Assignment 1: Media Analysis

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ASSIGNMENT 1 Media Analysis

Movie Clip 2 – Transformers (Michael Bay, 2007) Page 1

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In this assignment, we will be analyzing a short clip from the first Transformers movie where the main character, Sam Witwicky is being told by his love interest, Mikaela Banes, the problems with his new car – despite not really paying attention to what is being denoted.

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Instead, the camera uses a first-person point of view shot to establish his attention – or male gaze as a form of scopophilia (Hodkinson, 2017) - being drawn towards her body – the signifier - and the sexual connotations signified with car troubles as indexical symbols in terms of the implied narrative of the clip. Specifically, when the camera selects and focuses on different parts of her body using close-up shots and body language to substantially represent the sexual tension between Sam and Mikaela.

As it starts off with the establishing shot. We observe the codes of technical representation as the camera zooms in and provides a close-up of the car engine, signifying that this is a focal point for Mikaela as she states, “Whoa, nice headers”. An orange or yellow filter has been applied for a halo effect or glow around Mikaela in order to seem more virtuous or highlight her appeal while simultaneously this filter can also be used to accentuate the yellow car or summer more. Simultaneously, this also gives the appearance of a summer glow or a sultry look in respect to Mikaela as well. She is bent over the bonnet in a sexually suggestive position compared to Sam, who does not have to pose or even dress in the same manner as she does. Conversely, the focus of Mikaela’s obtaining Sam’s male gaze is further reinforced when the camera pans and provides a medium close-up of what Sam is looking at 12 seconds into the clip, slowly the camera zooms closer at Mikaela’s bare midriff, cutting away from her face as she talks and at the same time changes the audiences focal point to benefit Sam’s perspective. When this point is established, Sam looks away as it cuts to a close-up of her face when she talks about the car, explaining that the double pump makes the fuel go faster.

When Sam makes a sexual remark about this saying, “I like to go faster” this implies that he

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wants to be more than just friends with Mikaela, but not exactly for all the right reasons as we see his gaze towards her looking up and down in comparison to how Mikaela looks at him which is direct eye contact or towards the car when she talks to him. This can be illustrated Page | 3

by the camera tilting and following the same direction of his eyes. It is also important to highlight non-digetic music starts to play in the background to the tone of soft, angelic music when Mikaela reveals that his distributor cap is loose, the camera pans to her arm making a sexually suggestive jerking motion resembling soft core porn as the camera slowly pans to the back of her rear, exposing more of her lower back as she bends down.

From a binary perspective, a lot of medium close-ups are applied on Mikaela’s body while a lot of reaction, first person or third person shots are used on Sam. Implying that this is what a large majority of males would be like in this situation. The clip provides further evidence of this by using a reaction shot on Sam as her looks away from her after glancing at her body and not making eye contact while she is talking to him and Sam goes on the other side of the bonnet to reveal his excitement at her sexual appeal 19 seconds into the clip.

Another point to consider is while looking at the wide shot, Mikaela is seen to be wearing more revealing clothes in comparison to her male counterpart or love interest. Wearing tightfitting clothes that hug her figure. Namely, an orange singlet paired with a short, denim skirt and a white floral belt to highlight her figure and to be deemed more aesthetically pleasing in contrast to if she was wearing a greasy t-shirt or pants. Consequently, Mulvey notes that cinema tends to portray women as possessions and only to be emphasized by their beauty regardless of their other personality traits (Hodkinson, 2017).

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32 seconds into the clip, we notice that Sam barely makes eye contact with her while they are talking, making this seem like a social norm. Additionally, supporting that this is socially acceptable behaviour with the use of wide shots and her noticing him clearly doing this in a Page | 4

two-shot angle and smugly looking at him back being aware of how privy he is to the male gaze.

The main social issue of this clip focuses on the pervasive gender roles or stereotypes in Hollywood. This is evident when Sam states, “That’s weird, I just wouldn’t peg you for a mechanical”, this is a back-handed compliment judging by all the perverted looks Sam gives behind and in front of her when he thinks she is not aware. She pretends not to notice but smirks, indicating the patriarchal relationship by that remark by replying, “Guys don’t like it when you know more about cars than they do, especially not Trent, he hates it. Sam tries to make himself more appealing to her not through revealing clothes or body language, but by complimenting Mikaela and replying, “I’m cool with you know, females working on my engine…I prefer it actually” even though Sam pays more attention to her body and the sexual connotations implied than focusing on what is actually wrong with his car.

At the time, Megan Fox was 22 when she played 17-year-old Mikaela Banes in the Transformers films. By applying the semiotic analysis of how gender roles become a double standard in this clip, it is evident that the underlying issue is despite female characters appearing to be underaged, the media shapes us into thinking it is acceptable to still be objectified by the male gaze. Furthermore, the clip is clearly titled, “Eyes on Mikaela”. It is also important to highlight that because they are female, it becomes culturally acceptable for the media to objectify them – so long as they are played by an actress of legal age. In summary, O’Shaughnessy states we must always raise awareness through possible meanings

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and in doing so, we can identify how media constructs not only our self-identity, but our social and cultural view of the world. In doing so, we can observe how a large majority accept not only what is are presented to them, but how it becomes a social norm (Devereux, Page | 5

2014).

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References Devereux, E. (2014). In M. Steele (Ed.), Understanding the Media (3 ed., pp. 15 - 38). Sage Page | 6

Publications Ltd.

Hodkinson, P. (2017). The Male Gaze. In Extracts from Media, Culture and Society: an introduction (pp. 244 - 250). Sage.