Mest 4- Summer Project

Summer Project- Deadpool

1) Chosen text- Deadpool

2) Research of Deadpool:

• http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Why-Deadpool-Has-Been-Banned-China-106557.html

The following link is an article that is about the film Deadpool being banned in China.

• http://www.wired.co.uk/article/deadpool-most-successful-r-rated-film

This article is about the film being 20th Century's most profitable film yet and being the most successful r- rated movie to date.

• https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deadpool/?search=deadpool

The link above shows the success of Deadpool on one of the worlds most popular film review sites; RottenTomatoes. It shows how such a film has gotten a high rating level of being 84%.

• https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/feb/16/global-box-office-deadpool-the-mermaid-zoolander-2

• http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/deadpool-officially-rated-r-and-for-all-the-right-reasons-a6811361.html

• http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Deadpool-Finally-Opens-Japan-Wow-135517.html

• http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice/news/a792233/batman-v-supermans-r-rated-extended-cut-is-clocking-in-3-hours/

The above link shows how another highly anticipated film known as Batman v Superman is now considering to launch an R- rated cut. This could be happening due to the current success and hype for the Deadpool movie.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nqxh_FlvRc
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54gINtIpwDs

Media Representations 

• Who is being represented? In what way? By whom?

The superhero genre is the one that is being represented. It is being represented in a r-rated fashion, something which is unusual for this type of genre. The ones who are making the representation is the institution behind the film, known as Twentieth Century Fox. 

• Why is the subject being represented in this way? 

There is mixed opinions on the core basis of this representation. The split is between, money and the audience. On one hand, those who enjoyed the comic adaptation of the character demand to see this film. This allows other people who are not so familiar to the character to start paying some interest. This leads the audience expanding which means a potential target market. The institution may have made the film for the interest of the fans. However, it can also be seen as a money making scheme. Considering the film has a lot of potential due to the comments people have been saying abut it, the institution didn't hesitate to announce a sequel on the day of release of the film. This shows that even though the film had risks, it delivered a lot of profit and making a sequel was obvious as it will land a whole lot of money for the institution. 

• Is the representation fair and accurate?

I believe the representation for the film is fair and accurate as they don't necessarily go against fans. Fans don't really care if the film they desire is driven fro profit, they just want to see the film they demanded. 

• What opportunities exist for self-representation by the subject?

The opportunity to create a sequel to their movie. Due to taking the risk and actually benefiting from it financially has lead to the production company taking advantage of it by announcing a sequel. This can help build a bigger fanbase than before as well as, bring in more revenue and profits.

Media Languages and Forms 

• What are the denotative and connotative levels of meaning?

One of the denotative levels within the film is that it is just another superhero related spin off movie that people/society are used to. Considering how much of the superhero genre has become part of a mainstream audience, there is no denial that people who see advertising for the film or even a pg 13 trailer (which is what generally is presented via YouTube breaks and TV commercials), will see it as another typical superhero film. However, the connotations is what is inside the film. For example, the explicit violence and comedic nature of the film is what makes the film different from the classic mainstream superhero movies. The first scene being Deadpool, killing a huge number of people in a single second shows the brutality of the movie but also its comedic nature. The London bus advert for the film is an example, 'With great power comes great irresponsibility'. This is obviously a re-creation of the classic Marvel quote from Sam Ramey's Spiderman. However, the quote has been altered in a way to connote the films difference from other films. Parents and adults are to look at this advertisement and think to them self, 'is this really a child's film' ? Which is one of the reason why/how this movie was able to pull so many people in to watch it.   

• What is the significance of the text’s connotations?

The title of the movie being names after the actual character 'Deadpool' has a specific word that stands out from other superhero movies, and that is the word 'dead'. People don't generally associate death with a superhero film as they are targeting a younger demographic, however the name of the character shows otherwise. When adults see the title of the film, it connotes adult content or brutality, and so it does due to the films hard R-rating.

• What are the non-verbal structures of meaning in the text (e.g. gesture, facial expression, positional communication, clothing, props etc)?

There is a specific poster that focuses on the waist part of the main character and a prop of a weapon (gun). The tag line above the main image says' wait till you get a load of me' suggests that the emphasis and the person who is talking is the characters private part. The majority of the image is focused around the private part as the gun is also seen along side it. The tag line is to connote that the private part is the one that is going to be the show as it says 'me'. Furthermore, the emphasis of the private part is very unusual for any mainstream Marvel movie if someone sees it. The emphasis is to show how it is very much different and is a different type of movie. 

• What is the significance of mise-en-scene/sets/settings (CLAMPS)?

The focus being on the private part is very significant, its as if the film director wants the true nature of the film to be exposed as much as possible and to show that it is very different from the other counterparts. In addition, the weapon plays a significant role in the poster, as traditionally the weapons that superhero's generally use are their super powers and death using those powers don't really have an impact on the audience. However, having a gun changes the meaning. The gun symbolises death and brutality, and if a person sees this weapon in the poster they will assume that this film isn't like the others, it is more graphical. The idea of using a gun as a weapon ultimately shows that the film will be for an older audience as it involves killing.

The setting is another thing. The film does tend to take part in a strip club which again shows the true direction in which this film wants to go. It isn't a typical superhero film, it is something more and different. When someone watches the trailer, and see this scene they will ultimately see this as an adult film and it really draws the attention of the viewer.

• What work is being done by the sound track/commentary/language of the text?

The sound track within the film is a mixture of classical as well as rap music. The first sequence we see is a slow motion shot with classical music in the background. The music selection is designed to bring forth comedy element as the music is contrapuntal to the scene being played. The scene is of Deadpool giving a gun-man a wedgie, this scene and the music add to make a comedic effect. In addition, the second most used sound track is 'X gone give it to ya' which is an old song as well as being part of the films advertisement.

There is a lot of commentary present in the film as the films main purpose and uniqueness is solely on h character (Deadpool) breaking the fourth wall. This undoubtedly involves a lot of comedy and entertains the audience as the character brings a lot of sense of humor.This links on to the next point; the language used. The language used by this text is strong language as it fits in with the age certification that the film has been rated which is R-rated. The film makers want to create as much comedy as possible within the film and having a lot of strong language being the basis of the movie, give freedom for comedy to flow through-out the film.

• What are the dominant images and iconography, and what is their relevance to the major themes of the text?

The most dominant image within the text is that males are dominant that females. This representation is reinforced throughout the film and even the main female character says I have played a lot of roles, damsel in distress aint one of them'. This quote is used as a comedic part of the film to show that even though the female lead is saying she isn't a damsel in distress, she essentially is and that all women are seen as damsel in distress whom seek the protection and aid of men, like seen in this movie.

One dominant iconography is the fact that the main character uses guns as his prime weapon of choice. This is usual to a standard movie goer as their representation of 'superhero' films is that they either have supernatural power or tech, to dumb down the graphic content it an have on the audience. For example, when Ironman uses his hand blasters on an enemy, the scene doesn't show any blood, because the use of tech dumb's down the graphical content. However, with a gun it is completely different. The gun acts as a way to show the audience what type of movie and character this film is based off. By showing the gun on posters and in the film reinforces its difference to other superhero movies.

Reference to quote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vN6DHB6bJc

• What sound and visual techniques are used to convey meaning (e.g. camera positioning, editing; the ways that images and sounds are combined to convey meaning)?

The visual technique of the blood being put into the movie was used to convey the rating that the film aimed to achieve as well as giving the fans what they demanded. The character of Deadpool is best known for his explicit content and the way he deals with his enemies is very graphical in the comics. This means that the visual effects such as the blog and gore were to stay true to the character and give the audience what they wanted for a long time. In addition, the CG eyes on the character is used to create a new and fresh look for the superhero genre. It is also a way to covey true visual element of the comic book adaptation of the character and build the nostalgic feel that audiences have demanded for.

Narrative 

• How is the narrative organised and structured?

The film follows a non linear narrative (and muti-strand narrative) in which flashbacks and other time-lines are shown where needed. For example, the film starts of with Wade Wilson (alter ego of Deadpool) as Deadpool, and doesn't go into detail about his origin until a few minutes later. Typically in a superhero film, there is generally always a liner narrative as the film makers want the audience to grasp the past story of the character as it may be relevant further on. A good example would be, Same Ramey's Spiderman (1) where we see uncle Ben's death, and this story is very important for the third movie where the protagonist goes to trace his uncles killer. 

• How is the audience positioned in relation to the narrative?

The audience feel as if they are part of the narrative as the films sole theme is breaking the fourth wall, which other films tend not to do. The main character Deadpool often talks to the audience making it feel more realistic and comedic.

• How are characters delineated? What is their narrative function? How are heroes and villains created?

The audience are portrayed as the witness of the story. The go through the hardships that the main character goes through and feel close to the character as he is generally the one speaking to the audience. In other films such as, Mission Impossible Rogue Nation, the character Bengie represents the audience. The audiences narrative function is to participate and interact with the main character. They are meant to feel as if they are the character sidekick who gets all the information needed and are constantly interacted to. The audience feel of more importance than compared to typical mainstream movies. The villain is created through the flash-backs. We as the audience, feel more connected to the main character and when we find out the core roots of the main characters problems originated from another man, we as the audience dislike the villain as we feel sympathy for the characters trauma. 

• What techniques of identification and alienation are employed?

One form of alienation that is employed within the film is the fourth wall breaking effect. This is a concept that TV generally does and not film. Audience who see this film will most likely be seeing such an effect for the first time and won't be used to this effect. The parts that audiences feel used to would be the damsel in distress story which is what most audiences are familiar with now days. Many films carry this as a core story/plot, however this film uses it as a semi-story element and not the core driving plot for the film.

• What is the role of such features as sound, music, iconography, genre, mise-en-scene, editing etc within the narrative?

Sound-

The sound is very much used to tell the story to the audience. It is the basis of telling the narrative and giving the audience essential plot points so that they can look forward or even understand the story line. Many films recently have not used sound very well to tell the audience what is happening or even, what is going to happen in the movie. For example, Batman V Superman uses pointless speech from the character Lex Luthor just to fill up some screen time instead of giving the audience valuable plot details. In addition, Deadpool uses sound to create the sense of humor that the film has built and is one of the driving forces of the film, making it one of the most important parts of the film. 

Music-

The music gives the film its form of rating. The film uses a lot of rap music to convey its fun and hard tone. The music uses strong language that fits in with the type film being played. One of the songs played a lot through the film was 'X gone give it to ya' which contains some strong language making it fit with the type of film sch as this- Deadpool.

Genre-

Being a superhero type film allows people to want to watch it, as they are so familiar with these types of films. Although the film is completely different to its superhero counterparts, it still possess similar qualities such as costume and alter ego. The film carries a shared universe that many superhero films now have. However the film has also set aside a new genre for its self, an r-rated genre is the new genre that this film is categorized in. It fits in with the core nature of the character as in the comics (the original place in which this character originated from) was not like the other superhero characters within the Marvel company. The character had a different take, being a much more explicit character and more comedic than the other superhero's that Marvel have.

Editing-

The editing used in this film was very well put together. It fitted in with the character. By having various flash backs and cuts connoted the fragmented life that the main character had, and hardships he faced through-out the narrative. It is used to show how the character got to where he is and why he acts the way he acts. In addition, the editing plays a part in building the sympathy for the on screen character as the audience learn more about his past as the story progresses. 

• What are the major themes of the narrative? What values/ideologies does it embody?

One of the major themes that the film carries is, the damsel in distress theme. This plays a minor role in the film (towards the end). The main ideology that this theme embodies is that it reinforces the female stereotype of being helpless without men and always need help.

Another theme that the film carries is objectification of women in the film. We see the main character Wade Wilson go to a strip club and it is there where he meets his future love interest. This reinforces the objectification of women is society. They are there to entertain men and objects to society rather than actual human beings. There is also a scene in the film where the majority of the people within the strip club are men and all the strippers are female, reinforcing the ideology.

Genre 

• To which genre does the text belong?

The text belongs to the superhero genre, but seems to have created its own genre. The anti-hero genre which consists of characters who are portrayed as superhero's but they don't work to save the day, rather for their ow means. For example, killing a drug crime lord because he killed the protagonists wife, not because he is against the law. 

• What are the major generic conventions within the text?

1) Women is kidnapped and is used as bait to lore in the hero.
2) Typical disease that is used to build sympathy o the audience.
3) Shared universe with the institutions characters such a, the X Men universe.
4) Revenge plot against a man who wronged the main character.
5) Detective type movie, where the main character traks down every wrong doer involved. 

• What are the major iconographic features of the text?

In the first 30 minutes of the movie (the 1st act), we see the iconic swords that Deadpool possess. We see Deadpool take out his blades of fury and stab them into a criminals stomach and lift him into the air. This scene is also seen in the trailer for the movie [to watch the exact scene it is on 0.26 of the following link] >(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCvLUxICxEI) 

In addition, there is an icon graphic scene where Deadpool spins does a barrel role in mid air and shots three guys in the head with a single bullet. This scene shows how graphical the scene is as well as acting as a way to make the audience engage with the text.

• What are the major generic themes?

1) Damsel in distress
2) Revenge plot
3) Male dominance

• To what extent are the characters generically determined?

The character of the film (known as Wade Wilson) as well as other characters. are generically determined to an extent. Because they represent normal human lives, with normal daily problems, however the majority of the generic material is overshadowed by the non-generic lifestyle, such as being a superhero/anti-hero.

• To what extent are the audience’s generic expectations of the text fulfilled or cheated by the text? Does the text conform to the characteristics of the genre, or does it treat them playfully or ironically?

This film has taken a while to come out simply because the institution didn't believe the film would make enough at the box office, and would be a very risky move. The institution did have this character in a live action film before. Deadpool had made an appearance in the X-Men origins film, however this take on the character outraged many fans, and they demanded a re-boot of the character in to his own standalone movie. The actor who played the character in X-Men origins, was Ryan Reynolds and he too demanded a fresh take on the character as he was displeased with the X-Men portrayal. When the film was released, it made many fans relieved and happy that the institution took such a risky step in order to please their fans. The audiences expectations for the film was fulfilled, there was rarely anybody who dislike the film, which is why it has broken so many world records. In addition, the characteristics of the genre is played through out the film and plays a core part in the narrative as well as defining the character.

• 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?

The film has two writers that are very much familiar with being features with this type of film. The writers consist of Rhette Reese and Paul Wernick who are famously known for doing r-rated movies such as Deadpool. These writers are best known for their work on the Zombieland sequels which are both R-rated movies. The film features a famous actor known as Ryan Reynolds who does various different types of films and isn't commonly known for doing r-rated movies.

Media Institutions 

• What is the institutional source of the text?

The institution that owns this text is known as Twentieth Century Fox. This is a famous institution known for owning The Simpsons and the famously known X-Men franchise, which Deadpool belongs to.

• In what ways has the text been influenced or shaped by the institution which produced it?

The institution didn't want to make the film in the first place as they believed that not that many people are going to be interested in watching a movie like this. s the years went by, the fanbase for this movie grew tremendously and the institution took the risk and asked for the movie to be made. The institution added small segments within the film in order to help it make a profit. One of which is creating its first shared universe film with the film. Deadpool was the fist Twentieth Century film to feature the X-Men cast as well as universe, similar to how Marvel Studios do their movies. This move played a big part in the merchandising of the film as well as advertisement.

• Is the source a public service or commercial institution? What difference does this make to the text?

The film can be seen in two ways. There are some people who believe that the institution created the text to please its fan-base. Due to the outrage performance that the X-Men origins movie had on the character, the fan-base for such a character had been growing. And even the original actor Ryan Reynolds demanded for a reboot on the character. However, it can also be seen as a money making scheme, in which the institution notices the high demand for a movie and thus results in higher profit. Therefore, making the movie can guarantee and sequel and more money for the company in the long term.

• Who owns and controls the institution concerned and does this matter?

The institution is self controlled and isn't influenced by anybody when creating its content. Things such as the BBC are influenced by their pubic remit which is what controls the level of content and how they present that content t the public. However, in the case of Twentieth Century Fox, the boards chairman/CEO is the one that can make last minute changes and influences to their products such as this. For example, the studio wanted the film to have a ow budget in case they make a loss, it wouldn't badly effect the institution in the long term.

• How has the text been distributed?

The text has been distributed like all other movies. It first has a trailer, that gives the audience a first feel of what the movie will look like and essentially, create the hype for the movie. Then after the 3 main trailers for the movie has been released, the film is then presented in the cinemas. After 3 months of being in the cinemas, it is time for the movie to transition to the DVD/CD platform where it will be sold all over the world as a hand held copy for people to enjoy. However, this film had a slightly different approach. Due to the institution not wanting to make the film, what they did was create a test footage of a fight sequence in complete CGI, to show the audience what the film would look like. There was one person in the crowd who recorded the test footage and put it online. This had created a lot of hype for the film as people fans couldn't believe that the film has finally been done right and were overwhelmed with the test footage. This hype had gained the attention of the institution and where happy to move forwards from the test footage.

Media Values and Ideology 

• What are the major values, ideologies and assumptions underpinning the text or naturalised within it?

The representation of women plays a crucial part in terms of values and ideologies. The film portrays women much negative than compared to men. For example, women are seen as objects when we see the strip club scene as well as the damsel in distress theme being played out. This creates negative ideologies in the audiences eyes as they may disagree with the films portrayal of the film. In addition, another major value seen within the film would be the crude and horrid nature of the film. Casual movie goers, or parents may be horrified with the films content and one of the main problems is the debate if such a film should be Marvel property.

• What criteria have been used for selecting the content presented?

The film had a very strict and tight criteria in which it had to follow as this text was considered a huge risk for the institution. The institution had given the film $58 million, which makes the film on a low budget compared to the institutions bigger films such as X-Men which generally have a $100 million budget. In addition, the film had to be a PG 13 before filming began, as the institution believed it will gain a mainstream audience therefore gaining a bigger profit. However, this restriction changed after the test footage was leaked online. Furthermore, the film had to make references to the X-Men universe as this film was a way to create a shared cinematic universe with the other franchises in which 20th Century Fox owns.

Media Audiences 

• To whom is the text addressed? What is the target audience? (Demographics, Psychographics)

The text is largely targeting an older audience, something that is unusual for a Marvel film to do, as they have been very loyal to their younger demographic. But due to the hard R-rating that Deadpool has received, it is clear that the film plans to attract an older demographic. The film seems to target ages 18+, as it references a lot of adult related things such as sexual content as well as language. The psycho-graphics associated with the text would be explorers as well as reformers, as they may seek change in the mainstream films and demand something new.

• What assumptions about the audience’s characteristics are implicit within the text?

The type of language that the studio put into the film/text was to reflect the lifestyle and characteristics of its audience. Since the film was going for a r-rating, it wanted to connect with the audience so that they feel familiar with the content they are watching. In this case, the language was a part that really reflected the audience. In addition, the explicit content that the text shows, is a way to familiarise the audience with their own lifestyle. 

• What assumptions about the audience are implicit in the text’s scheduling or positioning?

The fact that this film is positioned to be a theatrical film, that's a blockbuster shows that the audience is likely to be those who want a source of escapism. The use of comedy and fantasy themes re-occurring throughout the film, delivers the desires that the audience wants to be fulfilled.

• In what conditions is the audience likely to receive the text? Does this impact upon the formal characteristics of the text?

The audience have barrier in which hey have strict rules in order to watch the film. The rules are to be of a certain age in order to watch the film, which ultimately decreases the potential audience that the film can receive.  However, this barer shows the brutality and the sheer different in context that this film has in comparison to other superhero movies.

• What do you know or can you assume about the likely size and constituency of the audience?

I think that the size of the audience for a text like this is fairly big. However, the fan base isn't as big as normal Marvel films as people are familiar with the content that Marvel movies make. Films such as, Kickass have helped to expand the r-rated superhero movie genre and due to the character of Deadpool being well received by fans (through the comics), it has made a solid audience for this text to be made.

• What are the probable and possible audience readings of the text? 

*One of the best Marvel movies made
*Best r-rated movie to date
*Too explicit for young kids
*Too much strong language

• What are the audience pleasures, uses or gratifications?  (Refer to theory).

Audience love to be entertained, and having strong language used b a comedic character helps deliver that pleasure. In addition, the trailer showed a lot of new things that a traditional Marvel movie wouldn't have, and thus creating high anticipation for the movie. The character Deadpool was first created in 1991, meaning that there have been many generations familiar an a fan of the character for a long time, therefore the film would provide a nostalgic feeling for them.

• How do you, as an audience member, read and evaluate the text? To what extent is your reading and evaluation influenced by your age, gender, background etc?

The text is very much influenced by the age of the audience, as the film at times portrays the audiences lives on screen, for example, going against the law, or even swearing etc. The lifestyle of Deadpool's alter ego does carry some influences from the audience in which the audience can relate to and understand. In addition, the scenes and sequences shown in this film such as strip club, kind of acts as a way to reflect the audiences desire to go to a strip club, and by watching it on screen they feel satisfied and as if they were there them-self. Finally, the background in which the character comes from can also be influenced by the audience as those who are aspirers are likely to come from tough background and demand escapism from their current lives, which the film can do.

Chosen Film

Deadpool

The reason why I have chosen the film Deadpool is because it is the first film in Marvel's history to be rated R and this could create a large debate on whether this move to carry out such rated films is good for the future of the company and to the audience. As we know, Marvel Studio's core target audience is kids. The second audience is nostalgic viewers who grew up with the on screen adaptation of the character such as Spiderman or Ironman. Since the test footage for Deadpool leaked all over the internet in 2014, people have been demanding the film to be rated R, similar to its comicbook adaptation. Majority of those who demanded the R rated movie were none other than the older audience, and Marvel have always supported and aimed their products at the younger demographic. Making such film as a Marvel property can appose as a risk to Marvel as they have gotten a huge track record of successful Superhero films which have been released in the last 10 years and they don't want to ruin that reputation by submitting a film that doesn't deft Marvel Studio's. However, the film distributor- 20th Century Fox had seen light in this debate and took the risk in to making this 'test footage' into an actual film. Little did they know, that this would be the most successful R rated movie to date and has grossed the most amount of revenue that 20th Century Fox have ever revived compared to their past films.

I want to debate whether or not, Marvel or any other youth dominant institution should go about making R rated movies for the sake of delivering films to a more adult audience which Deadpool has successfully done. 

Media Texts

5 Chosen Media Texts

Chosen text: Film

Film- Deadpool

Media issue/debate- This was the first r rated superhero film to be made that was from the Marvel films family. The Marvel brand and franchise of movies were already dominating the box office, and several films have been made sing their content and past comic-book titles, turning them into films. 20th Century Fox had brought the rights for the X-men characters (which included Deadpool and Fantastic Four). The studio had attempted to put Deadpool on the big screen but wanted to do it in the more traditional way, pg 13. Many fans were outraged with the studios performance for the character and demanded an r rated film (as this is the kind of rating that the character from the comics is based off of. Making a superhero film, that was already doing successful, but making it completely different from the other superhero films was a big risk. 20th Century Fox finally gave the script a pass and it was at the time where the film hit theatres where it was announced that Deadpool was the first R rated movie to break such records. This showed the risk that the studio took and actually paid off.

The public who were unaware of the characters comic portrayal were outraged when taking their children to go see the film as they believed they were watching a traditional superhero move. The film had gained world wide coverage as it was the first film in the Marvel universe to be of an R rated content and had done so successfully at the box office.



Chosen text- Film

Film- Doctor Strange

Media issue/debate- After the successful phase 1 and 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Marvel had lined up a slate for the next 10 years worth of Marvel movies and Doctor Strange is one of them. Considering the comic material in which the majority of these films are based off of will obviously follow the classic ideologies and traditions such as white ethnic characters etc. After the first trailer for Doctor Strange released on YouTube many fans and non-fans were concerned and angered by the level of 'white washing' that the studio had taken in terms of their casting choices. What is white washing? Well white washing is when actors who are originally from a non-white ethnicity and are given to white ethnic actors to take up the role. The controversy had started when Tilda Swinton was given the role to play a Tibetan role which was originally (in the comics) played by an Asian Tibetan man. Many fans believed that the studio and team had ultimately white washed their cast.
The importance of having a Tibetan man play the monk in the story was what fans wanted. They wanted the film to be as close to the film as possible and where disheartened when they found that Tilda was casted to play this role, which (in their eyes) was immoral. The studio and director had to go out of their way to explain the necessary casting choices and said that, the comics where very stereotypical back then, and would be seen as reinforcing such stereotypes in today's society by having and Asian man play the wise and poor person. People still felt that the character was white washed as they believed that the studio wanted to replace the character with a white person.
This debate has now open doors for other Marvel films such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Spiderman Homecoming to have a diverse cast. The new Spiderman movie has now taken this debate into consideration and has begun casting many individuals from different ethnicity.



Chosen text- Film

Film- The Interview

Media issue/debate-

In 2014, this was a highly anticipated comedic movie to launch theatres at the time. The film involves mockery at the North Korean dictator and ultimately parodies-es him. In light of the film about to release, the Korean dictator had hacked Sony Studio's database by putting the film online for free in HD. This event was a shock to the film industry as this was the first time such major hacking has even occurred. It is said that the dictator disliked the idea of a film being made which was built to make fun of him, and thus resulted in his crew hacking into Sony's database and putting the film online. Millions of people watched the film for free on various sites and the studio had lost billions due to this hacking. This hacking had made the film a huge loss and to this day, Sony are still trying to recover some of their money through other parts of their business.

The idea of mocking the dictator had influenced him into attacking Sony for attacking his life. Sony had to sell of its rights to other properties in order to make the money back. It was this even that lead to their pried possession, The Amazing Spiderman franchise to be sold back to Marvel, but with a deal. Sony couldn't bare to lose their golden ticket, and so they agreed to allow Spiderman into the MCU. This deal had made back some of the money that Sony had lost due to the hacking,



Chosen text- Documentary film

Documentary- Amy

Media issue/debate-

After the passing of Amy Winehouse, Director Asif Kapadia was accused of misleading audiences with the footage he used of Amy within his film. One of those people who believed that the film was misleading was Amy's father. He went to say that the film had portrayed him as a negative person as their was a scene of both Amy and her father arguing and he believed that this gave their relationship a negative view in the public's eye. He didn't lime the scenes in which the director had used for the film and there was a lot of debate whether it was personal or not. These debates had caused the films release to extend further and it later released in theatres in July 2015.



Chosen text: Music video

Music video- Ill Manors (by Ben Drew aka Plan B)

Media issue/debate-

The musician Plan B had made a film before making this music video. His film is based around the political stand point of the London riots. His film was widely received by many Londoners particularly the youth. The problems was, was that although he said on many cases that he didn't support the riots, his music video kind of look like it. The music video seemed to show the negative side of the youngsters as they are seen taking drugs and doing violent acts. In addition, he is seen attacking the prime minister in his video, which can open doors of him being seen as a bad role model. The debate is, whether he supported the riots or not as his film and music video kind of give a negative representation of the youth whereas he is saying that they aren't.

Other chosen text that I am interested in are:

• Straight Outta Compton- Film
• 'I'm in love with the coco'- Music video