The article I chose to analyze is “From Chick Flicks to Millennial Blockbusters: Spinning Female-Driven Narratives into Franchises” by Ashley Elaine York. This article was the 2009 William E. Brigman JPC Award Winner.
The target audience for this article would seemingly be women. While I do believe the target audience includes women in the age range of 18-40 years, the article also speaks to those interested in movies and different movie genres. It discusses in detail different types of movies from the early days of cinema to today.
The article starts out by making the points that women’s films have changed over the last decade and while they still contain the key ingredients of consumerism, romance, beauty, and escaping from reality, a new theme has emerged, validation.
The article focuses on three major motion pictures that fall into the category the author coins as Millennial Blockbusters; The Devil Wears Prada, Sex and the City, and Mamma Mia!. She makes the point that these movies take an ordinary “chick flick” and create a blockbuster hit. These movies did extremely well in the United States as well as internationally. They feature strong women, with strong storylines and big time actresses playing these women. These movies feature beautiful and glamorous locales that just add to the overall escape from reality theme.
“From Devil Wears Prada, Sex and the City, and Mamma Mia!, this new brand of women’s film is successfully competing with male-driven action and superhero tales in terms of both box office and global franchise success. In 2008, the number of women-headlined movies among the top 100 worldwide grosser is fifteen, including Mamma Mia! At number six and Sex and the City at number ten.” (York, 2010)
The author discusses three key characteristics that make the new women blockbusters in a league of their own. The first key difference is they are high-concept. They also tell a story that has far reaching wide audience appeal, and finally a global setting that reaches beyond the local and the ordinary. “Instead of shot ‘em up and special effects, women’s blockbusters utilize different aesthetics to create their movie spectacles.” (York, 2010)
The final concept the author looks at is the soundtrack of these movies. Music draws an audience in, and keeps the memory of the movie experience fresh long after it is over through the music of the movie.
The author did a great job of wrapping up all of her key concepts throughout the article. It was easy to read and understand. Her works cited contained many great sources with sound research. I enjoyed reading the article and learned a great deal about the concepts of female driven movies and what makes them successful and so enjoyable for both women and men of all ages.
References
York, A. E. (2010). From Chick Flicks to Millennial Blockbusters: Spinning Female-Driven Narratives into Franchises. The Journal of Popular Culture, Vol. 43, No. 1, 2010 , 3-25.
I really enjoyed your article! I agree that the chick flicks of today are much better than those of the past. I am a romantic at heart and home but I also strive to “have it all.” The films that are made for the chicks of today have to have the life that many try to obtain. It is the love, strength, and accomplishments of a successful woman in business and home that attract the audiences. I’ve only been on the watching side of movies and never really gave the production or marketing of the movie too much thought so it was really interesting to pin point why I am attracted to the “chick flicks” of today!
ReplyDeleteJulia - Absolutely a fun article to analyze. I am a chick flick "junkie". I own them all. So, your analysis was exciting for me to read. I was aware that the flicks have become more sophisticated in recent years, but it was interesting to read about the concepts they keep in mind when producing the films. The soundtrack is a huge draw for these movies now. The music is new, upbeat, and right on in helpin to tell the story. They have their own formulas written into them. I own all the soundtracks to the movies you mention in your analysis. Great choice in articles, great job on the analysis!
ReplyDeleteGood job on your journal analysis. I have not seen any of the movies mentioned in the article. I do know that Sex and the City was a must see for many women. It is good that strong women are being represented in films.
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