Initiative Posts

Headless Women of Hollywood

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How crap must your movie be if you think a cleavage would sell it better?

This delightful, awful brilliance is everything that is wrong with the media industry. Look at it DRIPPING with male gaze and female objectification! There are a wide range of styles and genres, many of them commodifying the female body to sell their disturbing/adult/raunchy work. Some of these films are even massive releases like Matrix Reloaded and GI Joe – such is their acceptability and proven chances of marketing success. God forbid they even realise that women might have a face, personality, and life beyond their boobs + legs selling point, right?

 

The Kardashians and Narrative

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPQK6cLObUc

The Kardashians are a constructed familiar narrative of upwards mobility and female consumerism that resonate with audiences. There is a fine line between envy and emulation that the Kardashians are successfully able to play with. Drawing from the video above, the viewer is amused by Kylie’s problems, possibly even yearning to have similar luxurious worries. There is a familiar American Dream narrative at work that has led to their popularity: the immigrant Armenian family who have worked their way up. The traditional narratives of meritocratic upward mobility for men and rags to riches Cinderella transformation for women are also VERY familiar and comfortable narratives to an audience. It’s also worth noting that the publicity around Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries’ wedding mirrored that of Kate and William.

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The Kardashians also have also been called “petite celebrities” who revere the “real” celebrities’ status and lifestyle, attempting to use economic capital rather than talent for access into the field. In a way, this mirrors the viewers’ aspiration for upward mobility, fame even, which could make them more relatable.

The show also emphasises neoliberal politics (celebrating free market, wealth accumulation, and entrepreneurialism) as well as the postfeminist culture of girl power, self-cultivation, sexual freedom, consuming of feminized goods. The Kardashians appeal to the strong consumer demographic of young women who wants to buy things to improve themselves while viewing the Kardashians as some sort of leaders e.g. Kylie’s lip kit.

S01EP23 Modern Warfare: Watching Community

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I am a recent convert to this show (thanks peer pressure!) and I never want to look back again. Part of this show’s charm is its unabashed self-referencing, self-conscious meta-ness. No one is safe, not the actors, writers, directors, or especially genre. Sure, that’s nothing new but the show does it with so much love and fun. It’s unpretentious comedy and in that it achieves quiet sophistication and very loud laughs.

The episode titled is from the first season and what many critics argue to be the best of the season. It was also awarded Comedy Episode of the Year at the Gold Derby Awards and came in third in its time slot during airing. As TIME critic James Poniewozik puts it, “a lot of sitcoms can make you laugh. It’s a rare one that can so fully share the sense of joy its cast, writers and crew have in making the show“. This episode satirises every beautiful cliche from the action genre, personal favourite moments including those between Jeff and Britta as the last-two-standing-with-unresolved-sexual-tension-and-witty-banter complete with the shirtless man being tended to by attractive female trope.

Stakes are high with this paintball game, Priority Registration (first pick at classes) as the prize. The paint-caked school grounds could rival that of any apocalyptic city and alliances are formed and broken – all delivered with a gloriously straight face because that’s how the Community cookie crumbles.

ACMI Scorsese Briefing

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morning-glory-melbourne-scorcese-acmi-melbourne-exhibition
ACMI’s big exhibition this winter season is on legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese and tonight the ACMI volunteers had our exhibition briefing/training. I have to admit that save for a couple of his “greats” and some more minor films, I am not very familiar with his work. Maybe it’s because so much of his work feature male stories with women typically relegated to supporting roles. More on that another time when I binge his films with my unforgiving feminist eyes. But I’m sure such a well respected film director with sophisticated vision shouldn’t have to capitalize (much) on pointless objectification…I do sincerely look forward to watching his work.
ON ANOTHER NOTE, we’re building a themed bar so that’ll be awesome. New goal: Drink on my shift.

Twerking In The Rain

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Pop Culture “mash ups” are some of my favourite things in the world – so to take one of my favourite film sequences and turn it into something so shamelessly ratchet? It’s beautiful and I could watch it all day.

I mean, they REALLY committed. Look at the production value of that video! The set looks almost identical to the original and the twerkers’ dresses are in an excellent palette for the cinematographer. Also, Tod Hall as Gene Kelly really pulls it off with his natural charisma and presence.

It’s too good.

 

Watch the original:

The B-Roll

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I have lately developed an obsession with watching B-Rolls from my favourite media: Agent Carter, Madonna’s Vogue video, and the Avengers.

As a new media maker, I watch the final product, WONDER at how someone could create something like that, and imagine myself trying to create that very same thing. It overwhelms me, it freaks me out, and it scares me. How could I EVER make something as incredible as that?!!
But when I watch B-Rolls, I see the repetition, the time, the raw and untouched, the amount of people it takes –  the hard work. And it calms me down. Because it IS hard. It’s precise, tedious and definitely not
“movie magic”. The final products always look extraordinarily natural and effortless but it’s not and seeing the cast and crew churning reassures me that it’s also possible for little old me to create awesome work.

How To Met Gala Without The Met Or The Gala: A Transmedia Guide

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It is my life long dream to be invited to the Met Gala and, believe me, one way or another I will find a way to get through those giant Met doors on the first Monday of May. But for now, I shall have to content myself with having eight tabs and four apps open during midday Tuesday lectures.
…And that actually does the job pretty well. Too well thanks to all those mediums bridging the gap between the Hollywood elite and us plebs.
All you need
  1. Wifi
  2. Snapchat
  3. Instagram
  4. Twitter
  5. Laptop
  6. Multi tasking skills
  7. Too much time

So you’re ready for a comfy front row seat on Tuesday morning, right? WRONG.

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It’s the most extensive work in transmedia storytelling…except it’s IRL (ish). The true Met Gala experience starts at least a week before the event. Regularly check numbers 2-4 to see your faves attend their fittings, get their multi thousand dollar hair/make up/nails did, and then post photos of burgers to appear relatable. This whole shebang treads the line between envy and emulation like a genius. It’s all stress and whirlwind so that when you finally see them go up those carpeted stairs, you are just so proud of your darling for making it alive.

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It’s social media PR/Marketing at its best – a career aspect I’m extremely interested in considering. I have LOVED watching the Met Gala narrative unfold through the daily videos/photos from brands getting their clients ready…

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…the necessary pre-Gala bed jumping in your Manhattan penthouse suite…

…as well as the guests all getting their faces ready for maximum glow…

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Then an official Insta walk through of the Met space during the event!

Now you can watch famous people laugh and dance and be friends with other famous people. We judge people’s million dollar dresses as if we could do better, fantasize about how Vogue would just ADORE us, and imagine who would be on our table.

It’s like we’re there…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N1iMk3qDX4

The Vogue equivalent of a photo booth…

We can even see some bathroom action in one of my favourite photo series from the event! They’re a little reminiscent of Warhol polaroid shots. There’s something thrilling about the juxtaposition of these glamorous people and white toilet tiles.

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You can really feel that intoxicating, glamorous atmosphere from your swivel classroom chair in Melbourne all thanks to social media. The world is wonderful. Until you remember that you’re not actually there and you have an assignment due in two days.

 

Wes Anderson’s Colour Palette

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Here is a link I’m just enthralled by!

Another genius concept that is at once simple and sophisticated.

It’s great seeing how his frames – films – style boils down to a certain evocative palette of colours. It’s reminiscent of a painter’s literal palette and evokes a sense of Anderson as an artist in the oldest sense of the world.

This encourages me to try creating a film in this way: choosing an appropriate and strict set of colours to use in the video or, even more experimentally, vice versa – choosing the colours before deciding on the video concept.

“…the very particular pastel-hues that paint the skies, drench the buildings and dress the characters, render Anderson’s microcosms almost dream-like”

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