cameras around Venus de Milo sculpture on a red background

THE GAZE: OBJECTIFICATION IN FILM AND MEDIA

May 26, 2021

5 PM - 8 PM EST

In this lecture, we will explore the ways in which society makes and consumes video, film, and media through a critical feminist lens. Who has been privileged to be the spectator, who has been subjected to the viewed and how does that impact how the viewer sees the world around them?

This lecture will focus on the feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey’s theory of the “Male Gaze” which describes the ways in which the female body is often represented as the passive object for the active view and consumption. We will discuss how the “Male Gaze” has been the default setting through which most modern media has been experienced and consumed by all viewers through analyzing a range of historic films as well as the responses from female filmmakers to this theory. We will also explore the ways this concept intersects with race through the fetishization/exoticization of racialized women, as well as the sexualization of Queer women.

We will also discuss the impact and legacies of the “Male Gaze” still felt today and how we can consciously apply this theory to the content we create and consume.”

Materials

Zoom Account (register for the free account here).

Link for the virtual classroom will be sent to participants on Tuesday May 25th.

About DARC's Workshops

Digital Arts Resource Centre (DARC) provides training in a varied range of disciplines related to filmmaking and media art while making a dedicated effort to create a pathway to an intersectional education. We aspire to be a platform for creative support and community building through active participation and exchange of knowledge. Our workshops and courses explore the ways in which technical and conceptual frameworks can be used as tools to improve your creative practice. DARC’s educational offerings are open to members and the general public engaged in the creation of non-commercial, independent productions and work.

Workshop Pricing

DARC’s single-session online workshops are offered on a sliding scale, meaning individuals determine their own fee based on what they can afford.

We understand that everyone’s situation is different. When registering for workshops, we ask that you honestly examine your privilege (i.e. education, generational wealth, parental or community support, partnership status, and other circumstances that may provide a safety net when financial setbacks occur).

DARC also offers a no cost ticket option if access to funds is a barrier to participation. For more information please email us.

Who Is Eligible to Register for Workshops?

Workshops are open to Digital Arts Resource Centre members and the general public engaged in the creation of non-commercial, independent productions and work (Non-commercial, independent productions are productions for which the director retains copyright and artistic control, and for which the production is neither being produced for a client nor for the purpose of advertising or promotion).

Who Is Ineligible for Workshops?

Digital Arts Resource centre does not offer our workshops to persons employed by any government body or any major corporation if the resources are being used to facilitate benefit for one’s employer or for corporate professional development within one of these kinds of organizations. Our workshops are heavily subsidized as they are available only for independent artists/learners who cannot typically afford to take corporate rate workshops. You can find non-subsidized workshops from our friends at SPAO or Henry’s.

Cancellation

DARC is unable to provide course attendee refunds for cancellations. DARC reserves the right to cancel or reschedule courses if necessary.