#exercicio1

[identityonfilm]

Character analysis - Lucifer Morningstar

Staying true to my chosen topic, identity and the importance of representation on cinema and TV, I decided to analyse one of my favorite, most complex characters from TV. I went through this based on watching the episodes of the show, watching and reading interviews from the creators and the cast of the show, theories and also talking and debating with friends who have watched the show and can relate to him and his experiences, putting in evidence the importance of representation.

Being such a complex character that represents and normalizes a lot of stigma, he allows me to explore trauma, coping mechanisms, sexuality, mental illness and above all, identity.

Lucifer Morningstar is a character from the Lucifer TV show (originally from FOX and found a new family on Netflix after being canceled in 2018) based on the DC comics by the same name.

Lucifer is, quite obviously, the Devil. We’ve since our childhood been taught to think he’s terrible and to fear him, but that’s practically impossible with this fictional satan. If anything, he shows us the biggest, hardest path to redemption humanity could ever witness and that if he can, so can we.

Even though this Lucifer isn’t completely based of the Bible, his origins are. Lucifer Morningstar, born Samael, is the son of God and Goddess, the favorite son, the Poison of God, the Lightbringer. His task was to light up the stars. He and his siblings were neglected from a young age, since Dad was too busy with humanity and his only contact with his children was to command them. Our hero got enough of the neglect and, fascinated by the free will humanity possessed and angels lacked, started a rebellion against his own Father. In result, he got thrown out of Heaven and into Hell as his sentence, becoming its ruler. In the Underworld he created his own identity: Satan, the Devil, detaching himself from his angelic nature. From there, he commanded demons and gave out punishment to the most rotten, guilty souls that got into his realm. There, the demon Mazikeen became his friend and protector, until both of them left to Earth for a “vacation”.

Lucifers backstory is tragic and clearly traumatizing. The Lightbringer went from being the purest angel, God’s favorite son, to being the Devil, owning up to his original name’s meaning, the Poison of God. Lucifer became violent, impulsive, frustrated and, under his carefully crafted layers of confidence, a very insecure creature, full of self hatred. He’s an immensely relatable character to a lot of viewers, for a multitude of reasons. Along this post i will explore these topics.

 Daddy issues: The root of all of Morningstar’s issues is undoubtedly, God Himself. His own father, who’s supposed to love and protect His son, failed, abandoned and vilified him. Throughout the series Lucifer vents and rants about the pain He caused, His injustice and unfairness. His family is the root of all his trauma and the abandonment from a parental figure is something a lot of children and teens unfortunately go through and seeing this strong, seemingly indestructible character breaking at the thought of his Dad, just like they do, is extremely important.

 Trust issues: Alongside the daddy issues blooms his trust issues. He was wronged by his family, everyone he’s ever met and even has been vilified by all of humanity. In the 13 billions of years he’s been alive, he has learned how to build his walls up and close himself off from possible friendships and even relationships. He doesn’t completely trust anyone, not even himself, but we see his walls crumbling down throughout the seasons, especially with Chloe Decker, his partner and eventually, his lover, and Linda Martin, his therapist.

 Interpersonal difficulties: As mentioned before, Lucifer has his walls way up, which doesn’t allow him to have healthy relationships. Most of his relationships are rocky and unstable, big part of that due to difficulty in communication. While his most toxic friendship is with his oldest friend Maze, his rockiest is possibly with co-worker Dan, all the way through his growing relationship with his only present brother, Amenadiel, sweetest sibling-like relationship with Ella, a very awkward friendship with the detective’s “spawn”, Trixie, to the most focused on relationship of the show - “Deckerstar”- his relationship with Chloe Decker, his co-worker becomes friend becomes best friend becomes lover. Chloe is Lucifer’s soulmate, the one who makes him emotionally and physically vulnerable, the true love of his life. The key to his path to redemption. But his most important friendship is, without a shadow of a doubt, his therapist, Doctor Linda Martin. The normalization of therapy is such an important point of this show. Lucifer starts therapy in the beginning of season 1 and continues throughout the show, where she helps him breakthrough most of his issue and teaches him how to deal with his emotions and himself. His character is full of denial. He refuses to be seen as weak, fragile, “human”. He sees emotions as a flaw and weakness. His sessions with Linda help him open his eyes to a new reality and to connect with and embrace his vulnerable side.

 Self-destructive behavior/unhealthy coping mechanisms: Lucifer often falls into unhealthy behavior when something somewhat tragic happens. That unhealthy behavior ranges from excessive use of drugs, abuse of alcohol, sex, self-harm, cutting his wings off often because they’re a symbol of divinity that represent his loyalty to his Father), all the way to being completely reckless and attempting to get himself killed. His complete disregard for his own life and well-being is a constant in the series, going as far as dying to protect/save someone, but in these moments of despair, it goes from a place of protectiveness for the ones he loves to suicidal behavior rooted on his self-hatred and guilt.

 Hypersexuality: As mentioned above, one of Lucifer’s coping mechanisms is engaging in sexual activity. This is often linked to childhood trauma, either by abuse where victims need to reclaim the power over their own bodies or by neglect and lack of physical affection in formative years. He chooses to numb his pain and emotions with pleasure.

“They are addicted to the neurochemical and dissociative high produced by their intense sexual fantasy life and ritualistic behavior.” by Robert Weiss on Psych Central

 Isolation: Due to depression, trauma and spending years alone in Hell, Morningstar tends to isolate himself when things get rough. While he craves love, friendship and affection, he denies that to himself, he doesn’t understand that he can be loved, fully, for who he is, both angel and devil, without it being a manipulation from his Father.

 Sexuality: Lucifer Morningstar is a canon bisexual character, and the best part about it, is that it’s normalized. There isn’t a big storyline about his sexuality or homophobia, he just openly talks about and is shown with both women and men. And it’s normal. Actually, most of the characters on the show are canon LGBTQ+, which is one of the reasons the show is so loved by many. Representation is so important and seeing ourselves and our experiences represented on TV is immensely important in helping us feel more normal and seen. As of 2020, the actor Tom Ellis has won two bisexual representation awards for playing Lucifer. (x)

 Upon this analysis, we can confirm that his trauma, behavior issues and his identity as we see on the show is widely shaped by his childhood and his background story, mainly by his Dad, Mum and siblings. According to the NSPCC, some effects of neglect are:

 l “taking risks, like running away from home, using drugs and alcohol or breaking the law.

l getting into dangerous relationships

l difficulty with relationships later in life, including with their own children

l a higher chance of having mental health problems, including depression.”

 However tragic it may be, his story and his path to redemption and happiness is extremely inspiring and shows the audience that no matter where you came from, your past does not define you. No matter what you’re going through, it gets better. It’s a message of hope, love and identity.

 References:

 Weiss, Robert. (2018). Hypersexuality: Symptoms of Sexual Addiction. Retrieved from https://psychcentral.com/lib/hypersexuality-symptoms-of-sexual-addiction/#:~:text=Sexual%20addiction%20or%20hypersexuality%20is,of%20at%20least%20six%20months.

NSPCC. Effects of neglect. Retrieved from https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/neglect/

Feser, Madison. (2019). The Doctor Is In: Therapy Is The Medicine Of Choice In Fox’s ‘Lucifer’. Retrieved from https://studybreaks.com/tvfilm/lucifer-fox-therapy-mental-health/

https://lucifer.fandom.com/wiki/Lucifer_Morningstar

[amonicafeil]

Exercício 1

[a-traicao-das-imagens]

Exercício 3 (Dalí Atomicus)

Dalí Atomicus foi criada em 1948, não existiam muitos recursos digitais e programas de edição a época, o que hoje é banal para qualquer um que saiba usar o photoshop, era um projeto ambicioso e criativo.

“Salvador Dalí e o fotógrafo Philippe Halsman se uniram para desenhar uma imagem impossível, inspirada em Leda atômica “

“A partir de um sistema de polias, ataram ao teto os cavaletes e o quadro com fios transparentes. Um assistente era encarregado de deixar cair os fios no momento de fazer a foto. Yvonne Halsman, esposa do fotógrafo, tinha a cadeira na mão, sobre a margem esquerda, com o corpo retirado para que não aparecesse na fotografia. Outros três assistentes lançavam os gatos. E uma quinta pessoa se encarregava de jogar no ar, de baixo para cima, e da esquerda para a direita, um balde de água.”

“Os passos três, quatro e cinco ocorriam praticamente no mesmo instante. As primeiras tentativas foram um fracasso, pois era complicado coordenar todos os elementos para conseguir uma imagem harmônica. Para a terceira tomada, o estudo tinha se transformado em uma “piscina”, os assistentes estavam empapados e sujos, e Dalí se via obrigado a trocar as calças por algumas vezes

No total fizeram umas vinte e cinco tomas distintas, as quais demandaram mais de cinco horas de trabalho...”

A foto me divide, por um lado a ambição do fotografo e colaboradores é de inspirar no melhor sentido, em ousar, buscar o novo e tentar quantas vezes forem necessárias, incessante e obsessivamente, como é inerente ao trabalho dos grandes artistas. 

Por outro lado, esse presente visual tem como ingrediente o sofrimento animal dos gatos, jogados por horas, num contexto de objetos atirados e barulhos assustadores, o que deve ter gerado um grande estresse nos felinos, e resultado na necessidade de alguns anos de terapia até que se recuperassem de tal episódio.

A tortura desses gatos -agora imortalizados no mundo da arte dos humanos- se justifica para que tenhamos Dalí Atomicus? ou era melhor não termos Dalí Atomicus, porém um pouco de empatia pelos seres sem capacidade de consentimento? Como uma pessoa que ama a arte (e aos gatos), essa é uma pergunta que não tenho ideia de como responder.

Partes entre aspas disponível em “https://arteref.com/fotografia/o-segredo-da-fotografia-dali-atomicus-philippe-halsman/“ 

[kateedesenho]

Exercicio 1

[exerciciosmateuslima]

Exercício 1 - Hello World! Processing.

Processing é uma linguagem de programação open source desenvolvida inicialmente em 2001 por Casey Reas e Ben Fry, foi construída com o objetivo de ser uma linguagem de fácil utilização onde qualquer pessoa (independente de possuir um grande conhecimento de programação ou não) possa manipular códigos e algoritmos em um ambiente totalmente visual.

Por ser uma ferramenta com uma abordagem de design interativo seu uso para pessoas que são visualmente motivadas assim como eu, se torna mais fácil pois o Processing é basicamente um sketchbook digital onde se torna possível desenhar por meio de códigos.

[identityonfilm]

That’s so me!

“I saw that Dory was always bumping into other fish, and was easily distracted, forgetful, and having to find creative ways around problems because her brain doesn’t function in the same way as someone like Marlin. She was just like me.

As DCD is still a relatively unfamiliar condition compared to dyslexia, there was something reassuring about seeing the traits I struggle with on a day-to-day basis on the big screen, and seeing the fish around her love her for exactly who she is.” 

First year Film and Media student Abby Ferguson, who identifies as asexual, believes that seeing a Netflix television character will appeal to a teenage audience, and offers some reassurance for young people who are still questioning their sexuality, and perhaps have not considered themselves as asexual.

She says:“Before this show, I certainly wasn’t aware of any asexual characters who were confirmed as such in any work of fiction, and while that’s not, necessarily, to say they’re not out there, I’d take a guess and say there are very few.”

“But I think it’s important to keep this character asexual because there is so little discussion about asexuality that sometimes it’s almost treated like a rare medical condition rather than a sexual identity.”

Whilst Abby can appreciate a good rom-com, she says there are so many excellent ensemble comedies and dramas on air now that have the scope to focus on at least one asexual character.

“I think it’s important as well to explore the complexities of asexual people as well because like every other sexuality, there are such a wide range of identities that don’t fit into a single stereotype, and often stand against it.” 

- Hayley Burrel on Brig News

[a-traicao-das-imagens]

Exercício 2 (TEMPO DE EXPOSIÇÃO CURTO)

Philippe Halsman pintor espanhol Salvador Dali. "Dali Atomicus." 1948. © Philippe Halsman | Magnum Photos

https://www.magnumphotos.com/arts-culture/philippe-halsman-jump-book/

[diga-a-verdade-blog]

Desafio dos 15 textos.

  Escolha dez pessoas que você conhece e escreva uma frase descrevendo cada uma.

Grave 5 minutos do rádio (ou de algo que você ouve). Escreva o diálogo e adicione descrições narrativas dos falantes e suas ações, como se estivesse montando uma cena.

Escreva uma auto-biografia com cerca de 500 palavras.

Escreva seu testamento. Liste todas as realizações de sua vida. Você pode escrever como se você fosse morrer hoje, ou daqui a 50 anos.

Faça uma descrição de seu banheiro, em 300 palavras.

Escreva uma entrevista fictícia com você mesmo, uma figura famosa, com um caráter também ficcional. Faça isso de uma forma apropriada (ou inapropriada), como se fosse para uma revista famosa, como a Veja, Época, Galileu etc.

Pegue um jornal ou folheto de supermercado, olhe os artigos e escolha um que possa ser base para uma cena ou história que você queira escrever.

Mantenha um diário de caráter fictício por uma semana.

Pegue uma parte de um livro e reescreva em um estilo diferente, como um romance gótico, de ficção ou ainda uma história de terror.

Escolha um autor, que não necessariamente precise ser seu favorito, e escreva sobre o que você acha da forma como ele escreve. Faça isso sem consultas primeiramente, só depois de terminado, releia algumas de suas obras e veja se esqueceu algo e, se preciso, mude seu texto. Analise quais elementos do estilo dele você pode adicionar ao seu próprio e quais elementos você não pode (ou não quer) adicionar. Lembre que seu estilo é único e que você deve apenas pensar em adicionar elementos a ele. Nunca tente imitar alguém por mais de um ou dois exercícios.

Pegue um texto que você tenha escrito em primeira pessoa e reescreva-o em terceira pessoa, ou vice-versa. Você também pode tentar fazê-lo mudando o tempo verbal, narração, ou outros elementos estilísticos. Não faça isso com um livro inteiro, só com pequenos trechos. Depois de escrever um livro, nunca olhe para trás para tentar reestilizá-lo, senão você vai gastar todo seu tempo reescrevendo coisas, ao invés de escrever algo novo.

Tente relembrar da sua mais tenra infância. Escreva tudo que puder lembrar. Reescreva como uma cena, usando sua perspectiva atual ou, se conseguir, usando a perspectiva da idade que você tinha.

Relembre um antigo argumento que você usou com alguma pessoa. Escreva sobre o argumento do ponto de vista dessa pessoa. Lembre-se que a idéia é ver o argumento daquela perspectiva, não da sua própria. Este é um exercício que pode ser feito oralmente. Nunca julgue se você está certo ou errado.

Escreva uma descrição, com no máximo 200 palavras, de algum lugar. Você pode usar quaisquer elementos sensoriais, descreva como se sente, como são os sons, os cheiros e sabores de lá. Tente fazer uma descrição de forma que as pessoas não percam os detalhes visuais.

Sente em um restaurante ou uma área com bastante gente e escreva os diálogos que você ouve. Escute as pessoas ao seu redor, como elas falam e que palavras elas usam. Depois de fazer isso, pode praticar terminando seus diálogos. Escreva sua versão sobre como as conversas continuam.

[a-traicao-das-imagens]

Exercício 2 (TEMPO DE EXPOSIÇÃO CURTO)

Henri Cartier-Bresson Gare Saint Lazare, Place de l'Europe. Paris, França. 1932. © Henri Cartier-Bresson | Magnum Photos

https://www.magnumphotos.com/theory-and-practice/henri-cartier-bresson-principles-practice/

[a-traicao-das-imagens]

Exercício 2 (TEMPO DE EXPOSIÇÃO LONGO)

Henri Cartier-Bresson O departamento de Var. Hyères, França. 1932. © Henri Cartier-Bresson | Magnum Photos

https://www.magnumphotos.com/theory-and-practice/henri-cartier-bresson-principles-practice/

[a-traicao-das-imagens]

Exercício 1  (PROFUNDIDADE DE CAMPO)

Nanna Heitmann Uma pequena balsa é a única conexão com a vila dos Velhos Crentes. Os Velhos Crentes se voltaram contra as reformas do Patriarca Nikon, que reformou a partir de 1652 textos e ritos de Ort russo adoração hodoxa. Portanto, muitos fugiram para as áreas mais remotas da Rússia. Primeiro do czar, depois dos soviéticos. Ao longo do curso superior do pequeno Yenissei, existem muitas pequenas aldeias dos Velhos Crentes, que ainda tentam viver autossuficientes, longe das influências ocidentais. Rio Yenisei. Erzhey. Russo. 2018. © Nanna Heitmann | Magnum Photos

https://www.magnumphotos.com/theory-and-practice/nanna-heitmann-photographing-social-geographical-isolation-between-siberia-ruhr/

[a-traicao-das-imagens]

Exercício 1 (ABERTURA DE DIAFRAGMA)

Nanna Heitmann 

O biólogo Nikolai Putinzov possui a maior coleção de insetos e anfíbios da área de Tuva. A biodiversidade e a qualidade da água estão seriamente ameaçadas pelas empresas chinesas de mineração de ouro em l grandes quantidades, administrando o mercúrio em Yenisei, derrubando as florestas e exportando-as em grande escala para a China. Rio Yenisei. Kyzyl. Rússia. 2018. © Nanna Heitmann | Magnum Photos

https://www.magnumphotos.com/theory-and-practice/nanna-heitmann-photographing-social-geographical-isolation-between-siberia-ruhr/

[identityonfilm]

why representation matters

As research for this project, I’ve watched and read a ton of interviews and talks about the topic of representation and diversity on TV and cinema, but I wanted to take it to a more personal level. I decided to ask some of my friends which characters shaped them and helped them accept and understand themselves better. Click on “keep reading” to see their answers.

Amy - Booksmart 

“We are similar in that we both like women, are kinda closeted about it and havent really explored it a whole lot due to school, etc. She also has the same personality as me being very awkward. Again, this was very important to me because it was normalised and not questioned and she allowed herself to explore herself which made me feel so much more comfortable with myself as she was in the same setting as me and weirdly opened my eyes to it. Her friends are incredibly supportive and the movie is very lighthearted and heartwarming which always makes it even better as all of this is displayed in a positive light. Again, she isnt centered around homophobia.”

Emily, 17

Katie Cooper - Alexa & Katie

- we worry so much about school and how university is going to work out - adding to that point we are seen as smart people by others, but it’s only because we are so worried about getting any “low” grades due to anxiousness revolving around said future university - we both do everything in our power for others, whether that’s helping with assignments or just keeping someone company - both seem pretty calm and collected but get overwhelmed super easily

“i feel that accurate, well thought out portrayals of anxiety or mental issues revolving around this disorder are important for audiences to feel represented, and to know that they are not any less of a human being just because of how they deal with certain points in their life. feeling alone is often something that comes up in one’s mind, especially during overwhelming experiences; why does this not affect anyone the way it affects me? why am i so anxious about everything that is slightly different than my usual routine, and why does everyone seem completely at ease with everything, as if they have no worries in their mind? feeling this way to the point of physical sickness is something that is difficult to control, in addition to being extremely exhausting mentally. by creating well-rounded, complex characters that have anxiety in both tv and film, writers and producers further allow individuals understand that anxiety is not something that makes them less likeable, useful, or a burden, but is rather just another aspect of the role they play in the world.”

Marie, 14

Leslie Shay - Chicago Fire

“Leslie and I can both come across as intimating or even a bit rude sometimes. We close ourselves off from almost everyone and are very resistant to asking for help. We push ourselves to the breaking point but the ones we love are always there with a shoulder to lean on, whether we want it or not. Giving out second chances and helping others comes as second nature. We are always willing to see the goodness in people who have hurt us but because of this, when we let those people back in, we get hurt. Although we don’t often show it on the outside, we are very sensitive and have huge hearts that are open to everyone. Our devotion to our friends is one like no other, we would truly do anything for them. We have a wild, sometimes reckless side that only a few people get to see. People may see us as delicate flowers because we can often be quite fragile but really, we are trying our best and pushing through the worst of the worst, no matter how hard it gets.”

Rachel, 17

[identityonfilm]

Representation In Media Is More Important Than You Think

“As children you want to see others that look like you. As an adult you want the representation of our people to be positive.“ -  Sahiry Gnobehi

[identityonfilm]

Why Representation Matters: Young Actors on When They Saw Characters Like Them

[identityonfilm]

mind map

For this project, we were asked to creat mind maps about the topic and subtopics our group chose.

Starting from the term “Identity”, I created a map focused on Cinema and TV, my subtopic, namely on the importance of representation of minorities and analysis of complex characters, their mental health, the origin and root of their trauma, the way their childhood and backstory shaped their identity and who they are.