Feminism as an Aspect of the Filmmaking Industry

Feminism
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Feminism
People around the world consume information from films. To a large extent, films constitute a big portion of the entertainment content that people enjoy. As such, the film industry can set the agenda on what people see and the perceptions that the same individuals have about different concepts. In the recent past, one of the topics that have dominated the media is feminism. That is, the role, position, and representation of women are changing all over the world. Women have made notable strides on different aspects of their lives including the position that the society has set on their roles. One notable challenge, however, is that agenda setters may be reluctant in fueling the progress that women have made in the world. Taking considerations with the use of genre films in Hollywood, not much has changed about the roles that women portray in films. Set conventions and fixed formulas still depict familiar traditional stories to larger audiences. Probably, the appetite for more profits in filmmaking is clouding the much urgent need to accord women their value. This research will be using Hollywood’s genre films to explore the set agenda on feminism by filmmakers. The analysis could be integral in unearthing the path that art must revitalize to accord women the position that they deserve in society.
Rationale/Background
The choice of feminism as an aspect of the current filmmaking industry stands out among the most controversial topics currently. People are indulged in debates about the role of women in films. The change that society is undergoing reveals that alienating women from society and rooting their position in the traditional constructions is an insult to the gender that has fought to regain a place (McCarthy, 2017). To most people, feminism should not be a topic of discussion. Some intellects see it as an aspect that has been absorbed in the social ranks. These assertions can be supported with the inputs that the portrayal of women in films and the media generally has changed considerably. In contemporary culture, women are not confined to the kitchen, neither are they portrayed to play roles of nurses or caregivers to children (Stokes, 2013). There are cases where women have been given leading roles at the expense of powerful men.
While some may view the changes as an adequate, insightful analysis of modern films could reveal a cunning way in which filmmakers suppress feminist ideologies. It is never a surprise to see women portrayed as lovers or supporting cast with male main casts. In 2015, women comprised only 15% of the protagonists in high-grossing films (McCarthy, 2017). Women are still accorded less than a third speaking part in those top films. The recent portrayal of women in films such as Divergent and Hunger Games could revitalize a person’s position on how women are portrayed. The roles that women still gain from films majorly and their continued linkages to people who suffer, survivors, and supporting casts could be underlying aspects to the new roles of women. Possibly, filmmakers are covering up the real situation.
Filmmakers are possibly using the platform they have to set a new agenda about feminism. Every stakeholder in film understands that it is one of the most consumed media platforms in the world. In 2015, movie theatres received twice as many revelers as those who attended major sports events and theme parks combined (McCarthy, 2017). If one intends to send a message passively, filmmaking forms an avenue for that information. The Bechdel test for film has been employed to understand the value that filmmakers’ accord feminism and representation of minority groups. The test tends to explore the well-roundedness of films and the impacts that they could have on members of society. The test asks three questions (Howells, 2012). The first question aims to address whether there are two or more women in the film who have names. The second question asks whether the women talk to each other in the plot. The last question asks whether the two women are indulged in a conversation about some other thing other than a man. In 2013, only 17 out of the 50 top-grossing films could answer the Bechdel test questions affirmatively (McCarthy, 2017). The implication is that even though steps have been made to include the role of women as a paramount aspect of filmmaking to society, there are underlying issues that could be according to the world's different information. Having noted the power that they have in swaying the agenda, filmmakers could be employing emerging techniques to revitalize their understanding of feminism. Women have had a long fight to reach the position that they are today. If there is any attempt to dwarf the fruits of that fight, that attempt must be eliminated (Stokes, 2013). This research will unearth the portrayal of feminism in contemporary society and unearth whether filmmakers are arm-twisting their viewers into emerging trajectories of suppressing feminism.
Hypothesis/Research Questions
The research hypothesizes that filmmakers have devised new avenues of implying that they support feminism when the real outcomes indicate otherwise. The data collected in this study will aim to confirm that women are accorded the leftovers in film in disguise of equal positions with their male counterparts. Some of the questions that this study will aim to address include:
* Are the roles given to women in contemporary films underpinned in patriarchal constructions?
* Can highly-grossing films currently pass the Bechdel test questions?
* Is the media lying that it supports feminism while only focusing on making more profits?
Theoretical Framework
The cultivation theory and social cognitive theory combine to form a platform on how social is...