work

1. BethanyCoxon
Creative InvestigationEssay(sofar)
Are the female protagonists of Beastly,The Lucky One and Dear Johnpresentedstereotypicallyin
relationto the usual codesand conventionsofa romance adaptation?
1. Introduction explainingthe focusof the research
For my creative investigationIwill be exploringhow the female protagonistsof stereotypically
presentedinmythree chosenfocusfilms;Beastly,The LuckyOne andDearJohn.I have chosento
focuson more modern,contemporaryromance adaptationswhichIamfamiliarwithsothatI can
easilyidentifythe representationsof femalesinmoderndaycinema.Iwasinspiredtofocuson how
femalesare representedincinemabythe theoristLauraMulveyandher Male Gaze theorywhich
statesthat womenare to be lookedatand sexualised,andIwantedtosee if cinemareinforce or
challenge thistheoryandotherstereotypesof women.Ihave chosenBeastly,The LuckyOne and
Dear Johnbecause these filmshave afemale protagonistthatchallengesthe typical girl thatyouget
inotherromance films.Ihave alsochose these filmsbecause theyare all romance/drama
adaptationswhichisthe same genre as the bookthat I have chosento adapt(Girl Online).
2. Descriptionof keytexts (primary and secondary)
The three textsI have chosentofocus mycreative investigationonare Beastly,DearJohnand The
Lucky One.Ihave chosenthese three textsbecause,personally,Ithinkthatall of the mainfemale
protagonistsinthese filmsall challenge the stereotypicallyrepresentationsof womenincinema.
Item 1: Beastly:Daniel Barnz(2011: CBS Films)
Thisis myfirstprimarysource for my creative investigation,thiswaschosenbecauseof the main
female protagonistLindy,whoIthink,challengesthe stereotypical representationsof femalesin
cinema.The message thatliesbeneaththisfilmisthat‘Love isNeverUgly’whichiswhatbringsthe
twoprotagoniststofall inlove.Itis a moderndaytake onthe classic story‘The Beautyand the
Beast’.

2. BethanyCoxon
The female protagonistinthisfilmiscalledLindy,playedbyVanessaHudgens.We clearlysee the
difference betweenherandthe ‘popular’girlsbecause of herattitude andthe wayshe looks;mutual
colouredclothes,wavy hair.Alsothe wayshe actsis differenttothe typicallygirl wouldactwhich
wouldbe to be clingytothe popularguysandconstantlycrave the attention.Opposite tothis,Lindy
helpsothersanddoesnotmake herself knowntoeveryone.
Item 2: The Lucky One:Scott Hicks(2012: WarnerBros)
Thisis mysecondprimarysource for my creative investigation,withthe female protagonistbeing a
womancalledBeth.The LuckyOne is basedona man findingthe womanwhosavedhislife.He sets
out to findherand that is the reasontheyfall inlove.Ichose thisfilmbecause Ilike how the
character Bethin the filmisportrayedasa ‘normal’female;justahard workingwoman.Ialsochose
thisfilmbecause itispart of the same genre asthe adaptationthatI am workingon.In thisfilmthe
female protagonistiscalledBethandisquite a countrygirl.She,also,isnotthe typical female that
youwouldsee inotherromance films.She worksfamilyownedbusinessinadog kennel soshe isnot
exactlydressedtoimpress.She ismore likeacountrygirl.
Item 3: Dear John:Lasse Hallström(2010, ScreenGems)
Thisis mythird primarysource formy creative investigation,withthe femaleprotagonistbeinga
womancalledSavannah.Thisismyfinal focal filmwhichisbasedupona soldier,whoisonleave,
whothenfallsinlove withacollege student.Ialsochose itbecause itisalsoof the genre
Romance/Dramaandis an adaptation.The female protagonistinthisfilmiscalledSavannahandisa
college student.Throughoutthe filmwe see thatSavannahhasothersinmindwhichisshown
throughher actions.
Item 4: Mulvey,Laura,1975. ‘Visual Pleasure andNarrative Cinema’.Theory
Thissource has the informationaboutLauraMulveys‘Male Gaze Theory’whichisan importantfilm
theory.The theoryisbasicallyhowthe audience view womenwhoare presentedinthe mediaand

3. BethanyCoxon
filmindustry.Mulveystatesthatwomenare there tobe seenandnotheard andthat through
cinematography,byusingcertainmovementsandshots,portraysthemas sexual objects.Thisisan
importanttheorywhentalkingaboutwomeninfilmandforthe filmsIam studyingIwant to see if
Mulveystheoryisreinforcedorchallenged.
Website:http://www.haberarts.com/mulvey.htm
Item 5: Perkins,Tessa,1979: Theory
Thistheoryisimportantto my creative investigationbecauseIamlookingatstereotypesandTessa
Perkinstheoryisbaseduponthis.Hertheorystatesthatstereotypingisnotasimple process.She
identifiedthatsome of the manywaysthat stereotypesare assumedtooperate are nottrue.
These are Tessa Perkinsfiveassumptions:
· Stereotypesare notalwaysnegative
· Theyare not alwaysaboutminoritygroupsorthe lesspowerful
· Theycan be heldaboutone’sowngroup
· Theyare not rigidor unchanging
· Theyare not alwaysfalse
Website:http://www.scribd.com/doc/66265976/Tessa-Perkins-Stereotyping#scribd
Item 6: Cochrane,Kira,2009. ‘Where have all the goodwomengone?,Online: The Guardian
“Romanticcomedieshave,of course,longbeenformulaic,andoftenpalpablydumb,butrecently
theyactuallyseemtohave become contemptuousof women.” - Thisarticle byKiraCochrane from
The Guardian Online talksabouthowwomeninromance filmshave changedoverthe years.She
referencestoafilmcalledHisGirl Fridaywhere the womaninthe filmispresentedasa‘normal’

4. BethanyCoxon
person,wantingtostayat home where she issafe.Whereasthe otherfilmshe reference,
Confessionsof aShopaholic,representswomenas‘ditzyandneedy’.
Website:http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/feb/21/romantic-comedy-good-women
Item 7: UnknownBlogger,2010, ‘Genderrepresentation&shortfilmsummaries’,Tumblr
“Savannahwantsto run her own businessandtherefore showsafemale characterbeingincontrol
of the businessandgoesagainsttraditionshowingpositivegenderrepresentation” - Thisquote is
somethingIcame across on a page from Tumblrwhichisfroma postabout genderrepresentationin
films.Inthispostthe bloggerstatedthatSavannah,whois the female protagonistinDearJohn,is
fromthe Uppersocial classwhichcouldhave put strainon herrelationshipwithJohnbutinsteadthe
female stereotype ischallengebecauseSavannah wantstorunher ownbusinesswhichshowsshe is
a strong woman.
Website:http://genderrepresentation.tumblr.com/post/1127027135/gender-representation-short-
film-summaries
3. Aimsif research
The aims of my researchare to findout are femalespresentedstereotypicallyandhow,throughthe
use of codesandconventions.Ibasedmyresearchonthese points:
 How Lindy,SavannahandBethare representedthroughthe use of characterisation
 Is ita positive ornegativerepresentationandwhy
 Do these charactersreinforce orchallenge anytheoristthatIhave studied.
The researchthat I have done has includedlookingattheoristsandalsoothercodesand
conventions,inboththe filmsthatIhave chosentostudyand otherfilms,tolookat how femalesare
portrayedindifferentways.
4. Discussionof ideas,textsand secondary research (bodyof research)

5. BethanyCoxon
Are the female protagonists of Beastly,The Lucky One and Dear Johnpresentedstereotypicallyin
relationto the usual codesand conventionsofa romance adaptation?
 From myresearchusingbothprimaryand secondarysourcesIhave beenable toanswerthe
pointsI made
How Lindy, Savannah and Beth are representedthroughthe use of characterisation
In Beastly,2011, Lindyis the mainfemale protagonist andis,comparedtootherromance filmsthatI
have researched,notthe stereotypical girl.LauraMulveystheorythe ‘Male Gaze’isa keytheoryin
my researchandcreative investigation [item4].Mulveystheoryappliestomycreative investigation
because she talksabouthowwomenare representedinfilmsandmyresearchprojectisbased
aroundhow womenare represented.
Lindy,the mainfemale protagonistinBeastly,isagirl that I thinkchallengesthe stereotypical codes
and conventionsof the representationof womenincinema.From
watchingBeastly [item1] I couldclearlycontrastLindyscharacter
withotherfemale charactersaroundhersuch as DakotaJohnson’s
character Sloan whois the girlfriendof Kyle Kingson,the mainmale
protagonist.Sloan’scharacter,shownin
picture onthe right, iswhat I wouldsay
isthe stereotypical representationof a
girl withherblonde hairanda low cut, sleevelesstopwhichrevealsher
body as it isfittedandemphasizesthe boobs.WhereasLindy,playedby
VanessaHudgens,is seenasthe more laidbackgirl who doesn’tcrave
the status as Sloan.Lindy’sfirstoutfitthatshe iswearingneutral colours

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on clothingitemssuchasa loose fitted topwhichisof the colourof a camouflagedgreen andher
scarf coversup the area of where herboobsare whichconnotes thatshe
doesn’twantto be seenina sexual way.
In anotherscene,picture onthe right,she iswearingclothesthatare seen
as casual and of neutral colours. Alsoshe haslongbrownhairwhich
challengesthe usual representationsof womenincinemaasgirls
stereotypicallyhave blonde hair,blue eyeslikeSloan.
In the Lucky One [item2], Bethis the female protagonistwhoIthink
challengesthe stereotypical representationof women.Beth,whois
playedbyactressTaylorSchilling,isanownerof a dogs kennel whoalone showsthatshe isa hard
workingwomenwhodoesn’t dependonaman whichchallengesthe
representationof womenusuallydependonamale. The image onthe rightis
of Bethand iswhatshe is wearingwhenshe firstmeetsLogan,the male
protagonist. Herhairis upand has bitslooselyhangingdown andiswearinga
white,loose fittedtop.The white topconnotesinnocence andpuritywhich
reflectswell onhercharacter.The blonde hairblue eyesstereotype isused
here as Bethhas these featuresalthoughthe blonde isquitelight whichgoes
well withthe colourof hertop.
My thirdfocal filmisDearJohn [item3] whose mainfemale protagonistiscalledSavannahwhois
playedbyAmandaSeyfried. Again,inthisfilmthe femaleprotagonistis blonde whichmightmake
people thinkatthe beginningof the filmthatshe isthe typical girl but throughactingher view from
people willchange.

7. BethanyCoxon
Here is a still fromthe filmof Savannah
where she hashe hair downinloose curlsand wearingared dress.Especiallyinaromance film, the
colourred isconventional asitrepresentslove anddangerwhichbothapplyinthe film.The red
dressitself coversupmostof her body,onlyrevealing the necklinewhichshowsthatshe isnot
tryingto emphasise herbodyforanyone.
All three charactersare similarbecause theyhave similarpersonalities;theyare notthe typical girl
and challenge the representationsof womenincinema.Tosumupthe findingforthispointI do
thinkthat these femalesare characterisedinapositive way.
Is it a positive or negative representationandwhy?
As I have juststatedfromthe pointI made before aboutthe three femalesinmythree focal films
beinga positive representationof them.Ithinkthisbecause of reasonsthatI spoke abouthow the
girlslooksandhowtheyact. Alsofrommy secondaryresearch[item7] an unknownbloggeron
Tumblrquoted“Savannahwantsto run herownbusinessandtherefore showsafemale character
beingincontrol of the businessandgoesagainst traditionshowingpositive genderrepresentation”
whichI agree with.Beingindependentisanothersimilaritythatall three girlshave incommon
because Lindywantstobe incontrol of herownlife,Bethrunsherown businessand Savannah
wantsto run herown andalwayshelpothersbe better.

8. BethanyCoxon
Do these characters reinforce or challenge any theoristthat I have studied.
For my creative investigationIstudiedtwokeytheoristswhichapplytomywhole project.The two
theoristsare Laura Mulveywiththe ‘Male Gaze’theoryand TessaPerkinswiththe ‘Stereotypes’
theory.Ihave usedLaura MulveystheoryalreadybutIfindthather theorylinkswellwithmy
investigationasIam focusingonhowfemalesare represented.She statesthatwomenare
sexualisedforthe visual pleasure throughthe use of mise-en-sceneandcameramovementswith
otherfactors contributing.Iwantedtosee if the filmsthatIhad chosenreinforce orchallenge
which,inmy opinion,Ithink theychallenge hertheory.
TessaPerkinstheoryalsoappliesreallywell tomycreative investigationasIam lookingat if the
femalesinmyfilms.Inone of her5 assumptionsshe statesthat‘theyare notalwaysnegative’which
linkswell withthe lastpointImade aboutthe characters beingrepresentedinapositive way.In
waysLindy,Bethand Savannahdoconformto certainstereotypesof femalessuchasthe hair
coloursand the waytheydresssometimeswhichisnotabad thing.
5. Conclusions
In conclusion,IthinkthatI have answeredmyresearchhypothesiswell andhasreallyhelpedwith
understandingthe stereotypesandcodesandconventionsof thisgenre.Ithasalsohelpwithmaking
my filmandmade itlookprofessional.