Proposal_Annotated Bibliography FINAL (1)

Ashe Matteson

Professor Skylar Locke

English 170

5 March 2023

 

Research Paper Proposal/Annotated Bibliography

My research topic is about how queer people are represented in TV shows and movies, and how often queer directors who make movies and shows get their works publicized. My research question is “What does queer representation in the film industry look like, and why is it important?” This general question discusses the different stereotypes that queer characters are often portrayed as in film, as well as how different the publicity is for queer directors and filmmakers opposed to those who are not queer. 

As someone who enjoys and watches films, I often feel like I can’t connect with the show and don’t see myself or feel represented by these characters. This topic also gives insight about the importance of queer film representation to those who are not part of the queer community, and learn about what kind of representation can help the queer community feel more connected to the shows and movies we are watching. These are the people who I will focus the narrative of my paper toward. Those who aren’t associated with the queer community and don’t consume media with lots of queer representation are most likely not aware that a lot of representation in mainstream shows do not develop their queer characters past the fact that they are queer. This essay could be used as a means to educate people on the different types of representation and what kinds can do more harm than good in film.

My stance on the topic is that queer representation is beneficial for the film industry for three main reasons: it helps normalize conversations around a group that is often marginalized, helps people learn about the accuracies and inaccuracies of queer representation in film, and it can bring light to works directed and created by queer people that might not be very well known. Currently, there are not many prominent directors that are a part of the queer community. The only notable film that comes to mind when I think of movies that queer people directed is The Matrix (1999), directed by the Wachowski sisters. Both sisters are trans women, but were not out as transgender at the time that The Matrix came out. This essay will address the belief that not all representation of  the queer community is going to be good representation, and that it can be harmful. This isn’t to say that I disagree with this argument, but sometimes bad representation can be better than no representation. With bad representation, there is a potential to make the bad representation into good representation, whereas shows with no representation do not have much room to grow.

Some methods for research that could prove useful in answering my question are utilizing the library databases to find sources relevant to my research topic. Using a simple Google search with keywords like “queer” and “film representation” could also prove useful in my research. Some different sources and evidence I will need are different TV shows and movies to use as examples of different queer representations in film, which will also include animation. Finding articles that talk about queer characters in film could be helpful as a source, and if possible, an interview with a director who has queer characters in their movie or show, which would help to gain insight as to why they chose to portray them the way they did. 

Annotated Bibliography

Berlatsky, Noah. “Analysis Shows Just 2% of Recent Films Have Explicit LGBT Representation.” The New York Observer, Sep 08, 2020. ProQuest, https://libdatabase.newpaltz.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/analysis-shows-just-2-recent-films-have-explicit/docview/2440762068/se-2. Accessed 25 February 2023

This is a transcribed interview with Ellie Lockhart, who has a PhD in Communications. It talks about how many films have explicit queer representation, and what counts as queer representation. Lockhart did a study where she created a code that listed all movies that are classified as queer from 2010 until then, and she found only 2% of these films had explicit queer representation. The interview goes on to talk about why representation is important, and how lots of films get queer representation wrong.

This source is a newspaper article interview, making it a popular source. I found it by going into the library databases and clicking on the ProQuest Research database, using the keywords “queer”, “representation”, and “film”. The interview can enhance my paper because it gives a statistic that helps my point I am trying to make in my paper. You cannot find a lot of  explicit queer representation. Often times, shows that will do something called “queerbaiting,” making you think that a character is queer and then they turn out to not be,  This interview also supports my claim that representation is important in film, and can help add context for my paper. 

Mullinax, Tracy. “Queer Representation in Movies and TV.” University Wire, Mar 03, 2022. ProQuest, https://libdatabase.newpaltz.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/wire-feeds/queer-representation-movies-tv/docview/2635295293/se-2. Accessed 25 February 2023

This source is a short article talking about queer representation in media, addressing topics such as if queer actors should play the part of a queer character, and how lots of representation is limited to one stereotype. She also addresses an issue that is present with lots of queer characters, which is that their sexuality is their entire personality

This article, published via the University of Idaho, would be considered a popular source. I also found this using a search in the ProQuest database, using keywords such as “queer”, “actors”, and “representation”. This source can act as context for my paper, since it allows me to expand on points it makes, one of which is how a lot of representation falls to one specific stereotype. This argument could also be used for the opposing side who would argue that this is not good representation, and it shouldn’t be how the queer community is represented in mainstream media. In terms of my argument, this helped me narrow down my statement to going from media to the film industry specifically, mostly dealing with movies.