Revision AS Media Studies

Representation - A definition

Representation:

By definition, all media texts are re-presentations of reality. This means that they are intentionally composed, lit, written, framed, cropped, captioned, branded, targeted and censored by their producers, and that they are entirely artificial versions of the reality we perceive around us. When studying the media it is vital to remember this – every media form, from a home video to a glossy magazine, is representation of someone’s concept of existence, codified into a series of signs and symbols, which can be read by an audience. However, it is important to note that without the media, our perception of reality would be very limited, and that we, as an audience, need these artificial texts to mediate our view of the world, in other words we need the media to make sense of reality. Therefore representation is a fluid, two-way process: producers position a text somewhere in relation to reality and audiences assess a text on its relationship to reality.

Representation

Representation Lesson - TV Drama

Your exam will be focussing on the representation of one of the following groups of people:

Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Sexuality
Class or status
Physical ability/disability
Regional identity

View the three short clips and identify how the individuals have been represented according to the following issues:

Clip 1: Hollyoaks:

How are the female characters being represented according to their gender and class?

How are the male characters being represented according to their gender and class?

Identify framing, camera shots, angles, movement and editing and state how this supports your opinion of how the characters are being shown.

Clip 2: Coronation Street:

How are the female characters being represented according to their gender and class?

How are the male characters being represented according to their gender and class?

Identify framing, camera shots, angles, movement and editing and state how this supports your opinion of how the characters are being shown.

Clip 2: Waterloo Road:

How are the female characters being represented according to their gender and class?

How are the male characters being represented according to their gender and class?

Identify framing, camera shots, angles, movement and editing and state how this supports your opinion of how the characters are being shown.

Stereotype and Representation

Stereotype: A stereotype is an over-simplified representation of people, places or issues giving a narrow set of attributes. Stereotypes frequently thought to be entirely negative but this is not necessarily the case.

Sometimes stereotypes are demonstrated at their most exaggerated form through comedy.
Although this can sometimes be contentious, for the purposes of understanding some of the over-simplified features of the groups of people you may be asked to write about in the unseen clip I have included clips below.
Please note that you will NOT be given a comedy clip in the exam. Humour might be used but this is different from comedy.
list some of the stereotypical characteristics the comedians have focussed on:

Regional Identity

Class and Status

Famous clip illustrating class divides

Ethnicity: This is ironic look at how some British people behaved in Indian restaurants

G322 TV Drama: Representation - Disability

Below is a more condensed version of the BFI report on how disability is represented in film, called "Stereotypes of Disability".
The document explains how disable people are commonly represented in film.
Read carefully and thoroughly, as it might be helpful to you in identifying key features of stereotypes such as listed below:

The Hero: bravery stereotype
The Villain: freak stereotype
Tragic Figure: victim stereotype
Ugly.

View the clips from the award winning film "The Miracle Worker" 1962. The representation of the early meeting between Helen keller and her governess was interesting and shocking for it's rawness

the family indulged her. The expectation of her abilities was possibly less.

Ann Sullivan recognised that much of the girls behaviour was wilfulness and not lack of ability even though her disability was severe.

The film ‘Born of the 4^th of July’ shows Tom Cruise playing the young Ken Kovic and how he is treated in hospital and the reactions of his family when he returns home.

View the clip and look at the production codes (film language i.e. close up, low angle etc) to analyse how he is being represented and how others in the scene are responding to him.
Does the way he is represented fall into the categories at the top of this posting?

The clip of the film "Notting Hill" we see friends dining together. Watch the clip through 2 or 3 times and then write bullet points of how the disabled character is represented.

Is she being shown in a different way then disabled people are more usually represented in film? If so explain why you think she is.

Click on the link to hear David Proud (the wheelchair bound character in Eastenders) discuss the representation of his character on the soap.

Disability representation on Eastenders

Click on the link to read the document on disability and film.
film and disability

Which stereotypical categories would you say the characters in the following clips fall into?
Give your reasons why.

G322 TV Drama: Representation - Sexuality

What do you consider are the vital ingredients/characteristics of a leading man or leading lady?

List of some stars you know, past and present, and what was their appeal?

The representation of sexuality in film will be slightly different from gender representation although they are linked.

Many film stars are described as icons because they are often revered and have mass appeal.

Here are some of the features of iconic celebrities:

G322 TV Drama: Representation - Femme Fatale: Definitions

Referenced from Wikipedia

Femme fatale

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about a type of dangerous woman. For other uses, see Femme fatale (disambiguation).

A femme fatale (pronounced /ˌfɛm fəˈtæl/ or /ˌfɛm fəˈtɑːl/; French: [fam faˈtal], with all [a]'s) is a mysterious and seductive woman[1] whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype or stock character of literature and art. Her ability to entrance and hypnotize her victim was in the earliest stories seen as being literally supernatural, hence the most prosaic femme fatale today is still described as having a power akin to an enchantress, vampire, female monster or demon.

The phrase is French for "deadly woman". A femme fatale tries to achieve her hidden purpose by using feminine wiles such as beauty, charm, and sexual allure. Typically, she is exceptionally well-endowed in addition to possessing these qualities. In some situations, she uses lying or coercion rather than charm. She may also be (or imply to be) a victim, caught in a situation from which she cannot escape; The Lady from Shanghai (a 1947 film noir) is one such example.

Although typically villainous, femmes fatales have also appeared as anti-heroines in some stories, and some even repent and become heroines by the end of the tale. In social life, the femme fatale tortures her lover in an asymmetrical relationship, denying confirmation of her affection. She usually drives him to the point of obsession and exhaustion so that he is incapable of making rational decisions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femme_fatale