Identities and Film: blog task

The media we choose to watch says a lot about us as people – it helps to construct our identity. 

Complete the following tasks using Media Factsheet 142: Identity and Film. You'll find it in our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets

1) Read Media Factsheet 142: Identity and Film.

2) Complete the Twenty Statements Test yourself. This means answering the question ‘Who am I?’ 20 times with 20 different answers. What do they say about your identity? Write the 20 answers in full on your blog.

Oldest child      Wannable-filmmaker   Impulsive             Wanderer

Student             INFP                         Tall                     Creator

British              Photographer              Activist                Shopaholic

Seventeen         Baker                        Feminist               Artistic

Gamer              Aries                         YouTube Addict+    Indecisive 

I prefer creative things, identify with my wants intrests and likes more than anything else.

3) Classify your answers into the categories listed  on the Factsheet: Social groups, ideological beliefs, interests etc.

Example responses to Kuhn and McPartland’s TST.
▪ Social groups and classifications (“I am a student”, “I am
female”)
▪ Ideological beliefs (“I am a Christian”, “I am a Labour
voter”)
▪ Interests (“I am a Queens of the Stone-Age Fan fan”, “I
am a cricketer”)
▪ Ambitions (“I am going to be a doctor”, “I am going to visit
China”)

▪ Self-evaluations. (“I am pretty”, “I am bad at Maths”)

4) Go back to your favourite film (as identified in the lesson). What does this choice of film say about your identity? Are there any identities within the film (e.g. certain characters) that particularly resonated with your values and beliefs?

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

Most characters are different, they don't fit into labels or groups. They do what they want even if they seem 'mad' like the Hatter. Alice explores and learns regardless of other peoples perceptions and wants for her. Tim Burton's work is also consistently one of my favourites, not only because of the characters but stylistically. The biggest successes are ones that find the balance between modern and Gothic styles.

5) Watch the trailers for the five films highlighted as examples of gay/lesbian representation in mainstream film. How are LGBT identities constructed in the trailers and how are audiences encouraged to respond to these representations?

Wilde (1997, dir. Brian Gilbert)
O Mysterious
O Deceptive
O Talented
O Natural
Audiences may be encouraged to view members of the LGBTQ+ community as equal, they're normal, but also deceptive potentially due to societal constructs particularly in the past.

Philadelphia (1993, dir. Jonathan Demme)
O Negative
O 'diseased'
O Outcast
O Deviant
O Smart
O Has potential
O victim of social prejudice and panics

Although there is a particularly negative representation of a gay man, having Aid's, and being outcast for it, there is potential in the sense that sexuality is attempted to be ignored and there are people out there willing to help him whilst he is a victim of social prejudice.

The Wedding Banquet (1993, dir. Ang Lee)
O Performance
O Something to be hidden.
O Comedic

The LGBTQ+ community is presented as a comedic Performance which could be seen as both positive or negative depending on whether the audience is laughing with or at them.

The Kids are Alright (2010, dir. Lisa Cholodenko)
O Normal
O Confusing
O Comedic
The couple are presented as a normal family with a similar dysfunctionality, the comedic approach also makes them more appealing and definitely shows that the audience is more inclined to laugh with them.

 Pride (2014, dir. Matthew Warchus)
LGBT identities are constructed as a communal effort where everyone has to come together to show themselves in a positive light and to try and subvert social stereotypes, most of which have been created by a strict Catholic community.