Independent Study Essays

Independent Study Essays Independent Study Essay Independent Study Essay Film stars are complex signs whose significance is created partly by themselves acting out their personas, by taking on particular fictional roles, but also by their studios and publicists who promote their real non screen persona, by the popular press and by the audiences who buy into and use them for their own entertainment. [1]A star is said to build up a persona through the different roles that they play in films and have become brands in their own right. Film companies have been quick to notice this and exploit the brand for a maximum profit. Stars are therefore used as a marketing tool in order to publicise the film. The idea of using stars as a marketing tool to engage audiences for their film began in the early years of the Hollywood film industry. This led to the classification of A-List stars, and to them being capable of opening a film simply because of the presence of their name above the title.'[2] This is due to audiences forming a fan base for a particular star and therefore being interested in this constructed image that is being presented of them. A stars image is built up from several different types of media; personal appearances, film and television performances, fan magazines etc. and is prone to change over time for some actors due to a change or development in their constructed image. An example of this includes actors such as Will Smith whom appeared as a comical character in television shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990) and evolved into an iconic hero in later films such as I Am Legend (2007). His image has been constructed in a way that sells the idea of his family values and ideologies to a mass audience. A prime example of this is the film The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), where Smith works with his son, Jaden Smith, to present the true story of a salesman who has financial difficulties resulting in the break-up of his marriage. Smiths character, Chris Gardner, applies to a stockbroker internship in the hope that it will lead to a stable income for him and his son, Chris struggles to pay the rent whilst undertaking this internship and results in a period of homelessness, reinforcing the idea of family life with its difficulties, that eventually pay off. Theorists such as Dyer argued that for the star to attract an audience there must be some representativeness, some apparently recognisable element which an audience can relate to.'[3] This relates to the persona of the star, instead of being interpreted as the constructed image that they are, stars are compared with audiences and to particular elements that is liked about them. This could be seen with actors such as marilyn monroe, who came to be the sex symbol, probably for all time,'[4] inspiring a complete change in the way society reacted. Monroe had created such a powerful persona that she was able to create a single particular meaning as a star, becoming known for her roles as the innocently sexy dumb blonde.'[5] This role is particularly shown in films such as Were Not Married (1952) where Monroe plays the role of a beauty pageant contestant, young, beautiful and happy, being featured in revealing costumes such as a bathing suit and short dresses throughout the competition. When her and her husband find out they are not married, they both begin to question their relationship due to her dream of becoming a model, in which she puts before her husband and young baby. Following this, Monroe starred in Gentlemen prefer blondes (1953) and How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), both films contribute to her dumb blonde persona that she has built up over time and adhere to the audience expectations of her. These images are all clearly used to exploit this representation of her which links in with Laura Mulveys male gaze theory in which states that women are merely represented to provide visual pleasure for men'[6]. This reinforces the ideology that males are more dominant than females, and therefore plac ed in a position of lower authority. It is argued that the study of stars cannot be limited to the analysis of specific films of star performances. Star images are the product of intertextuality in which the non-filmic texts of promotion, publicity and criticism interact with the film text.'[6] This refers to her off set persona and the other promotional work she is involved with, such as Monroes work with Playboy in the 1950s and her red velvet photograph that was featured in the first edition of the magazine which became hugely popular as it brought sex out of the closet into the glaring light of day and emphasised that it was not something to hide or be embarrassed about,'[7] From this it can be seen that Monroes provocative nature was apparent in all aspects of her career and personal life and she did not attempt to act converse to this. Later, stars such as Madonna produced the music video for Material Girl which was taken from the clip of Monroes film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, as she performed Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend. This is an example of post modernism where Madonna is said to have used this image in order to become associated with the connotation of Monroes image as a star, the sexy dumb blonde persona. Marilyn has maintained such a dominant position in history that more recent stars of today are aware of her and manipulate her stereotype in order to publicise and create this stereotype for themselves. Another example of an As of his work include; Liar Liar (1997), Me, Myself ; Irene (2000), Bruce Almighty (2003) and Fun With Dick and Jane (2005), all of which were huge financial successes. Liar Liar, for example, took $31,423,025 in its opening weekend alone. Therefore, Careys star image was built up through both his filming within this genre and also by his personal appearances. An example of one of his personal appearances is on David Lettermans Late Show (2005), where Carey is promoting his latest film release, Fun With Dick and Jane. Here, Carey is introduced as the always entertaining, therefore representing his character as a constructed star image, not himself as a person. This is continually reinforced throughout the interview with Careys comical responses and interaction with the audience. It was not until 2007 with the release of The Number 23 that Jim Carey attempted to move from his typical comedy film and change his image by appearing in a suspense, thriller. This film only managed to make $14,602,867 in its opening weekend and received much negative critical attention stating it used a desperate attempt to prove itself with essentially hollow characters'[9], leading to further criticism of Carey himself and how he is unable to leave his persona behind and develop a more serious role. From watching The Number 23 it became apparent why the film received such negative criticism due to the characters cast. Although Carey was used as a successful marketing tool, by the use of his name above the title, in order to attract audience to watch the film, the role was unsatisfying due to the lack of his character persona and humour presented. Intertextual references were taken from films such as Liar Liar, where the character of Carey used phrases such as I rest my case your honour'[10]. Here, Carey shows little emotion and uses the phrase in a simple, monotone sentence. In Liar Liar, contrastingly, Carey is over enthusiastic about winning his case that he results to leaping onto a table. It is almost as if the audience is waiting to see Carey react in this same manner, leading to disappointment. However, the storyline of the film was intriguing for the audience that partly compensates for Careys acting, however, it is clear that Carey is out of place within this genre. It could be considered that Carey is unsuccessful due to his status. After spending over 20 years in the film industry building up the image of a comedian it was an enormous change to then star in a suspense / thriller and try to play a very serious role. It has been stated that the casting of a particular actor has important on the effect the characterization will have.[11] As we can see from films such as Ace Ventura and Fun With Dick and Jane, Careys role has adapted slightly into a more romantic comedy with successful characterisation, therefore showing that it is possible for a role to be adapted, but it could be argued that there is a limit to how far before the casting becomes out of context. From looking at this, it can be seen that it is not always possible for stars to successfully change their image, depending heavily on the change in which they intend to make. As Metz theory suggests, the star is presented as an object for the spectator who view him or her voyeuristically'[10], although this is not intended as a fetish, stars are generally seen as iconic and audiences often aspire to be more like them. By changing their image it can therefore change the way in which the audience perceives that star, often leading to negative publicity and therefore a lowered star status. The traditional Hollywood saying is your only as good as your last picture'[11], therefore if the actors fan base do not enjoy the most recent persona of the star, their success as a film star and entire career could be in jeopardy. This can be seen in Careys career after The Number 23 where he returned to his original role in comedies and took on the lead role in Yes Man (2008), however, due to his performance in this previous cinema production this film only managed $18,262,471 in its opening weekend. Comparing this to what he has achieved in previous films it can be seen that Carey is no longer as successful as he was. Contrasting this, A-List stars such as Julia Roberts have proven successful in adjusting their persona, without it having a negative impact on their overall success. Roberts first became successful in 1990 with the release of Pretty Woman, which in the opening weekend alone grossed $11,280,591. Here, her persona was developed as a young sex symbol, like that of Marilyn Monroe. This links to the typical representation of women within Hollywood where their success appears to lie primarily on their looks. Without this physical attraction it would be much more difficult for a female star to reach the status of an A-List celebrity. Shortly after this, Roberts appeared in several movies that did not suit her persona such as Mary Reilly (1996), in which the horror genre did not suit her personality and become known as a critical and commercial failure'[12]. Roberts then decided to return to her original persona for films such as Runaway Bride (1999), once again reclaiming her success, possibly due to the fan base she had already acclaimed from her previous roles, and being successful enough to have not lost them. Still elements of her as a sex symbol E.g. seduction of the man in order to get paperwork. Over time, Julia Roberts has appeared to be successful in developing her persona to that of a mature young woman with a high level of social conscience towards the world around her. This can be seen in films such as Erin Brockovich (2000), which is based on a true story. Here, Roberts plays the role of Erin, who fights a lawsuit against a company known as PG;E for bringing a threat of an extensive illness into a small town. Here, Roberts demonstrates her maturity through her battling responsibilities of being a single parent and a dedicated worker, this has enabled her persona to develop into a strong independent woman with a sense of fun and a potentially rebellious streak'[13]. This development in persona can be seen as extremely successful due to the opening weekend box office figure of $28,138,465 and the nomination for 5 Oscar awards. It is also relevant to consider the further success Roberts received in later films such as Oceans Twelve (2004), receiving $39,153,380 in the ope ning weekend alone. It must therefore be considered how one star is able to successfully develop their persona, yet another is not. Both stars have reached enormous success as stars, both gaining the reputation of A-List celebrities, yet Julia Roberts has become more successful with this development as can be seen though her box office figures that more than doubled in the new role she acclaimed. Jim Carey however has become less popular, as can be seen through the box office figures that seemed to half. After this, it can be seen that Carey attempted to return to the comedy genre, however, he remained unable to reclaim his previous position in the industry. Other more successful actors such as Brad Pitt have also managed to adapt their persona. Brad Pitt is most commonly known for his role in action and thriller films such as Se7en (1995), Fight Club (1999), Oceans Eleven (2001) and more recently, Mr ; Mrs Smith (2005). Pitts personal life outside of filming is also widely reported due to his level of fame and the public interest in his life. In 2000 Brad attempted to leave behind all of the previous connotations of his constructed image and star as supporting director, Guy Ritchies Snatch. Here, Brad plays the role of an Irish traveller who gets caught up with a London gang and ends up fighting for serious amounts of money. Pitt is used as a supporting act within this film, given no leading role and his name is not used to market the film with the use of a slogan on the case of the film or being exploited in the trailer, it is as if his identity is almost hidden, taking on a role you would not expect to see him in and a whole new identity. Snatch managed to receive $8,005,163 in its opening weekend. Comparing this with the box office figures of Mr ; Mrs Smith, $50,342,878, it could be considered that his role within the film is not significant enough to have made it successful, had his name have been exploited the film may have had a much wider target audience and could have reached a much higher level of success. Howeve r, it must be considered that for a à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½6,000,000 budget, this film did manage to make a profit and would therefore be considered a success. Therefore, it could be argued that stars cannot cross genres due to their persona being built up within the same area of work. This also links into Dyers argument that one of the key characteristics of the successful star is consistency of image in order to deepen the characters that they play; they stay broadly the same in order to enhance recognition.'[16] This can still be proven true with Julia Roberts as elements of her being portrayed as a sex symbol remain present; she has simply matured and become more sophisticated. Her lowered social status is also present due to her working for a male lawyer that continually dominates the case she is building. It has been suggested that the star can change meaning over time,'[17] however, there is little theories stating that a star is able to change their image entirely. From looking at box office figures of the top ranking star it can be seen that with the 2005 figures, Jim Carey ranked 10th and Julia Roberts 14th, [18] however, by 2009, after the release of The Number 23, Julia Roberts ranked 10th, Jim Carey 14th and Brad Pitt 29th[19] therefore proving that Carey was unable to alter his star persona, yet Roberts overall success increased after her adaption to her persona.