Reframing the Gaze: How Women Filmmakers Influence the Portrayal of Women On-Screen
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Date
2019
Authors
Deck, Megan Elizabeth
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
This thesis was inspired by my passion for women filmmakers and my curiosity about how a filmmaker’s gender identity informs how women are represented in films. I investigated the complicated history of women’s role in Hollywood to learn why there are few female directors and writers working in Hollywood presently. I examined how the male-dominated film industry affects the representation of women on-screen using the concepts of the male gaze and the Bechdel test. I argued that if men create a distinctly male point of view in their filmmaking, women therefore create a female point of view, also known as the female gaze. I found that having men or women in creative production roles (directing, writing, cinematography, or producing) strongly affects how women in a film are portrayed in Hollywood films. To put theory into practice, I wrote, directed, and edited a short film with a female protagonist and recruited a film crew of all women to help me construct the female gaze.
Description
29 pages
Keywords
Cinema Studies, Film, Filmmaker, Gaze, Male Gaze, Female Gaze