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Olivia 

Character Stereotypes

Dominant Male

The majority of all Blockbuster,hollywood films all follow the story of a lead man.This is a strong sterotype in all action packed films as men are the only ones strong enough or skilled enough to pull of certain stunts and demand so that their character is more realistic.Many films portray males as:

  • HERO

  • STRONG

  • SKILLED

  • ATHLETIC

  • POWERFUL

  • SUPERIOR

  • MEN LOOK UP TO HIM

  • WOMEN LOVE HIM

 

A well known example is the ultimate action hero of James Bond,portrayed by many actors overthe years he is always portrayed as a hero who is strong and skilled and always ends up saving the day.He is also known as being reckless as he deliberatley puts himself into dangerous situations but always manages to survive.The women he surrounds himself with are all named 'Bond girls' which labels them as his possession as though they are just a prop in the film emphasising that stereotypically women stand behind men.However women are not the only gender in films that are sexualised as men are also subject to this,a well know scene in the bond franchise is when james bond submeged from the water,the camera panning down his physique.This makes him an object,switching the phrase 'male gaze' to 'female gaze'.

Damsel in Distress

In the majority of action films women are always seen as the sterotypical 'Damsel in distress' as they are always either:In need of rescuing,weak or clumsy.They are always in danger,needing the assistance of a male character who ill save her from the situation.In films they are portrayed as :

 

  •  WEAK

  • INFERIOR

  • EMOTIONAL

  • MADE UP

  • HOUSEWORK

  • VAIN

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If women are not portrayed as a 'Damsel In Distress' they normally appear quite cold and distant from other people and quite rude.Other times women are just seem as propps,which influences the male gaze,this fits into the patriarchal view that women are only good for sex -Laura Mulvey.

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Kate capshaw played 'willie' in Indian Jones,the temple of doom were she played the typical 'damsel in distress' and 'dumb blonde' stereotype.This was shown throughout the whole entire film as she was constanttly whining and relyed on indie.From the very start of the film she appeared quite vain and was constantly made up.In many scenes she overacts in certain situations as continues to scream and shout which reinforces the sterotype that women are weak and always need the assisatnce of a man.Willie is always being saved and relys on others around her to help her.In one scene she is captured and again can only be rescued by the situation by someone else.

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We will use this character as inspiration for the victim as they need to appear worried and helpless,by having the actor who is playing the victim study films were the charcter is frightened hopefully they will portary a relaistic performance and do their character justice.

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Male Villain

Int the majority of action films the villain are all the same gender which reinforces the male,mascueline sterotype of them being leaders.Some common traits that are sterotypical are for them to be handicapped or disfigured which the majority of them boast about.This sets them apart from one another in films and makes them more memorable.The second common trait is for them to have a forign accent and this is again linked to cultural/racial sterotypes i.e Russians: Violence,weapons,swearing e.t.c

  • Ruthless

  • Disfigured

  • Foreign accent

  • Insane

  • Violent

  • Heartless/no emotion

  • Evil

  • Cowardly

A famous villain is 'The Joker' whos is known as Batman's main nemesis,in the dark knight he was played by 'Heath Ledger',who portrayed him as his true comic book portrayal of being insane.It is certain that he is not mentally stable and uses a 'mask' of facepaint which many compare to as a clown,this highlights how he has detached himself from his real self but also from the audeince which shows dehumanization.

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In our short film we went against this stereotype of having the villain as a male as our short film consists of an all female cast.Therfore our villan is a female which sets our film apart from others as the audience may not expect her to be evil or posses evil motives.However she does posses a few traits that are listed above of sterotypical villains,for example: Violent- She kills her intern/lover and then threatens to do the same with helena which highlights her lack of emotion and may suggest that she is heartless as she killed someone she was with intimatley with.

Femme Fatale

Femme Fatale is used to describe women in films,the charcter is normal portrayed as a mysterious and seductive women who uses this to her advantage when getting something that they want.They use their sexuality against their lovers which can lead their partner into dangerous or deadly situations.So by using their looks or charm they can lure their 'victims' in or the 'good guy' to the dark side.

  • Cunning

  • Uses sexuality (Costumes/behaviour)

  • Dangerous

  • Selfish

  • Manipulative

  • Vindictive

An example of a villan is 'Amy' who at the very start of the film appears as a very loving wife who is loyal to her husband and is portrayed in a very positive way.The main plot is that she has disappeared and is declared 'missing',he husband become a prime suspect.What the audience don't know is that she faked her own death and pinned 'fake evidence' on her husband to make it appear as he murdered her.This shown her being coniving and ruthless.She then lures in a ex-boyfriend and lures him in beofore then killing him for her own selfish purposes.She appears as very twisted and mentally unstable. 

In our short film we do inforce some of these sterotypes for example our villain is a femal and she doesnt use her sexuality through costume or by behaviour but by her back story.'The Boss' is a married woman who is having an affair with a femal staff member.This staff member does face deadly consequences as said above as she gets shot by her own lover.This emphasises 'The Boss' displaying no emotion and killing her for selfish reasons of noone finding out.

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