Untitled Quiz

Cultural Studies

• Cultural studies is an interdisciplinary field focused on the role of social institutions in shaping culture.
• Examples of social institutions include governments, families, educational systems, legal systems, and businesses.
• Cultural studies draws on various disciplines such as literary studies, sociology, psychology, history, economics, and politics.
• It originated in Great Britain during the 1960s.

What is Culture?

• Culture encompasses customs, arts, social institutions, and accomplishments of a particular nation, people, or social group.
• Culture includes attitudes, beliefs, language, customs, rituals, behaviour, and food, among other elements.

Culture by Region

• American culture is diverse.
• Various cultural regions are identified across the United States.

Cultural Texts

• A fundamental premise of cultural studies is that the world comprises cultural texts that are open to interpretation.
• Examples of cultural texts include literary documents (books, articles, poems), artistic documents (film, television, photography), cultural artifacts (clothing styles, hairstyles, slogans), and events (concerts, protests, riots).

Semiotics

• Semiotics is the study of signs and sign-using behavior.
• Semiotics plays a significant role in cultural studies.
• A sign system is defined by the link between a signifier and a signified.
• The signifier is the physical form of a sign (e.g., a word, an image, an action).
• The signified is the concept or mental image associated with the signifier (e.g., the concept of a tree when seeing an image of a tree).
• Different cultures assign different meanings to the same signifiers.

Semiotics Example

• The apple is a signifier.
• The apple can signify various things, such as health, temptation, or technology.

Other Signifiers

• Signifiers in different cultures hold diverse meanings.
• Colors, clothing, and accessories are examples of signifiers.
• The significance of signifiers varies depending on the culture.

Signifiers and Storytelling

• Signifiers are essential in storytelling, influencing how we interpret stories.
• Examples of signifiers can include images, music, props, or actions in video/film.
• Signifiers of a scene/ film can provide clues about the main character(s).

Signifiers and Storytelling (continued)

• Signifiers in opening credits of films can reveal key details about characters.
• The nature and personality of characters are conveyed via their signifiers.
• Signifiers can evolve and change over time; a signifier's meaning can change in different contexts.

Stars, by Richard Dyer

• Richard Dyer, an English film studies professor, discussed the significance of movie stars.
• Dyer's work contrasts with Auteur Theory, which emphasizes the role of directors in film.
• Dyer's work attributes some responsibility for a film's success to the actors portraying characters, as opposed to simply the director.

Movie Star Origins

• The "movie star" concept emerged in the 1800s with advancements like mass-produced newspapers, photography, and a public interest in performers.
• Early films didn't showcase performers' names, but a trend emerged in the 1910s.
• Florence Lawrence was a notable early movie star.

The Movie "Industry"

• Movie production in the US in the late 1910s increasingly operated along mass-production lines.
• Individual film companies competed with each other, often promoting their performers to stand out.
• Actors were contracted to specific studios, further solidifying the significance of movie stars.

Stars as Type

• Actors were often typecast, being associated with specific character types, leading to more roles for them in movies.
• This led to more revenue for movie studios.
• Typecasting made the actor's roles easier to predict, improving marketing strategies.

Stars as Type (continued)

• Studios strategically created images for actors, drawing on inherent qualities to create a specific persona.
• An actor's image could become associated with a certain character type (e.g., Cary Grant as a sophisticated gentleman).

Stars and Social Type

• The concept of a "Social Type" involves an idealized model of expected behavior or conduct for individuals.
• Sociologist Orrin Klapp studied prominent social types, including heroes, villains, and idealized beauty standards.
• Film characters, often embodying these social types, became associated with particular stars.

Stars and Social Type (continued)

• Movie stars, through typecasting, often represent certain social types in film.
• Film characters become identified with their stars because repetition.
• Dyer argues the representations of social types in film are often based on the dominant group's values and perceptions of social norms (e.g., white, middle-class, male).

Social Type – The Hero

• Stars portray heroes/villains, etc., in films, through repetition/reinforcement across films.
• Identifying heroes and villains in a film helps viewers connect with the story.

Alternative Social Types

• Social types that outwardly defy dominant cultural values are discussed.
• Examples/ types given include the Rebel and the Independent Woman.

Alternative Social Type - The Rebel/ The Rebel Hero

• The figure of the rebel, often young characters, is explored as someone outside prevailing traditions.
• Some rebel characters appear anomic, and/or alienated from mainstream society due to personality, social position, or other cultural factors and circumstances.

Alternative Social Type - The Independent Woman

• Two main types of independent women: Superfemale and Superwoman.
• Superfemale women are strong and ambitious, but without outlets within typical female roles/spheres. Superwoman adopts male practices for greater social and economic power.
• These roles challenge the traditional female image/norms.
• These types of portrayals challenged traditional gender roles in movies and the portrayal of the independent woman.

Stars as Images

• Stars' image creation is influenced by numerous media sources like promotional materials, film portrayal, and reviews.
• Styles and characteristics associated with the star or character can shape the star's persona and portrayals in films.

Bette Davis as Type and Image

• Bette Davis was often portrayed as a Superfemale independent woman in her films.
• Specific films showcase this type, including examples like Front Page Woman and Dangerous.