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Zo Freeman A2 Media Miss Brickley

How does the director use micro-elements to present the genders in Jennifers Body?
Gender is a prevalent theme in Jennifers Body each element of the film questions the expectations
of the audience, particularly the conventions of horror films in general. The title itself suggests that
the film will revolve around Jennifer particularly how her physical attributes and femininity make
her an unsuspecting killer who seeks revenge on the opposite sex. As Carol Clover states in her work
Her Body, Himself, masculinity and femininity are more states of mind than states of body when
considering Jennifers power as a female character and villain her role as the killer in terms of
reinstalls a balance between genders. Female characters dominate the narrative in several points of
the film, the relationship between Jennifer and Needy is of particular interest when looking at
feminism. The two protagonists are what Levi Strauss identifies to be binary opposites our
understanding of the term has to adapt to the complex and unusual relationship of the two,
particularly when considering who is the most moral from a feminist perspective. Whilst Needy
embodies simplicity and follows the Texas Chainsaw Massacre notion of being the female lone
survivor, Jennifers reasoning behind killing boys may be admired as it is an extreme attempt to
destroy patriarchy. Micro-elements such as performance and mis-en-scene are integral to establish
character types and how the audience interact with gender in the film.
The opening of Jennifers Body distorts the audiences expectations in a number of ways. Male
audiences often side with the most physically attractive female character significantly, Jennifer and
Needy are revealed in the same shot immediately able allowing the audience to make a judgement
based on how they look. The camera angle is also manipulated in this shot as it is took from inside of
Jennifers bedroom; a close-up of Jennifers face is used to make the audience feel closer to her
whilst Needy is outside of her room looking on through the window in a hooded jumper. Looking at
this from a feminist perspective, the director influences our opinions of the two girls by giving us a
direct comparison and leading us to believe that one is more innocent than the other. This scene
also includes a shot reverse shot which is used in many horror films where the victim looks over at
where the audience know the villain is, but they have disappeared from the shot. A voice over from
Needys perspective begins by stating hell is a teenage girl a statement which can be taken in a
number of ways considering the context of the film. The fact that this film is aimed at teenagers
encompasses the idea that growing up is difficult, but also that Jennifer is the person which Needy
must overcome. Needy also controls the narrative at this point; therefore what the audience are
learning about is bias as we see and flashbacks from her perspective. Once the audience become
aware that Jennifer is the real villain of the duo later in the film, the early scenes of the film
become ironic as Needy is proven to be innocent. The audience may struggle to side with Needy as
she is presented as the killer in this scene, but it would seem she is more relatable as a teenage
character than Jennifer as she becomes very expressive and open about the difficulties shes faced.
A jump cut is used to distinguish the characterisation of Needy who the audience meet again in a
prison cell. Careful consideration is given to the mis-en-scene at this point as her character is
humanised through the use of the props a teddy bear is in the shot which she is revealed
suggesting she has not left her childhood behind despite being in an adult environment where she is
considered mentally insane. Needy is revealed in a medium close-up shot with her back to the
camera, with only her hair the most identifiable quality about her on show. Being blonde
subverts the traditional connotations of her being the innocent, attractive victim she is in fact
very plain, appears to have committed a crime and is deemed too unstable to leave the security
Zo Freeman A2 Media Miss Brickley
shes been placed under. The voice over continues as the camera tilts down to an array of gifts to
which she somewhat inappropriately says, at least I have my fans which are mostly perverts
suggesting that some men will still objectify women despite the knowledge that their physical
appearance cannot deny the fact that theyre a bad person. The first male character in this film is
revealed to be Raymondo someone Needy has little respect for but still maintains power over
her. Gender differences seem insignificant at this point, as Needy feels little compassion towards
anyone and disregards the fact that his power could impact her negatively.
A dissolve transition shows Needys scars on her back and arm no explanation is given to the cause
of these at this point, forcing the audience to question how she got them and if the villain persona
she has adopted is wrong. One of the male protagonists is then introduced through the camera
moving off from her scars and zooming in on a picture of a male called Chip. Considering there is no
break between these two shots, it could suggest that she obtained the scars whilst fighting whatever
it was that may have come between her and Chip. The way that this character is introduced through
the camera zooming into his picture would suggest they once shared a close relationship, and
possibly that he was defeated by what attacked Needy. Needys survival would be praised by
feminist critics at this point of the film as the gender of the attack remains unknown, presumably the
audience would assume that the murder was committed by a male as typically the villian character
archetype is not female. The entire opening of the film can be likened to what Barthes describes as
the hermeneutic code that being that there are many unanswered questions which the audience
begin to search for answers as the film progresses. Several cuts surrounding mis-en-scene also
distort the idea of Needy being mental unstable costume elements such as her animal slippers
evoke thoughts of a childlike innocence that seems out of place when considering her surroundings.
The vast majority of the opening scene is described in voiceover without little dialogue diegetic
sound is also kept minimal. Identity and isolation become two key features in the first scene, the use
of a crane shot and then a tracking shot reinforce the fact that she is in constant separation from
those around her whatever perspective the audience look at it from. Her personal details are
displayed on screen, reiterating the absurd idea of Needy being the killer due to being blond and
having the blue eyes which does not fit what Propp identifies to be the killer archetype. As this
information dissolves into her medical notes, it is clear that she is mentally unstable due to having
hallucinations, uncontrollable fits and being branded a kicker. It can be argued that the
creation of Needys character at this point demonstrates how deceptive appearances can be
although she appears to be innocent and relatively simplistic, her mind is far from it. Looking at her
gender in relation to this, the stereotypical perception would be that her weak mentality has led her
to be in the situation shes in. A jump cut of her kicking someone in a canted angle speaking one of
the first pieces of dialogue proves that she has faced some kind of trauma and refuses to accept that
she is weak both her physical action, dialogue and profanity I recommend you shut the fuck up
support this idea, and also that women can adopt what are thought to be masculine roles. Once
she is thrown into an even smaller cell due to her actions, a birds eye view zooms in on her slowly to
highlight the confined nature of where she has been placed. As she finishes her voice over, the lights
fade out on the word killings as it is what propels the later part of the plot and how Needy found
herself in this situation.
The second scene of the film opens with yearbook photos of the protagonists. In some ways, the
audience are able to begin to gather a clear understanding of what Jennifer is like based simply on
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this one picture the fact that she is wearing a cheerleading outfit connotes popularity, possibly
promiscuity and also that it is her beauty has allowed her to succeed so far. Similarly, in preceding
scenes, Jennifers costume most defiantly adheres to Mulveys ideology about the male gaze
showing her stomach, wearing tight jeans and also wearing a shirt which is slightly unzipped appeals
to both the male audience watching, and the characters in the film. Jennifers ownership of her
sexuality and feistiness may be praised by feminists in the scene where she is going to the club
with Needy, she is the one who directs the action, removing the only male from the narrative. After
the scene at the club, tension is built through the use of paradigms such as Needys house being
empty, staying on the phone to her boyfriend whilst she investigates, use of point of view shots, the
sudden sounding of a doorbell. After all the typical conventions of horror films are implemented,
Jennifers character is revealed as the killer due to the blood on her face and Needys screaming. The
timing of this reveal was to show perhaps how many horror films adhere to codes and conventions,
but as Barthes identifies, the audience are able to seek a different type of pleasure when their
expectations are shattered. Jennfier is a much more plausible killer than Needy based on her
character traits Needy is presented to be exactly what her name states someone who seeks
constant approval and desires dependency.




but her beauty makes her the unsuspecting killer

.






use of a close-up of her face identifies her physical beauty, an element of a person which many
audiences side with due to the fact that
Close up of Jennifers face, other girl in the background is hooded, audience made to think she is
the villain, disappears when Jennifer looks over at the window (often used in horror films)
Voice over hell is a teenage girl
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Jump cut
Propp
Innocent looking girl medium close-up zooms out to full body shot, doesnt show face, only
assumptions the audience can make about her is that she is blonde something we usually associate
with the innocent victim, director appears to be reversing roles at this point, only hear her
perspective
but make her seem crazy, camera tilts to show array of gifts
Props make her look popular, mention of perverts suggest they see her as an object of lust even
though she appears to be in prison
Speaks to ray
Medium close-up of her bare back as she takes off her gown, visible scaring, transition into another
shot of scar on arm
Camera zooms into picture in a frame of a boy (Chip), nobody comes back, nobody gets off the
cross, religious references, indoctrination of religion will somehow absolve her of what she did
Cut to close-up of her slippers animal (bunny), suggest innocence and childhood, very out of place
in prison
Jump cut, mental Olympics, crane shot of girl walking across the room, very basic setting, isolation
in a room full of people, relates to the idea of being a place for crazy people
Jump cut, tracking shot, institutional looking setting, again, can see she is alone wherever she goes,
no expression, no dialogue with people
Feminist critics may comment on how the lone survivor was female, and also how the killer is not
ANits
the gradual zooming in combined with the voiceover nobody comes back suggests that he was
killed by something which may have made an attempt to kill Needy as her scars go unexplained and
it is the only picture she has of someone.

Cut to personal info reveal her name to be Needy needy Lensnicki, state her hair and eye colour
to be that of what the audience expect to be the innocent victim, fade into medical notes,
Fade into medium close up, distance between audience forged through the window being
barricaded, only see half her face, alone
Kicks lady, canted angle to show distortion, gets restrained
Jump cut to being thrown into an isolated cell, birdseye view confirms the little space, make Needy
seem very small and insignificant
Zo Freeman A2 Media Miss Brickley
Screams, medium close-up, heavy breathing, gradually zooms in
I used to be normal... well as normal as any girl under the influence of teenage hormones
Looks up to the top of the room, light fades on world killings
Complete darkness, cut to medium close-up of her

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