Working title
''How does the media raise awareness about women rights (and acid attack victims in particular) in LEDCs through media texts such as the documentary 'Saving Face', and what is the impact of this?''
Angle
My approach will be to figure out how many campaigns, media texts have been made on the issues of acid attacks and see how beneficial they have been in order to raise awareness. There will be mention on global acid attacks, but comparison to how the media reacts to acid attacks in country's such as Pakistan, and how they are reacted to in the UK/America.
Hypothesis
Media = reducing acid attacks and promoting justice and being helpful - to some extent. There can be more done. Acid attacks are threats and there's not enough that the media are doing to end them in poorer country's.
Linked production pieceMy linked production will also be linked to acid attacks - or female rights and domestic issues - that females have to deal with. I will want this to be based on Pakistani females, since most of my wider context will be on these females.
MIGRAIN
Media
Apply the Key Concepts to your texts/topic by using the questions from the
Summer Research Project to help you. (Include at least five bullet point/key concept). Include as many
media keywords as you can.
M
What is the significance of mise-en-scene/sets/settings (CLAMPS)?
The setting is used in order to create authenticity. Rather than shooting the entire documentary in one place, the filmers and directors/interviewees are shown to be in various places, such as court, police station, the house in which one of the victims was attacked and the burn centre. This allows the audience to learn more about the character - and builds attachment and empathy for the character. A prime example of this was when Zakiyah(victim), looks around the room she was attacked in and states that ''this is the room my life was ruined in''.
I
Time Warner and Channel 4 are the main institutions behind this documentary.HBO (Home Box Office), is owned by Time Warner. HBO is an American premium cable and satellite television network.Saving Face had a key advantage as HBO In 2012 (the year of release) was the #1 premium pay television service in prime-time television and total day ratings. In 2013 the network received 2 Golden Globes, 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards (2014) and 27 prime-time Emmy Awards. (http://www.timewarner.com/company/operating-divisions/home-box-office)
Saving face had its UK TV premier screened at 10pm (post-watershed) on the 16th January 2013, on Channel 4. Channel 4 is a publicly-owned, commercially-funded public service broadcaster. They do not receive any public funding and have a remit to be innovative, experimental and distinctive.In addition their remit is also includes them appealing to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society.
There were many other organisations involved with Saving Face, in particular to fund the film, this included Chicken & Egg Pictures, The milk haus, Junge film, the fledgling fund and impact partners films. More information follows:
Junge Films, is Daniel Junge (co-directors) page - he is in association with this film purely as he is the director, and invested what he had for this documentary.
Chicken & Egg Pictures is dedicated to supporting women non-fiction film-makers, such as Sharmeen Chinoy & Daniel Junge whose diverse voices and dynamic storytelling have the power to catalyse change, at home and around the globe. We match strategic financial support with creative mentor-ship offered at critical junctures in the work of a film-makers. Since 2005, we've provided more than $3.3 million in grants and 5,000 hours in mentor-ship directly to film-makers.
G
What are the major generic conventions within the text?
- Voice over
- Authentic footage, recorded themselves
- Natural Sound & Lighting (although subtitles were included due to language barriers as part of some of the scenes, some traditional tunes were used in the back - and these were parallel.
- Interviews with experts are also included, for example the surgeon who helps the ladies.
- On screen text was also used, in order to introduce characters and location, such as 'Muzaffghar, Pakistan'.
- Visual coding i.e.. Mise en scene. E.g The doctor was introduced wearing and the culprit was shown to be smoking and handcuffed - to denote negativity.
What are the major generic themes?
- Violence
- Treatment
- Punishment, law and injustice against woman
- Human rights
- Illiteracy leading to aggression
- Poverty & Compromise
- Children, and sacrifice
- Lack of support
To what extent are the characters generically determined?
The characters (victims) who are shown are shown to be determined to
To what extent are the audience’s generic expectations of the text fulfilled or cheated by the text?
- The audience's generic expressions are fulfilled to a large extent, since this documentary provides an insight on the lives of the individuals shown, not only does this documentary get
Does the text feature a star, a director, a writer etc who is strongly associated with the genre? What meanings and associations do they have?
In saving face, the two main subjects are the victims of acid attacks & Dr. Mohammed Jawad are the main 'stars', the 2 victims are strongly associated with the genre Documentary, since this documentary is about them, and their courage to approach help. Of course, the main person who helps them and gives them a new life in a sense is Dr. Jawad their plastic surgeon - who is 'Saving' their 'Face - thus explains the name of the documentary.
RWho is being represented (in what way? By whom?)
The victims of the acid attacks shown in the documentary are being representedas innocent and shown to be vulnerable in the scenario, as they are the ones who the documentary focuses on. A dominant representation of Doctors are shown, as Surgeon Mohammed Jawad is shown to fly over from London to help those at the 'Burn Centre' in Islamabad. Doctors= helpful, caring ect. In addition the culprits have been represented negatively, as one of the men is first shown smoking & the interviewer questions the acid burns on his hands, which he is shown to lie about and denies that the acid burnt him whilst saving his wife.
Why is the subject being represented in this way?
As the documentary is to show+ the vulnerability of acid attacks, and the aftermath of the horrendous act it was important to show victims in a helpless state mentally and physically.
The culprit was shown in handcuffs - thus negatively.
Doctors were shown positively to show the audience that there is help available, which can make the poor victims much better & feel & look like themselves again,
The burns centre in Islamabad was also portrayed positively yet again, to show that there's some help available.
Is the representation fair and accurate?
The representation of women in Pakistan being seen as the property of their husband & inferior than her husband and his family, are fair and accurate - as the women shown in this are shown to be mostly burnt by their husbands and/or his family.
What opportunities exist for self-representation by the subject?
There are many opportunities provided for self-representation for the subject, this is because it was a documentary that followed the experience of the individuals who were burnt. The victims had the opportunity to not only share their experience, but what they want to happen next, and also how they feel about receiving help & change in Pakistani Law.
One of the culprits, who was in police custody until his court hearing regarding the acid attack was also given the opportunity for self-representation. He told the interviewer that his wife burnt herself, although this was to give a negative representation of this man, as the documentary was edited so the audience were already aware that the culprit and had attacked his wife - so his justifications were futile, and made him look even worse for acting innocent.
Furthermore the surgeon, Dr. Jawad has also been given the opportunity to represent himself highly, as he had given information about his career, and how the acid attacks make him feel, and this was really personal.
Ideology
The major values, ideologies and assumptions underpinning the text is that women are equal to men, and should not be mis-treated. This text is biased, and only shows female victims attacked by acid, making the audience assume that males are not attacked by acid, however they - the majority are women. The value that women are superior in Pakistan & are treated as slaves
In addition, the ideology and assumption that the poor have no choice, are helpless and vulnerable have been enforced and subverted. Enforced as the victim was shown to live with her husband again after the attack, since she didn't have enough money (or her family) for her to be supported in her parent's house. On the other, she was getting freely treated by Dr Jawad an expert from London, free of cost - and this is a life changing opportunity.
Ideology of the laws against crime in Pakistan are poor have been enforced, as the characters in the documentary strive to get a laws against acid attacks in place.
Narrative
The text can be linked to the equilibrium theory, as the victims are treated in the end, as opposed to having a sad
SHEP (Social, Historical, Economical, and Political)
Social
-Pakistan is a society where majority of families live closely bind, in a joint family.
-The female has a lot of rights religiously, however culture issues of men being dominant have taken over the minds of many narrow minded people, potentially why this leads to Acid Attacks by husbands/brothers/fathers.
- The family of a woman's husband is usually very involved in their life, and she is usually able to turn a women's husband against her, putting her in tough situations. Therefore a lot of the acid attacks are performed by the family of a lady's husband.
-Acid attacks are seen common in Pakistan, as opposed to country's such as the UK.
Historical
-
Economical
-The places in which Acid attacks mostly happen tend to be LEDC (less economically developed country's), for example Pakistan, Bangladesh and many country's in Africa, such as Cambodia.
-The reasons that this happens in LEDC's is due to a number of reasons, including poor education, leading to not having full awareness of what's right and wrong, as well as being very culturally and society based, meaning that education and the impact of what abuse can do to another won't be thought about as much in MEDC's.
Political-
It is seen to be fairly easy to get away with anything in Pakistan - if one has links/power and money. In some cases just a bit of money can get you out of a situation, this does happen a lot and this is the key issue, thus many women and victims may not get justice.
-Not many laws are known in villages or less developed cities/regions, such as Muzafaghar - that is shown in Saving Face.
Apply the Wider Contexts to your text/topic, including at least three bullet points on each one.
Issues/DebatesSelect at least five and say how each relates to your study, using the
Media A-Z to help you think about this:
- Representation and stereotyping
Representation of women is shown to be both dominant and superior - the solicitor is a female, however the victims shown are all females.There are representation of those with disability/disfigurement, these are shown in the media text to be helpless, since Rukhsana .
- News Values
Pakistan is not in the league country's, therefore it is less likely for even minor news from country's such as USA to be on rather than an acid attack in Pakistan or other poorer country's.
Cultural proximity is definitely something that can be linked because acid attacks are less likely to happen in Britain, people maybe less likely to understand the concept, therefore it's not on the news as much as it could be. However this is wrong, because awareness should be raised.
- The effect of globalisation on the media
The surgeon, Dr Mohammed Jawad, flies over from a western country to help the victims of Acid attacks in Pakistan - this transition
- Media effects
- Ownership and control
- Regulation and censorship
- Media technology and the digital revolution – changing technologies in the 21st century
Theories
Select at least five use -
Media A-Z:
- Gender and ethnicity
Females, and they are from country's that are really cultural, and many rely on males being more dominant than female, thus believe that they can get away with it.
- Semiotics
- Structuralism and post-structuralism
- Post-modernism and its critiques
- Genre theories
Media texts
Saving Face
Academic texts/books
- Beautiful - Katie Piper - Published September 14th 2011 by Ebury Press - first published in Jan 11'
- Eliminating Domestic Violence by Ron Fandrick - Nov 2010
- "It was Like Burning in Hell" - 2009
- Violence in
Internet Links
2. At least FIVE from university websites/academic papers online. Use
Google Scholar as a starting point.
3. Any other relevant sites/articles - the more the better.
see in ignite talk blog post..
