Media, Film and Communication Studies Programme, University of Otago

Well done to Jenry, one of our postgrad 👨🏻‍🎓 students in the Comms programme, for his compelling presentation on melanin hierarchy and colonial legacies in the Philippines 🇵🇭 Jenry is writing ✍️ his dissertation about the cultural politics of whiteness in Filipino beauty product advertisements and working with Dr Yuki Watanabe.
Jenry presented at the Division of Humanities, University of Otago History Programme postgraduate symposium today!

We also sadly said goodbye Dr Sabrina Moro this month. Sabrina is joining the faculty at UQAM | Université du Québec à Montréal 🇨🇦🍁 we are sad to see her go but wish her the best and hope it’s ’a bientôt’ rather than ‘au revoir’

Dr Moro gave a final research seminar on her latest project - abt ‘accountability’ and celebritised s*xual violence. Afterwards, staff and postgrads said farewell over a sunny 🌞 lunch near campus.

October has been a busy month in Media, Film & Comms Programme Division of Humanities, University of Otago

First up we celebrated our Honours students, Amasio and Kate submitted their dissertation / creative critical projects 👩🏻‍🎓🗒️🎥

Amasio wrote his dissertation on The Exorcist 3 and crises of faith in horror cinema 😈 and Kate did a creative critical project where she made a video essay and wrote an exegesis abt ‘post’ feminism and sitcoms such as Modern Family. 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒🏡

Keep an eye out on our page for more info on enrolling in Hons for 2025 soon!

As Semester 2, 2024 comes to a close, we bring you the final post of the year from our "From a MFCO Classroom" series. In this post, Lichen Sorrel reflects on self-curating on social media. Thank you for following along this year, and we’ll be back with more insights in Semester 2 next year!

'Offline Luxury' by Lichen Sorrel
Talking about curating social media this week got me thinking about how we are encouraged to commodify our online presence. How we brand ourselves online has become more important, especially for those of us planning a career in media or the arts. As we know there are many ways to make money through social media partnerships and benefit from our seemingly unique interests. But ask yourself; how much of your life do you want to live online, when the main benefits go to huge companies farming views and engagement.

We live in a world where hiring managers are going to scope out our social media before they meet us face to face. We are forced to pay more attention to what we post and how we present our ‘taste’ than who we actually are and what we can create. However addictive I find it, I feel my best when not using social media, encouraging me to create a lifestyle in which my online presence is not integral to who I am.

image credit: Hayley | Grow and Monetize Your Instagram () • Instagram photos and videos

This week's From a MFCO Classroom post focuses on the cultural significance of hair oiling and its appropriation by Western beauty industries.

My hair is not "dirty" by Amara Wong

As a child, my mother would coat my hair in oil, as her mother once did. She would grab a dollop of coconut oil and melt it with the warmth of her hands then massage the oil into my scalp from root to tip. I have continued to oil my hair to this day. This indulgence is a way I can connect to my roots. Hair oiling is rooted in South Asian rituals and has been passed down through generations, It's our family bonding practice, which was uncommon and unique in the context of Aotearoa. I remember going to primary with coconut oil in my hair and being told my hair was "dirty". Many other young South Asian women in Western countries experienced this kind of ridicule.

However, Western beauty industries repackaged hair oiling as 'something new' and 'never seen before' and now these traditions are celebrated without acknowledgment of the original context. This demonstrates how race mediates the cultural practices of marginalized communities into a practice of trendiness and profitability. The commodification of traditional practices, like hair oiling, by Western culture reflects the dynamics of racial power and appropriation. The lack of acknowledgment reinforces structures of racial inequality by assigning value only when appropriated by dominant (typically white) cultures.

https://brownhistory.substack.com/p/the-bonding-ritual-of-hair-oiling

Welcome back to 'From a MFCO Classroom' series. This week's post discusses the language of racism reported by media.

Discourse of 'You People' by Sam Sommerville

Recently, Stuff reported that Samoan workers were the target of discrimination by their fellow New Zealand workers. The white supervisors used language such as, 'you people' and other racist remarks.

The social site of this unjustified remark was a Wellington hospital and the story made national news. The role of these workers was to clean the hospital. While the management could have apologised and resolved the issue with kindness, what unfolded was continued racism and the involvement of external parties. The situation ultimately involved the media, the company and the employment authority.

The supervisors had their workers in positions of vulnerability, and language such as 'you people' certainly reinforced the 'us vs them' binary.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350412280/managers-hospital-cleaning-company-racist-samoan-employees

Did you know that you can take an internship paper in 3rd year? You can choose the HUMS 301 paper and intern at a media or comms organisation, such as the Otago Daily Times, like Kaia Kahurangi Jamieson who has written a feature article as part of her interning experience.

Check out Kaia’s article about the Southland current and marine ecosystems!
Ping Otago Daily Times

Sea change A rich marine ecosystem just off our coast is under threat from ocean warming. Kaia Kahurangi Jamieson finds out why scientists are concerned about...

Rosie Overell has been in Melbourne over the study break working on her book abt grindcore metal band BLOOD DUSTER OFFICIAL
She conducted interviews, visited the studio where the band recorded and looked at band ephemera, as well as presenting her work at RMIT University.

Rosie teaches abt metal and the satanic panic in her paper on ‘Crime Media’ (MFCO213) and has supervised projects on music and skateboarding subcultures.

Introducing this week's post 'From a MFCO Classroom' series by Neve Winterman-Duffy!

'The MUA'

Within the weekly tutorial, there was discussion of how have understandings of gender changed (or even, evolved in your lifetime)?. This caused me to remember my own experiences growing up as a girl on social media, and the hold that the Beauty gurus and female lifestyle youtube has on me in my fundamental years. Women such as Macbarbie07, Zoella, Grav3yardgirl, RCLBeauty101 and many other women. Youtube at this time was a hugely female dominated space when growing up. This has transformed as there is now the term of a makeup artist (MUA) this term was coined for all those online who were in the beauty community. The creation of this community saw creators such as Nikkitutorials, a transwoman, jeffree star, a ‘queer’ man, james charles, mannyMUA, bretman rock and many many more. The MUA has transitioned from female catering to females to one everyone is creating for themselves and other people to watch and support without a gender basis behind it.

From an MFCO Classroom: This week's post critically explores celebrity 'nepocreators' on social media. Enjoy!

In today's tutorial, we looked at Hailey Bieber's social media page, which is full of feminist entrepreneurial signs that paint her as an aspiring businesswoman who worked hard for what she has. In reality, she is a nepotism baby. She is selling the idea of feminist empowerment as a part of her brand and image, especially when collaborating with magazines and in brand deals. This made me think of the many music artists and actors who share this origin. What first came to mind was Jaden Smith's prominent rapping career, in which he often spreads messages of equality and breaking free from economic oppression when he, too, comes from extreme wealth and privilege. It also made me think of Sofia Coppola, who makes some great films but also comes from a position of great privilege as the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola; both these celebrities portray an illegitimate message being used to gain clout.

Image credit: VanityFair (2020, August 18) https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/08/jaden-smith-takes-off-new-balance-vision-racer-sneakers

This week's post 'from a MFCO classroom' explores the fusion of social media.

'Gamification of Apps'

In the lectures this week we have discussed the relationship between games and social media and how Facebook games like Farmville required users to share their progress with other users and "visit" their farms for in-game rewards. Nowadays, the entire structure of social media has been gamified to an extent - YouTube channels and Instagram users are encouraged to brand themselves a certain way and fulfill certain tasks in order to gain a following, a method inspired from quests in videogames. A potent example of this gameification of the social is on the McDonald's app, which grants users special deals and rewards for using the app during purchases. After spending a certain amount of money, users get "free" items from the menu. Recently, the collaboration between McDonald's and Monopoly has granted users Monopoly Tickets for certain purchases which have a 1/4 chance to win a free food item. The experience of going to McDonald's is now gameified and focused on obtaining these tickets which can potentially lead to more free food. Using the app is necessary to cash in these tickets, which McDonald's can use to track user data of what has been bought, which deals customers like and so on.

image credit: https://mcdonalds.co.nz/frontend/monopoly-NZ/img/section-double-play-nz.png

This week from a MFCO classroom, we have Ella NcNeil's exploration into Olivia Rodrigo's music video.

Modality, Discourse and Olivia Rodrigo's "Brutal"

In Olivia Rodrigo's music video "Brutal," the singer embraces a discourse that reflects a palpable sense of frustration and disaffection. The video features visuals characterized by chaotic settings, exaggerated facial expressions, and a general sense of rebellion. Language-wise, Rodrigo's lyrics explore themes of despair and a longing for a life free from societal norms' constraints.

The discourse of "Brutal" is communicated through formal and content cues. Stylistically, the video's fast-paced editing and use of vibrant colours emphasize the energy and intensity of the emotions being conveyed. Rodrigo's choice of words and tone in her lyrics further supports the modality of the video, conveying a sense of defiance and anger.

Furthermore, "Brutal" is influenced by power dynamics, as it reflects the perspective of a young woman who is navigating the pressures of fame and societal expectations. Rodrigo in the video can be seen as a rejection of these forces and an assertion of power and independence.

"Brutal" shows how discourse is used to convey a variety of attitudes and emotions. Rodrigo's use of formal and content cues, and power dynamics helps to create an effect that is powerful and relatable to her audiences.

Olivia Rodrigo - brutal (Official Video) listen on : https://apple.co/-SOURshop SOUR: https://smarturl.it/oliviarodrigoshop by Petra CollinsFollow Olivia ...

This week in our MFCO Classroom, we're taking a closer look at the modality cues used in political advertising!

'Radical Restoration'

Modality cues are integral to understanding the purpose of certain pieces and with New Zealand elections nearing, being able to understand modality cues and the way they are created from our own socio-cultural knowledge has become highly relevant. Modality cues are used in political ads to understand the way these ads are meant to be received in the public’s thoughts and behaviors.

In the posts from New Conservative NZ, formal cues are used to create a feeling of trust. The woman in the post is dressed formally, is in natural soft light, and looks happy. Content cues such as the repeated use of pronouns like “you” and “your” personalize the message they are trying to send. This gives the post a higher level of modality. The post utilizes societal concerns around children, using it to demonstrate how they will restore Aotearoa. The post insinuates that Aotearoa is in disarray and that returning to the way things were will fix the country. This brushing over any nuance about the past being filled with painful history shows how the post adheres to its genre as a political party ad whose main demographic is more traditional, older generations through the party name and their emphasis on hope, restoration, and conservative policies.

New Conservative NZ. A beacon of truth and hope!. Accessed 28/9/2023, Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/NewConservativeNZ/.

Presenting an exciting new post from our MFCO Classroom, which explores the social construction of gender within the popular reality show, Love Island.

'Gender in media: identity or performance?'

‘Boys will be boys’ – a sentiment we have all heard to explain the inappropriate behaviour of men. But is this innate? Does biology decide that men are destined to be rowdy and emotionally apathetic while women remain passive, something pretty to look at? Neidt and Richmond (2019) would argue the opposite - gender is constructed and learned, when certain habits are reinforced as an appropriate means to inform gender expression. Furthermore, gender is a performance, something we ‘do’ to communicate our identity. An excellent example is the reality TV match-making show, ‘Love Island’. Even in promotional images, we can identify the signs participants use to express their gender norms. The women’s makeup and hair are done flawlessly, and their bikinis accentuate their bodies, posed to draw attraction. The men are presented in opposition – standing protectively over the women, flexing their muscles. Even the excess of space taken up by the men shows the codes of masculinity circulated through media, and are replicating in front of cameras 24/7 - to be broadcasted globally. This performance is the crux of the show – the more appealing you are to the opposite s*x, the more you will succeed. Despite this, the performance is so convincing and seemingly natural, that it is only when this hyper-femininity and masculinity is parodied – through six hours of incessant gossip and conflict a week, that we understand its insanity.

Neidt, G. and Richmond, J. C. (2019). S*x Sells – But Gender Brands. In R. A. Linf (Ed) Race / Gender / Class / Media: Considering Diversity Across Audiences, Content, and Producers. 4th edition. New York: Routledge. pp. 136-140.

© Peacock, 2019

We're thrilled to showcase another brilliant post from Atom Gush, who has been selected once again! This time, Atom dives into the exploration of race within a science fiction film.

'Race in Ex Machina'

In their paper, ‘The Whiteness of AI’, Cave and Dihal use the example of Ava in Ex Machina to show how AI in film are predominantly white (2020, p. 693). While I agree with the conclusions that they arrive at, I do think there is more to unpack in this example specifically. In particular, their paper ignores the character of Kyoko, who is initially introduced as the Japanese house servant of the film’s antagonist Nathan, but is later revealed to, like Ava, be one of his robot creations. Kyoko is utterly dehumanised by the two male main characters, Nathan and Caleb, compared to the White Ava, who is still abused and dehumanised but to a much lesser extent. I suspect the purpose of this was to criticise the silencing of women of colour by the dominant White, patriarchal hegemony. However, the problem with this is that this mode of criticism itself relies on silencing Kyoko within the narrative (note, for example, her absence in the above image), thus perpetuating what it sought to challenge. Thus we can see that the representation of race in Ex Machina is quite complex, even if it ultimately works to support the White norm.

References:
Cave, S. & Dihal, K. (2020). The Whiteness of AI. Philosophy and Technology. 33(4), 685-703.

After a brief hiatus, we're back with a fresh post from our MFCO Classroom. This week, we have a fascinating discussion of "Gossip Girl" and modality cues.

'Resonating or Resenting the Rich'

Modality cues are an important aspect of evaluating media text’s claims to truth by drawing on our socio-cultural knowledge. These cues can be either formal in the stylistic elements of a text, or content cues of what the media text actually presents. In Gossip Girl, modality cues can be employed to understand its likeness to its genre of teenage drama. The cinematography of the text signifies formal cues by creating shots that look ‘natural’ with the real world. Getting coffee and shopping with a friend on the weekend is portrayed in a realistic manner with elements of colour, audibility and 3-dimensions that allow audiences to resonate with the ‘normal’ activity. The content cues vary, as the text is certainly possible and plausible, however, the character's lavish lifestyle makes the content unfamiliar to most audiences because only 1% own designer handbags and expensive jewelry. Along with this material content, the topics of conversation in Gossip Girl often include drugs, breakups and s*x scandals, which are all general discussion topics for many, however, the frequency of this is dramatized, revealing the show's true adherence to its drama genre.

Matera, A. (2020, August 17). Gossip Girl Fashion: 33 iconic moments. Teen Vogue.

The 33 Most Iconic Fashion Moments from "Gossip Girl" From Blair and Serena to Jenny and Georgina.

Join us for another captivating entry in our 'From an MFCO Classroom' series, where James Downing discusses 'commodified rebellion'.

Commodified rebellion has become a significant factor in consumerism trends. These rebellious social movements were intended to challenge norms, but they have instead become the face of capitalist ideals. For example, the punk movement has become a commercialised trend in capitalist culture, with merchandise ranging from clothing to accessories. This commodified rebellion has even spread to social media, where the app BeReal has taken off, claiming to be less fake than apps like Instagram. However, the idea of being a rebellious social media platform has now devolved BeReal into just another app that collects your data for research purposes by third parties.

BeReal [Logo]. BeReal App. 2020