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Week 12: Sia Caldwell

Can reality tv still be thought of as a genre given the high level of hybridity that exists?

“The analysis of hybridized television has centred on changes in the status of reality” (Wood, 2004). Producers are mixing with fiction and non-fiction elements creating questionable authenticity. This has made it complex in categorizing TV shows into their home genre. Reality Television is presenting signs of hybridity, they are manipulating, distorting and editing videos to capture the attention of their audience. It is difficult to catergorize Reality TV as non-fiction, even though it insists it is ‘unscripted’ and ‘real’. The genuine amount of footage is unknown, thus viewers question if what they are viewing is authentic. Wood (2004) explains that hybridizations is “true stories” that bases the use of fiction upon fact or diversions that create entertaining content.

According to Wood (2004), television can be divided into four modes: Fact, fiction, entertainment and advertising. Factual programming presents shows such as ‘the news’, information that is factual and reliable to believe. Fiction programming consists of drama and films etc., things that are imaginary and not true. Entertainment programming includes game shows and talk shows etc., conveying a theatrical aspect. Advertisement programming comprises of commercials that are marketing to promote or sell. (Wood, 2004. p. 47).

Wood (2004) presents four characteristic hinges that turn the above modes upon each other: Re-enactment, diversion, absorption and infomercial. Re-enactments are defined as external world events, diversions portray displaying the individual as themselves, absorption refers to extreme situations combining facts and reality with fiction to create bigger impact, infomercials are programme long that advertise a product. Each of these use the four modes of television producing unique content.

In a South Korean reality TV show called “I live alone” a lot of hybridity can be discovered. It is very unique as it is a reality TV show within another Reality TV show. The programme focuses on the lives of a multiple individuals that live alone. Then once the shooting and producing is done they all meet together in a room where cameras all set up and the watch the episode together. The video cuts back and forth to scenes of them living alone back to scenes where they are watching and commenting on the episode with the other individuals and also jumps into confessional footage cuts. Footage scenes are added, deleted, juggled around, and also re-explained. A lot of time and effort is taken editing to create an episode that will entertain the audience.

I think that reality TV can still be though of as genre. However, when referring to reality tv it would be useful if people used sub-genres like romance, crime, informational, reality-drama, competition/game, and talent to separate the different contents. By doing this, people will be able to decide what type of reality Tv they would like to watch and it will be easier for them to to distinguish authenticity and the level of hybridity used.

References:

Wood, B. (2004) A World in Retreat: The Reconfiguration of Hybridity in 20th-Century New Zealand Television. Media, Culture & Society, 26(1), 45-62. doi:10.1177/0163443704039709

Week 11: Sia Caldwell

How real is reality tv?

The Cambridge English dictionary defines reality television as television programmes that are filmed of real situations using ordinary people instead of actors.

Reality TV first emerged in the 1990’s and became a success in the early 2000s. (Sanneh, 2011). Reality TV is supposedly an unscripted form of television that films real events and situations in someone’s life. Some shows decide to use a host, and some use a narrator to set the events for the audience. Many people enjoy watching reality TV because they are able to see into the life of others or they are able to find a connection because they may relate to the people or the situation of the people being filmed.

Kilborn (1994) attempts to define reality TV and suggests that there are slice-of-life scenes but also fictional drama rooted scenes to please the audience’s attention. She further explains that the primary objective for reality TV producers is to produce a programme that highlights reality and people’s real experiences. Thankfully, due to the advancement in technology, there are many ways to film reality TV such as: camera team, hidden cameras, personal camcorders, cellphones, body cameras and microphones. If the individual or an amateur is in control of the camera then their shaky shots, focus and weird angles will contribute to the realness of the show.

Kilborn (1994) helps convey that ‘reality’ may not be the reality everyone believes it to be. A cruicial factot in Reality programming is the attempt to simulate drama amongst individuals and groups by over exaggerating the problem and editing in a clever and canny manner. The producers are able to accomplish this by cutting the footage and introducing a hybrid mix of presenter talk, other participants opinions, other footage and material and also forms of audience participation (Kilborn, 1994). This all results in manipulation and distorted footage to the point some viewers question what they are viewing and whether it is authentic.

It isn’t possible to distinguish how real reality television is with a set percentage, this is because there are hundreds of various shows with diverse topics that focus on different content and areas of life. Therefore, all the shows will vary in the amount of drama, people and alteration due to the different featured formats.

References:

Kilborn, K. (1994). `How real can you get?’: Recent developments in `reality’ television. European Journal of Communication, 9, 421-439. DOI: 10.1177/0267323194009004003

reality TV: meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. Cambridge Dictionary. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/reality-tv.

Sanneh, K. (2011). The Rise and Rise of Reality Television. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/05/09/the-reality-principle.

Week 10: Sia Caldwell

What distinctions are there between alternate history, postmodern alternate history and uchronie genres?

Science fiction is a genre that is fiction based and focuses on imaginary technological or scientific advances. The genre also frequently uses social and environmental changes in its narrative. Some examples include: Time travel, Teleportation, Aliens, extraterrestrial lifeforms, and mutants, Space travel and exploration, Interplanetary warfare, Parallel universes, Fictional worlds etc.

Alternate history is a subgenre of science fiction, it emphases on the “what if” rather than science. Alternate history uses fictional worlds to present actions or events that took place in the past and at a certain time changing the result.

According to Shimmin (2019) There are three common elements of alternative history:

1. Background history the same as the real world,

2. A change at one critical point (the Point of Departure).

3. A story that explores the consequences of that change.

The second element, the point of departure is where the action or event at a particular time occurred differently in the alternative world and the real world resulting in the two worlds (two histories) being distinctly different. For instance, instead of myself moving to Auckland, I stayed in Dunedin which would create the starting point for a different world, leading to the flow in constant change thus an alternative history.

According to Ramson (2010) “the postmodern alternate history tends to be synchronicity narrative that include historical chaos.” (p. 263) Meaning, that the alternate history concentrations on historical changes that could result in chaos and thus, presenting a postmodern perspective.

Recently, I watched a Korean drama called “The King: Eternal Monarch” this drama practices postmodern alternate history’ as it presents two worlds affected by the Japanese colonization and rule but both worlds take different paths. The worlds are represented at the same point in time through the drama. ‘Kingdom of Corea into the parallel world of the Republic of Korea’ Every single person has a doppelganger in the other world. The difference is that one world won the battle against Japan and one lost resulting in significant change. The 2020 South Korea we know today is portrayed with a democracy, but the other world is still led under the monarchy.

Uchrione is the French term to describe alternative history generes. (p. 66) According to Mountfort (2016) elaborates on the three subcategories of uchronie: “pure uchronia,” which is stated to consist of one alternative world; “plural uchronia,” in which two worlds exist in parallel, and “infinite uchronia,” with many worlds that can be many worlds including infinite parallel worlds (p. 306)

In conclusion, the genres I have listed above all involve the use of alternate world/worlds but differ in future outcomes due to altered timelines. The Synchronic or diachronic perspective in the narrative is important to take note of in order to determine genres.

Mountfort, P. (2018). Science fictional doubles: Technologization of the doppelganger and sinister science in serial science fiction TV. Journal of Science & Popular Culture, 1(1) 59-75. https://doi.org/10.1386/jspc.1.1.59_1

Mountfort, P. (2016). The I Ching and Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle. Science Fiction Studies.

Ransom, A. (2010). Warping Time: Alternate History, Historical Fantasy, and the Postmodern Uchronie Québécoise. Extrapolation.

Shimmin, G. (2019, May 7). What is Alternative History? Alternative History Defined. Graeme Shimmin, spy thriller and alternate history writer. http://graemeshimmin.com/what- is-alternative-history/.

Singles, K. (2013). Alternate history: playing with contingency and necessity. De Gruyter.

Week 9: Sia Caldwell

In what ways can cosphotography be understood as a form of “fan capital”?

Contemporary cosplay consists of many factors and features, but photography plays a fundamental part in capturing the final concepts and characters as well as the cosplay culture as a whole. According to Mountfort, Peirson-Smith, Geczy (2018) Cosphotography can be interpreted as ‘Cosplay photography’. They further explain that Cosphotography and Fan Capital’ are used to explore different photographic practices at cosplaying sites (p. 11).

The digital world has expanded, and the cosplay world is vast, thanks to fan conventions and the use of photographs and video, cosplay is not only reflected but shaped in the way cosplay is performed and assembled (Mountfort et al., p. 47, 2018). However, all things acquire a cost, assembling characters and gathering materials is no cheap task, therefore by being photographed and videoed cosplayers may be provided with “private value but fan capital that circulates within wider, largely online networks of exchange operating in the cosphere.” (Mountfort et al., p. 47, 2018).

Photographic images and videos are moments captured in time and they remain after the cosplay has come to an end, these are valued highly due to their possible use in ‘promotional media and documentary recordings’ (p. 57). Audience and spectators play a great deal in a cosplayers authenticity. Being photographed can be seen as recognition from the photographer, thus complimenting and acknowledging authenticity. Spectators upload the pictures on social media and on other online websites using hashtags as clickbait that circulate, and resurface, promoting cosplay throughout many platforms such as Instagram, facebook, tiktok, devianart,, tumblr and cosplay dedicated pages like Cure WorldCosplay and Cosplay (p. 57, p. 64). “For cosplayers, photographs and video can serve as tokens of exchange within an economy of desire that values subcultural capital or hipness rather than raw dollar value” (p.11).

Mountfort, Peirson-Smith, Geczy (2018) explain that cosplay performances are the main currency for fan capital and even though moving image media has grown incredibly large throughout the industry still images are still considered to influence the lead of currency and exchange in fan capital economics (p. 38).

References:

Mountfort, P., Peirson-Smith, A., & Geczy, A. (2018). Planet cosplay: Costume play, identity and global fandom. Intellect

Week 8: Sia Caldwell

What does the terms détournement mean and how is it applicable to cosplay?

“Cosplay is simultaneously a détournement, a requisitioning of prefabricated materials in order to fashion new identities” (Mountfort et al., p. 35, 2018). According to Mountfort, Peirson-Smith, Geczy (2018) détournement means ‘to reroute’ or ‘to hijack’ and for situationists was linked to ‘ludic,’ (p. 24) In the urban dictionary (2003) the English translation is defined by the Situationist International movement of the 1960s as ‘diversion’ and that situationists used it as a way of method to express ‘artistic creation’. Détournement is applicable to cosplay because it is related to the situationists ‘ludic’ play and thus resulting is many people framing cosplay. According to Mountfort, Peirson-Smith, Geczy (2018) cosplayers add their own features or features from something else to create a product they are pleased with by create something new, this could be things such as parody, pastiche, satire, burlesque, and caricature (Mountfort et al., p. 24, 2018). Other cosplayers choose to edit media source materials instead of dressing up and acting a part, they mix, match and mash fanfiction and primary sources together to produce to their preference. To clarify, some people are so invested into cosplay that they use something that already exist to reshape and remake it into something else, thus ‘framing cosplay’

Mountfort, Peirson-Smith, Geczy (2018) claims “Détournement is useful for framing cosplay as not simply a form of fandom, but as a critical practice” (p. 24).

Cosplay is simply known as the practice of dressing up as a character from a film, book, or video game which most people know, seen or done on Halloween. However, cosplay is so much more than dressing up on Halloween, it is a form of art that demonstrates and celebrates diversity, acceptance and expression. Mountfort, Peirson-Smith, Geczy (2018) mentions that in order for the cosplayer and the audience to successfully accomplish the character that the cosplay community recommend being familiar with the story world.

There is no limit to cosplay characters due to vast story worlds you can jump into and become a part of. is why so many fans enjoy dressing up. According to Mountfort, Peirson-Smith, Geczy (2018) in Cosplay representations of different race are possible if done so appropriately (p. 24). Mountfort, Peirson-Smith, Geczy (2018) also states “Cosplay also often subverts gender, as ‘crossplay” (p. 24).In Cosplay the change of gender appearance is openly accepted and done, men are able to dress as females and more commonly woman dress as females. However, do not confuse this with our stunning drag queens. Cosplay is becoming the character and drag is expression through gender, however there are drag queen cosplayers, who go the extra level to express themselves a little more through a character as well. Spectators may watch and think characters but the individuals in those costumes become their characters.

“détournement is key to understanding cosplay not just as fan-based consumerism but also as a critical practice” (Mountfort et al., p. 24, 2018).

References:

Mountfort, P., Peirson-Smith, A., & Geczy, A. (2018). Planet cosplay: Costume play, identity and global fandom. Intellect.

Sonic. (2003). Detournement. Urban Dictionary. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Detournement.

Week 7: Sia Caldwell

King’s (2010) three basic elements in reference to Korean horror film: Peninsula (2020)

Stephen King is a master mind behind horror fiction and one of his greatest abilities is that he can manifest the fear of the reader and create it into a work of fiction (Stobbart, 2017). King states in his book that “The good horror story about the Bad Place whispers that we are not locking the world out; we are locking ourselves in with them” (Rowe, 2019). King explained that there are three levels or elements known that produce a well written horror narrative in a novel or film that strikes fear in its audience. (Suderman, 2017).

The first level which is said to be the lowest of the three is the gross out. (Regal, 2019). This represents the parts of the narration that are gruesome, revolting and gag worthy when experienced by the audience/reader.

In the movie Peninsula (2020) The gross out is amongst the scene I identified as the Ship scene: South Korea is infested with a virus that creates zombies and so survivors escape to a large ship. One of the people are in infected in the lower cabins and kills, bites, infects the remaining people inside. People transform into zombies, their bones breaking back to front and they jump on others as if catching prey like a lion. The room is covered in blood, the snarls and sounds from the zombies and the way they look is terrifying.

The second level is the horror, initiating fear into the audience with something unbelievable or unnatural. (Regal, 2019). This could include sound, lighting, speed features or incredibly well thought camera angles within a film. This level is meant to put the audience in a mindset of struggle and make it difficult for them to comprehend what is going on. It looks for phobic pressure points. (Rowe, 2019).

In the movie Peninsula (2020) the horror I recognised was amongst the Arena scene:

A Korean man who was sent from Hong Kong to collect money from the zombie-invaded abandoned Korea is attacked by zombies and ambushed by unknown survivors. The man is taken to the base where the survivors are and is beaten, screamed at and treated like bait. The men write the number 61 on the front and back of his body in red spray paint and he is thrown into an arena with other captured men where they fight for their lives against zombies for 2 minutes. This scene was disgusting to watch as the men outside of the arena appeared to be animals, they were more hostile and threatening than the zombies.

Finally, the third and worst level is the terror, the reader or audience is provoked into using their own imagination to grasp what might happen and what is there. (Regal, 2019). Terror exploits the way the human mind in a physiological way. (Suderman, 2017).

This element gives the audience control to visualise what they believe the unknown is. This is the most terrifying as the individual will picture something that is truly petrifying to themselves. King states that terror is the most interesting yet hardest to execute appropriately making the audience/reader feel a tense sense of discomfort. (Fables, 2018).

In the movie Peninsula (2020), I believe the terror was represented through the suspense and survival scenes. The suspense was repetitively terrifying because I didn’t know where and when the zombies would jump out at the camera. The fight for survival and the relentless horrifying obstacles that refrained the survivors from being saved constantly gave me the chills. Unfortunately, I don’t enjoy horrors myself and the timing of Covid19 and watching this movie truly provoked me to imagine disturbing zombie outbreak endings for us here in New Zealand and to me this was terror.

Ultimately, the three elements are needed to create an authentic horror narration. The gross-out, the horror and the terror all contribute to creating fear, chaos, turmoil, disease, loss and disarray to the reader or audience. In Kings book he explains, “I recognize terror as the finest emotion…and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find I cannot terrify him/her, I will try to horrify; and if I find I cannot horrify, I’ll go for the gross-out. I’m not proud.” (Rowe, 2019).

Reference List:

Duran, M. (2016, October 31). The Real Horror of Lovecraft’s Cosmicism. Retrieved September 06, 2020, from https://www.mikeduran.com/2016/10/31/the-real-horror-of-lovecrafts-cosmicism/

Fables, J. (2018). R/horror – Terror, Horror, Grossout – Thoughts on Stephen King’s 3 layers of horror? Retrieved September 06, 2020, from https://www.reddit.com/r/horror/comments/8vjucp/terror_horror_grossout_thoughts_on_stephen_kings/

Kim, Y. (Producer), & Yeon, S. (Writer/Director). (2020). Peninsula [Motion picture]. South Korea: Next Entertainment World.

King, S. (2010). Danse Macabre. Everest House.

Regal. (2019, August). Stephen King’s 3 Levels of Horror. Retrieved September 06, 2020, from https://www.regmovies.com/static/en/us/blog/stephen-king-3-levels-of-horror

Rowe, B. (2019, May 11). Why Stephen King’s ‘Danse Macabre’ is the Ultimate Love Letter to Horror. Retrieved September 06, 2020, from https://medium.com/read-watch-write-repeat/why-stephen-kings-danse-macabre-is-the-ultimate-love-letter-to-horror-282e455c8f27

Stobbart, D. (2020, July 20). Stephen King: A master of horror who finds terror in the everyday. Retrieved September 05, 2020, from https://theconversation.com/stephen-king-a-master-of-horror-who-finds-terror-in-the-everyday-83758

Suderman, P. (2017, February 07). Stephen King’s hierarchy of scares remains the best explanation of how horror movies work. Retrieved September 06, 2020, from https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/2/7/14492124/stephen-king-rings-horror-movie-scares

Week 6: Sia Caldwell

What is the philosophy of cosmicism and how is it used to convey a sense of dread in The Colour out of Space?

Cosmicism is the literally philosophy developed and used by the American author H.P Lovecraft in his weird philosophic horror fiction. According to Duran (2016) the philosophy of cosmicism that Lovecraft established states that “there is no recognizable divine presence, such as a god, in the universe, and that humans are particularly insignificant in the larger scheme of intergalactic existence, and perhaps are just a small species projecting their own mental idolatries onto the vast cosmos.” In other words; Humans are insignificant in comparison to the cosmos and the cosmos is too significant that it is incomparable to anything.

Lovecrafts used the following principles to produce and create his universe:

No divine presence in the universe.
Human beings are insignificant in intergalactic existence.
Human beings are like insects when referred to on a universe level.
The universe is ancient including the stars.
Characters can realize they are too powerless to build change. (Klu, 2019).

Slatten (2016) claims that many critics and scholars believed cosmicism was an important factor in Lovecrafts fictional universe; Cthulu Mythos. The stories are mature horror fiction based on an ancient time where earth was inhabited by something utterly alien-intelligent that was inconceivable and unexplainable to the human mind and science (Slåtten, 2016). Lovecrafts stories are all connected by non-human beings, fictional characters and reoccurring themes that evoke horror by relying on ‘the insignificance of humanity in the universe’ (Slåtten, 2016) and Duran (2016) believes that cosmos horror is also about the human beings physical and mental fragility. Lovecraft professed that ‘All his tales are based foundation of which human laws, interests and emotions have no validity or worth in the vast cosmos’ (Slåtten, 2016). Lovecraft created these stories as he believed that there was much more to the world, life, universe than simple human beings, he was curious for more and hungered to explore the hidden and unknown (Duran, 2016). “Pleasure to me is wonder—the unexplored, the unexpected, the thing that is hidden and the changeless thing that lurks behind superficial mutability” (H.P. Lovecraft Quotes, n.d).

The philosophy of cosmicism conveys a sense of dread in 2019 film adaption of Lovecrafts The Colour out of Space by introducing an extra-terrestrial entitie known as ‘The Colour’ the human family have no knowledge of what it is and what is to come. ‘The Colour’ took control of not only the characters sanity but also the film as a whole. What I mean by this is that ‘The Colour’ became the central character of the film and everything that happened, the sequences and the people in the film all became revolved around it. This initiated fear the characters couldn’t anticipate what would happen and neither could the audience. This leads me to the deforming of organic matter, this was completely unexpected and very intense to watch. Something people assumed to be insignificant and nothing ended up being powerful, monstrous and terrifying. ‘The Colour’ distorted time, changed the characters perception of reality and drew them into this void of uncertainty while living in solitude and being isolated. Then they were tortured and killed one by one all while insanity and madness were haunting them because of the contaminated water. The philosophy of cosmicism was crafted implausibly well in this film. There was no God visible aiding the characters, ‘The Colour’ proved that it had immense power over the human beings and environment, it showed humans were insignificant, weak and helpless creatures and the characters realized that they were powerless towards this unknown entity and could not change anything. ‘The Colour out of space’ was an exceptional movie that shared with us the fear of the unknown and unexpected.

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown” (H.P. Lovecraft Quotes, n.d).

Duran, M. (2016, October 31). The Real Horror of Lovecraft’s Cosmicism. Retrieved September 03, 2020, from https://www.mikeduran.com/2016/10/31/the-real-horror-of-lovecrafts-cosmicism/

Greenham, E. (2013). Neocosmicism: God and the Void. Retrieved September 03, 2020, from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c3c2/4ee0847fdbbf06ec861243faecf37cec3055.pdf

H.P. Lovecraft Quotes (Author of The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories). (n.d.). Retrieved September 03, 2020, from https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/9494.H_P_Lovecraft

Klu, R. (2019, March 04). Principals of Cosmicism (Lovecraftian Fiction). Retrieved September 03, 2020, from https://booksandmor.com/2019/03/06/principals-of-cosmicism-lovecraftian-fiction/

Slåtten, K. Ø. (2016, May). Humans in a Hostile Cosmos. Science, Cosmicism and Race in H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. Retrieved September 05, 2020.

Week 5: Sia Caldwell

What is the ‘shōjo’ and how does it often function in anime?

The Japanese word ‘shoujo’ stands for ‘little girl’ ‘girl’ or ‘maiden’ in English (Hoyt, 2020).

shoujo anime is created for an audience of young females and teenage girls ageing from 7 to 18 years old but anyone can enjoy the shoujo series. (Angle, 2018)

According to Angle (2018) shoujo anime usually has a storyline and plot based on romance. in particular a large amount of shoujo anime are centered with a main storyline of idealistic high school romance from the young girl’s character point of view. This is perfect for its young female audience as the young females and teenagers are able to relate to the main character, setting and plot. There is also a popular subgenre called maho shojo meaning magical girl which is very popular. This sub-genre of anime heroines have magical powers, fight evil and have great transformation sequences and costumes (Angle, 2018). Most anime usually consists of 24 half an hour episode and can involve not only romance but comedy, fantasy, magic etc.

Some of the common themes are “love at first sight” or “one sided crushes” (Angle, 2018).

The characters deal with some kind self-conflict, things such as complexes, popularity or new schools. They discover love but sometimes the heroines are naïve and don’t actually understand what love is. There are a few common personalities that the male protagonist has in shoujo anime, for example; the bad guy who protects the girl because he loves her, the guy who quietly watches and protects the girl and the guy who has loved the girl since they were little kids. There are also common female protagonist characters; shy girls, tough girls, naïve girls and girls with a one-sided crush (Hoyt, 2020).

I have personally watched over 60 shoujo anime series myself, I went through quite an obsession during high school. Shoujo anime presented me with a fantasy high school life that I didn’t have and so it gave me something to look forward to, it was always exciting, and the themes and plots were sometimes similar, however the storylines and characters always had their own individual uniqueness. Some of my favourites are Special A, fruit baskets, Kimi ni Todoke, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Kaichou wa Maid-sama.

References:

Hoyt, N. (2020, February 19). What Does Shoujo Mean in Anime? Retrieved August 29, 2020, from https://japanesetactics.com/what-does-shoujo-mean-in-anime

Shounen, Shoujo, Seinen, Josei. (2019, March 18). Retrieved August 29, 2020, from https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2016/07/shounen-shoujo-seinen-josei.html

Angle, J (2018, May 28). What is Shoujo [Definition, Meaning]. Retrieved August 29, 2020, from https://honeysanime.com/what-is-shoujo-definition-meaning/

Week 4: Sia Caldwell

What was the cultural impact of Akira (1988), and why does it occupy a key place in the canon of anime greats?

Akira is a cyberpunk thriller anime film created in 1988 by Katsuhiro Otomo is known to be one of the most important animations of all time (Taylor, 2016). The influential impact Akira would have on the film industry worldwide was unforeseen and to this day it is legendary because of its original and fresh introduction of an animation film for a more mature audience (Clark, 2018). Akira is the pinnacle of its genre and was made during the Cel animation days which meant no computers were used but instead extremely detailed paintings. Akira provided Japanese anime and Anime for mature audiences with recognition and started a culture where people worldwide were hungry for more (Covill, 2017).

Before Akira the animation industry only created films marketed towards children, one of the major companies being Disney (Clark, 2018). Therefore, the film Akira indefinitely shook up the animation industry due to its successful presentation offering something new and different. Although, it wasn’t only the film industry that Akira shook up, the fresh film added to the pop culture entirely (Clark, 2018). According to Covill (2017) “Many films, shows, and even musicians have referenced the iconic anime.” Some of these being Micheal Jackson, Kanye West stranger things and the Duffer brothers. Thankfully, Akira presented mature themes opening the door for shows like the Simpsons and Archer (Clark, 2018).

The deep plot, inventive narratives, intense detail and artistic styles Otomo used and the risks that he took to create and produce Akira gave birth to endless ideas for other artists. This has all helped craft and continue to inspire the current fiction worlds we have today worldwide.

References:

Clark, K. (2018, April 24). How ‘Akira’ Changed the World of Animation Forever. Retrieved August 25, 2020, from https://www.fandom.com/articles/why-akira-was-such-a-groundbreaking-film

Covill, M. (2017, May 03). ‘Akira’ Is Frequently Cited as Influential. Why Is That? Retrieved August 25, 2020, from https://filmschoolrejects.com/akira-influence-12cb6d84c0bc/

Mountfort, P. (2020). Pop genres anime 1 Akira [PowerPoint Slides]. Blackboard. https://blackboard.aut.ac.nz/

Taylor, T. (2016, May 31). How Akira sent shockwaves through pop culture and changed it. Retrieved August 25, 2020, from https://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/31328/1/akira-anime-studio-ghibli-kanye-west-michael-jackson-pop-culture

Week 3: Sia Caldwell

What gaps are there in Hergé’s representations of women?

Throughout the adventures of Tintin there are very few female characters. One of the woman characters that seems to have some sort of a character is Biana Castafiore. However, she is represented as an oblivious and foolish woman. Herge supposedly created The adventures of Tintin with a masculine dominance but was not intentionally trying to bring any disrespect to woman by creating mostly men characters. (Ideology of Tintin, n.d.). Herge insisted that ‘for him, women had nothing to do in a world like Tintin’s, which is the realm of male friendship….’ (Ideology of Tintin, n.d.).

However, by creating this setting with a male dominance it presents a disturbance to modern day readers. Tintin was written in 1929 so it’s understandable that the time and opinions of woman were different then, but it was a comic written for children and it displays a majority of the female characters ranging from mothers, caregivers, wives, nurses, maids or housekeepers. “In many of Hergé’s albums there is an almost total absence of female characters, and the only women we do see are background characters who do not speak” (Mountfort, 2020). Unfortunately, these characters don’t actually have very much development physically, mentally and emotionally. By creating prejudice female characters in his comics, Herge appears as ignorant towards feminism and woman rights.

Herge’s representation of women in his comics inforce the idea that men are dominant, that women are inferior. It leads us to believe that his perspectives are prejudice and that woman are not capable of that of man and they have roles in society they must fulfill. This would seem ridiculous in today’s society and if comics presenting such ideals, prejudice and opinions were printed for children they would not be tolerated.

References:

Ideology of Tintin. (n.d.). Retrieved August 20, 2020, from

https://tintin.fandom.com/wiki/Ideology_of_Tintin

Mountfort, P. (2020). Tintin, gender and desire. Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics.