Olivia's Proposal

Here's a brief recap of my proposal -

Content:

The focus of my thesis argument surrounds the edification of campy B teen sci-fi/fantasy films of the 1980s as academically, scholastically, and historically valuable. Namely, I will be taking a cultural studies approach to the genre to explore how these films reflect their era, their creators, and how they reflect the dominant (or counter-culture) ideology. The fact is that "B films" are not generally seen as viable sources for mainstream film studies and are instead relegated to cult phenomena. While I understand that these films did not play a particularly obvious or intentional role in the construction/advancement of film history and language, it is also obvious that their role is severely under represented. The fact that they do have a fan following proves that they are playing a role in film. It is my objective to show how these films have affected the bigger budget Blockbusters throughout the decades and, most importantly, to show the 1980s as a decade when "B films" were not in the film world but a key element in the development of the modern day Blockbuster.

Format:

My media presentation of this thesis will be displayed as an interactive website. The user will be able to choose from a selection of categories that will each display different information on the genre (a time line of the progression of the genre, a flash video with hyperlinked pop up windows that display further information on the content, and a game/quiz page where the user can test their knowledge of the era and/or films). Aesthetically, I am really aiming to have the feel of a fan-based website. I will definitely be drawing from other websites based on B-films for inspiration. I want the users to not feel bombarded with information but instead be interested in the theories and facts they might not have thought about. To encourage the users to express their own analysis and share information, I want each page to have an interactive commentary. Here the users can annotate the given information, find links to other relevant sites, and identify further references or examples. Also, ideally there would be a link on each page to a forum where the users can discuss/contest the site content and hold open discussions about the genre.

So, that's all for now!