Summer Project Research

Summer Project Research - The Handmaid's Tale










 





















 


https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/may/29/handmaids-tale-review-best-thing-youll-watch-all-year 



 http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/we-live-in-the-reproductive-dystopia-of-the-handmaids-tale

 http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/yes-the-handmaids-tale-is-feminist

 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/24/opinion/why-saudi-women-are-literally-living-the-handmaids-tale.html





https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/28/watching/handmaids-tale-best-articles.html





http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/the-handmaids-tale-poland-donald-trump-visit-hulu-speech-a7828206.html 



5. Prepare a 5 minute, 20-slide 'Ignite' presentation on your text to be ready for the first week back. If you're unsure how these work, remind yourself by reading through the lesson slides: Introduction to the Critical Investigation 2017, and look over our blogpost with good Ignite examples.


6. Try to address as many of the Key Concepts (MIGRAIN) as you can in your presentation (you won't be able to cover them all in 20 time-limited slides), and provide bullet-pointed answers to the following questions on your research blogpost...

 MIGRAIN key concept research

 Media Representations 

  • Who is being represented? In what way? By whom?
  • Why is the subject being represented in this way? 
  • Is the representation fair and accurate?
  • What opportunities exist for self-representation by the subject?


Related imageRelated imageRelated image
Image result for the handmaid's tale hulu
Related imageImage result for the handmaid's tale hulu



 Media Languages and Forms 

  1. What are the denotative and connotative levels of meaning?
  2. What is the significance of the text’s connotations
  3. What are the non-verbal structures of meaning in the text (e.g. gesture, facial expression, positional communication, clothing, props etc)?
  4. What is the significance of mise-en-scene/sets/settings (CLAMPS)?
  5. What work is being done by the sound track/commentary/language of the text?
  6. What are the dominant images and iconography, and what is their relevance to the major themes of the text?
  7. What sound and visual techniques are used to convey meaning (e.g. camera positioning, editing; the ways that images and sounds are combined to convey meaning)?
1. From my chosen text the overarching meaning above all is the idea of hope and strength. Mainly shown through women’s resilience during the harsh conditions for fertile women who are treated as objects. In addition, as well as seeing this positive message on screen it is also mirrored off screen with two female executive producers the series is able to have a women’s perspective. Furthermore its meaning lies in the opening of the trailer, “I was asleep before, and that’s how I let it happen, when they slaughtered congress we didn’t wake up,When they blamed terrorists and suspended the constitution we didn’t wake up them either
Now I’m awake” reaching out to the audience to feel involved and also adding lines like “nolite te bastardes carborundorum” help empower these women who have been stripped of everything and made “objects” to serve others.
  

2. The Handmaid’s Tale is of great significance to this current generation where there is still female objectification where this series demonstrate this clearly through its characters and cinematography. Furthermore, this series has been used as an example in the argument that the likeliness of this lifestyle has significantly increase from when Trump became the President of The US. Nevertheless, its significance is also links back to the portrayal of women and resilience through the series.
Image result  
3. Similarly, reinforced through most verbal conversation which usually are exchanged in secrecy which also adds to the suspense of not being able to trust anyone. Examples of mise-en-scene would include costume- commanders wife's wear green dresses to the knees whereas the handmaid are to wear red dresses to the ground with a head cover so that they are identified as objects (birthing children for commanders) and not people. The setting is mainly gloomy even during the day to reflect the characters and the lack of freedom they have. This atmosphere is also created through the voice over of the main protagonist (June/Offred) which she speaks in monotone, matter of fact and exhausted. 

 4. Moreover, this series has been so successful from the cinematography, mise-en-scene and many other factors. The majority of shots are close ups or medium shots which really creates a tense and claustrophobia atmosphere for both the character and the audience. 

 5. A dominate image portrayed through out the series would be the juxtaposition between the captors and the prisoners


 Narrative 
  • How is the narrative organised and structured?
  • How is the audience positioned in relation to the narrative?
  • How are characters delineated? What is their narrative function? How are heroes and villains created?
  • What techniques of identification and alienation are employed?
  • What is the role of such features as sound, music, iconography, genre, mise-en-scene, editing etc within the narrative?
  • What are the major themes of the narrative? What values/ideologies does it embody?

 Genre 
  • To which genre does the text belong?
  • What are the major generic conventions within the text?
  • What are the major iconographic features of the text?
  • What are the major generic themes?
  • To what extent are the characters generically determined?
  • To what extent are the audience’s generic expectations of the text fulfilled or cheated by the text? Does the text conform to the characteristics of the genre, or does it treat them playfully or ironically?
  • Does the text feature a star, a director, a writer etc who is strongly associated with the genre? What meanings and associations do they have?

 Media Institutions 
  • What is the institutional source of the text?
  • In what ways has the text been influenced or shaped by the institution which produced it?
  • Is the source a public service or commercial institution? What difference does this make to the text?
  • Who owns and controls the institution concerned and does this matter?
  • How has the text been distributed?

 Media Values and Ideology 
  • What are the major values, ideologies and assumptions underpinning the text or naturalised within it?
  • What criteria have been used for selecting the content presented?
  • How does the text fit into the current political landscape?
  • Does the text promote a particular political viewpoint - either explicitly or implicitly? 

 Media Audiences 
  • To whom is the text addressed? What is the target audience? (Demographics, Psychographics)
  • What assumptions about the audience’s characteristics are implicit within the text?
  • What assumptions about the audience are implicit in the text’s scheduling or positioning?
  • In what conditions is the audience likely to receive the text? Does this impact upon the formal characteristics of the text?
  • What do you know or can you assume about the likely size and constituency of the audience?
  • What are the probable and possible audience readings of the text? 
  • What are the audience pleasures, uses or gratifications?  (Refer to theory).
  • How do you, as an audience member, read and evaluate the text? To what extent is your reading and evaluation influenced by your age, gender, background etc?

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