Critical Investigation: Project proposal

To what extent is the media to blame and are violent films such as "Deadpool" influencing audiences?

Angle

How will you approach this question? E.g.: What impact are these increasingly violent games having on their audience? Is this simply a moral panic of the 21st century or is further regulation required?

I will approach this question in a few different angles to see if the media is the only ones to blames or is there something else that is contribution to this. Are violent films really making people more violent and to what extent? I will also at talk about if family, film, society, metal health or video games are contributing or not. As well as this, I would talk about if gender, age, ethnicity and social class play a role in it or not. I will also include that Deadpool hasn’t encourage any violent crime even though it has explicit content.

Hypothesis

What is your current opinion or viewpoint on the media debate? That is: what will you be testing through your research and investigation? E.g.: Video games are psychologically damaging for young people, and audiences have become increasingly desensitised to screen violence.

People watching a violent film does necessarily would make you violent. I feel that that are more than one factor that can contribute to your metal state and would depend on your many factors. One factor such could be how you were bought up and the relationship you had with your family. This is because Deadpool has detail violent scenes that are fast pace.

Linked production piece

What are you planning to make as your linked production piece? E.g.: Newsnight-style documentary video report looking at the impact of violent videogames on young people.

I will most likely to make a movie opening as I feel that it would benefit me as I feel more confident making the film. The sequences would be a fast paced action/thriller film as it relate to my movie “Deadpool”

MIGRAIN

Apply the Key Concepts to your text/topic by using the questions from theSummer Research Project to help you. (Include at least five bullet points per key concept). Include as many media keywords as you can.

Genre

·         Deadpool is a hybrid genre that with action/thriller with a hybrid with comedy

·         Deadpool has loads of generic conventions that make it an action movie. The film includes guns, weapons, fast cars and violent scene.

·         The structure of this film is linear which is a convention of this genre

·         It follows the good vs evil structure. This is an idea of Claude Levi-Strauss Binary Opposition Theory of two opposing focuses such as Hero vs Villain

·         The setting of the film is generic as it is in a city. This is done as flashing pass building give you a better sense of action then in countryside. 

           Representation

·         The representation of gender is very typical to action films as the male is shown to be strong and masculine

·         The male is the protagonist/hero who saves the girl. However, the female has a lot of scenes that show her with power. As well as this, one of the villain is played by a females which  subverts stereotype of a female

·         However, the represent of Superhero are totally different. Superhero’s are shown to be noble and people that kids look up too. In this move the hero , Deadpool, this shown to be very rude and the director has decided to show the violent scene which isn’t shown in generic superhero/action film

·         As most movies that are made are from Hollywood, the huge companies such as Universal can put these representations as they want. An example of this is the representation of foreigners. They show them as innocent and doing blue colours jobs.

Media form

·         The visual are dark which make the actors/actress more suspicious

·         The lighting is very dark for most of the scenes. The daytime scenes gritty

·         The props of an action/thriller film are very important as it would identify the genre to the audiences. These props are enigma codes that help audiences understand the scenes better. For example, if a gun is pulled out, they would be able to connote that something dangerous and exciting is about to happen

·         C-Most of the clothing warn in the film is modern and casual. The body suit warns by Dead- pool is the same costume that is warn in the comic. This will attract the fans from the comic as they would already know the characters just from the costume.

·         L-Most of the movie was high key lighting which showed the audience everything in detail. This create realism even if the movie in fictionally.

·         A- Most of the actors in the movies weren't well known which would mean that that movie didn't have expectation and people were more likely to watch it.

·         M- Make up was very important as every time the hero face was shown, it had make up on it. It is important for the make to be similar or the audience will lose focus.

·         p- the most important thing in an action movie is the props as the weapons used had to be realistic.

SHEP

Apply the Wider Contexts (Social, Historical, Economic, and Political) to your text/topic, including at least three bullet points on each one.
 Soical

• representation of weapons
• class status
• mental health
• masculinity

Historical

• A clockwork orange
• The exorcist
• natural born killer
• child's play 

Political( this would be the same as it was covered by news and politician)

• A clockwork orange
• The exorcist
• natural born killer
• child's play 

Issues/Debates

Select at least five and say how each relates to your study, using the Media A-Z to help you think about this. Your research and essay plan will need to factor these issues and debates into your work:

·         Representation and stereotyping
One of the groups that are represented are villain who are shown in the movies as aggressive and unsympathetic.This reinforces the crime done by the villain which is shown in nearly every superhero film. Even though they are doing the same act of crime, they are breaking the law either being fictional or not. 

·         Moral Panics
This topic of moral panic for the younger generation becoming more violent. This is shown all over news and that it the media fault.

·         Ownership and control
The people that can go buy the tickets to watch the films and being able to buy the DVD. Is the rating given from BBFC to low?

·         Regulation and censorship
This is about if the rating of the film was accurate or not. For Deadpool, it is higher than most generic superhero films which would be R. This film is rated 15 for language and violence.

Theories

Select at least five and say how each relates to your study, using keywords/specific theorists' names from the Media A-Z:

·         Semiotics
In most superhero movies, the custom that they wear would be the mostly symbolic thing as it is advertised with the custom. For example, Iron Man famous suit is seen everywhere and people would recognise the the red and gold suit. In Deadpool, the custom is a little different to the comic but hard core fans would still know who and what the comic about.

·         Structuralism and post-structuralism
The relationship between the protagonist and the audience is very important in this films as Ryan Reynold talks straight to the camera that makes the movie more immerse as you feel that you are in the character mind.

·         Gender and ethnicity
Gender in this film does stereotype and reinforces them as well as challenge them with females playing one of the villain that is physical very strong. The ethnicity is more rare in this film, they do have a Indian immigrant that is a taxi driver which reinforces the stereotypes.

·         Liberal Pluralism
The dominant perspective of the protagonist is both masculine as well as feminine. This is very rare in superhero movies as they only show the male superheros being masculine with an idea image which Dead pool isn't. For example his face that is shown rarely but isn't the prettiest.  

·         Audience theories
Audiences would watch this film to escape from everyday life as superhero don't exist in real life. 

·         Genre theories
The movie has the typical violent scene that make it a action film. It includes guns and weapons shown in most action films. Most of the comedy come when Deadpools looks at the camera the narrate the movie. In addition, the opening sequence has comedic names telling audience what type of movie it will be.

Research plan (media texts, academic texts and websites)

Media texts
What your main focus will be, E.g.: Deadpool


Other media texts
-trailer
-interviews
-Youtube
TV documentaries
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJhJQEXZ8NE (effect of media violence)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEfSlqr5STg(Violence effecting children )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeAPXD5NeFg(TV effecting the child mind)

BBC One - Panorama, Pill causeing murder? (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08zjyp1)

Academic texts/books
(a minimum of five, including author/full title/year, e.g.:)
Greg Toppo- Do video games inspire violent behavour? (2005)
John Bingham-Study show no evidence of violent games making people violent
Larry Greeneminer-What causes someone to act in a violent way? 2011
Thomas G. Moeller Youth Aggression and Violence: A Psychological Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001
(https://www.questia.com/library/psychology/other-types-of-psychology/psychology-of-violence) This website includes many different articles and reseacrh on different type of violence and what causes it.(http://www.awareparenting.com/violence.htm)

Internet Links

• https://www.theguardian.com/society/2005/feb/18/health.uknews(Child aggression linked to violent media)
• https://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2007/nov/29/mediaviolenceisalmostasba(Media violence is almost as bad as smoking, says study)
• https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/10/video-games-violent-study-finds(Video games are not making us more violent, study shows)
• https://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2013/sep/20/video-games-cause-violence-claims-cause-violence(Claims that 'video games lead to violence' lead to violence)
• https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/nov/25/media-often-sensationalise-domestic-violence-reporting-study-finds(Media often distort domestic violence, study finds)
• http://www.bwss.org/services/programs/violence-media-representations-and-families-a-media-literacy-program/(Violence, Media Representations and Families media literacy programby Angela Marie MacDougall)
• http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/nature-not-nurture-is-to-blame-for-aggressive-children-394842.html('Nature not nurture' is to blame for aggressive children)
• https://www.salon.com/2001/09/06/garbarino(If a child is a killer, are the parents to blame?)
• https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/parenting-truth-you-are-not-to-blame-for-your-childs-behavior/(Parenting Truth: You Are Not to Blame for Your Child’s Behavior)
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13176049 (Parents 'responsible for children's bad behaviour')