WORKSHOP #2: MOVING IMAGE

ACTIVITY 2 28mins ACTIVITY 1 [Group 1] 7mins ACTIVITY 1 [Group 2] 7mins ACTIVITY 1 [Group 3] 7mins ACTIVITY 1 [Group 4] 7mins CASE STUDY CONCLUSION 5mins 5mins 40MINS INTRO

INTRO [2 minutes]
REMINDER OF THEME: Self Image. Remind students that self image is the idea we have about how we look. RECAP LAST SESSION: Learnt about body image in print media like magazines, and how it is mostly altered for commercial reasons. INTRODUCE WORKSHOP: Tell students that in this workshop we shall be looking into body-image in Films, TV, and music videos, and how these mediums reinforce the body image we found out about in the last workshop. Also inform them that today we will be doing two activities at once.

ACTIVITY 1: Make a movie star. [7 minutes each]

Get students to arrange themselves into 4 groups and explain that we want them to use The Sims to create a top movie or TV star of their imagination. We also want them to create that leading roles love interest, like a girlfriend or someone they are in love with. Each group will do this one by one whilst the other main activity is being carried out. If they need any help at any point then feel free to ask Jamie. To ask once each group has finished: Describe some main features about your character? Why do you think you chose these features? Did any celebrities influence you in particular?

ACTIVITY 2: Reviewing moving image. [28 minutes]

Tell students that for the main activity we want them to watch clips and well discuss what we see. Remind them that there are no right or wrong answers it is just their opinion. To start discuss this simple question: What is the main reason you watch TV and films? The result should be for entertainment and to escape everyday life. Write this answer on a white board ready for later or get the children to write it down.

REALITY TV First of all we want to look at reality TV, which is content meant to reflect or contain real life or people in some manner. For an example we will be using the X Factor, which audition clips have been compiled of. -Role VideoCompare the bad auditions with those who have been successful on X Factor. Note that obviously being a talent show, those who are more talented will always win, but increasingly more body image is apart of that competition - as can be seen in the images of the winners. On the scale where would you put successful contestants and where would you put bad ones? What kind of people dont we usually see in reality TV like the X Factor? (REALISTIC people: those who like nearly all of us are neither societys ideal or the opposite of it) Why do you think producers only choose to show the two ends of scale? (The more extremely bad or good contestants seem the more different they are to everyday life. This is more interesting to viewers because we are watching it to escape everyday life and find something different to our own as established on the board earlier)

Susan Boyle is a good example of how extremes make a reality show more successful as she had both. She was considered the opposite of the ideal appearance, which added to the shock factor when she had the other extreme of a perfect voice. The combination of these two extremes made the clip of her audition the fastest growing viral video at the time; and brought a lot of attention to the program Britains Got Talent making it more successful. Do you think using extremes of people as a source of entertainment is a good or bad thing? (Discuss)

THE IDEAL APPEARANCE Now we will look closer at medias ideals in TV. The next clip from the Gossip Girl finale. Inform them that Gossip Girl was an American programme that revolved around the lives of privileged (rich) young adults. -Role Video What aspects of appearance were shown more than others? Did anyone spot the one character that didnt have the same body shape and look as the others? Which one was it? (The Maid) What might this make you think based on these facts? (Good looks and an ideal body lead to money and success, whereas the opposite limits you to a lower class below those that are better) Why do you think producers would make characters like this then? (To make the show look better.)

But also creating stories about lifestyles so different to our own, such as privileged young Americans, draws viewers in as we want a change and escape from our own when watching.

THE UN-IDEAL APPEARANCE Tell the students we are now going to look further into the un-ideal appearance like the maid in gossip girl. Ask them if theyve watched Friends before. Tell them we are going to watch a flashback the characters have to their past in college. -Role Video What aspects of appearance were shown negatively and how? (Monica was overweight in college, being subject to many jokes)

Compare flashback Monica with modern Monica: What changed about Monica? (Weight and looks) What didnt change? (Personality)

Ask if anyone remembers the chat up line Chandler used on the slimmer Rachel after Monica had left (maybe you could get in on a beauty scholarship). Tell students that, if they didnt know already, Chandler actually ends up marrying Monica in the future when she loses weight. What might this make you think based on these facts? (You have to look good for someone to like you) Do you think this is a true statement? Discuss.

Well looking good does usually help BUT everyone has a different opinion of what looks good; its not just limited to medias ideal of thin. As the saying goes: there is someone out there for everyone. Make sure you dont let medias opinion affect yours! Like what you like, not what the media tells you to. THE UN-IDEAL IN FILM So what does the media tell you not to like? Tell students in the next two clips we want them to look out for bad representation of body image. -Role Videos What aspects were associated with o main lead characters? (Tall, Lean, broad, blemish free, well groomed, nice hair, slim and witty) o comical characters? (Overweight, un-groomed, short, dimwitted)

Based on what theyve just found ask them to point out which character they believe to be the comical one out of the bridemaids on the picture and why. Also tell them that the character on the far right, noting she is the skinniest of them, is the main characters rival and main competition to be the best.

How does media see different types of bodies? (The thin ideal leads to success and importance. Other body types are less important and mainly a source of humor) Do you think this is true? (Discuss)

Tell students success and happiness isnt achieved through looks, but ability and determination. Focus on reaching your goals and supporting others in doing the same; not on appearance. THE IDEAL IN MUSIC VIDEO Explain that we are now moving on to music videos and how these are some of the worst for bad body image representation. Tell students to keep an eye on all the things we have previously asked in the next clip of JLS. -Role Video What body shapes were shown more than others? (Muscular, lean, tall and broad for males. Slim, big chested, tall for females)

Ensure students understand that nearly all music videos are now like this. Why do you think mainstream music is just as affected by body image as TV, Film and Print? Discuss.

Musicians have to conform to the way actors and models look so that they stand out too. Having good looks is almost apart of musicians jobs nowadays; but its not a rule that should be applied outside of th at job. Looks dont matter anywhere but in the mainstream media, so dont let them matter to you. Tell students that the final clip and music video is for Examples song Kickstarts. The reason were showing it is because its a good example of bad body image representation that isnt obvious enough to easily notice. -Role Video What do you think were the themes of the music video? (The diversity of love the way affectionate relationships can be found anywhere and by anyone in any form) What body shapes did the music video not show? (Any that arent medias ideal) How does this fact work negatively against the theme? (It suggests that although love is diverse its still limited to a select few with a particular body shape and look)

Tell the students that A lot of medias bad representation of body image isnt obvious. You have to question everything you consume like we have today so that that it doesnt affect you without you realising.

ACTIVITY 2.1: Case study. [5 minutes]

To give an example of what the students have been looking into tell them we are going to look at a case study. Point out Fiji on the world map. Tell students that up to 1994, women on this tropical island were considered beautiful if they were big and round. Slender women were not considered attractive. Suddenly, in 1995, women starting dieting and 74% of teenage girls dieted, saying they felt, too big or too fat. In the same year, cable TV, mostly from the U.S., became available in Fiji. Ask the following reflection questions: What was the cultural meaning of beauty in Fiji o in 1994? (big and round) o in 1995? (slender) What might have caused the change in Fiji girls body image? (U.S. TV) Is beauty the same as healthy? (No, beauty is an opinion. Some people eat unhealthy foods and over-exercise to fit an idea they have of beauty.) Do you think U.S. TV created a negative or positive change in Fiji? Discuss.

CONCLUSION [5 minutes]
Class summary and discussion on what we found. What is the purpose of most film and TV programs? (To make money, which is made from people watching them, which is done by getting peoples interest.) How does this influence the content and how it is communicated? To get our interest and make people watch producers create larger-than-life characters that are meant to be impressive. These characters are purposefully made to be out-of-the-ordinary and perfect, even if their character is meant to seem normal, as this gives us a change from our everyday life. The irony is that as all characters aim to impress they are becoming generic (the same). The best way to be interesting and likeable in real life is to be unique which means being yourself and not changing to conform to society and medias ideals. Dont let the media affect your opinion of yourself, or your opinion of others.