Deconstructing cinema tropes: Discover “The Take”

 

“Most saliently, the cool girl isn’t a REAL girl. She’s a myth created by men, perpetuated by women pretending to be her.”  (“The Cool Girl Trope, Explained”-The Take)

You see, Charlie, that’s the kind of unconventional analysis you can find on The Take!

The Take is a YouTube channel which posts videos analysing different character tropes, movie & TV character profiles, and plotlines. A trope is defined as “a common or overused theme or device, cliché” (Merriam Webster dictionary). Created on April 12, 2016 by movie lovers Debra Minoff and Susannah McCullough, the Take has already reached 1,1 million subscribers. Their relevant, modern, and refreshing analyses of today’s and yesterday’s visual culture help us understand what we watch and why. 

 

And if this hasn’t convinced you already, here are a few more reasons you should absolutely watch “The Take”.

1.Whether we are aware of it or not, movies DO impact our vision of society and of ourselves. Perhaps one day, after seeing a movie or finishing one of your favourite series, you laid on the couch, sighed and wondered : “Why can’t I be more like the heroine/hero?” or “I really hate that character!”. Well, after that immediate reaction, have you thought about whether this character was a trope, and what message it conveyed ? Or what does the way movies treat it say about our culture and society ? This is precisely the kind of questions The Take encourages you to ask, instead of being a passive viewer (or binge-watcher!).

2. Their video essays are accessible to everyone. They are fairly short - most videos last between 15 and 25 minutes - but manage to explore the topic in depth. Most importantly, they do it in a well-structured way, with clear explanations. And it’s available for free on the YouTube !

3. Finally, it’s fun, even better than a series! The editing is entertaining, there are animations, music, famous movie lines, and a little bit of sarcastic humour. It’s a different way to learn more about your favourite movies & series…and discover new ones!

 

Don’t know where to start ? Here are my top 3 picks to give you a taster !

      The Evolution of Harley Quinn - Birds of Prey :

 

Harley Quinn is the most famous antiheroine of the DC Comics universe. She went from being simply the Joker’s girlfriend to being her own character. In this video, The Take explores her evolution “from throw away character and neglected love interest to the protagonist of her own film”, and what it says about the evolution of our society. They show how her emancipation “heralds a time where female heroes are free to be less than perfect”.

 

          The Cool Girl Trope, Explained :

 

The Cool Girl is defined as “fun-loving, raunchy, uninhibited”, she likes junk-food and beer and is very easy-going. She’s “one of the guys” and has “a passion for any stereotypically masculine activity”, but she’s also “effortlessly hot” and the male protagonist’s love interest. As The Take highlights, the problem with this trope is that she is used to bring down other, more feminine, characters and sets unrealistic expectations.

 

          The Mean Girl Trope, Explained :

 

We have all seen a lot of high school movies with a mean girl character. The fact is that she has a lot of qualities, she is “highly intelligent and cunning”, “glamourous and charismatic”, “confident and ambitious” but takes these qualities to the extreme. Ultimately, the mean girl always falls. According to The Take, this is because we need to believe that we are better people than her, to compensate for the fact that she has everything else in life.

 

You can watch these videos and more on their YouTube channel :  

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVjsbqKtxkLt7bal4NWRjJQ

 

Thank you for reading ! This was my take on : The Take ;)

N