Representation and Narrative: Theoretical and Methodological Approach
Image credit: photographed by Eden Constantino for Unsplash
The raised questions will be answered with a combination of close readings of individual films with partially automated serial analysis of larger groups of works. Drawing on the literature on cinematic representations of cultural identity, gender, and disability AGE-C will work to correct the neglect of older femininities by successive waves of feminist theory (Bañón/Zecchi 2019) and pay particular attention to sexuality, agency and the renewal of family structures. Films will be selected according to salience (popular press, social networks, TV shows) and acknowledgements like festival awards (Holmes/Negra 2011; Jermyn 2014). The analysis will focus on parameters such as camerawork, lighting, costume, make-up and performance, on mise-en-scene, particularly spatial arrangements in relation to character agency, and on narrative at the micro (E.g. point of view, focalization) and macro levels (plot structure). These parameters will be analyzed both in a qualitative and quantitative perspective across the corpus (E.g. by measuring the frequency and duration of closeups; measuring the screen time and volume of dialogue of specific actors). Particular attention will also be paid to character constellations and agency relative to gender (To what extent do older female characters drive the narrative? How does narrative address power imbalances in a gender-related/intersectional perspective?), body images (How do films portray ageing bodies and agency?) and implied modes of spectatorial engagement (Do the films challenge the “male gaze” regime as described by Laura Mulvey, which is built around the display of youthful or ageless female bodies? Do they offer gender- and age-inclusive patterns of affective response?). The analysis will be conducted through a combination of discourse and textual analysis and quantitative data analysis, using digital tools.
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