'Undefeated' - Weekly Film Analysis By: Unknown No comments

Undefeated is a 2011 sport documentary directed by Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin. It follows the story of three working class youths from Manassas High School and their football coach who aims to help them beat the odds on and off the pitch.  

It is an extremely moving story which was made even more touching and tear- jerking due to the fact that we know it is true to life. The film touches upon a huge range of extremely important and hard hitting themes, some of which include class, friendships, privileged, opportunity, masculinity, determination, drive, aspiration, family, father/son relationships, failure, success, strength, positivity, perseverance, motivation and the idea of 'never giving up'.

One of the most important, and therefore memorable, quotes from the film is said by the Tiger's volunteer coach Bill ~Courtney and that is:

"The character of a man is not measured in how he handles his wins, but what he does with his failures ."


This, I believe, is the overall message and moral as the film because, as it is of course a true story, unlike in many fictional dramas where the protagonists team will never lose the final match, in undefeated the Tiger's don't actually win the playoff game however what they learn is that it is always about winning and that that is one of the harsh but helpful realities of life. Therefore, this statement becomes very important for not only the character's in the film but also for the audience who can come away from the film having learnt that lesson. Something which many dramas may not have been able to do, or at least do with the same effect.


A common convention of documentaries which helped to portray this message along with the other main themes of the film was through the use of narrative. For example, title cards, and animated info graphics such as the map animation, really helped to move the story along as well as making it even more visually appealing to the audience, whilst also informing of the facts, statistics and realities on the subject.


Furthermore, the animated graphics weren't the only visual aspect of the film that would be appealing to the audience. The clever and varied use of cinematography was also key in achieving this. For example, there was a wide range of camera, shots, angles and movements, even during interviewing scenes and a beautiful and fitting color palette also helped in creating and solidifying the mood of the film throughout.


All of which came together to create a beautiful piece of work that was both visually and emotionally/intellectually appealing and I believe, would really move and inspire any audience member as well as also teaching them the same important life lesson that we see the character's learn on their journey throughout the film.

Documentary Presentation By: Unknown No comments

'Hot Girls Wanted' - Weekly Film Analysis By: Unknown 3 comments

'Hot Girls Wanted' is a 2015 documentary directed by Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus. It follows the story of five amateur pornstars in Florida and sheds light on the ever growing amateur porn industry through the experiences shown and talked about by the young women throughout.

It is interesting to note that both the directors are female as this begs the question of how much, if at all, did this influence the representation of the women and their issue within the documentary. Did it make it biased against them or in their favour or neither? It is easy to argue both ways as some could say it was biased against them as it made them seem like victims that are easily taken advantage of and abused. However, it could also be said that it shows the stronger side to them, as it was a chance for them to speak up and have their say about their experiences and shows them as more than just a pretty face... and body, but also a real person with thoughts, feelings and opinions.

One could definitely say however, from what we were shown and taught throughout the documentary, that the representation of the women within the industry is extremely sexist. With females shown as being weak, submissive, victimised sex slaves. One part of the doc in particular which I believe really got that message across to the audience was in the section about the new 'Facial Abuse' fad in pornography. Where young amateur were forced to participate in rough oral sex until they vomited and were then forced to eat it whilst also being verbally abused by the male porn stars in the videos using offensive racial and sexist language.

This links in with feminist Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory which in short is the theory that everything in the media, and particularly this specific industry is done in the interests, particularly visual interests of men. The theory goes on to explain 

As a common convention of documentaries, 'Hot Girl's Wanted' also included a good deal of title cards featuring facts and statistics on the industry. Many of the facts shown were extremely shocking. For example; the fact that Porn hub is visited more times per day than Netflix, Amazon and Twitter collectively.  

So, in conclusion therefore, I believe that although the industry was portrayed as representing the women as weak and victimised I think the documentary on the whole showed them as somewhat empowered.