CHIC 3223 Midterm
The Dark Lady
Her cool distance is what makes her fascinating to Anglo males. Inscrutable, aristocratic but aloof comparatively to the Anglo woman. Lead the men's appetite the way that no Anglo woman could.
Alberto Sandoval Sanchez, "West Side Story: A Puerto Rican Reading of 'America'"
Intentional duality of West Side Story ; how either side occupies space within the film. America; dissent towards Puerto Rico and how 'dirty' island is; writers had never been/met a puerto rican
The Antidote to Stereotyping is knowledge
Knowledge of both about the Other and about the stereotyping process. Makes it easy to detect stereotypes and is easier to see beneath its surface
Jillian Báez, "Towards a Latinidad Feminista"
Latinidad and feminism as portrayed in contemporary cinema. Using the films Selena (1997), Girlfight (2000), and Real Women Have Curves (2002) as case studies, the author argues that the films mark moment in U.S. cinematic history of diverse and complex Latinidades feministas. This representational analysis offers insight into how the films demonstrate the dynamics and intersectionality of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class while challenging gendered and racialized notions of authenticity. Baez argues that despite being popular commodified forms, these films embody a Latinidad feminista that transgresses historical representations of Latinas in U.S. cinema in offering Latina subjectivities that are hybrid, fluid, and complex. These representations counter dominant archetypes of Latinas in Hollywood—as the spitfire, the clown, and the dark lady yet at the same time fit within the tropicalized trope of Latinidad Selena offers an upwardly mobile, sheltered, Latinidad vs Girlfight and RWHC represent an urban, working-class Latina subjectivity. Latinidad is an explicit issue in Selena, while feminism is only realized in its liberal form. On the other hand, in Girlfight feminism is at the core in its most radical and postfeminist sense while presenting Latinidad as a mere backdrop. The most recent film, RWHC offers a more nuanced integration of Latinidad and feminism
The Latin Lover
Male stereotype originating from Rudolph Valentino. The possessor of a primal sexuality that made him capable of making a sensuous and dangerous brand of love. Combination of characteristics including eroticism, exoticism, tenderness.
Stereotyping goes both ways
May go both ways, but mass media generally goes one way from the dominant to the marginalized groups meaning media reflects dominant attitudes.
Soft focus
Objects/individuals appear blurred or with hazy definition by using filters on camera lens
7 Kinds of stereotyping
Racial, national, narrative, behavioral, psychological, moral, ideological
The in-group stereotypes itself
These stereotypes delimit the boundary from inside the fence towards in-group members who fall short of dominant ideals.
Narrative
They way a story is constructed through a particular point of view and arrangement of events
Parallel Action
Two or more actions that are linked by the film to appear simultaneous
Triangled Viewer
Viewer must decide to take the side of the hero or other character, thus choosing side of triangle to identify with; usually side most comfortable with.
The Male Buffoon
What's funny about this character are the characteristics that set him apart from Hollywood's mainstream. He is simpleminded, cannot master standard english and childishly regresses into emotionality.
Composition
arrangement and relationship of the visual elements within the frame
Key Lighting
central source of artificial light on scene or subject. High-key scenes: entirely lit by this source Low-key scenes: very little artificial lighting
Social Problem Film
"normality threatened by the Monster". The basic formula for the minority social melodrama is the mainstream threatened by the margin- the threat is the Other's very existence. The dilemma ethnic/racial Others raise for the american mainstream in how to combine two essentially incompatible ideas. May contain the Male Chicano Protagonist, The Overprotective Mama, The Absent Father, The Absent Chicana, the Alluring but Flawe Gringa.
Stereotypes are Uncontextualized and Ahistorical
e.g. El Bandido forms an instantaneous read and comprehension of an image, and fails to convey crucial facts about the background of them creating their own history through repetition
Crosscutting
editing technique that alternates between two different actions of scenes
Backlighting
light that comes from behind the subject, often creating silhouette
Rosa Linda Fregoso, "Famlilia Matters"
pachucas -(homegirls); carved existence in public sphere with adolescent rebellion, sexuality, deviance, outspoken- transgression of gender and sexual norms, and rejection of Mexican American propriety; pachuca disrupts patriarchal familia and her image threatens Chicano family romance - these women demonstrated mastery of masculinized territory of the streets - occupied space as masculine presence; defying norms Womens suboordination within the family premised on artificial division of social world; separate realms of domestic sphere of reproduction and economic sphere of production --> gendered spaces Public sphere designates arena of discursive interaction - mi vida loca challenges/disrupts these lines by placing dominant chicana in both public and private spheres (streets and domestic) Chicana women/ WOC have had to be employed outside or inside a home; vs white women being simply confined to role as housewife Chicana confinement to domesticity ; the regulation of their access to the public sphere of the streets and discursive relations - history of women's immobility stems from catholic spanish society Pachucos (men) have been celebrated as chicano heroes, and equals in struggles against domination; since 1960s redefined as 'race rebels' Laura del Fuego's novel Maravilla; pachuca oppositional femininity ; 1960s tells coming of age story of East LA female gang member; broke silences of female sexuality as protagonist is lesbian 1990s; Important movement to feminine construction of oppositional race and gender identities In cinema; pachuca voice silenced/excluded, oversexualized, promiscuous "Strategy of containment" Mi Vida Loca (1994) tells story of Latina gang members; realistic mannerisms, first hollywood film to take homegirls seriously & told from their point of view, homosocial perspective, independent and self-sufficient Lacked showing dependence on older women; showed young women independent of adults and missed reality of comadrazgo
Cinematography
process of motion-picture photography, from manipulation of the film to the printing of it
Dubbing
recording of sound during editing of the film
Asynchronous Sound
sound that does not have source in the film image
Mise-en-scene
the arrangement of theatrical elements before they are actually filmed
Mary Beltran, "Latin Lovers & American Accents"
1920s; Decade where Latino actors were hired for their perceived box office potential; involved as attractive/trendy - Dolores del Rio: Latin Lover of 1927 period Transition to talkies --> film makers faced decision of what an American Accent sounded like - Hispanic accents = less opportunities + great depression 1920 --> Latinos Scapegoated Dolores Del Rio example of rise & fall of opportunities within acting career for Latino actors in this period ; (Rudolph) Valentino phenomenon meant positive impact towards employing Latin Lover tradition; Del Rio picked up by director in Mexico b/c she was 'female Valentino' Talkies / All American sentiment shifts (great depression / war) --> Latinos occupied minimal/shadow space inbetween whiteness & blackness
The Female Clown
Device that Hollywood narratives employ to neutralize the screen Latina's sexuality- necessary because the hero must have a reason to reject the Latina in favor of the Anglo woman. Her sexual allure must somehow be negated (silliness is one). Exaggeration to the point of caricature, a way to elicit mocking laughter and belittle the Latina Other.
El Bandido
Dirty, vicious, shifty, dishonet. Inability to speak English or with heavy accent was Hollywoods way of dubbing him stupid. The Mexican bandit in countless Westerns, the gangster, and inner-city gangmember. Pathologically dangerous secondary characters.
Richie Pérez, "From Assimilation to Annihilation: Puerto Rican Images in U.S. Films"
Discrimination against Puerto Ricans by the mass media takes three main forms: Exclusion- mass media refuses to acknowledge Puerto Ricans exist. includes the failure of the news and television documentaries to report on our reality. Dehumanization—when we do appear in the mass media, we are the targets of consistent negative stereotyping, which includes ridicule of our culture and language. Job discrimination—Puerto Ricans are blocked from working in the mass communications industry as actors, writers, producers, editors, etc Period; 1946 baby boomers" created a new consumer market + new telecommunications technology revolutionized mass media = possible to reach ever-growing audiences with the same messages Mass migration of puerto ricans coincided with mass hysteria about delinquency Film, as a medium of communication; powerful tool Because film is a popular art, dependent upon acceptance by large "paying audiences," considered to represent an important index to social thought The dominant stereotype of Puerto Ricans as juvenile delinquents and young criminals was established, and repeated other stereotypes, including the violent-tempered but ultimately ineffective Puerto Rican man; the mental inferior; the innocent, but sensual Puerto Rican beauty; and the "loose," "hot-blooded mama." By the late 60s, the portrayal of both cops and criminals changed, reflecting America's disillusionment with the "failure" of the "War on Poverty," and a growing fear of ghetto militancy and youth protest. " Commercial movies are complex productions. They are designed for a mass audience in order to make money + that films are produced today with conscious plans to "recycle" and reincarnate them in other forms -> negative stereotypes are given "eternal life" and are distributed internationally --> significance when we consider that many studies argue that when people have no direct contact, learning about other ethnic groups comes from the mass media.
Match Cut
Edit that links two shots by a continuous sound or action
Montage
Editing in which objects/figures linked in a variety of creative or unexpected ways. Usually aims to generate certain effects or ideas.
Continuity Editing
Editing style that follows a linear and chronological movement forward as if image is simply recording action. (illusion of reality)
Six Latino Stereotypes
El Bandido, The Harlot, The Male Buffoon, The Female Clown, The Latin Lover, The Dark Lady
The Harlot
Female stereotype corresponding to El Bandido, lusty and hot-tempered secondary character. Without a man she is a leaf in the wind. She is a slave to her passions and simplistic natured due to her nymphomania.
Mary Beltran, "The Face of the Decade: Edward James Olmos and Latino Films of the 1980s"
1980s influential shift in Hollywood Latinidad b/c of Latino/a creative agency; decade of the hispanic --> first Latino-helmed feature films mostly produced independently and distributed to national audiences The first latino/a directed independent films produced by activist filmmakers utilizing media production skills to support their communities Edward James Olmos recieved most attention as star and symbol of the 'new' latino visibility in U.S. film/popular culture. - 'comfortably ethnic' look - Times Magazine profiled him 1988 - Appeared as Al Pachuco in Zoot Suit, and in films like the Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, and in Stand and Deliver ;helped produce aswell. --> Star of latino produced films His roles not limited to glamorous or romantic roles; chose roles wisely Married daughter of former MGM star 1978 role in Zoot Suit musical; recreated role in 1981 film-- diverging reactions to the film display complexity of Latino presence in US institutions, societies, etc. Following his role; had openings to diverse roles in, turned down roles that didn't fit his identity or took over another; e.g. teacher in stand and deliver discusses importance of activism within communities Spent great amount of time as community activitst Films such as these first Latino/a films w/ national distribution to represent stories told solely from Latino perspective on issues such as immigration, generational differences, race / prejudice, blending perspectives Edward James Olmos chosen to represent this decade, helped by his involvement in community and acting abilities
Jump Cut
A cut within the continuous action of a shot, creating a spatial/temporal jump or discontinuity within the action
Swish Pan
A pan shot that moves rapidly from right to left or left to right creating a blurring effect
Rack Focus
A quick change of focus within a shot so that one object appears suddenly out of focus and another appears suddenly in focus
Depth of field
A range of planes within an image from foreground to background, all of which are in focus
Sequence
A series of scenes or shots unified by a shared action or motif
Handheld Shot
A shot filmed from the shoulder of a cameraperson, usually creating the subjective perspective of an individual
Shallow Focus
A shot in which only objects and persons in the foreground of the image can be seen clearly
Reaction Shot
A shot that cuts from an object, person, or action to show another person or their reaction
Tilt Shot
A shot that moves vertically up or down without changing the position of the camera
medium long shot
A shot that reveals entire body of person/object along with a large part of surrounding scene
medium close-up
A shot that shows an individual from the torso up
Full shot
A shot that shows the whole body of the individual being filmed
Subjective Camera
A technique that recreates the perspective of a single individual
Stereotypes are too general of a level to predict
Actual knowledge of the out-group experience, history, culture, traditions forces one to recognize groups heterogeneity.
Chiaroscuro lighting
Composition of light and dark in an image or picture
Rosa Linda Fregoso, "Eastside Story Revisited"
American Me (1992) Edward James Olmos film hopeless- no way out; about chicano gangs Olmos changed Mutrux script of character Santana from a Emiliano Zapato-like romantic hero to the image of a cold and calculating prison lord Movies unique in that it refuses to romanticize the defiance of the masculine heroic figure - Wanted to show "theres a cancer in the subculture of these gangs... either treat the cancer or itll eat you alive" - olmos claim; real issues affecting barrios, SET ON the idea that his film PROVES /Shows how a dysfunctional family can ruin a youngsters life Author: 'hate to love' this film, because marks important shift in Chicano filmmaking; positioned in a welcomed place of discomfort Hollywood more likely to finance film of gangs (drugs-violence-sex) genres than for example militant folk hero in california who was hanged by whites (says alot about industry's racism) --> many people dislike American Me: but is brutally realistic, marks a shift in cultural politics because it disturbs/disrupts chicano self-coherence Film Critics: dont identify with the film (believe in triumph cinema), or its simplistic view of gang violence - it eludes economic roots to youth violence Chicanas in film carry most of weight of responsibility for man; only hero was Julie; this 'flickering latern of hope at end of tunnel' seems weary for a glimmer of hope as Olmos says his film is... the mental habit of translating women into metaphor Olmos says Julie is hero... but her story begins when his ends and there is no background to her life, struggles, and hardships to come that Chicana gangmembers endure. ('why isn't her rape, oppression and resistance up on the screen?")
Ideology
An analytical approach that attempts to unmask the stated or unstated social and personal values that inform a movie
Shot/reverse shot
An editing pattern that cuts between individuals according to the logic of their conversation
Long Shot
An image in which distance between the camera and subject is great
Stereotypes may have a basis in fact
Any real life correspondence between a group member's behavior and a quality said to be a characteristic of entire group is only an isolated part of a much larger story.
11 Theses of Stereotypes
Applied with rigid logic, may have a basis in fact, simplified generalizations, work too generally to be predictors, uncontextualized and ahisotrical, repetition normalizes, are believed, can go both ways, are ideological, the in-group stereotypes itself, the antidote is knowledge
Stereotypes are simplified generalizations
Assumes out-group homogeneity by selecting a few traits that pointedly accentuate differences, and then applied to all members of out-group.
Stereotypes are believed
Beliefs can lead to actions, when one group thinks of another as intrinsically different or categorically bad, they are capable of inflicting great harm upon them
Chon Noriega, "Citizen Chicano: The Trials and Titillations of Ethnicity in the American Cinema"
Between 1935 and 1962, at least ten social-problem films addressed the issue of the "place" of the Mexican American in the United States) With the exception of two gang-exploitation films; period of Mexican-American Generation: within Chicano historiography, the period is framed on either side by the border conflict era (1848-1929) and the Chicano Movement (1963-75). 1930s; Mexicans depicted as criminals/dirty/root to social problems 1950s films; reflecting liberal hollywood impulse --> led to judgement because The nature of these changes, however, was a matter of degree rather than of kind: rape and murder now became a false accusation ---> allowed the films to play upon and expose racist expectations, it did little to expand the discourse on Mexican Americans beyond them. Thus ; judgment These characters are revealed to have shadowboxed and to have destroyed, not a racist society, but the demons within themselves. Chicano Cinema developed in 1960s; others researched the unwritten history of Mexican-American and Chicano representation --> one that stressed a cultural-nationalist, rather than assimilationist, identity, or found traces of it in historical dramas of resistance
Cutting
Changing from one image to another
Mary Beltran, "A Fight for Dignity and Integrity"
Rita Moreno in Hollywood's post-war era; The Latin Spitfire "harlot"; curvaceous, hypersexual, emotionally irrepressible, historically entrenched in hollywood - Rita Moreno mostly stuck in this category during 1950s ; barefoot roles & firecracker publicity Moreno began career at 18 in 1950s typecast as spitfire, and promoted in that manner; e.g. 1954 posed inside firecracker for publicity photo Faced obstacles to landing roles that challenged her skills ; "the idea didn't exist in their heads that there was the possibility of someone like myself becoming a person of note" Rita realized playing on role / exaggerating stereotype could be helpful; cultivated boisterous persona 1962 ; won oscar for best supporting actress in West Side Story -- still resistance to representating latino roles centrality (e.g. natalie woods) Independent film companies too could not offer diversified roles; needed to secure an audience and were unwilling to take risks 1950s/60s illustrate time period of continutation of film industry traditions that limited possibilites for Latino/a stardom; racialized lines not allowed to cross; Moreno lacked upper-class elegance comparatively to Del Rio : marks influence of class / foreign identity as more acceptable Double edged publicity; publicity required but only platformed by sexualization
Highlighting
Sharp or intense lighting used to concentrate or highlight a detail of a person/object
Mirror Shot
Shot that shows a person/scene through its reflection in a mirror
Direct Sound
Sound recorded at the same time as the image is filmed
Contrapuntal Sound
Sound that counterpoints or contrasts the image
Synchronous sound
Sound whose source is identified by the film image
Repetition tends to normalize stereotypes
Stereotypes are false to history but conform to another historical tradition of movies and movie stereotyping
Stereotypes are ideological
Stereotypes indicate a preferred power relation, a way for the dominant to convince themselves that they are morally superior, civilized, and better than the other and ought to naturally be in control.
Stereotypes are Applied with Rigid Logic
Stereotyping triggered by a reductive all-or-nothing logic, by which stereotypes are placed upon anyone identified as an out-group and assigned a category with typical traits. (if you are ___ then you must __.)
Fill Light
Supplemental lighting that fills in or accentuates the key lighting on a filmed subject
Triangling Theory
The dominant class maintains its position of power by social cooptation: allegiances with disenfranchised outgroups and imperfect members of the in-group where their differences aren't targeted as the 'Others' is focused on.
Eyeline Match
The editing or joining of different shots by following the logic and direction of a character's look
Screenplay
The literary description of film that may be a description of characters, dialogue, and actions or may contain exact shots and scenes
Zoom Shot
The movement of the image according to focal adjustments of the lens, without moving camera
Tracking shot
The movement of the image through a scene, photographed by a camera on tracks
