Unit 1.3 major project proposal | The mental boxes Indian women live in

M a j o r p r o j e c t proposal

unit 1.3

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CAN HIND CINEMA I WOMEN T OUT OF T BOXES? THE RESEARCH QUESTION

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DI INSPIRE TO GET THEIR

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THE FIELD OF STUDY

I don’t know why, in Hindi f ilms, they show women re fusing sex, I would never do that!”

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my female Indian friend exc laimed to me.

That statement, to me, summed up the gap between the real Indian woman and the societal expectation of what they are ‘supposed to be’.

Indian films and television have long had a male-gaze approach to the

Indian woman - she is either sexy or coy - seldom real. This is not a cause but an outcome of what is expected and the subliminal pressures that women live with.

On a personal note – I am a twenty six year old, unmarried, Indian girl who has come to London to build a career.

Seems perfectly normal, doesn’t it? However, in spite of coming from

Hypothesis - Why?

a ver y liberal part of the Indian diaspora, it still raises a few eyebrows and elicits a tinge of envy and bitterness from my female counterparts back home.

This behaviour, according to me, is indicative of a much larger problem - a fatalistic mentality and state of helplessness and insecurity

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“

that women in general, and especially Indian women, suffer from.

It troubles me greatly when my contemporaries compromise their independence and ambitions to comply with societal pressures, while feeling trapped and obligated to do so.

My studies in Unit 1.1 have led me to believe that people live in boxes of their own perception and believe that is their reality. Indian women are privy to this ‘maya jaal’ tooand do not seem to see beyond that.

For my major project, I would like to use moving image to address this

ver y issue. My ultimate aim would be to use moving image to make

women realize that there are alternative ways of living their lives apart from the status quo, and ever y one of them, does have that choice.

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methodologies r e s e a r c h & i d e a e x p l o r at i o n

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Research Areas to be covered There have been a lot of articles and research done on the social evils that women in India have had to suffer; rape, dowr y

deaths and female infanticide are some popular topics. Thom-

s o n R e u t e r s w e n t e v e n f u r t h e r t o p r o c l a i m I n d i a a s t h e “f o u r t h most dangerous countr y in the world for women.” This is a shocking revelation and a topic of huge debate.

However for my final film and research, I will tr y and stay

away from such extreme crimes and focus on the daily mind space and thought process of an Indian woman – how she

makes her choices in life and what are the factors governing

What?

this decision.

Is it always external, governed by the family and society? Or is it ever self initiated?

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Another aspect that I am interested in, is the future of moving image. O wing to the viral nature of the internet and mobile

videos, and the ease with which films can be now made, will

‘p r o f e s s i o n a l ’ f i l m - m a k i n g d i e ? O r w i l l e v e r y o n e ’s l i f e b e c o m e a movie?

I wish to investigate this inquir y by attempting to make a

moving image piece for women that will sustain in the future.

I wish to investigate the areas of autobiographical documen-

t a r y f i l m m a k i n g a n d t h e i d e a s o f s e l f i e s , Yo u Tu b e h o m e v i d e o s and self made celebrities.

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1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Big budget filmmaking

Documentar y filmmaking

Autobiographical films, books and art

The Indian psyche and psycholog y of the subcontinent Wo m e n a n d p s y c h o l o g y

Indian women and culture Fe m i n i s m i n I n d i a

The genre of Bollywood and why it works Music in Indian films

10. T h e f u t u r e o f m o v i e s a n d m o v i n g i m a g e

11. T h e e f f e c t n e w m e d i a a n d t e c h n o l o g y h a s h a d o n I n d i a n What?

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To d e v e l o p s k i l l s f o r t h e f i n a l o u t p u t , I w i s h t o r e s e a r c h and study the following areas of moving image

women

12. I n t e r a c t i v e f i l m s a n d i n t e r a c t i o n d e s i g n u s i n g f i l m s 13. F i l m i n s t a l l a t i o n s

14. A r t f o r h e a l i n g t h e m i n d 15. T h e a r t o f s t o r y t e l l i n g

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Inter viewing psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, political journalists, film directors, Indian film

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directors

To e x p e r i m e n t w i t h a n e w g e n r e o f f i l m m a k i n g t h a t

mixes film making, interaction design, animation and visual effects

The secondar y research I wish to under take • What?

• •

Reading books, journals and articles

Wa t c h i n g f i l m s a n d T V s h o w s m a d e b y w o m e n , f o r women and analyse them

Study movie making through books, tutorials and ap-

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The primar y research I wish to under take

prenticeship

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research

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EVIDENCE OF INITIAL

Films

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I started my initial research by looking at work done by other women film makers -

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G e r m a n f i l m m a k e r H a n n a S c h y g u l l a’s a u t o b i o g r a p h i c

d r e a m v i d e o i n s t a l l a t i o n ' Tr a u m p r o t o k o l l e ' , D i e A k a d e m i e

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der Künste, Berlin3

Wr i t e r L e n h a D u n h a m ( G i r l s ) Wr i t e r D i a b l o C o d y ( J u n o )

I also watched some women centric films in Indian cinema=

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Queen

Gulaab Gang

Bandit Queen Mirch Masala

Chandani Bar Aiyyaa

A n i m a t i o n & G ra p h i c n o v e l s Pe r s o p o l i s - M a r j a n e S a t r a p i M a r i e Pa c c o u

How?

Art

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R a j a R a v i Va r m a ( 1 8 4 8 - 1 9 0 6 ) 1

I t h e n l o o k e d a t p a i n t i n g s b y R a j a R a v i Va r m a , w h o d e p i c t e d the common Indian woman through his paintings in the late

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1 8 0 0 s c l a i m i n g t h a t e v e r y w o m a n h a d a g o d d e s s i n h e r.

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Amrita Sher Gill (1913-1941)2

I investigated the life and influences of a part Indian and part German female ar tist dubbed the Indian Frieda K ahlo. and the most expensive woman panter in India.

Books

M y Fe u d a l L o r d - Te h m i m a D u r r a n i

God of small things - Arundhati Roy

Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri 1

P r o j e c t c o v e r p a i n t i n g b y R a j a R a v i Va r m a ( S h a k u n t a l a )

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How? M A J O R P R O J E C T P R O P O S A L // U N I T 1 . 3 // R O S H N E E D E S A I // M A G R A P H I C M O V I N G I M A G E // A P R I L 2 0 1 4 // U A L

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Amrita Sher Gill (1913-1941) M A J O R P R O J E C T P R O P O S A L // U N I T 1 . 3 // R O S H N E E D E S A I // M A G R A P H I C M O V I N G I M A G E // A P R I L 2 0 1 4 // U A L

How?

2

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protokolle', Die Akademie der

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H a n n a S c h y g u l l a ' Tra u m -

3

K端nste, Berlin

tion of Indian Godesses in paintings.

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Coy and 'male ser ving' representa-

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READLING LIST initial

Buchanan, A., 1945. Film and the future. 1st ed. London: G. Allen and Unwin ltd.

C h e n e y , L . , Fa x o n , A . a n d R u s s o , K., 2000. Self-port raits by women painters. 1st ed. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate.

C o w a r d , R . , 1 9 8 4 . Fe m a l e d e s i r e .

K a p l a n , L . , 1 9 9 1 . Fe m a l e p e r v e r s i o n s . 1 s t e d . L o n d o n : Pa n d o r a .

Kipnis, L., 2007. The female

t h i n g. 1 s t e d . L o n d o n : S e r p e n t ' s Ta i l .

Pe a r s o n , L . , 2 0 1 1 . I t i s a l m o s t

t h a t . 1 s t e d . L o s A n g e l e s : S i g l i o.

1 s t e d . L o n d o n : Pa l a d i n .

P u r i , J. , 1 9 9 9 . Wo m a n , b o d y , d e -

D a s G u p t a , P. , 1 9 9 6 . Wo m e n . 1 s t

N e w Yo r k : R o u t l e d g e .

e d . L o n d o n : V i k i n g.

Fe d e r i c o, A . , 2 0 0 9 . G i l b e r t &

Gubar's The madwoman in the How?

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sire in post-colonial India. 1st ed.

S e n , G . , 2 0 0 2 . Fe m i n i n e f a b l e s .

1st ed. Ahmedabad: Mapin Pub.

attic after thirty years. 1st ed.

Tu r n e y , J. , 2 0 1 0 . T h e r o u g h g u i d e

souri Press.

Rough Guides

Columbia: University of Mis-

to the future. 1st ed. London:

M A J O R P R O J E C T P R O P O S A L // U N I T 1 . 3 // R O S H N E E D E S A I // M A G R A P H I C M O V I N G I M A G E // A P R I L 2 0 1 4 // U A L

part

H u y l e r, S . , 2 0 0 8 . D a u g h t e r s o f

I n d i a . 1 s t e d . N e w Yo r k : A b b e v ille P ress Publishers.

Hyland, A. and Lewis, A., n.d.

The purple book. 1st ed.

Jones, A., 2006. Self/image. 1st ed. London: Routledge.

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TIMELINES RESEARCH PLAN&

May •

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Develop an app to make a u t o b i o g ra p h i c a l m o v i e s f o r Unit 2.2 // work with Sen e p p ( I n t e ra c t i v e d e s i g n s tudio)

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August •

Start f ilming tests

Study f ilming texhniques

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Po s t p r o d u c t i o n t e s t s

and do tests

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L e a r n i n g s a n d a l t e ra t i o n o f script Finalise funding

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J o i n l i v e d ra w i n g c l u b t o i m prove sketching for animation and stoy boarding

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Learn Cinema 4D

June

• E x p e r i m e n t w i t h a n i m a t i o n s

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September

• S t a r t f i n a l f i l m

and mix f ilm and animation

• F i n d c o n t a c t s f o r p r i m a r y

When?

research

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Start building a team and discussing thoughts

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Find mentors and advisors and discuss initial thoughts

July •

Start scripting

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Start stor yboarding

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Reserch locations and map out logistics and actors

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Research and experiment with music and sound Apply for funding

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October •

Continue f ilming and start post produciton simultane-

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Start writing f inal thesis

November • •

Get crits and ref ine

Create titles and publicity

December •

Final f ilm f inished + thesis 21