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| Thesis Outline
| | In this thesis, I investigate the link between modern crime fiction, the apparatus of cinema and The Black Dahlia murder case. Writers like Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and James M. Cain gave rise to the hard-boiled crime genre. In most of these novels, which reached their peak of popularity between 1920 - 1960, a male private eye is hired to solve a problem or a crime. These stories, which contain obvious male fantasies of heroism and use female victimhood as a plotmotif, later transitioned into film noir. In this thesis, I explore how this particular crime genre produces male fantasies that are still predominant in contemporary media culture and allows for the anonymization, the disembodiment and dissection of women through a process of forensic investigation. In 1947, the cut up body of Elizabeth Short - better known as the Black Dahlia - was found in a vacant lot in Los Angeles. In the second part of this text, I place her notorious murder case into context and point out its correlations with film noir and the apparatus of cinema, which uses 'cuts' and other editing techniques to objectify and disembody female characters. Finally, I'll analyse two major motion pictures based on The Black Dahlia case in order to further show how the murder was used as a vessel for male fantasies and the disembodiment of women. This thesis was written as part of my graduation for Master of Fine Art: Lens-based Media at The Piet Zwart Institute in 2021. |
| Conceptual outline
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| With my thesis, I want to dissect my fascination with the visualisation of macabre subject matter such as horror and true crime films, and it’s broader meaning and place in an image-based society. I’d like to write a thesis on the correlations and differences between ‘real’ violence (or true crime) and it’s cinematic depiction in order to understand how cinema turns violence and death into art and entertainment and why I find this so appealing. I’d specifically like to focus on screen violence that is derived from historic events, such as The Black Dahlia murder case [True Confessions (1981), The Black Dahlia (2006)] The Sharon Tate murders (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)] I want to take a few movies that are based on true crime cases and compare the historical facts and the forensic evidence with the way directors, cinematographers and crews have visualised ‘real life’ violence, in order to make explore what lies at the border between real, horrific crime and entertaining horror. Why am I (and so many people with me) drawn to the horror and true crime genre? What does Hollywood’s obsession with cinematic violence tell us about society? The aesthetics of violence in a cinematic context, the power of ambiguity and the difference between violent imagery used as evidence in comparison to artificial violence are all topics I want to touch upon in my thesis.
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| 'Why do I want to write this text?
| | [[Violent_Hollywood_-_Male_Fantasies,_Female_Disembodiment_&_The_Black_Dahlia_(LOW_RES).pdf]] |
| As someone who has a deep fascination for the macabre and horror, I think it would be necessary and fruitful to explore this interest, so I can understand why I’m so personally engaged by horror, and the depiction of violence and death on a screen. My graduation project involves a unsolved British murder case from 1943, and I plan to combine the forensic material from this case with five fictional stories centred on the unidentified women whose skeleton was found. In each of the stories, the female protagonist is a completely different character, but she will meet the same tragic demise (her dead body being stuffed inside of a tree). With this project, I want to explore the open ending of this unsolved crime. I’m particular fascinated by the fact that the story of Bella is not set in stone; I’m able to construct my own truth as to fill in the gaps, although the story remains rooted in reality through photographic evidence. The grainy pictures functioning as some sort of metaphorical skeleton. I have a vivid imagination and a taste for telling stories, and I think with this project I could tell several, which together form a meaningful piece of art that reflects on more than the story itself; on the perception of violence, the power of ambiguity and the weight of photographic evidence. I think the concept of my thesis strongly resonates with my graduation project and will hopefully amplify it’s quality. Furthermore, I think further diving into my personal interest for cinematic horror can help me to articulate better what drives my artistic practice… and help me understand why I tend to work around specific themes and aesthetics.
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| How? Outline of my methodology
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| I want read academic writings from authors that have a practice or research field that touches true crime, violence in media and forensic photography. In my research, I want to include visual media (mainly film) . I want to take screenshots of these particular films and include them in my thesis.
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| I want to learn from:
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| - Academic writers with a specific expertise on the subject
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| - The opinions and analyses of popular culture creators (such as Youtubers, journalists and
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| - My fellow students
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| - My tutors
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| ''What is the appropriate text form?'''
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| I want to write a research paper that’s divided into several chapters. I plan to write my thesis in an essay-styled manner; with a personal and cogent undertone.
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| A rough draft of the content of my thesis [under construction]
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| 1. Introduction
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| A motivation on why I want to write this thesis and explanation on how I want to tackle the subject matter
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| 2. The weight of forensic photography
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| - A brief history of forensic imagery
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| - A personal understanding of the cultural meaning of forensic photography
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| - Forensic photography as true crime ‘language’
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| 3. The implications of cinematic violence
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| Objectifying suffering and pain through staged screen violence
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| - Comparations of forensic evidence with ‘cinematic’ violence from movies: Examples are The Black Dahlia case and the Sharon Tate murder.
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| - Why we ‘like’ violence on the screen.
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| 4. True crime as entertainment
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| - Exploring the reasons behind my personal interest and the general popularity of crime fiction.
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| - Art imitates life; why and how true crime is channelled in media entertainment
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| - Comparations of forensic evidence with ‘cinematic’ violence from movies: Examples are The Black Dahlia case and the Sharon Tate murder.
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| 4. Conclusion
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| - A conclusion that summarizes what I’ve learned.
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In this thesis, I investigate the link between modern crime fiction, the apparatus of cinema and The Black Dahlia murder case. Writers like Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and James M. Cain gave rise to the hard-boiled crime genre. In most of these novels, which reached their peak of popularity between 1920 - 1960, a male private eye is hired to solve a problem or a crime. These stories, which contain obvious male fantasies of heroism and use female victimhood as a plotmotif, later transitioned into film noir. In this thesis, I explore how this particular crime genre produces male fantasies that are still predominant in contemporary media culture and allows for the anonymization, the disembodiment and dissection of women through a process of forensic investigation. In 1947, the cut up body of Elizabeth Short - better known as the Black Dahlia - was found in a vacant lot in Los Angeles. In the second part of this text, I place her notorious murder case into context and point out its correlations with film noir and the apparatus of cinema, which uses 'cuts' and other editing techniques to objectify and disembody female characters. Finally, I'll analyse two major motion pictures based on The Black Dahlia case in order to further show how the murder was used as a vessel for male fantasies and the disembodiment of women. This thesis was written as part of my graduation for Master of Fine Art: Lens-based Media at The Piet Zwart Institute in 2021.
Violent_Hollywood_-_Male_Fantasies,_Female_Disembodiment_&_The_Black_Dahlia_(LOW_RES).pdf
