Figuring It Out

I handed in my research proposal to Mrs. Haag this morning... which means there are a lot of emotions right now. I'm proud of myself because I think I am getting an even stronger grasp on my research and what I will be doing. And I am really looking forward to starting the data collection. However, I am also nervous about more writing and conveying my methods in a way that is clear but not oversimplified.

My plan moving forward consists of reviewing my proposal, writing the methods, editing, starting validity tests, and then finally watching some movies.

There are still considerations I need to make like the best way to organize my results so that I can actually draw meaning from them. As of right now, I have a code sheet that has a column for the frequency of the behavior or attribute. But, I need to know these traits for each character and each family and each movie and then as a whole. In order to make meaningful results on a character level to a general trend, I imagine writing a qualitative analysis of whether each character fits the capitalist definition of his or her role based on whether their character has a majority of the characteristics of that role. Then, I can make a conclusion on the family as a whole, which can contribute to a discussion on whether the movie contains clearly defined families and gender or not. Once I make a conclusion on each movie, I can have a spreadsheet of these conclusions so that I can look at the sample as a whole.

If I see a trend in the possible contradictions between the characters and the capitalist structure, then I can pull specific traits and their frequencies. For this I imagine using a spreadsheet that would add up the frequencies of specific traits of every character in a certain role (ex: authoritative mother or aggressive mother). I am afraid this may be too subjective or cherry picked if I only took out data from certain characteristics. So, the other option is I could have a spreadsheet that would add the frequency of each trait in a certain role and then could look if there are contradictions. This would also strengthen the qualitative conclusions I make on the movies and sample as a whole. Realistically though, I do not know what this would look like in terms of creating a spreadsheet that can add everything up for me (especially if I have separate spreadsheets for each family or movie).

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Elevator Pitch

Strengths and Weaknesses of my Methods

I am really excited about the progress that I have made over this time. We just turned in our methods assignment and I feel like I have a good grasp on the steps I have to take to make this project happen. 

I feel really good on choosing a coded content analysis. First of all, I chose a content analysis versus other methods like a thematic analysis because I know what I want to find in movies, it is a matter of tabulating them. Other methods are more exploratory and find general trends in the movies. 

Luckily, I already have some sources that outline the things that I will need to code for, so I have a strong basis to start my research. I will then be able to make my own coding chart and improvements on the previous methods. To make improvements, I plan on turning one of the source’s questions that they answered into statements that I can more accurately code for. I plan on creating two separate coding sheets: one for gender and one for family. This means I will be coding each movie at least twice. So, I am comfortable creating the coding sheet and justifying why I am using those things. 

However, I am still shaky on defining things like when to code. For example, one source I read talked about if the scene changed it would code for a certain behavior but what if it focuses on one character then changes to another character and back to the original character? Do I code for the behavior once or twice? So it is little ambiguities that I think I will have to define in the paper (or if they are very minute I guess in my head and stay consistent in my coding). Also, I think if I code the movies more than once, I can account for these small ambiguities. 

Another factor I am unsure about is the movies that I will be watching. I originally found a source that said the 1970s was the decade the modern idea of family was solidified. But, then I realized this date coincides with Dorfman’s publication, which I am trying to say is outdated. For this reason, I am wondering if this is a contradiction or an interesting aspect that I can analyze and discuss? I do not want to arbitrarily pick the last decade, but I am also concerned about how many movies I will have to analyze. 

The Aftermath

Since it has been a while on the blog, I'll do a recap of where my project is right now and what I am researching. We just finished our literature reviews, which included my central research question, "are the Marxist definitions of familial interactions and gender distinctions represented in the family units of modern Walt Disney Studios feature-length animated films?" To answer this question, I will be looking at authority within family interactions, and how gender markers affect those interactions.

I feel like I learned a lot from writing the Literature Reviews. And it was one of those processes that now that it is mostly finalized I feel like it wasn't that bad, but we all know it was a tough assignment. I am relieved that it is done though because I feel like it helped me focus my research a lot more. Making all the connections in the lit review, made the goal of my research a lot more clear.

My first draft of the literature review was rough, mostly because I focused on getting everything in it, but not enough on making it clear. I found the critiques and comments extremely helpful in order to improve. I focused a lot on making more connections between the claims and levels of my argument throughout my literature review, which made me really think about the direction my research is going. Now, I really can see how the steps of researching are so connected because I would have to add research and think about my methods and there is still a ways to go.

Overall I am excited about my project. I already have a majority of the sources I need for the methods assignment since I looked at different content analyses to understand the academic conversation. I think the analysis of these will be more straightforward for my project. I already have some critiques of each study but will have to go through them again specifically looking at the methods part. 

The main thing I am worried about for this assignment is trying to figure out my plan especially since I have two layers going on in my project: authority and gender. So, my struggle will be defining these two and making the connection and analysis clear. I am thinking of doing two separate sections for these “variables,” but I also want to see how gender plays into authoritative roles. But, I have time (and more reading) to figure the specifics out. 

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All the feels

So, I'm really scared right now. But I'll get to that. 

Right now I'm feeling confident in my abilities to write and assess sources and do the actual parts of the process. I know the skills and I know the steps. So I feel like I am good with creating something quality.

I'm neutral to the idea of writing an outline, because once I have a logical flow and all the information  I will be able to have enough detail to create a good, strong literature review. I have a lot to talk about so I should be fine to write the outline, and create a sold foundation for my lit review. 

However, I'm really scared about getting the information for my literature review, since my project has changes a little (or a lot). My outline had some issues in it, so I am having to redo a lot. I'm very terrified about getting all of this together by Friday.

I talked to Dr. Helmers and I think I have a stronger argument or at least better foundational source. He gave me How To Read Donald Duck by Ariel Doorman. Although dense, this source is SO COOL and gives a really interesting direction to my studies (surprise I'm a Marxist). Doorman looks at Donald Duck comics and how they create the idea of child and adult in a capitalist society. In addition to this new source, I have areas in which I need to justify why I am looking at this criticism as a foundational text and build the credibility of the ideas he presents to be "truths". But I'm a little overwhelmed with having to change a lot right now. I'm still really interested in my project and motivated but it's a setback for sure. 

Am I poop-my-pants scared? Yes. Just as scared as Heather here. 

But I'm trying to find sources and connections to beef up my lit review so I do not only regurgitate what Doorman says. I feel like I know what I have to do, but doing it is the hard part. I think this will make my project so much more deep and interesting, so I am happy I got the advice now instead of ending with a terrible project. 

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What Is My Research Question?

After my outline and annotated bibliography, I feel like I have a better understanding of my research question. I had my idea, but Mrs. Haag helped me connect all the points so that I am able to stay focused on movies relating to audiences. So, I drafted a research question based on that: How do Disney/Pixar movies use character archetypes to relate both to adults and children?

I have narrowed my scope from children's movies to Disney/Pixar movies because they are some of the most influential movies in the industry. I have sources to back this up which will be provided in my lit review. Additionally, I am planning on focusing on movies from 2006 to the most recent movies for two reasons: it eliminated the variable of Disney and Pixar relations, since this is when Disney bought Pixar, and it makes my findings more relevant to today's generations and society.

Key terms in my question include character archetypes, adults, and children. Character archetypes are part of Jung's structuralist psychology. He believes that based on evolution and development of a child, we build archetypes of each role of humanity, which can also be represented in literature, and I will be looking at it in film. The definitions of adult and children are a big chunk of my literature review because there is a lot of debate on how to define it, but basically my conclusion is that it is a fluid process that is usually marked by maturity and responsibility.

As of right now, I envision myself doing a type of analysis involving either one or a few of the archetypes. So these are the closest things I have to variables. I plan on answering my question by looking at characters that relate both to adults and children, and what these characters represent in terms of the movie. So, if the jokester does dumb things that kids laugh at but makes comments that adults laugh at, this is the character that relates best both to adults and children. Then the next step is to look at what this jokester's role in the movie is and what insights he provides.

When comparing my research to other studies I have read, I am looking specifically at the audience and what speaks to them. An issue that I had with other studies is that they jumped straight from plot summary or analysis to societal implications. However, the audience is an important player in the morals and themes pulled out of family media. My goal for the research is to say something about how movies appeal to their audience. And since family film has a broad audience, there has to be a connecting thread that links adults and children. What this thread is will say something about a core value in viewers and a better understanding of the presentation of themes in family media.

Outline of Lit Review

1. Define family media, it’s influence, & establish that both adults and children are audience
1. I have yet to find a scholarly definition
2. Define children and adult or establish that it is a complex topic since it seems to be a fluid thing
1. Locke’s Philosophy- children do not possess the rights of adults
2. Valentine- There are three categories, children (6-16), youth (16-25), and adult (25+). However this can be skewed by a multitude of things such as responsibility, maturity, and behaviors. Therefore Valentine comes to the conclusion that the definition of child and adult are a lot more flexible and intertwined.
3. Luvmour- “Developing Together: Parents Meeting Children’s Developmental Imperatives”- a study that shows that children have significant effects of the maturation of an adult and can even help the adult deal with unresolved childhood issues. This could show that nurturing a child even helps finalize the “adult” stage of life.  
4. I’m still working on connecting all of these together. I think Valentine is helpful in understand the flexibility and complexity of the progression of age, however I find Luvmour’s ideas fascinating. I think they also serve to define the dynamic relationship between child and adult which could be reflected in characters in Disney films.
3. Disney is a prevalent and influential source of media for generations
1. Gillam- “Disney cinema, one of the most effective teaching tools America offers its children,..."
2. Disney produces multiple forms of media, so combined with media’s influence and the prevalence of Disney, one can see how influential Disney ideas are on viewers.
4. Current ways Disney has been studied
1. Gillam- Post-Princess New Male Model- This study looked at the wave of movies after the princess movies (late 1990s). In this analysis they found that all these movies had a central alpha male figure that then realized his flaws and came to a more “feminine” character.
2. Lawson- History of Pixar- Some attribute the changes in the movie concepts to aspects of the Disney and Pixar company. Disney and Pixar were separate then started collaborating, until Disney bought Pixar in 2006. However, Pixar has maintained their strong team of animators to develop a wide range of children’s movies.
3. Best- “The Disadvantage of a Good Reputation”- Again this deals more with Disney as a company, claiming that Disney has to maintain a good reputation by creating stories that do not offend or challenge certain social ideals to keep in touch with masses. However, Disney has been able to present social issues continually in their movies, and while some backlash, Disney continues to thrive.
4. Corliss- This analysis specifically looked at the portrayal of mothers in Disney movies. It comes to the conclusion that mothers are represented consistently with the role that they have in society at the time. For example, in early Disney movies, it was still common for mothers to die in childbirth, therefore the mothers were usually absent. However, the analysis lacked a well thought description for recent movies which shows that this is not the most fruitful way to view Disney movies in today’s society.
5. Jackson- “Diversity In Disney Films: Critical Essays On Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality, And Disability”- Covering a lot of topics, this film analysis covered a lot of the most common ways of deconstructing Disney Movies. This source was able to talk about societal implications such as how globalization has affected the representations of race in movies.
6. Metz analysis of Up & Wiley analysis of Inside Out- While these are recent films I am interested in studying, neither of these articles addressed the parts of the film that appeal to both adults and children, nor does it talk about the societal implications of the movies. They were both more superficial and similar in the way they compared the movies to other theories.
5. While these are part of the answer, it still does not address how Disney is able to capture both adults and children
6. Since I have done research and understand the development of children and adult, I have the authority to analyze family film in a different way (this was a point Dr. Helmers made in my meeting but I am not sure if I should explicitly state, or is it implied that I’m building my ethos?)
1. SÁNCHEZ-ESCALONILLA- “Verisimilitude and Film Story: The Link Between Screenwriter, Character, and Spectator”- Brings up the idea of Verisimilitude and emotional stake in films as a way to reach a wide audience. However, I want to go deeper and say that this is achieved through a specific archetype.
2. Does the presence of [archetype] bridge the gap between adult and children viewers in Disney films in the last ten years?

Geography vs Psychology on Children and Media:

Gill Valentine, a Professor of Geography at the University of Sheffield: All the studies I seem to do on how geography affects people really only focus on adults. Have you ever wondered about how boundaries can affect children?

Johnathan S. Comer from Columbia University Department of Psychiatry (and other contributors): Of course we have. We find the development of children an especially rich area to study. 

GV: I think a child seems relatively easy to define. You can picture them as dependent, a little thing adults have to drag around. And adult is someone that is independent, one who can take care of themselves. What is harder to define is the weird youth period, like 16-25 where we fluctuate between dependence and independence, and maintain certain boundaries. 

Comer et al: I guess the definition of child is more complicated. Can you elaborate on this transition state of "youth." 

GV: In my observations, there are certain transitions like getting a job that help children mature into adults. They seem to have more responsibilities which make them closer to adult than child. However, for example if an "adult" reacts immaturely to a situation, he is more child than adult. 

Comer et al: With your definition of child, I can see how my studies of media influence are a complicating  factor. The results of our psychoanalytical study showed that "children's television use was associated with elevated perceptions of personal (but not societal) vulnerability to world threats (i.e., crime, terrorism, earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods)." 

GV: That sounds like a type of maturation. Even though I did not address media in my study, I think your findings support my conclusion about maturing. Your study provides another perspective to my work and enriches the idea of child development, especially that media use could expedite the transition to "adult." 

Comer et al: Unfortunately, our sample size was small, only 90 kids ages 7-13. This is even considered part of your child, not "youth," category. However, since media is increasingly accessible to younger populations with little regulation from parents, we can see this is a type of independence a younger population receives. While they are dependent on parents for transportation and money, the things you analyzed, they are independent in their media use. Therefore, it allows kids to start the transition to youth even earlier than the boundaries you described. 

GV: Considering your research in comparison to mine has given me a new perspective. I can see that child development has any factors, but it looks like media is a significant factor. 

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Fueled by the words of the grade above me, I started AP Research terrified of the literature review. However, after reading samples and listing the skills we need, I feel confident in my understanding of a literature review. By threading sources into my own narrative, I have to set up the context and current conversation of the topic I am researching. The literature review combines different seminar skills we learned such as putting sources in conversation, choosing subtopics, integrating quotes, forming an argument, and writing a research question. The format is similar in that we will use subtopics to guide our paper, but also explicitly connect the ideas. I also have to define important or ambiguous terms as they come up. For example, in my literature review I will have a subtopic that defines children versus adults and will then have to relate that to film. A huge thing that I noticed about the literature reviews is how important your unique voice is. This will be challenging to me, since I often times, do not like the way I write. However, I can picture how proud I will be once I thoughtfully craft my own literature review.

As of right now, one of the best sources I have found is "Boundary Crossings: Transitions from Childhood to Adulthood." Although this source is from a geography journal, it has many insights on defining children and adults. While other sources focused on 18 being the legal age of adulthood, this sources stressed the fluidity and possible recursiveness of childhood. It defines child as 5-16, "youth" as 16-25, and adult 25 and older. While this adds to some of the confounding variables of defining the audience, it gives insight to the fluidity of these states. Maturity, Responsibility, Transportation, and Work were all topics that I took from the article to enhance my searches and hone in on themes. This source is one of the few solid sources I have that defines children and adults in an academic way. I think what it fails to acknowledge though are attributes like imagination and perception. These are other topics I have been researching. One specific quote I took away was "Rather than conceptualising childhood as a fixed or static category that we grow out of, it is important instead to understand childhood as a process that shapes up throughout the life course." I think this can be related to the ability for children's movies to speak both to children and adults.
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This was a big week for my research project. I was able to meet with my consultant, Dr. Helmers. He wrecked me, but in a good way that led me to a better research question. While I am still a little lost, my goal for my new research project is to define or redefine the genre of children's films. 

This process will include a lot of reading about t genre and children, so that I can find prominent themes or elements that separate children's movies from adult movies. Or possibly do not separate them? I have to justify that whether it necessitates distinction or not. 

The subtopics I envision for my project:

- Genre 

- Children's movies 

- Family Film 

- Children 

- Adults 

- Film Theory/ Film basics 

- Thematic Topics 

- Maturity 

I also am planning to add onto this list, specifically the elements that separate children from adults. Right now, I still have a broad idea of what I am doing. I know what film I am looking at, but I cannot tell at the moment what I am looking for. This will come with more research and reading. 

My subtopic list right now deals mostly with being able to define the different parts. What is genre distinction? What is a child? What is an adult? What is family film and how has it developed? What are current definitions of children's movies? Once I have this information I can put a whole picture together and hopefully find a gap, where I can better define children's movies. 

In terms of searches, right now I am looking a genre development, what it is and how you do it. From here I hope to find sources on children's movies. Since I have not had as much luck with that, I may have to take a different direction. This is both exciting and nerve-wracking to me, since it means there is a gap, but that I have a big gap to fill. My plan from here is to look at sources that define children versus adults. This way I can analyze movies paying attention to these attributes that set them apart. 

Since this is a very new field of study for me, I am still feeling nervous that my subtopics are not solid. But, I am so excited for this project and am willing to build a base of knowledge for my inquiry. I also have great guidance with Dr. Helmers and Mrs. Haag. Now it's time to hit the books. 

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This week I ended up very far from where I started. But that is A-OKAY! I am really excited about the progress I have made and the topic I have chosen. This topic is... Children's movies.

Specifically, I would like to research what elements or themes allow adults to also relate to children's movies. That being said, this is the direction I would like to go and it is subject to change.

I started with basically nothing this week. I knew I was going for film but was still having trouble envisioning where I could take this. However, with amazing feedback I was able to decide that I wanted to focus on how films make people feel or think. A recent interest of mine has been children's films/ tv shows. Particularly when I watched The Little Prince, I was attached to the story, related to the characters, and deeply moved by the end. I wondered why is it that I felt so strongly about an imaginative, adventurous kid's movie?

Right now, I want to refine my topic by honing in on either a director, animations studio, or something else. Or if it is an option, I would like to choose maybe a few movies that seem particularly respected by both adults and children.

My biggest problem right now though, is that I am not finding sources very related to the direction I would like to go. For instance, most sources I find are deconstructions of Disney movies that conclude a sexist or racist story. However, I fail to believe a child would interpret a movie this way. I also read one source in which college students were interviewed about Disney Princess movies, and they reported feeling little or no influence of the movies onto their lives.

While I want to find a research topic that is unique, I still feel lost in that I am still trying to find a basis for my project. My plan going forward is to continue to play with advanced searches to find more sources. I would also like to narrow "children's movies" by finding an intriguing director or company. I am trying to be open minded on where my initial idea of children's movies will take me, so that I can find a more clear academic conversation with room for my project.

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Exploring Topic 8/11/16

Yay Senior Year! It has started with enthusiastic teachers, excited students, and interesting classes. I have been looking forward to AP Research all summer! In all seriousness, I have.

I started this class thinking I wanted to do research on film. Why?

It all started with my Netflix subscription. With an almost unlimited access to tv shows and movies, I started developing my taste. I really enjoyed independent films or movies that left me thinking. For this reason, I have developed an ever growing interest for film, but have never had the opportunity to actually DO something with it. So I am taking advantage of this project to learn more.

I have two options in mind: theory and technique. Ideally, I would like to create my own short film or music video or something. I am particularly interested in stop animation. However, I would also love to learn more about film theory.

I am having some trouble getting a grasp on the academic conversation of film. I think some of that may stem from me looking in the wrong places, but as of right now much of the arguments I have seen have been content analyses to show racism or sexism in modern films. I tried looking at film journals but got a little overwhelmed by the expertise it seemed was needed for the things being featured, like directors and such.

However I did see something that piqued my interest: a recently released music video by Cut Copy that had an interactive element to it. Not only was the idea of the music video amazing, stop motion glow in the dark figures, but it also included code to 3D print a set of figures for yourself. From this, I started researching interactive music videos because I did not realize that was a thing. The results were fascinating, but unfortunately seem to require a lot of coding knowledge that I do not have.

I decided to look more into Stop Animation, but I have found little research. I will continue looking because I am drawn to this technique. I also think I could create something of my own using the technique, especially for a music video or short film. I do not want to force a project though so I am still searching academia with an open and inquisitive mind.

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