Amelia Fairweather

An English literature major and aspiring screenwriter. In the meantime writing about film and television.

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tv

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What makes a story feminist?

Feminism has been a huge topic of conversation through 2014/2015. It's become a point of view in which to critically analyze our media, and led to new multifaceted stories. The Bechdel test is often used as the bare minimum; but what exactly constitutes a feminist story?

Great question! Although, I imagine it will be incredibly difficult to navigate given the varieties and history of feminism. For example, what is feminism? – Mitch 9 years ago
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14/15? what is this a school year? – wolfkin 9 years ago
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Because feminism is such a complex topic, I don't think there is any way to say a story is feminist or not while having everyone agree. Some stories break feminist code while still depicting feminist characters, and vice versa. – morleycigs 9 years ago
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I agree with the comments above in that this topic/ subject matter is very broad and complex. I would suggest narrowing it down to one specific facet of feminism in stories and/or writing. – Morgan R. Muller 9 years ago
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One in which egalitarianism, if not present in the setting, is the one goal for the protagonist. – ChrisKeene 9 years ago
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I don't want it to sound too simple, but if we narrow it to ''equal treatment'' i guess it has more to do with the most inherent characteristics of your characters than with your story. People are now talking about the role of female characters of Game of Thrones, who are, most of the time, the ones in control. Maybe GoT is not the best example, but my point is that, if you want to make a feminist story, perhaps the best thing to do is not to include dialogues or pivotal situations in the form of statements, but to make your characters be statements themselves. However, as it have been said before, it is much more complex than that. – Ga5ton 9 years ago
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I would define a feminist movie as one which is female-centric, that is has a prominent female lead(s) and voice(s). I don't think feminist means that one woman has to speak for all women, but that her voice is heard to create, instead of "history", a "herstory" on any subject. – Munjeera 9 years ago
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film

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Are remakes anything other than a money grab?

Many complain that movies at the moment are primarily sequels and remakes of TV shows/movies from the past. Is there merit, story-wise or is it purely a money grab by studios to rehash old ideas instead of trying new things?

I feel like it's a little bit of both. On the one hand re-makes are a nice way to pay respect to the old film. For me it's kind of like a director's cut. If they re-make a really old film today then they can give it everything it tried to have in the first release but couldn't achieve due to limitations in special effects technology, budget, etc. On the other hand, if they don't add anything new to the story-line, character development or twists along the way and really do just re-make it for the better actors/effects then it does not need to be done and is more a money grab for all the old fans to want to watch it remastered and to draw in new fans with the release hype. – Slaidey 9 years ago
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There are a few variables to consider when asking this question: Who is the director? Who is the producer? What is the film's budget? Personally, I would like to argue that studios are doing re-makes because of a lack of originality among their writers, but I have no professional insight into that matter. If this IS the case, however, then the remakes are just attempts to turn a profit for the companies by producing something rather than nothing. Yet, we also are given remakes that are just as satisfying as the originals (my thoughts jump to the new Star Trek movies). Perhaps this is because of the director's careful integrity to the original films, but it also could be a result of contemporary technology being able to portray better effects. It is risky to play with the story of an older film. Lovers of the original film may not take well to an altered storyline, but they could just as well fall as madly in love with it as the first one. It's a gamble, for sure. Furthering character development would--in theory--be a more palatable method for old fans of the story rather than re-vamping the entire plot. I feel that the new Star Wars film this December will prove an excellent case study for this phenomenon- it is using old material for a new story. – Nicole 9 years ago
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I feel like it's a little bit of both. We understand that there are so many movies and shows that have done successfully in the industry and have a huge name on every platform. What creators and directors consider in my opinion, while making the decision to recreate or add a sequel, may not only be to amplify that success or showcase the impressive creative media they produced and gives them credibility, but perhaps also to align that creativity with the current time and bring it to an updated level that doesn't make it seem like their productions are all in the past. I think the reasons for sequels and renewing old movies/films is to be remembered and to rerun an old story to bring it back to the world, new and improved or updated, and let the world see it in a different light. – aqsanaveed 9 years ago
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I think it can be both, however in Hollywood money defiantly seems to be the major factor in any endeavour. I think a key point in any remake is to look at the changes made and look into why they were made. Were they made with careful consideration or just to pander to a modern audience? Some remakes just have the name of the original while others follow the plot with updated and modern scenarios for the given time period. I think remakes are a difficult path to walk, but ultimately I think money is the underlying factor when it comes to remakes because there is an already established audience. – LexzieRulz 9 years ago
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Latest Comments

Jun 15, 2015 Amelia Fairweather As a writer, procrastination is my biggest problem. The article was both insightful and helpful in regards to fixing this problem, thank you.	Writing: The Real Reason You Procrastinate
Jun 15, 2015 Amelia Fairweather This is a very cool insight, I had not previously picked up on while watching the show! It’s very interesting to see how they used dancing to move the plot forward and set up new events.	Dancing in Orange is the New Black
May 31, 2015 Amelia Fairweather A very fair analysis of Age of Ultron. This one quickly became my favourite film of the MCU. What I loved most about this one was where it leaves off for future films – bringing Wanda, Sam, Rhodey, and the Vision into the fold as new Avengers. Natasha’s character development in this film is what really sold me on it. I thought the romance with Bruce Banner was well done and allowed us to see a very open and vulnerable side of her rarely seen before in the films. It was nice to see these two characters find a little bit of happiness, and I hope there will be more to see of this in future films. Some of the pacing felt a bit off to me, but I think this was more to do with editing in post-production honestly. Frankly, I could have watched a 3-4 hour version of the film and still would have been entertained. This has partly to do with the fact that there were just so many characters! I loved the themes in the film, which were highlighted in the article. The discussion between Wanda and Clint (the idea that anyone can be a hero) was a shining moment of optimism that I think superhero films need.	Avengers vs. Age of Ultron: Evolving the Superhero Team
May 31, 2015 Amelia Fairweather It’s an interesting argument – whether fanfiction qualifies as literature or not. Like Don Quixote, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is also fanfiction (based off of Jane Austen’s Emma). Despite this, both are considered great works of literature and analyzed academically. There is a negative opinion attached to fanfiction which I feel stems from a degree of misogyny – since a large amount of fanfiction is written by teenage girls. Overall, I see fanfiction as a useful writing exercise and hobby. Fics are very much like published books; some are good, some are bad.	Fanfiction: The Merits of Originality
May 31, 2015 Amelia Fairweather Great film analysis! The use of supernatural creatures in media and what they represent is always so fascinating to look at. Especially vampires who were originally used to represent the Victorian fear of foreignness and death, and as time went on, sexuality.	Comparing Nosferatu and Dracula: I Want to Suck Your Blood