Question 1

After I decided upon my hypothesis I went to research five different social theories to see if they would be helpful to my investigation. The theory that I found interesting is the Two Step Flow were if someone we respect says something we are much more likely to agree with it and to be affected by it. I found this relevant to my study because if someone were to watch a movie with Milla Jovovich as the hero; a tough female character, and they were a fan of her, or they found her acting believable then they are likely to believe the role and to be affected by it; in the sense that people think that Milla is a tough action chick that can look after herself. 

I went online to find reviews for my chosen films and criticism or praise of Milla’s portrayal of her characters. The first film I researched was The Fifth Element and the overall opinion of that movie from critics where that the films visuals are stunning, but the storyline is non-existent. Most the critics also slandered Milla and her acting, one critic said “Meanwhile, with her fiery hair and occasionally-revealing costumes, Jovovich makes an impression, although her effectiveness has little to do with acting and less to do with dialogue (she doesn't have much to say)”. This shows that this male critic was more interested in what she was wearing rather than what she was saying.
Another critic, who is also male, said“A planet-sized ball o' badness is hurtling toward the Earth at unimaginable speed. The only one who can stop it is fetching waif Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), whose "I dreamed I went walking in my Maidenform bra of the future" scene should insure her a place in the hearts of 14-year-old boys.” Again this shows that the only thing taken from Milla Jovovich’s role as LeeLoo in The Fifth Element was what she looked like and what she was wearing.

My second bit of research was taken from a secondary source; the book Action Chicks written and edited by various author. I looked closely at the Introduction written by Sherrie A Inness as in this chapter she discusses how and when woman went from damsels in distress to tough action chicks; and how believable these roles are.

Question 2

To what extent has the opportunity for women film-makers increased? A study of the following Milla Jovovich films 'The Fifth Element', 'Resident Evil', and 'Ultraviolet'.

The opportunity for women in film has increased vastly, but only to an extent. Woman now can take on tough and dangerous leading roles where they are the hero of the movie; and stereotypically these roles would be played by men, but woman can now be portrayed as the fighter and protector of the other characters in a movie. However do the woman that play these roles need to be attractive and maintain their femininity for their roles to be seen as successful?

To help answer my hypothesis I studied the movies The Fifth Element, Resident Evil and Ultraviolet as they all had one thing in common, a female protagonist played by the actress Milla Jovovich. I chose to study this actress as she does a lot of movies where she is a tough female icon or role model who has to protect and save the lives of many people. However, Milla is a model turn actress who is attractive and remains feminine in her roles.

So although the opportunity has increased for woman in the film industry, are these tough woman role models or eye candy? There are many different opinions on this and I will be exploring them all to help answer my hypothesis.

The social theory Two Step Flow says if someone we respect says something we are much more likely to agree with it and to be affected by it. So in theory if someone where to respect Milla and her acting abilities, then they are much more likely to believe the roles she is playing. So if she was playing the role of a tough action chick, the view would believe she is a tough action chick.

Some online reviews said “Meanwhile, with her fiery hair and occasionally-revealing costumes, Jovovich makes an impression, although her effectiveness has little to do with acting and less to do with dialogue (she doesn't have much to say)”. Another critic, who is also male, said“A planet-sized ball o' badness is hurtling toward the Earth at unimaginable speed. The only one who can stop it is fetching waif Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), whose "I dreamed I went walking in my Maidenform bra of the future" scene should insure her a place in the hearts of 14-year-old boys.” These reviews have nothing to say about Milla's acting, and more to say about how she looked and what she was wearing.

Hypothesis Research.

Theory

I think that roles for woman in films has increased, but only to an extent. Woman can take tough and dangerous leading roles that would usually be played by men, however they must be attractive and maintain their femininity.

Books

Action Chicks, Sherrie A Inness (2004)

Working Girls, Yvonne Tasker (1998)

Internet Websites

Women In Film

Journals/Magazines/Newspapers

Textual Analysis

The Fifth Element, Luc Besson (1997)

Resident Evil, Paul Anderson (2002)

Ultraviolet,  Kurt Wimmer (2006)

Primary Research

• Questionnaire
  
• Focus Group
  
• E-mail
  

Hypothesis.

To what extent has the opportunity for women film makers increased? A study of the following Milla Jovovich films 'The Fifth Element', 'Resident Evil', and 'Ultraviolet'. 

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