Rewarding expected shifts: a semiotic analysis of the Oscar-winning performances of Mo'Nique and Lupita Nyong'o in "Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire" and "12 Years a Slave"

Thesis (M.A., Communication Studies)--California State University, Sacramento, 2015.This thesis examined performances of the real life phenomenon of shifting and how it was performed by black female actors Mo???Nique and Lupita Nyong???o in the Oscar-winning films Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire (2009) and 12 Years a Slave (2013). A semiotic analysis paired with a textual analysis was applied to the fictional filmic texts in order to determine what cinematic elements were present in these filmic performances of shifting. bell hooks??? oppositional gaze along with Jacqueline Bobo???s explanation of black women as cultural readers was used as the theoretical framework for this thesis and helped determine what implications are present when shifting is performed by Oscar-winning black female actors in fictional films. The analysis uncovered different filmic strategies used to perform shifting such as camera position and distance and a discussion on the findings, limitations, and future research followed.Communication Studie