Sunday, 12 October 2014
clearer idea
So just incase you have no idea what's going on with my personal project.... Basically, I'm creating a series of TVCs to promote an imaginary concert. This concert is a tribute concert to all female musicians particularly in the rock genre that has existed since the 60s according to my research.
And not a lot of people know about this, because it still seems to surprise people when they discover all-girl rock bands in this era who make awesome music with dirty riffs and kickass drumbeats and sexy basslines (excuse my language, but in my defense, I am talking about rock here).
I feel like women are still being underestimated by men. I also think women's capabilities are underestimated by other women, too and this is probably because these women are the ones who are passive about how men view them as being capable of doing whatever men expect them to do - in a 50s 60s context - things like putting on pretty outfits everyday and doing their hair, putting on make up, washing the dishes, taking care of the kids, cooking for their husbands, having tea and cigarettes with other women, etc. Yes, I know things have changed since then, because today, women have careers and are more independent, we wear jeans, we can have really short hair, women still cook for their husbands, sometimes their husbands take care of the kids at home, women can do a lot of things men can do.... so yeah, things have changed. But I'm sure a lot of people are still surprised when they see women doing things that mostly men do... For example, if you see a woman working at a construction site or doing some welding.... or fixing your engine at the workshop.
I feel like women are still being underestimated by men. I also think women's capabilities are underestimated by other women, too and this is probably because these women are the ones who are passive about how men view them as being capable of doing whatever men expect them to do - in a 50s 60s context - things like putting on pretty outfits everyday and doing their hair, putting on make up, washing the dishes, taking care of the kids, cooking for their husbands, having tea and cigarettes with other women, etc. Yes, I know things have changed since then, because today, women have careers and are more independent, we wear jeans, we can have really short hair, women still cook for their husbands, sometimes their husbands take care of the kids at home, women can do a lot of things men can do.... so yeah, things have changed. But I'm sure a lot of people are still surprised when they see women doing things that mostly men do... For example, if you see a woman working at a construction site or doing some welding.... or fixing your engine at the workshop.
This is Gypsy, a character from Gilmore Girls who is the most knowledgable car mechanic in Stars Hollow. All the men bring their cars to her when they don't know what's wrong with it (which is almost all the time). Yeah, I'll admit I laughed when I first discovered her, and a bunch of other people would too, because it's funny. That's not how it's supposed to work, you think. In real life, it's the other way around. You see? That's exactly what I'm talking about. Anyway, I think she's cool. I wish I could fix cars. I always just hang around my dad fiddling about with the engine when there's something wrong with one of his old Audis. I occassionally ask him questions about what he's doing in hopes that I understand and remember them. But uhhh..... nope. I ain't no Gypsy. Ahhh, imagine that - a place where women mechanics are a completely normal thing.
Another example would be, Orange Is The New Black. This show portrays women being capable of doing all sorts of awful things. But mainly because the show is in a prison setting. Still! Pretty cool.
In this season we get to know these women a little better. They are not just harmless women who have been locked up and are only capable of knitting and crochet (although they do have great skills at this). These are dangerous women, more dangerous than many of the other inmates. Remember, Litchfield might have major faults in its administration but it’s a minimum security facility. These ladies started off in maximum security and have been moved up for good behaviour. Yes they look frail and helpless but they must have done something once to get themselves locked up for so long! We get to see this in action in Season 2 Episode 9 when Frieda, Irma and Taslitz attempt to threaten the kitchen crew in order to obtain food items that had been promised to Red by Gloria. At first, Flaca and the rest of the kitchen staff don’t take the threat of a couple of elderly ladies seriously until they are held at shiv-point. It is then that it dawns on both the inmates and ourselves that these women are bad-asses, they are capable of some scary shit (chopping off their husband’s appendages for one) and they are not frightened to carry out their threats. Indeed, they later discuss how disappointing it is that they are always underestimated just because of their age. However, there are drawbacks to being an OAP (Old Age Prisoner in this case) and we see this clearly in the plan to attack Vee in retaliation for the discontinuation of the gardening club. Taslitz is obviously very capable of holding her own and stabbing someone, it’s just a shame that her eyesight isn’t great and she stabs the wrong person. It’s a wry glance at how the elderly get overlooked, but sometimes they really aren’t as capable as they once were. (https://mrshbookworm.wordpress.com/tag/orange-is-the-new-black/)
Sounds scary doesn't it? Haha. But it's pretty cool how they portray women on this show.
When I watched Orange Is the New Black, I did not find the characters in the least cuddly, nor lovelorn damsels wistfully whiling away their time in jail. The show does not for a moment delude you into thinking that the women are anything but criminals, nor does it obscure that many of them are capable of real violence and otherwise fucked-up shit. Think of last season’s portrait of Miss Claudette, a woman who not only was actively involved in the child labor trade, she murdered a client. (http://www.bkmag.com/2014/07/01/stop-trying-to-make-orange-is-the-new-black-about-mens-issues/)
"It is absolutely true that in society, women aren’t seen as being capable of violence to the same degree as men. I’m glad that the author addresses stereotypes like that."
(http://curryforyourthoughts.wordpress.com/tag/orange-is-the-new-black/)
Anyway, back to my project. This is all related to my project, but I'm concentrating on music. These TVCs are basically going to start out with a female character, doing all sorts of feminine things that they're expected to do in a 50s 60s context with background music that gives out a very feminine feel. This has to be a song from that era though, because it makes sense. Also because songs back then were very nice. Basically everything is going to be very girly, womanly, whatever you want to call it. Ladylike? Yeah, that's probably the right adjective.
And then there will be a 'transition' scene where, for example, they would turn on the radio, or put on a record, etc, the music immediately changes to a heavy rock song by female bands from the new generation. It needs to be a heavy rock song so as to show contrast with the previous song. This will emphasise the whole point. You think women are just pretty little creatures who do all these women-things, but in fact they are capable of being crazy rockstars who make awesome music too.
When the music changes, there will be a series of scenes where I will make use of a lot of pretty little props to show the names of the bands who are performing at the all-female tribute concert. I'm thinking of calling it THE FEMININE COMPLEX. Named after an actual all-female rock band from the 60s. I was also thinking about KITTIE RIOT, inspired by that Russian feminist punk rock protest group who go by another name that's um... sort of inappropriate.
These props will have a theme of course.
The keywords are: 50s, 60s, Patterns, Floral, Bright, Contrast, Girly, Colorful, Retro, Vintage.
I collected some visuals on a new Instagram account I made for this project. I think it helps a lot.
This is a new board I made on Pinterest. You can never have too much inspiration.
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