Primary research

Questionnaire

1) Have you noticed a change in representation of leading women in popular film in recent decades? What and how have representations been changed.

2) What is your opinion about the changes?

3) What influenced the changes in representation

4) Do you feel representation of women has gotten stronger.

5) How do you feel towards this?

6) Do you think this has had an impact on representation of women in today's culture?

questions on message board

How and why has the representation of leading women in popular film changed in recent decades?

• Yahoo

• BBC

• telegraph

• movie forums.org
  

interviews

Will talk to focus group with open questions similar to questionnaire and networking site questions.

focus group

Audrey- 82

Debbie – 48

Janice- 45

Hayley - 29

Sally – 19

networking sites

Hey I need some opinions and views for my media course work about representation of women in films in recent decades. If possible would you be able to look through these questions and send back the answers it would be soo helpful. thank you xxx

1) Have you noticed a change in representation of leading women in popular film in recent decades? What and how have representations been changed.

2) What is your opinion about the changes?

3) What influenced the changes in representation

4) Do you feel representation of women has gotten stronger.

5) How do you feel towards this?

6) Do you think this has had an impact on representation of women in today's culture

i have started making questionnaires online using networking sites for feedback about their views on the question. i asked questions such as:-

• Have you noticed the changes in representation of women in today's us cinema?

• Do you think this has an affect on women in today's culture?

• What do you think had this effect on the representation of women?

• Is this shown in the films? .... etc
  

i am also currently making polls and finding message boards to comment and receive feedback from.
i will also do a one to one interview with a few people of different age groups to see if there is a difference in view up to certain ages.

I am hoping to achieve a range of different views on the matter by using a wide range of age groups. i will then look in to the most popular answers and study the effects of this.

Thelma and Louise

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103074/

Thelma & Louise is an American road movie which breaks with tradition by featuring two female leads. Directed by Ridley Scott and written by Callie Khouri, the film's plot revolves around Thelma and Louise's escape from their troubled home lives.

The plot: Sassy waitress Louise and cowed housewife Thelma decide to shed the useless males in their lives for a bit, and head out on a fishing trip. At the first bar they stop at, Thelma engages in an alcohol-fuelled flirtation with the local Lothario, Harlan. This leads to an attempted rape in the car park in which Louise comes to her friend's rescue. After Harlan spews some hate-filled invective at the pair of them, Louise shoots him - much to the cheers of the audience. Convinced that no one will believe their story, they decide to head for Mexico with the authorities hot on their trail.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/wheelsonfilm/3190079/Wheels-On-Film-Thelma-and-Louise.html

At Thelma and Louise release some people called it empowering for its portrayal of women and
others just called it 'man-bashing'
for me this film shows power and strength that friendship holds , a strong feminist act, leaving their husbands behind and going alone to stand up for their rights, and sanity.
this type of film would never have been accepted before the feminist act in the 1950/60's as women were expected to be seen as under men and were powered by male population. men thought women couldn't cope on their own with out being supported and cared for by them although there were a few strong women characters that threatened the role of men.
These days there are many more films with alot stronger female roles and women are seen to have alot of power over men.

sources

Books

• Women in British cinema
• Feminism a reader*
• Working girl*
• Female Spectators- looking at film and television*
  

Films

• Gone with the wind-1939
• Some like it hot-1959
• Thelma and Louise-1991
• Pride and Predigest-1995
• Tomb Raider-2001
• Briget Jones- 2001
  

Also for where i have used Internet websites i will post in the blog under where the information i have received.