FRESHERS ISSUE 2023 SCAN Lancaster University

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20 S C R E E NSCANLU SCANLancaster scan.lancastersu.co.ukOscar Buzz at Lancaster?What to Expect from the Students BehindLancaster Filmmaking SocietyFreya StoodleySCREEN EDITORThe Lancaster Filmmaking Society has become a hub forsome of the best creative talent Lancaster has to offer.On the promise of an upcoming showing, here is a briefinsight into the brilliant films these incredible peoplehave made this year.Starting off with the first batch of films we made: Pop!, TheFarmer’s Wife and Gaslighter. These films couldn’t be moredifferent; directed by teams of two these short films vary fromhorror to your daily dose of inter-dimensional travel. As far asbig concepts in small packages go, these films take the cake.Directed by: Valentina Caneschi, Jess BroadThe third and final film of the first batch, directed by ValentinaCaneschi and Jess Broad. This short film tests the will of awoman whose partner’s manipulative and egotistic tendencieswill certainly set you ablaze!Three incredible films from truly talented people. You’dthink the first set of films would be unmatched, butwhen you hear about the second batch you’ll be just asflabbergasted!Directed by: Lorna BrierlyYou’ll be left seeing stars afterour next short. Smoke and Stars isa soft and dreamy take on university night life. Astray from thesick filled bathrooms of the fresher’s fairs, this film looks at theuniversity experience through rose-tinted glasses.Directed by: Sam Turnbull, Sky FongIf you’ve ever wanted an ex-partner to disappear, you may findPop! to be your worst nightmare. This short will take you ona rollercoaster to test your motion sickness, along with a manwho can travel wherever he wants with a single *pop*.Directed by: Naomi OnakunleHave you ever been bothered by a stone cold caller? A universitystudent becomes engulfed in stress when she is swarmed by anendless supply of cold callers. There’s no running away from thismobile nightmare.Directed by: Scarlett GillThere’s more than one twist and turn in this whirlwind of a tale.When a young woman finds herself broken down at night onan unfamiliar street, she has no choice but to put her trust in apeculiar stranger to get her home safe.Directed by: Freya Stoodley, Carolina SilvaThis film will transport you back to the 19th century where amute scarecrow creates a mess for a struggling farmer’s wife,who wrestles with house work and guarding a heavy secret.And there you have it! A brand newsociety, and seven new films. Getready for the new term to kick in,because cinema is back on the menu!A Guide to The Dukes: Supporting LocalScreens and StageSky FongArts Associate EditorThe Dukes, located at the heart of Lancaster town onMoor Lane, is Lancaster’s only professional producingtheatre and the oldest Lancaster cinema, dating backto 1971. Lancaster Univeristy’s alumni Andy Serkis evenworked at the Dukes at the beginning of his career. It’s afantastic location for cinema and theatre buffs to gatherand have a great time.The Dukes has a variety of stage performances – from theatreproduction, dance to comedy shows. They have got you covered.Look out for their yearly Christmas production, and this year,they are performing a musical adapted from the classic tale AChristmas Carol! Looking for comedy? Check out Rhys Jamesand Rachel Fairburn, who will be performing at the Dukes inNovember.The films shown at the Dukes are nicely curated. From widereleases to indie favourites, you’ll always get to find somethingyou would enjoy. If you are dying to watch a film on the big screenand other cinemas are not showing it, your best bet will be theDukes.Dark Dukes is returning for its second year to celebrate theHalloween spirit. Dress up in your best costume and enjoyhorror films and performances in the last week of October.This year’s highlights include The Exorcist, Evil Dead double billand The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Buster Keaton’s The HauntedHouse and a collection of shorts will also be screened with a livescore by pianist Neil Brand at the Lancaster Priory. It’ll also be aperfect Halloween night to check out the folklore-inspired danceperformance, Lore.Do you want a free party with drinks, treats, and great vibes?They hosted a Barbie party with a life-sized Ryan Goslingcardboard cut-out a few months ago. And they are planningon having more in the future! I’ve received intel that they arepreparing one for Halloween, so be on the lookout for moreupdates.Film buffs who want a fun night out with your mates? I’llDirected by: David MeadLast but not least, Crystal Gazing follows the misadventures of aKleptomaniac, a man who gets a tingle from nicking your stolengoods. This short film will take you on a bike ride like no other,where you’ll lose more than an odd sock.Photos : @popshortfilm, @farmerswife_film, @gaslighter.film, @victim_shortfilm,@smokeandstarsfilm, @coldcalling.film,and @crystalgazing.filmdefinitely recommend their mystery screening every month.Before the film, there’s a free film quiz, where you can prove yourfilm knowledge and win prizes!The mystery film could be a preview of an upcoming film, an oldclassic, or even a cult favourite. You get to sit in a cinema withpeople waiting for the BBFC black card to pop out to know whatfilm you’re watching. How exciting!If you want to talk about a film or a stage production afterwatching it, you’ll always find people hanging around in the bararea. They also introduced Talking Pictures last year, where youcan chill and discuss the film with other audience members ledby a professional in the genre.The Dukes have been a long-time partner of the university, andthey occasionally host screenings of films made by our filmstudents (like me!), so do come support your fellow students! Theyalso offer a free student membership for all Lancaster Universitystudents. Just sign up online, and you’ll receive a free film ticketand a £1 discount for every film you watch at the Dukes.Follow their website at www.dukeslancaster.org or theirInstagram @thedukeslancaster for more updates.
S C R E E Nscan.lancastersu.co.uk SCANLU SCANLancaster21The Importance ofRepresentation On-ScreenNaomi OnakunleARTS AND CULTURE EDITORRepresentation can have a variety of meanings dependingon the context. It can mean showing or describingsomeone or something in a particular way, or it can be theprocess of speaking or acting in support of another personor group.Regarding the media, both of these meanings of representationintertwine. Before tackling why representation on screen is soimportant, it is first necessary to understand the impact that filmhas on our society.For a lot of people, film acts asa form of escapism from reality.The medium has the ability toimmerse viewers into a differentworld where they can experiencea variety of emotions, sensations,and perspectives that may differfrom their own. Film isentertainment.It has the potential to spread awarenesson multiple aspects of life, such asdrug and gang culture as seen inTrainspotting (1996) and Blue Story(2019) respectively, and the capabilityto teach us about history as seen in12 Years a Slave (2014) and The Pianist(2002). It has the ability to mirror and shapeculture as seen in the animated film Coco(2017), and in Victim (1961).To put it simply, film acts as avehicle for education, culture, andto an extent, propaganda.However, despite this large influence, film and the media in generalhas and continues to present stereotypical representations ofmarginalised groups such as women, people of colour (POC), theLGBTQ+ community and many more for the general public toconsume. These depictions range from submissive characters andsexualised beings to violent criminals and unintelligent people.There are even cases whereby some of these groups, are excludedfrom the mainstream entirely.These portrayals and or lack thereof, are harmful for a variety ofreasons. For example, it can severely damage an individual’s selfesteemand confidence, especially amongst the youth, makingthem feel invisible and alienated hence leading to feelings ofdepression and anger, which in turn can result in a self-fulfillingprophecy created by the media.These portrayals can also influencethe perceptions and attitudes ofthe dominant groups towardsmarginalised groupsthus leading to acts ofhostility, which maycause the latter to facebarriers and biaseswithin education,employment andother domains.A few examples of how these stereotypesare perpetuated on screen include Disney’spredominately white princesses and theirdamsel in distress persona prior to the 80s and90s, the token black best friend as seen in Clueless (1995), thethug, the domestic worker as seen in Driving Miss Daisy (1989),the lotus blossom as seen through Mantis in Guardians of theGalaxy Vol. 2 (2017), the nerdy and emasculated Asian man asseen in Sixteen Candles (1984), and the martial arts expert.This list is by no meansexhaustive, as a lot ofthese stereotypes arealso being attached toanimal characters. Forexample, The Crowsin Disney’s Dumbo(1941) are a codedracist stereotype ofblack people, whilstboth Si and Am inLady and the Tramp(1955) and the Siamesecat playing the pianowith chopsticks in TheAristocats (1970) areexaggerated and racistdepictions of Asian people.Negativity aside, the film industry has made slightprogression in its portrayal of marginalised groups.Studies show that during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020and onwards, there has been a boom in the number of filmsbeing streamed online as opposed to being watched intheatres.64% of these streamed films containedaround 30% of minority actors, while only57% of theatrical films had casts withthat percentage. What this shows is thatstreaming services are able to releasediverse films on a larger scale in comparisonto their theatrical counterparts.Women have also faredwell, holding around 49%of lead roles in films streamedonline in comparison to 39% withintheatres (as of 2022) according tothe UCLA Diversity Report.We can chalk up these small victories to movements such asthe #MeToo campaign and the Time’s Up movement createdin response to it, #OscarsSoWhite (est. April Reign, 2015),#BlackLivesMatter, #AsianLivesMatter, and #WhiteWashedOut.These have highlighted the dire need for inclusivity within themedia and how “diversity should not be considered a luxury but anecessity” (Hunt, 2023a).This is further emphasised through studies which show that“audiences of colour are the bedrock of Hollywood” (Hunt, 2023b),and that they not only “saved the theatrical industryduring the pandemic” (Ramón, 2023a), but they arealso the “key” (Ramón, 2023b) to bringing theindustry back to its pre-pandemic levels.If Hollywood fails toacknowledge thesefacts, then they willrisk losing a lot of theiraudience to streamingservices.As stated before, audiences respond positively to diversity onscreen and there are a lot of films which reflect this. Crazy RichAsians (2018) contained well-rounded representations of Asiansin the real world, depicting their individual hopes, dreams, andrelationship problems, and it aided other Asian filmmakers ingetting their own projects funded and broadcasted.Similarly, Black Panther (2018) hadan almost entirely black leadcast, contained strong femalecharacters, celebrated blackculture and became the secondhighest-grossing film of 2018.Other forms ofrepresentationare seenthroughDisney’sEncanto(2021) whichfeatures a multigenerationalColumbian focusednarrative, Barbie(2023) which highlightsthe challenges that women facein society, and A Man Called Otto(2023) which features a transgendercharacter.However, the industry must be careful not to fall intothe trap of tokenism, by placing marginalisedgroups into a narrative purely to appeal to acriteria.This is furtheremphasised by acomment made by duringan interview with thecast of historical drama,The Promised Land (2023),whereby a journalist questionedthat the choice to have a largelywhite cast may result with the filmnot being eligible for Best Pictureat the Oscars, to which the directorNikolaj Arcel states ‘it’s just how itwas in the 1750s’.There is still room for improvement within the film industry.More women and POC need to be given opportunities to writeand direct with big budgets, especially within a theatrical context.Seeing people that look like youbehind the scenes will not onlyensure that a variety of stories areable to be shared, but it will alsoprovide comfort that such storieswill be shared accurately.Furthermore, it will raise self-esteem amongst marginalisedgroups and solidify the belief that they too are capable of beingin such positions, a dream which many of us are looking to fulfil.Photos (left to right): Disney Pixar, NikoTavernise, (courtesy Columbia Pictures),Warner Bros., Magnolia Pictures.
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FRESHERS ISSUE 2023 SCAN Lancaster University

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