The Hero's Journey in Spider Man: Into the Spiderverse

The hero's journey is a key part of Spider-Man narratives and Death Of The Mentor as a plot device is even brought up by the characters in the movie.

PART ONE- DEPARTURE

• An Unusual Birth

Because the essence of Spider-Man is that anyone can wear the mask, an unusual birth is not relevant and would go against the themes of the film.

• Call To Adventure

Multiple events in the start of Spider-Verse could be considered The Call to Adventure for Miles Morales, and overall become the formative events for the hero.

- Being bitten by the radioactive spider
- Awakening to his powers in school
- Returning to the place he was bitten and seeing the particle collider.
- Talking to Parker in his last moments
(DIRECT- given orders and magical object- override key.)
- Hearing MJ's speech at Peter Parker's funeral 
(DIRECT call to action- "Everyone's counting on me.")
- Meeting the alternate universe Peter Parker
- Escaping from the police

• Crossing The Threshold

This event isn't so clearly defined as Miles' life is changed irreversibly the moment he obtains his powers, but i believe the moment that best fits this is when Peter Parker accepts his request to help to destroy the collider and becomes his mentor.

PART TWO- INITIATION

• Challenges or Trials

- Escaping the collider through the subway station
-Escaping the police with Peter Parker
- Stealing the information for the override key
- Escaping the compound
- Fighting Fisk's henchmen at Aunt May's house
- Gaining his companions' support

• Supernatural Helper or Mentor

Miles has 4 father-figure mentors, with varying purposes and lifespans.

- His dad
(A very literal father figure, gives him the push he needs for his transformation.)
- Aaron Davies
(Someone he trusts and looks up to greatly, in dying pushes Miles to his greatest potential as he reveals a weakness in Miles' character that must be amended.)
- His universe's Peter Parker
(Gives him the magic object, the override key, and in dying puts pressure on Miles to succeed through his own power and instinct rather than through strict guidance.)
- Alternate Universe Peter Parker
(His true mentor, allows Miles to realize his own potential through lax tutoring and friendship. His investment in Miles develops both characters significantly.)

• Abyss or Temptation

The death of Aaron Davies takes a great toll on Miles, and he blames himself and his attitude for leading him to Aunt May's house (and effectively, to his death). Furthermore, the other Spider-People reject him and Peter Parker binds him to his desk chair as he believes Miles is not ready and would only endanger his life by joining them.

• Transformation

The transformation of Miles into a true Spider-Man is an incredibly satisfying event after the long buildup and his initial rejection of the call. The undoubtable catalyst is hearing his father speak to him through the door, reassuring him of his talent and ability as he is bound and unable to reply in his lowest moment- He breaks through his bonds with a concentrated venom strike, showing he is finally in control of his powers (later, Parker exclaims - "You're doing it on command!") and ready to join the others in his place. He returns to Aunt May's house and creates his outfit, transforming in a fairly literal sense, but his true transformation is shown in his leap from the highest building- where before, he had chosen the easier route and still failed, he leaps with confidence and ease. There is a breathtaking shot of him falling upside-down, cementing his growth into his role as the hero of the story, and he joins the others at the collider. After proving he has surpassed his mentor by sending him back through the rift, he defeats Fisk and destroys the collider, completing his ultimate objective and saving the city.


PART THREE- THE RETURN

• Reconciliation With The Father Figure

Still in his spider-suit, Miles calls his father and reassures him that he is safe. In person, as his father is a policeman on the scene, he hugs him and even says "I love you", to his dad's confusion. It is clear that the tension between the two of them that had been present throughout the film is dissipated as his change in attitude and the loss of Aaron Davies has given Miles a new appreciation for his father.

Representation in 'Harry Brown'

Exploration of "Harry Brown"  

TASK 1 - Explore the themes present in the film, consider the following - 

.       Representations of youth and the elderly
.       Representations of law enforcement 
.       Representations of Class/Wealth 
.       Representations of Women 

TASK 2 - Explore the narrative, and consider the ideological values that are present in the film, think about how the themes present may link to certain media representations/moral panics/sensationalism

EXTENSION - Construct a vialogue of a certain scene within Harry brown and deconstruct the technical and symbolic codes 

TASK 1

REPRESENTATIONS OF: YOUTH VS THE ELDERLY

Teenagers in 'Harry Brown' are exclusively depicted as reckless, cruel, drug-dealing thugs that cause damage to life and property '...purely for entertainment,' (in the words of Harry Brown). This creates a tense dynamic between the old and the young, Harry Brown being the representative for the older generation, an upstanding pensioner scarred from war and disgusted by the actions of these violent youths. This representation likely stems from the hegemonic ideologies of teenage boys causing trouble for well-meaning adults, having little to no respect, and being associated with gangs. This is an ideology supported through various media texts, from sensationalised news (Over half the newspaper stories about to teenage boys in 2008-2010 refer to crime) to TV Drama and comedy. The moral panic surrounding subcultures such as the Mods and Rockers reinforce this concept and these representations maintain the hegemony. It is worth considering that the representations within the film are constructed by adults and therefore reflect the fears and anxieties of adults regarding teenagers and youth as a whole- not necessarily reflecting the truth of  growing up in these times, but rather reflecting the biased view of how adults see the younger generation, influenced by moral panic and sensationalism.

REPRESENTATIONS OF: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Law enforcement in 'Harry Brown', though depicted as morally upright and in pursuit of justice, are largely impotent and ultimately useless. Even though D.I Alice Frampton is correct in suspecting Harry Brown, no action is taken against him and events proceed without interference.






REPRESENTATIONS OF: CLASS AND WEALTH

REPRESENTATIONS OF: WOMEN

Misogyny in advertisement

-       The positioning, use of colour
The imagery in the advert is very simplistic, mainly used to capture attention and as a setup for the tagline. The car is clean and seemingly brand new aside from the damage, set at an angle so a viewer to see the car as a whole, allowing the advert to also function as an advert for the car. The broken headlight and body damage are placed at the centre of the image as the natural focus for the viewer's eye and evoke a sense of shock and discomfort at such a nice car being ruined, setting up for the explanation being that "your wife", a poor driver, has crashed it.


-       The anchorage and use of text 
Picture first to get attention, tagline punchline and explanation- "Sooner or later your wife will drive home one of the best reasons for owning a Volkswagen." "Drive home" has a double meaning, both that your wife will drive home a crashed car, but also "drive home" a point- that its good you own a Volkswagen since you can replace the parts. The assumption that women are bad drivers is exaggerated throughout the text, with quotes such as  "...your wife isn't limited to fender smashing" // The most obviously misogynistic sentence is the final one of the advert, functioning as a summary. "So when your wife goes window-shopping... You can conveniently replace anything she uses to stop the car. Even the brakes." Firstly, there is the implication that women only leave the house to go shopping- or not even shopping, but simply to look at things she could be buying. This is also a play on words, with the implication of "window-shopping" also meaning she may have damaged the car window(s) and needs to replace it/them. Secondly, the fact you can "replace anything she uses to stop the car"- that women are such poor drivers they cant even stop a car without crashing into something.

-       The values and ideology that is being presented:

1. Patriarchal - The woman being discussed is always referred to as being owned by the husband- "...your wife" , as well as the assumption that men are superior to women.
2. Otherness - The woman in the relationship is implied to be below her husband, as she is worse at driving (and an object to patronise). This creates a sense of otherness as there is an apparent dichotomy between the two sexes.
3. Capitalist/Consumerist - The attraction of owning a good-looking, expensive car and keeping it in as-new condition with minimal difficulty, when in reality all you need from a car is for it to get from place to place.
4. Selling a lifestyle - Owning a nice car that can be repaired easily and cheaply as well as being married without consequence ("It may make you furious, but it won't make you poor.").

Teddy boys and girls

SUBCULTURE AND MEDIA REPRESENTATION: TEDDY BOYS

Teddy Boys

Teddy boys were seemingly inspired by the rock'n'roll artists of the 1950s- Their fashion revolved around drape jackets, drainpipe trousers, skinny ties and creepers. However, this isn't accurate. The Teddy Boy culture that emerged in the early 50s in fact predates the introduction of American Rock'n'roll to Britain in 1955. However, despite the style not being the birth of the subculture, the music was quickly adopted by the Teddy Boys and became closely joined.

The Teds (as they were also known) had a reputation for violence and troublemaking in the media.

On July 2nd 1953, the infamous story of the stabbing of John Beckley in Clapham Common took place.



"The clothes of the defendants had been of interest to the prosecution who wanted to know if the youths on the common wore tight trousers and strange-looking coats with a slit down the back? It was during the reporting of this trial when the press, for the first time, started to make a connection between the odd-looking clothes of the South Londoners and casual violence."
(http://www.edwardianteddyboy.com/page6.htm)


The Teds had a revival in the 70s , with minor style changes- thanks to the invention of hairspray, more extreme quiffs were possible , and traditional dark colours were replaced with bright luminous ones. Significantly, there were now black Teds- the original culture was known for being racist, but the few black Teddy Boys in the second generation were accepted.


1976

Teddy Girls

Though a largely forgotten subculture, teddy girls also existed, wearing edwardian-inspired blazers and pencil skirts or trousers.

The Immigration Crisis

UKIP POSTER
1. What is the dominant ideology within the media text? Is there evidence of opinion or bias towards a viewpoint?

The poster enforces the idea of "otherness" toward immigrants, specifically Bulgarians and Romanians. It assumes the reader doesn't want these people in the country despite providing no evidence why the immigration is a bad thing, therefore being biased to the often common idea that immigrants will ruin the country. It aims to fearmonger and encourage people to vote Leave ("...there's nothing we can do about it, while we're still in the EU"). It also shows bias against Labour, implying they're in the wrong ("Labour say they don't want to do anything anyway.") and encouraging anger against the Labour party for supporting allowing immigrants into the country.

2. How has the event been constructed within the media text? (language, MOA, colour, costume etc)

 The background of the text shows an image of a crowded UK Border Control - this supports the impact of the figure "29 million" and the busy composition has a negative connotation that fits with the message of the text. The image is purple, matched with the yellow a clear connotation of the UK Independence Party due to their logo. The yellow also contrasts with the purple, putting stress on the text.

The language used in the poster, while not colloquial, could be considered mixed media text as it is written in such a way that invokes a feeling of spoken language. This is used to create a familiar sense and make a reader more likely to trust the source- along with the fact that it comes from a major political party.

The fact that "(And Labour say they don't want to do anything anyway.)" is presented as an afterthought with brackets and the casual "anyway" implies UKIP has a superiority to them, and also creates an almost indignant or dismissal tone, as though it is ridiculous that anyone could possibly not want to stop the 29 million immigrants. 

3. Think about the process of selection, what has been included in the final edit and what may have been left out in order to re-present the event in a certain way?

There is no elaboration on any of the points, simply blanket statements- to fearmonger and extremify the situation, the text is deliberately vague and opinionated while presenting itself as factual. There is neither context as to why immigrants are coming to the UK, whether "29 million" is a high figure compared to previous years, other countries or current population size, nor any evidence of where this predicted figure has come from and whether it is accurate. There is also no further information on who exactly admitted defeat on behalf of The Government, whether it was an MP, the Prime Minister or a collective statement. The statement about Labour does not give any explanation of why Labour "don't want to do anything" or where this impression has come from. All these elements create a deeply biased and one-minded version of the story and aims to manipulate the public with half-truths and unexplained general statements.

4. What is the focus of the representation? How is the audience encouraged to feel about the event

The audience is encouraged to feel shock and outrage at the idea of so many foreigners coming to the country, and that Labour is not doing anything about it. This fear mongering tactic is used to manipulate and encourage people into voting Leave in the Brexit referendum and support UKIP.

5. What do you think the possible responses from the audience may be after consuming the event through the media?

Those who already have a bias against migrants or are uninformed are likely to be persuaded to the viewpoints expressed in the media as it is a very manipulative and persuasive text. The poster may provoke disdain and disapproval from immigrants themselves and people more educated or aware about the situation.



IAMANIMMIGRANT CAMPAIGN

https://www.iamanimmigrant.com/about-us/

1. What is the dominant ideology within the media text? Is there evidence of opinion or bias towards a viewpoint?

2. How has the event been constructed within the media text? (language, MOA, colour, costume etc)

 

3. Think about the process of selection, what has been included in the final edit and what may have been left out in order to represent the event in a certain way?

 

4. What is the focus of the representation? How is the audience encouraged to feel about the event?

5. What do you think the possible responses from the audience may be after consuming the event through the media?

Conventions of the horror genre and movie poster design

Horror is undoubtedly the most easily recognisable genre when it comes to pre-release material such as posters. It is very established when it comes to iconography and conventions-skulls, blood and mysterious figures are staples of the genre.

For my poster I tried to create a haunting, ghostly feel to the image through editing. I layered the portrait photo, one with different opacity and one with an unnerving difference effect, which implies a ghost or haunting. The background and foreground are also heavily darkened to show the dark tone of the film

As many horror titles and taglines have double meanings, mine are plays on words- I wanted to convey the idea of a murdered wife coming back to life for revenge, with the title coming from "Til death do we part", and "buried" implying a metaphorical and literal burial, both of secrets and of a body. I also put emphasis on her ring through contrast hinting to a marriage or engagement.

Passive vs Active AUDIENCE THEORIES

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Fight Club Thoughts

FIGHT CLUB

If Project Mayhem succeeded, how would a post-Project Mayhem society differ from the pre-Project Mayhem society?

It could be considered utter chaos. The aim of Project Mayhem seems to be to create a clean slate for society, rejecting capitalism and materialism and encouraging natural instinct and the value of freedom and equality. Tyler describes this society before his apparent disappearance- he refers to "leather clothes that you will wear all your life", showing that in this new society there will be none of the emphasis on clothing and material possessions generally that the pre-Project Mayhem capitalist society enforces through media and other aspects of the superstructure.

 

Can Project Mayhem be stopped, or has it progressed beyond the point of no return?

Due to the sheer size and devotion of the group behind Project Mayhem, I believe it has progressed beyond the point of no return. As so many previous authority figures are either members (such as the policemen when the main character turns himself in) or corrupted/manipulated (like the government figure confronted by Tyler in the bathroom), there would be almost no way to regain system as it was without replacing all of these people (and there is a likelihood they would be converted also). Furthermore even if this was possible, the devotion of the men behind Project Mayhem could mean essentially a repeat of the same events and no real way to stop their terroristic actions.

Tyler believes that people cannot live unless they first hit bottom. Do you agree?

Tyler believes that hitting bottom is a type of freedom- when you have nothing you are free to do anything. I tend to agree with Tyler in this case... I agree that hitting bottom will give an appreciation for what you have in life, and may change your life in a way you could never have expected. However I do feel you can live happily without ever hitting your lowest point, but as to whether you are whether you are truly 'living' - and could be more satisfied with your life after taking risks and coming back from rock bottom - there is no real way to know. I think bad experiences in life can undoubtedly shape a person for good and/or bad, and stepping far beyond comfort could be considered truly living.



Which characters in the film "hit bottom" and how? Does it give them a renewed appreciation for life?

• The main character hits bottom when his apartment and his treasured possessions explode- this frees him from his material ties and leads to the start of Fight Club. Before this event, he was dissatisfied with his life as a slave to capitalism, and after, he has a renewed appreciation of life despite his poor surroundings and bad situation.
• Marla hits bottom when she takes an overdose of Xanax in her apartment. It isn't clear exactly what pushes her to this point , and whether it is the same circumstance that led to her joining the support groups initially. It is uncertain if this gives her a renewed appreciation for life as she refers to Tyler as the "worst thing that ever happened to (her)" , and not much of her is seen throughout the film beyond her exploitation by Tyler.
• The store worker held at gunpoint by Tyler hits bottom in this event. Although we never see the consequences of the meeting, we can assume that out of fear of being killed, he begins his path to becoming a veterinarian like he had dreamed of. Likely this gave him a renewed appreciation of life as not only did he survive a life-or-death situation, he also progressed toward his childhood dream.

What is our narrator really fighting against?

Society. The narrator a victim of society and unsatisfied with his life and work, seemingly why Tyler is created in his headspace- he could be seen to represent an idealistic version of the narrator with true freedom (though the narrator does not truly want to be Tyler, and he is more of a secondary personality), more confidence and power. It is possible this personality was created in the narrator's subconscious due to his dissatisfaction with how he has been treated, and his actions in joining Tyler and starting the club are his attempts to fight back against a society that has wronged him.
 

There are only two female characters in the film. How do they contribute to the film's themes? Why aren't there more female perspectives in the film?

The main theme in Fight Club is toxic masculinity. This is supported by all members of Fight Club being male, and the only two female characters seemingly being looked down on by the main character and Tyler, and that for both, sexuality is a large part of their personalities.

• Marla- Marla, a victim of society, finds herself in a similar situation as the protagonist, attending support groups for an unstated reason- presumably linked to her lack of money (shown by her taking other people's food etc.).  Marla, while independent and a force unto herself, is used by Tyler for sex and ignored and viewed with disdain by the main character. When Marla confronts the main character about why he stopped attending the support groups, he tells her that he's found something different , "only for men" . This supports the theme of toxic masculinity- though this is the only time it is openly stated, no member of Fight Club is female, despite the group growing from word of mouth - implying the members of the club do not see women as equal, whether consciously or subconsciously due to patriarchal society. 
• Chloe- Chloe is a member of the brain parasite support group the main character attends. In what little screen time she has, she is portrayed as being sex-obsessed yet unappealing due to the disease affecting her physical appearance. This supports the theme of toxic masculinity- she is seen as nothing beyond a sex object.

Would you join a fight club? Would you join Project Mayhem?

I would personally not join a fight club nor Project Mayhem as I believe that while a post-Project Mayhem society may be freeing, I don't see it as idealistic and think that a more structured society has its positives.

What ideologies surrounding Hegemony are present in the film?
 

Hegemony claims that society unknowingly accepts the norm and enforces dominant ideologies. This is clearly a prominent idea in Fight Club, with Tyler and the values of the club being significant and somewhat extremist:

• Patriarchy- Similarly to toxic masculinity, the club reinforces the ideology of patriarchy, a male-dominated society. The people shown in positions of power (such as the government official blackmailed by Tyler) are men, as are the revolutionary members of Project Mayhem, the people making a difference.
• Collectivism- Collectivism "stresses the worth of the group instead of that of the individual". It could be said that this is a ideology supported by the film, due to Tyler's insistence that the members of Project Mayhem are worth nothing and are part of a bigger movement, but somewhat hypocritically Tyler also supports its antithesis, individualism ("the inherent worth of each individual and focuses on self-sufficiency and freedom") in his imagining of his new society and on a more personal level, regarding the narrator and the shopkeeper he threatened.

What is the message of the film with regard to media/consumption culture?

The film rejects consumption culture- most blatantly when Tyler states "The things you own end up owning you". Not many overt references to media are made beyond news showing the actions of Project Mayhem and the Calvin Klein advert on the subway (to which Tyler responds "Self improvement is masturbation"), The overall message appears to be that this culture is unsatisfying and inevitably irrelevant, with the narrator's life before Tyler seemingly representing the extremity of consumerism, so far that he even defines himself by his belongings- he states "I’d flip through catalogues and wonder, what kind of dining set defines me as a person?". Though confusing and dangerous, he only finds a genuine satisfaction when he rejects this culture entirely and leaves his precious home.

 

Dominant Ideologies + Hegemony

DOMINANT IDEOLOGIES + HEGEMONY

An ideology is a system of ideas, values and beliefs held by an individual or larger group or society. Some values/beliefs are agreed as 'bad'- these may be dominated by groups such as the government, or the church. 

Dominant ideologies are ideologies that are dominant within society, reinforced by the media. Some may be good, such as "murder is bad", but some can be negative such as "being gay is wrong". Often negative values and ideologies are very personal or shared among smaller groups.

Examples of  key terms for dominant ideologies:

• Patriarchy- a society dominated by men (eg. in most management positions, roles within government etc.) - Women are shown in more submissive roles in the media or are demonized/punished if in dominant roles.
• Otherness- the idea that anything which is not 'white dominated' is 'other' by comparison.
• Colonial attitude of white supremacy- judging other cultures by our own standards

Christianity is still influencing many dominant ideologies and other faiths are judged against it- Islamaphobia has become a problem. Alternative sexualities are either demonized or trivialized- Gay females are eroticized whilst gay men are demonized or seen as 'entertainers'.

Capitalism:

“an economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations, esp. as contrasted to cooperatively or state-owned means of wealth.”

A society based upon aspirations to better oneself by ownership/possessions.

Hegemony- theory developed by Antonio Gramsci. Claims that society unconsciously accepts the norm and this is reinforced through cultural output.  Dominant ideologies become reinforced and alternative ideologies become marginalized.