THEORIES I'VE LEARNT

List of Theories included:

- Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory
- Bechdel Test
- The Gant Rule
- Intertextuality
- Digitisation, Disruption, Convergence
- The Auteur Theory
- Uses and Gratifications theory

MALE GAZE THEORY 

The male gaze theory is a feminist theory based upon how women are portrayed in media, and how they are made to appeal to a male audience.

Attached is a video explaining the Male Gaze theory which was first theorized by Laura Mulvey:



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THE BECHDEL TEST

The Bechdel Test is a measure of the representation of women in film and television, in order to be considered to pass the bechdel test, a film must follow 3 rules.

These rules include:
1. Two of the characters have to be female characters who have names
2. They must talk to eachother
3. About something other than men.

Films which pass the bechdel test:
A Star is Born
Black Panther
Brave
Birds of Prey
Captain Marvel

Films which fail the Bechdel test:
Gemini Man
Paddleton
Rambo: Last Blood
Yesterday
Alpha

Attached is a short video which further explains the Bechdel test:

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THE GANT RULE

The Gant Rule is an observation that was made by Charles Gant, which states that a film in the USA will make approximately 10 times more on the box office than it would in the UK, as there are around 10 times as many cinemas and screens in the US.

In the U.S. there are over 5.8 thousand theatres, with over 40,000 screens.

In the U.K. there are 775 theatres, with only 4,340 screens.

BABY DRIVER (US)

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BABY DRIVER (UK)
 


AVATAR (US)
 

AVATAR (UK)




DIGITISATION, DISRUPTION, CONVERGENCE

Digitisation - is the move from analogue forms of media to digital forms of media, for example, moving from CD to MP3 players, or from DVD to Netflix.

Disruption - is extreme changes to methods of distribution already put in place, which often leads to new competition in the film industry.

Convergence - is  the shrinking distinction between audience members and producers as passive audiences are being replaced with active audiences who produce User Generated Content (UGC).



USES AND GRATIFICATIONS 
The Uses and Gratifications theory is an approach to understanding why people consume certain types of media, which satisfy their specific needs as a consumer.



INTERTEXTUALITY 
When the preferred reading of two texts are linked; the consumer will need a knowledge of both texts to understand where they link. An example of a film, or film franchise where there is clear intertextuality would be 'Scary Movie', as it incorporates many different film characters and quotes. Scary Movie is an expression of many existing ideas or signifiers which cannot be tracked to any true meaning.

AUTEUR THEORY 
The auteur theory is when the director takes all the credit for the creation of the movie, ignoring those around him who have also played vital roles in the creation of a film. An example of the auteur theory would be Quentin Tarantino, who is famous for directing many famous films, including Pulp Fiction.