If you could work on this film (change it), what would you change and why?
I think that I would have definitely changed how the ending sequence of the movie plays out. Many fans even to this day become confused when asked about what really happens at the end of this movie. I would have leaned into the whole “it never really happened” aspect of the ending in order to not only develop Patrick’s mental state from the audience’s point of view but to make sure the audience is not confused as well.
As you view films, consider how the cuts, camera angles, shots, and movement work to create particular meanings. Think about how they establish space, privilege certain characters, suggest relationships, and emphasize themes. In addition to shot distances, angles, editing, and camera movement, note details of the narrative, setting, characters, lighting, props, costume, tone, and sound.
The conflict is at first between Paul Allen and Patrick Bateman as Allen not only causes Bateman to feel intense jealousy he also happens to be seeing his girlfriend. Angered by this he kills Allen, and the new conflict of covering up his murder arises.
The storytelling is very linear for the majority of the movie, and even the ending itself is not necessarily out of order but rather ambiguous. By the end we don’t know whether or not the events of the movie actually happened, so the timeline itself towards the end is left ambiguous.
6. What “happens” in the plot (Brief description)?
Patrick Bateman, a high rolling successful New York banking investor is secretly plagued with morbid and psychotic fantasies that he hides from his co-workers. His psychopathic ego and murderous delusions eventually lead to him taking the life of a coworker, causing him to go farther off the deep end and indulge in these fantasies.
7. How does the film influence particular reactions on the part of viewers (sound, editing, characterization, camera movement, etc.)? Why does the film encourage such reactions?
What stands out most about this film is the contrast in its parts. The regular everyday setting of office buildings and fancy New York restaurants are filmed with clean, smooth neutral, and close-up shots that frame the characters in a sensible and natural manner. On the other hand, there are incredibly jarring and often downright terrifying murder and chase scenes that cut violently back and forth and frame Patrick in an almost insane light.
The setting is meant to be realistic for that of a wealthy New York socialite with, as I mentioned before, fancy restaurants and lounges that serve to be somewhat symbolic of the wealth Bateman surrounds himself with. What’s interesting is that the expensive restaurants that Bateman and his coworkers frequent serve as status symbols for being able to make a reservation. They represent the materialistic and petty competition between the characters and the superficial jealousy that Bateman feels
9. How are the characters costumed and made-up? What does their clothing or makeup reveal about their social standing, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or age? How do costume and makeup convey character?
Given that materialism is one of the movie’s universal themes, the makeup, and costumes for each and every character is intensely important and reveals their social standing in relation to Bateman himself. Paul Allen is described as wearing top-of-the-line expensive suit pieces with finely crafted glasses, albeit a slightly worse haircut than Bateman. Everything about the way that he is styled reveals that he is a rich and toxic male New York socialite who uses his clothes and material possessions to “one-up” his coworkers. This is just one example, but in this movie, costumes reveal what kind of person a character is going to be and even give a glimpse into how they are viewed by Bateman.
10. How does the lighting design shape our perception of character, space, or mood?
In most of the social scenes, we see the lighting cast over Bateman and his coworkers that frames them in a very flattering way; perhaps showing the audience that they epitomize the height of luxury. In darker scenes, however, the lighting design is intended to make Patrick seem unassuming but sinister at times, and at others downright insane. For the audience, this distinction of lighting between his normal life and his murderous antics further develops how truly sick Patrick is.
When it comes to Patrick, the duality of camera angles used for specific scenes is indicative of the duality of his character; one side pretending to be satisfied with his horribly boring life and the other indulging in extremely dark and twisted fantasies. This is best evidenced when Patrick invites Paul Allen back to his apartment. In the previous scenes, we see simple back and forth camera angles of the two having a seemingly pleasant dinner with Patrick visibly trying his best not to lose his temper. In the next scene, however, the camera follows Patrick around his house in a very close manner, detailing his every move as he prepares to murder Allen. What makes this scene so unique is the dramatic irony that it conveys, with the audience being able to clearly see the camera slowly pushing in as Bateman’s murderous intentions become apparent; all the while watching the completely oblivious Paul Allen about to meet his fate.
12. What is the music’s purpose in the film? How does it direct our attention within the image? How does it shape our interpretation of the image? What stands out about the music?
Music in particular plays an important role in both the plot of the movie as well as the overall mystery of the ending. When Patrick prepares to murder his victims, he puts on various popular artists like “Hughey Lewis and The News” in order to disarm and confuse his victims. This becomes his signature style throughout the film with the deaths of Allen and multiple women. The music itself is often very upbeat and bouncy, starkly contrasting the grisly murders playing out on screen.
There is no denying that American Psycho has gained an immense cult following in the years following its release, but why is this? It’s not like the movie ever failed at the box office, making around 34 million dollars in its initial release. The movie itself was a success, but what’s interesting is how modern audiences interact with the media. Unlike many older movies, American Psycho integrated itself into the early 2000s and 2010s “meme culture”, significantly increasing its notoriety as a whole. The uncertainty of the ending and some of the out-of-pocket and surprising dialogue became a source of much humor and parody, with artists like Maroon 5 and Kanye parodying the movie’s atmosphere in their music videos. The reason for the film’s preservation as a source of humor is linked to its heavy satirical nature and themes.
14. Give an example of what a film critic had to say about this film. Use credible sources and cite sources.Example: “The Shawshank Redemption Movie Review (1994) | Roger Ebert.” All Content. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2015.
“It’s a horror movie, one discreetly short on gore and grisliness — a lock of blond hair tucked into a breast pocket here, a glimpse of a head in a fridge there. When the movie finally does get around to a charnel-house set-piece, complete with phallic chainsaws and spiral-staircase zoom-ins, you can almost hear Brian DePalma slow-clapping.”
(SUMMARIZE)
“American Psycho 20th Anniversary Review | Rolling Stone.” All Content. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 April 2020.
15. Select one scene no longer than 5 minutes that represents well the whole film and shows relevant cinematic elements. Write a one-sentence description of the scene and record the time of the scene.Example: from 1:05:00 to 1:10:00.Explain why you chose this scene.
00:19:38 – 00:24:38
In this scene, we see Patrick and his coworkers bragging about their expensive and well-designed business cards, each character trying to one-up the other. Seeing Paul Allen’s card sends Bateman into a jealous spiral, losing his usual collected composure and deciding to take out his anger by murdering an innocent homeless man.
16.In the selected scene: write a sentence for each of the elements below to justify why this scene best represents the film:
The duality of Bateman’s character is well expressed throughout this short scene, where we can see the facade he puts up around his contemptible coworkers falter, gaining a glimpse into his truer and more sinister nature.
The sound design in this scene hinges on Bateman’s voiceover, as he critiques his coworker’s cards while embellishing his own until finding Allen’s, in which case his inner monologue is isolated and given more vocal weight than the lines of the other actors around him.
The angles used in this scene are almost all close-up angles that frame Bateman’s face center-left of the screen so we are able to see how he plays off the reactions of his nearby coworkers and thus gain insight into how he masks around them.
The lighting in this scene frames Bateman’s face in a way that draws attention to the shadows around his eyes and the gauntness of his expression as he stops masking.
There is actually very little/no music punctuating the majority of this scene, save for when it transitions to the dark ally where the soundtrack takes on a foreboding tone that is emblematic of Bateman’s behavior.
The surface-level impression of this film is that it is a simple horror story about Patrick Bateman, a wealthy investment banker, and a seemingly stand-up guy. That is, however, until he starts murdering people out of jealousy, spiraling downward to his eventual breaking point. This is all true, however, it ignores the cultural and social context of the film. The film is set in New York in the 1980s, a time of unprecedented financial growth for the wealthy stock traders and investment brokers. A culture built around extravagance and toxic one-upmanship. American Psycho not only acts as a piece that satirizes this time period and culture but also provides insight into just how easy it is to get away with murder if you possess immense privilege. The intense jealousy and rage that fuels Bateman to murder Paul Allen critiques the time period’s culture of empty materialism while also serving to bring up another important critique. Despite the ambiguity of the ending and Allen’s murder, we do know that he did in fact kill over half a dozen women and faced no consequences for it. The fact that Bateman is never held accountable for his egregious crime contributes to the film’s critique of the power of privilege, using Bateman to exemplify how easy it is for the right person to get away with murder.
This worksheet was developed with ideas from many IB Film teachers, and thus should remain in the Creative Commons
By May 10th, as a part of team 4, I will provide evidence for use of CAMERA MOTION as well as additional evidence and justification for said movement, using “10 Comedic Camera Techniques Every Filmmaker Should Know” by Ryan McAfee.
Greg Fraser is an award-winning cinematographer who has worked on some of the most popular and successful movies in recent years. With impressive titles like The Batman, Rogue One, and Dune under his belt, it is clearly apparent that Fraser’s style and technique speak for themselves. The tone that Fraser’s cinematography evokes is often more suited to expansive Sci-Fi movies but his techniques can be applied to any genre of film in order to better captivate an audience. When analyzing the cinematography in Dune, one thing that stands out is Fraser’s use of sweeping wide shots and slightly dimmer exposure to create a more natural-looking scene. Interestingly enough, the primary sources of light in this movie come from either top lights or natural light, which is incredibly applicable to my team’s movie as our light sources are much the same. He utilizes these kinds of light sources in a way that illuminates the subject without overexposing them, which is something I hope to be able to replicate in our session 5 film.
When brainstorming ideas for our comedy in the early stages of pre-production, my team and I decided that the mockumentary style comedy of The Office was a perfect place to draw inspiration from. Camera movement plays a major part in the comedy of The Office, as the camera movements often match the character’s emotional state or the tone of the scene. Being able to replicate the movements and composition of The Office will aid incredibly in enhancing the visual and spoken comedy of our film.
In this slideshow, I demonstrate evidence of completing my session 5 goal of using camera movement with justification for said movement. There are also screenshots that I provide as an instance where I use camera motion in an intentional way.
POST-PRODUCTION – REFLECTION
21st Century Skills
Ways of Thinking (Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving)
This production cycle was so far the most intensive and lengthy one I have undertaken so far, and as such there are positive and negative aspects to discuss. First off, this was my first official cycle as a cinematographer which created a bit of a challenge on the technology side of things. Despite this, I found the role quite comfortable and enjoyable, as I was able to come up with unique ways to shoot each scene which provided much variety in the film. There became an issue though, with the fact that our actors had specific schedules to work around and often weren’t available to film when needed. What this resulted in was sacrificing certain scenes and cutaways in order to preserve some sense of continuity. It was certainly a struggle figuring out how to reconcile the lack of footage for certain scenes, but through collaboration with my director and editor, we found a way to preserve our overall story arc.
Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)
Being a cinematographer involved heavy collaboration and communication throughout every phase of production. From the illustration of the storyboards to consulting with the screenwriters and editor, the majority of my work as a cinematographer was collaborating with each person on my team to make sure my camera work reflected everything we wanted to represent in the story. A specific instance of collaboration came when we realized that some of our audio files were corrupted, rendering the scene we shot un-usable. This issue required a heavy collaborative effort in order to figure out a way to ADR the scene even though our filming time had passed. Without such collaboration, our film would have been much too short.
Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)
With an entirely new role to learn, the learning curve for the new technology and equipment was steep. Nevertheless, working with the cameras and related equipment was a valuable skill to learn, especially since I intend to be a cinematographer for the advanced team next year. It turned out that the camera settings and configuration were more difficult to figure out at the beginning than the actual camera placement and movement.
Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)
The theme of this production cycle was “community”, and from the first days of pre-production to the day we presented our work, there has been an incredible amount of growth both for me as an artist and as a collaborator. In pre-production this cycle we had the added task of making two extra storyboards in order to create a better draft for our film. As the cinematographer, I worked very closely with my director and story writers for weeks as the illustrator for our storyboard. This required a lot of constant collaboration, and conversation, and often working through creative differences in how the story should work. Being able to adequately communicate my ideas and thoughtfully listen and respond to others’ were important skills that I got to practice throughout this production cycle.
In terms of production, I would say that the life and career skill that I got the most practice at was improvising. With our director being gone and running out of time to film, as a group we were presented with a dilemma. The time crunch combined with issues with our actors’ schedule presented a seemingly insurmountable issue for our film, but luckily due to some thoughtful improvising, my editor and I were able to cut together the scenes we had to preserve the story of our film.
Reactions to the Final Version
“The shot choices and character movements worked very well” -LeDuc
“I really enjoyed the scene between Sloan and Amy. It was really smooth and felt like a real conversation.” -Jack G.
Self-Evaluation of Final Version
Simple: The setting and camera work were very simple and ordinary, giving the feel of a normal documentary
Unexpected: The quick camera pan to introduce the new “problem character” felt surprising and grabbed the audience’s attention
Concrete: The narrative itself was concrete in pre-production, but the shots we cut together to produce the film somewhat lacked continuity
Emotional: There could have been more of an emphasis on the emotions of the characters in each shot, and I could have used more varied types of shots to make the actors’ emotions feel more dynamic.
Context: This scene is the first we see of Jim after season 2 and Pam’s rejection of him, and as such, the audience is dying to see what has happened between the two. Shockingly he has transferred to a different state, and yet his first cutaway diffuses the anxious curiosity the audience feels. Jim as a character is one I am intentionally pulling from for my movie, and seeing how he acts during cutaways really helps show me how the scene should be set up and shot.
Cue
Notes
-In a documentary/mockumentary style, often the camera follows one character, and so when a new character starts speaking the camera will not change angles but keep its focus on the original character
-Really easy way to transition to a cutaway
-Voice over J-cut audio of the cutaway occurs usually when we can see the character’s initial reaction to the event that is going to be discussed in their cutaway
-Should we use the Jim look?
-A character looking directly at the camera (when it makes sense in the story) is an interesting way to characterize them and perhaps provide an opportunity for a more natural cut to a cutaway
-Cutaways often involve the character talking directly to the camera with their eyes moving from the background to directly at the camera, as they would in a normal conversation
– Office-style cutaways really seem just like one-sided conversations, since we only hear the characters’ responses
-Cutaways conclude with some sort of social cue that would be found when ending a conversation or finishing a thought
-Sometimes the character will rephrase the question asked to them as a way to motivate dialogue
3/4 shot or even closer shot?
-Office-style 3/4 shot, referred to as a “talking head” in industry
-Actor emoting is directed at the camera as if they are a confidant or close friend, there is a sense of trust (or sometimes lack thereof) that is evident with the person behind the camera
Summary
Cutaways, at least when in a comedy, are essentially conversations or interviews between a character and the camera. Characters speak to the camera sometimes in resonse to events as a way to characterize them by their thoughts and mannerisms. Office-style cutaways often seem at first like thought narration but this is usually just a way to transition to an insert shot. The use of J-cuts and cutaways are intrinsically linked and cutaways can benifit massively from use of this technique.
-storytelling is joke-telling, every part of your story leads to the end
-Seems simple enough but how do we do this most effectively in only 1-3 minutes?
-Make me care, stories should make an audience care
-Stories should make you a promise that it is going to lead somewhere, A well-told promise is like a pebble in a slingshot, propels you to the end
-How much should we directly withhold from our audience?
-Storytelling without dialogue, audiences want to “work for their meal”, The absence of information is what we look for
-Unifying theory of 2+2, don’t give the audience 4 give them 2+2
-What’s the difference in terms of our stories?
-Stories are inevitable if they are good but not predictable
-All characters have a spine that drives them in their actions
-If things go static, stories die “Drama is anticipation mingled with uncertainty”
-The audience should feel the tension, they should want to know what is going to happen
-What rules do our films follow?
-Storytelling has guidelines, not hard fast rules
-A strong theme is always running through a well-told story
-Can we actually do this in our short films?
-Can you invoke wonder? The best stories infuse wonder
-Use what you know, draw from it express values you personally feel
Summary:
There are lots of important elements to a good story and they all revolve around the experience you grant the audience with your art. There are not harsh rules, but softer guidelines, but other than that your job is to invoke wonder, to grab interest, to express a strong theme. Among these rules, a few important storytellings ideals shone through, such as “give your audience 2+2, not 4” which implies that we should let our audience figure things out to invoke a more memorable and interactive experience,
By March 2nd, as part of my session 4 production team, I will explore the visual story element of color by using Bruce Block’s The Visual Story book and will have created a film that demonstrates this element effectively while directing the audience’s eyes from affinity to contrast.
Kirk Baxter is an accomplished editor who has worked on notable films such as The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The technique that Baxter is best known for is his montage scenes; a technique which, when done well, can aid perfectly in telling a non-linear story (like The Social Network for example). Through his use of editing, Baxter condenses our sense of time, space, and motion and uses crosscutting techniques to develop two points of view simultaneously without detracting from either one of them. This kind of editing is especially useful in romcoms, which just so happens to be the style of film I will be working on this production cycle. I hope to utilize the techniques that Baxter employs to work with the 60 second time limit while still delivering a film that meets the requirements for session 4.
The visual story element I am focusing on as an editor this production cycle is the element of color, one of the most misunderstood yet frequently utilized visual elements in filmmaking. When discussing Contrast and Affinity of color from the perspective of the editor, things like hue, saturation, and brightness stand out as things that I have control over as an editor. The additive and subtractive color systems factor in as well when contributing to the representation of color in a film, but as an editor, I am instead going to focus on what I am able to do according to my position on the team.
The elements of hue, saturation, and brightness can be manipulated in different ways to give off different tones and set different moods for a specific scene. These elements, when taking into account Contrast vs Affinity, can dictate what kind of scene is being shown. In romcoms, scenes where the two protagonists meet or profess their love for each other are often edited to show a greater contrast of bright colors. Conversely, mundane everyday scenes are often less saturated and duller which is important when establishing narrative contrast.
As the editor for this film, I was responsible for ensuring that all of the transitions and cuts were cohesive as well as editing to the internal rhythm of the dialogue. I was also in charge of utilizing a J-cut to demonstrate my ability to use industry-standard techniques. This production cycle I was also given the new task of controlling the visual story element of color.
POST-PRODUCTION – REFLECTION
21st Century Skills
Ways of Thinking (Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving)
Over the course of this production cycle, my team was pushed to problem solve at every turn, not in a bad way of course, but in a way that challenged us to find the best versions of each shot. Our biggest problem was how we were going to transition from the following shot to a static shot in the opening of the movie. What we ended up doing was freezing the actors in place and quickly re-setting our camera to match the previous camera angle. This did not work out as we ended up with two different reels needing a large and awkward cut in the middle. We tried to solve this issue by matching the scenes up as closely as possible but this was not enough to eliminate the jarringness of the cut. I believe that more time planning a more detailed shot list during pre-production and more communication on my part with the cinematographer will produce a better result in the future.
Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)
What became a challenge throughout this production cycle was the fact that we very rarely had our entire team all here at once to film, so being able to communicate with both the member who was absent and the rest of the team. Being able to talk and quickly adjust our goals for the day became necessary as sometimes shooting a specific scene was impossible that day so we had to re-adjust and adapt. Being able to communicate effectively like this allowed us to finish the film on time, with only a slight hiccup when it came to exporting.
Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)
With the added job of both learning and using color correction in my film, there was an added layer of complexity to the post-production portion of this cycle. This was no easy technique to learn and even after working with it for a while I feel like I know very little of how to most efficiently use this new skill. That being said, next production cycle I will take with me the experience from this one, and I feel like I will be able to use color correction in a more professional way.
Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)
The theme of this production cycle was “adaptation”, as being able to adapt quickly to a change in plans was the life skill that I felt was most exercised for this production cycle. In a broader context, being able to quickly adapt to a changing situation is an important skill no matter what career you find yourself in, as there are bound to be things you can’t control that you are forced to work around.
Reactions to the Final Version
“The chromatic control was an interesting concept” -Eric
“I appreciate you facing the audience while presenting” -Michelle
Self-Evaluation of Final Version
In terms of my goals NOT including the visual story element of color, I feel like I did well with organizing the clips, editing to a rhythm, and using an L-cut. There were also examples of other techniques, like a cross-dissolve and cutting on the action. When it comes to color in a professional film context I think I went a bit overboard with the color correction as it was my first time editing with this technique. I learned a lot from the professional feedback on what professional color correction should look like, and I am excited to implement it more effectively in my next film.
What I Learned and Problems I Solved
There were many things I enjoyed about this particular film, and from my role as the editor, I felt as though I did an adequate job given the overall shortcomings of our filming process. The large awkward cut in the very beginning could have been avoided with better collaboration between me and the cinematographer on my team, and some of the audio files should have been replaced with better available alternatives. Originally the problem I ran into was the audio clips not matching up with the video well enough, resulting in a very clunky awkward scene. How I fixed this was by very slightly speeding up the audio of the clip to match better, which worked out in the end. Overall, I learned how important it is to work with my team in pre-production to plan each and every shot.
How can we use limited space when shooting a Rom-Com?
Space -Deep space The illusion of three-dimensional space in two dimensions -Flat space Emphasizes the two-dimensional nature of film -Limited space Combination of deep and flat space cues -Ambiguous space Lack of movement, disorienting movement, etc.
Can we create our own backgrounds/backdrops to emphasize shape?
Line and Shape -Lines are everywhere and depending on how you use them they can shift the tonal contrast of the scene -Lines can exist inf flat or deep space -The basic shapes are the circle, square, and equilateral triangle.
How can we best control light indoors?
Tone -refers to the brightness of objects -Find the subject -Don’t confuse color and tone -Hide or reveal objects. Use tone to emphasize important objects and hide unimportant objects. Consider how non-coincidence of tone can be used.
How can the editor use premiere pro to modify colors?
Color -Color systems: additive v subtractive -Brightness & saturation -Color palette, filters, time/location: wardrobe color choices, keep color palette limited, ensure color consistency in shots -Editor-controlled color effects (saturation, brightness, etc.)
Movement -How the actors move throughout each shot -The overall movement and pattern throughout the film -Moving perpendicular/parallel to the camera -How that actor engages with the camera
Rhythm -Watch for lines -Background structures -the contrast of moving background and foreground -Intersection of visual and audio rhythm -Rhythm with dialogue and movement contrasted with the background elements.
Ways of Thinking (Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving)
During this production cycle, my team and I had to push our creativity and problem-solving abilities to the very limit. Originally our problem came down to how we were going to light the scene, as the overhead lights were much too bright and ended up washing out the actors. We solved this by using an array of light blocks to effectively light the scene and even create a better atmosphere for our film.
Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)
As an editor, collaboration was an absolutely vital part of my job. From the very beginning, I worked with the screenwriter and director for our team and consulted them on what kind of cuts I wanted to attempt and how that might work for the writing and blocking. During post-production, I worked well with the sound designer for my team on audio clip organization, as well as collaborative suggestions for the composition of the music and how it should flow so that I could edit effectively to its rhythm.
Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)
I picked up an entirely new skill this production cycle, as I learned the basics of how to use premiere pro and how to plan for specific cuts. I also learned how to salvage a clip via cutting, as there were times when reshooting would have been more difficult than simply reworking the scene and editing it a bit differently than I had planned.
Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)
Not only did I learn how to edit films with professional software, when it came to life and career skills, but the skill I really developed this cycle was also how to effectively find and use resources when it comes to learning a new skill. I had no experience editing with PremierPro prior to this production cycle, but I was able to learn all of the necessary skills by seeking out new resources and applying what I learned to my film.
Reactions to the Final Version
“I really liked how you edited the audio to fade in as the movie got more intense”
-Lily
Self-Evaluation of Final Version
What I Learned and Problems I Solved
As our director was gone with covid, Pre-production posed the biggest struggle during this production cycle. We all had to take on a little bit of extra work and collaborate to make decisions instead of having a director guide for the most part. Once they came back though things went much more smoothly, and we were able to collaborate on aspects of the film that we were unable to address before.
Grammar and Spelling
used Grammarly to check for grammar and spelling errors
Film theories from this article: Research Film Theory, Film Theory Textbook by R. Doughty & C. Etherton
Cue
Notes
Does this prevent non-heterosexuals from enjoying the film
How does a work of art either reinforce or challenge homophobia
Queer criticism in film comes from long-standing negative stereotypes about queer people.
Why have these negative myths been used to such effect in modern media?
Long-standing and negative myths that gay people are “sick and evil” or in fact make up a minuscule portion of the population have been used to further push anti-queer messages in film.
Related to deconstruction in the way that it draws attention to works where heteronormative standards are challenged and where the “typical” binary ideas of sex and sexual orientation are not applied.
Criticism of poor or offensive queer representation is important to understanding the spectrum of sex and sexual orientation
Queer criticism can interpret and identify issues with queer representation in a work of art
Poor representation can hamper our view of the queer experience, so asking these questions are important.
Seeks to answer important questions like: “What does this work contribute to our knowledge of queer, gay, or lesbian experience or history. “
Identifies whether there is any homophobia and/or transphobia present in the work and whether it is explicit or implicit
Why is heteronormativity considered, well, normal?
Queer theory seeks to challenge the idea of heterosexuality as normative.
Queer theory developed in response to queer representation in media
The events of Stonewall acted as a catalyst for more queer filmmakers to fight for better representation
How did Fireworks have
Fireworks (1945) Dir. Kenneth Anger is widely regarded as one of the first films to truly explore homosexuality
.
