Going into my final year I felt confident in my chosen modules and that I had laid down the foundations to improve my skills further. My confidence still lay within my theory dominant subjects, which greatly influenced my module choices, but I made the conscience decision to supplement my practical skills independently where ever possible during the year.
"In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy."
William Blake
Within MDA3300, my film research and context module, I was informed by the various discourses of the film industry which led me to explore student film festivals as a means of keeping relevant post graduation. When placed alongside my voluntary work with MDX LGBT Society and MDX Film Club it became clear to me the benefits of community interest groups to further advance a career in the creative industry. On top of the obvious networking opportunities I discovered a means to be a part of independently funded projects in any capacity which was desired. This would allow me to create media as a freelance filmmaker within a team instead of single-handedly. My essay can be accessed below.
It was my culture, consumption and identity module, MCS3100, that inspired the creation of A Mean Reds Production. Studying issues of identity within society made me question the images I project and what they convey to others about myself. Self branding or creating a brand that can represent a public face, or in this case a production company, can be used effectively to inform others of who you are, what you stand for, and in a general sense what product you are selling. Within the module I investigated the branding of scratch cards within a supermarket to better understand how a product is brought and sold. My essay can be accessed below.
The module that I've enjoyed the most over the last three years has been MDA3200, film theory, because it continually centres around aspects of film that inform my theoretical and practical head-spaces. There is a richness to the study of film that can be assessed, then re-assessed and each time a deeper understanding can be acknowledged. The themes that engaged me predominantly are Gender, Stars, Sexuality, Social Realism, Postmodernism and Psychoanalysis. These elements play directly into my evolving style as a filmmaker and have taught me things I have later applied to my work. For example when creating MDX LGBT Awareness video I was conscience to cast a variety of individuals of differing visual types to attract and relate to a my target student audience. In lectures the concept of Laura Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' brought to the forefront discourses of identification within representations of gender and sexuality in film, which I later applied to my project (which can be viewed on the MDX LGBT page). Having often appreciated the presence a star persona can bring to the screen I explored the idea further in an essay centred around on of my idols that can be read below.
I don't regret my decision to play to my strengths in my final year. Due to the differing politics of separate courses if I had made a short film then none of my peers would have been graded on their work in my project. When you put this into the context that in order to complete their own module successfully they need to help on three of their classmates projects in addition their own, I had to be realistic. Do I put myself in a very difficult situation and place my degree in the hands of others, or do I trust myself?
I trusted myself. For my dissertation module, MCS3400, I had so many ideas that it took me a good few months to focus them and figure out what direction I wanted to go in. My film theory module had given me several options and homosexuality, or representations of, kept on appealing to me. Once I was made aware of the monster as metaphor for an undesirable other within society I was hooked. My dissertation project would dissect vampires as representations of homosexuality within the genre of horror and cult TV show True Blood.
Over the last few months I read heavily and planned my dissertation essay. The structure of which will be presented in four parts. The first, Vampires, an overview, will place the vampire within a public context to dissect its allure and attain an understanding of the metaphoric narrative power it contains. The second, Vampirism as homosexuality, will highlight the similarities between these two others within the social realm and apply theories, particularly Dyer and Sontag, to expand on ideas of allegory and progression. The third, Vampire and homosexual representations within True Blood, will focus my analysis upon True Blood, specifically it’s vampiric and homosexual characters, encompassing many of the ideas and theories I have discussed in the prior sections of my essay. In my forth and final part, Living dead, a conclusion, I will touch upon the outcomes of the dehumanization of gay men due to the explored representations and summaries my discussions about the vampire as representation of homosexuality within the genre and True Blood.
As my research began to take shape I took the opportunities presented in other classes to inform and educate myself on the subject of vampires further. For example within our film theory module we had to design our our own essay question and due to the subject of my dissertation project I wanted to explore the themes of gender and sexuality within a vampire film. The essay can be read below.
The final part of my film theory module was a presentation of my dissertation topic. Immediately I began work on a multimedia video presentation featuring examples highlighting the similarities between images of vampires and homosexuals on the big and small screen. The concept was to take my essay from the page and reinterpret it for the screen. I used the opportunity to hone and develop my skills on Final Cut Pro trying many elements for the first time. Using media from various sources I created a narrative to emphasise my points which, when presented in class, I narrated in person. The text of my narration can be accessed below. I'm very proud of this piece and plan to do something with it the near future, I hope you enjoy my presentation entitled They Wanna Do Bad Things To You; Vampires as Homosexuality.
Dissertation Topic Presentation Script
My time studying at Middlesex has helped me achieve more than I ever hoped I would. I may not be a master of much, but a jack of all trades suits me fine. I feel I have set myself up to take on any future opportunities that present themselves and more importantly make a few things happen for myself. I'm currently looking into Masters courses and am excited for whatever the world of post graduation holds for me.
"Every man has his own destiny: the only imperative is to follow it, to accept it,
no matter where it leads him."
Henry Miller
Key Skills
- Educated knowledge of the film industry and how it functions.
- The benefits of film festivals as sources of networking and experience.
- The power and importance of brands in selling a product.
- Creating a brand for specific audiences.
- How to enhance product appeal in a consumerist market.
- The power of representation across medias
- How to adapt images of gender and sexuality to reflect and construct to social norms.
- The ability to use metaphors to convey issues subtly and intelligently.
- Understanding the adaptability of the vampire as other.
- Ample research on the subject of homosexuality and vampirism.
- Able to use Final Cut Pro to create accomplished media.
- A positive outlook and strong determination.
