Contexts

Films are depictions of people, places, and events. A study of context looks at when, where, how, why the film is set. The time, place and circumstances. Films, like all works of art, reflect the values and culture of the society that produces them. All the circumstances that a film was produced in and that shape its reception are a film's context. The study of context should focus on the appropriate context when the films were made as opposed to set.

Social: A look at the relevant society’s dominant attitudes and beliefs including debates about ethnicity and gender where relevant.

Cultural: There are two kinds of cultural context. One is general and includes a sense of what fashions were significant at the time of the film’s production (the 1960s for example). This general cultural context is less important than any particular cultural context that has directly influenced the film’s look and style. The latter might include a studio style or an art movement, like expressionism or surrealism.

Political: An exploration of the impact of the contemporary political climate on the themes of the films, their representations and the production process itself. Institutional Contexts (including production): Who made the films, what institutional frameworks they were working within, what funding was available to them and how all of this impacted upon the restrictions placed on the filmmakers.

Context Starter Questions:

• What does the film suggest about attitudes to gender or ethnicity within that society at that time?

• Is the film challenging or reinforcing hegemonic attitudes to particular social groups or concepts?

• Were the filmmakers restricted by any contextual factors?

• What major political movements were taking place at the time of production and how have these shaped the film text?

• Does the film engage with politics directly or is it in the subtext?

• Is the film typical of films from its country of origin in that time?

• What creative or artistic trends were occurring at the time of the film’s production? Have these influenced the film in any way?

• How was the film funded and what impact has that had on how it was made?

• What studio produced and made the film and how has this shaped the films content?

• What technologies were available at the time of the film's production and what impact does this have on the finished film?