchText=historical+female+figures&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dhistorical%2Bfemale%2Bfigures&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3Ae87cc341eda0fef131c14dacf018fba0

https://www.jstor.org/stable/3194486?searchText=historical+female+figures&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dhistorical%2Bfemale%2Bfigures&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3Ae87cc341eda0fef131c14dacf018fba0

FIRST 150 PAGES OF BINGHAM BOOK

https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=NW-v7-tlRZYC&oi=fnd&pg=PR6&dq=Whose+Lives+Are+They+Anyway%3F:+The+Biopic+as+Contemporary+Film+Genre&ots=-guOyHs2Cd&sig=qsEJatltauT90Qk_l5fih__SyvU&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Whose%20Lives%20Are%20They%20Anyway%3F%3A%20The%20Biopic%20as%20Contemporary%20Film%20Genre&f=false

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On Female Identity and Writing by Women on JSTOR

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Judith Kegan Gardiner, On Female Identity and Writing by Women, Critical Inquiry, Vol. 8, No. 2, Writing and Sexual Difference (Winter, 1981), pp. 347-361

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Introduction

-Hook

-In this essay I will explore.....

-I will do this through an academic exploration using film and sociological theories such as genre theory and feminism

Paragraph 1- intro to established knowledge about biopic and historical films

-storytelling and how we pass down stories of historical figures

-how does this change when we catch up with our own history, we aren't talking about Mary queen of Scots anymore we are tripping over our own recent past.

-What is a biopic an what is the history of the genre, how did it start, how did it change

-what types of biographies will I be talking about- fictionalised Hollywood blockbusters, not documentary

Bingham- 'rosenstone said 'fiction and history both tell stories but the latter is the truth. Need this be a literal truth, an exact copy of what took place in the past? in film it can never be.'

BINGHAM TEXT INTORDUCITON

why we accept that biopics are compressions and dramatisations of the truth

Paragraph 2- intro to feminist film theory

-women on screen, introduction into basic feminist film theories such as male gaze, how we look at women in film from a cinematography pov and a writing pov

-how is the modern landscape of film changing this- me too movement

Paragraph 3

-blending these two things, how do we see women in biopics- Dennis Bingham book 2 focuses on women in biopics and how this is different from men

-what ethical issues does this bring up for me

-I will apply this framework to the case studies below

Paragraph 4

Spencer

what are the overall thoughts on this film

Diana is in the public subconscious quite a lot and people have strong emotional opinions about her

people who knew Diana have criticised the dramatisation

anyone watching knows that it is dramatised but how much can the production get away with in not telling a fully truthful story

compare to jackie

Paragraph 5

Monster

explain what it is

how is this production

compared to Jackie

Paragraph 6

Introduce Sophia Coppola, what is her style and ethos.

Does her gender change her approach? set up this question

Her history and interest in biopics

Chronologically: Marie Antoinette, Bling Ring and Priscilla

Paragraph 7

Marie Antoinette

so historically can it be called a biopic?

a complete gloss over the truth- why? what was the purpose of the pastel aesthetic?

what has Sophia Coppola said about her portrayal/ intentions with this film?

Paragraph 8

How does this compare to her wildly different biopic the bling ring

There was much more information known so this restricted her creative liberties but would she have wanted to talk about these anyway

Paragraph 9

Her newest biopic Priscilla which had direct involvement from the titular character

Paragraph 10

so what does this all amount to? is there a right way to make a biopic? is there any way to restrict this? (no)

currently these biopics have come out in the past five years, or are in production..... it is clear these are a genre that we care about and is high in the publics consciousness

paragraph 11

audience responsibility?

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-proposal

how has my thinking changed

what do I know

what would I like to know

what do I need to find out

false conciscousness

email sarlah

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Jackie Kennedy, Diana Spencer, Priscilla Presley, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Frida Kahlo, Judy Garland, Tonya Harding, Marilyn Monroe.

What do all of these women have in common? I'm sure you would not be shocked to learn it's their respected and untouched legacies in the modern world. Each of these women have had their own Hollywood biopic since the beginning of the 21st century. Often snidely renamed as 'Oscar- bait', a film that is made simply to win academy awards following the long line of constant genre representation at the ceremony, the biopic genre is defined as a film dramatising someones life. XYZ says that there is no way to show the full unedited truth of someones life on film and there are always creative liberties taken to make it more entertaining for an audience

The blurring of

For the purposes of this essay I will be focusing on biopics about women whose stories already feature them in the public eye rather than a story such as Erin Brochovitch which tells the story of xyz.