This document provides an overview of key concepts related to representations of age and gender in TV dramas. It discusses common stereotypical representations of males and females, such as strength and independence for males versus beauty and relationships for females. The concept of the "male gaze" is introduced, which assumes the audience and producers are male, resulting in the objectification of women. The document also outlines areas to discuss when analyzing representations, such as camerawork, mise-en-scene, editing, and sound. Students are assigned homework to watch a clip from an exam and write an essay analyzing representations.

1. AS Media Studies
G322: Key Concepts in Media
Section A: TV DRAMA
Date: 25/02/2014 Term Sp2, Lesson 1 1

2. TV DramasConnect

3. Discovery Question
Date Term ?, Lesson ? 3
Discover
• What is AGE REPRESENTATION
and HOW is it constructed?

4. Date Term ?, Lesson ? 4
Learning Objective/ Outcome Level
All: Will understand the exam question and be able to relate it to TV
Dramas
Level 2
Most: Will explain the uses Camerawork, Editing, Sound and MES in
a TV Drama to create Representation
Level 3
Some: Will analyse the the uses Camerawork, Editing, Sound and
MES in a TV Drama to create Representation
Level 4
Discover

5. G322 Media Exam
• Textual Analysis and Representation:
– Camera shots
– Camera Angle
– Movement and Composition
– Editing
– Sound
– Mise-en-Scene
Discover

6. 7 KEY AREAS FOR TOPIC
• Gender
• Age
• Ethnicity
• Sexuality
• Class and status
• Physical ability/disability
• Regional identity
Discover

7. In exploring representation you need
to establish....
• What view of people or issues is being
conveyed to audiences?
• How far is that view conveyed?
• How far are audiences positioned to take up a
preferred view?
• How far do the representations challenge or
conform to dominant representations and
ideologies?

8. Representation
• Representation refers to the construction in any
medium of aspects of ‘reality’ such as people,
places, objects, events, cultural identities and other
abstract concepts. Such representations may be in
speech or writing as well as still or moving pictures.
• A key aspect in the study of representation concern
is with the way in which representations are made to
seem ‘natural’.

9. Stereotypes
• The easiest way for the audience to relate to a
character or characters is to use Stereotypes
• Stereotypes are when a character is created using a
common set of ideas about a group of people.These
ideas can be both positive and negative and can
influence the way we view groups of people

10. Stereotypes
• Whenever we look at a character on screen we need
to work out who they are representing.
• This is how Stereotypes work – they arew a simple
way of recognising a character quickly for an
audience
• An ARCHEOTYPE is a developed character – a
character that builds from a stereotype.

11. Approaching the Question
• It is very difficult to discuss a ‘plan’ for
Question 1 when the topic and extract are
unseen!
• What we can do is practice the tools that will
help for every question
Date Term ?, Lesson ? 11

12. Approaching the Question
• Some important rules:
– You must talk about each area of CAMERAWORK,
MISE-EN-SCENE, EDITING and SOUND to get a
Level 3 or 4
– You should discuss one point at a time and move
on
– Use P.E.A parargraphs to help you make relevant
points
Date Term ?, Lesson ? 12

13. Approaching the Question
Date Term ?, Lesson ? 13

14. Common Gender Representations
Typical Male Representations Typical Female Representations

15. Female Representations
• Representations of women across all
media tend to highlight the following:
– beauty (within narrow conventions)
– size/physique (again, within narrow
conventions)
– sexuality (as expressed by the above)
– emotional (as opposed to intellectual)
dealings
– relationships (as opposed to
independence/freedom)
• Women are often represented as
being part of a context (family,
friends, colleagues) and
working/thinking as part of a team. In
drama, they tend to take the role of
helper or object, passive rather than
active (Propp).

16. Male Representations
• 'Masculinity' is a concept that is made up of
more rigid stereotypes than femininity.
Representations of men across all media
tend to focus on the following:
– Strength - physical and intellectual
– Power
– Sexual attractiveness (which may be based on
the above)
– Physique
– Independence (of thought, action)
• Male characters are often represented as
isolated, as not needing to rely on others
(the lone hero). If they capitulate to being
part of a family, it is often part of the
resolution of a narrative, rather than an
integral factor in the initial equilibrium.
• It is interesting to note that the male
physique is becoming more important a part
of representations of masculinity.

17. The Male Gaze
• A theory by LAURA
MULVERY
• Is an unconscious
assumption that every
audience member is a
heterosexual male and
all producers are male
• Thus all women are
objectified and inferior
in some way

18. Exam Practice
MES CW ED S
Point
Evidence
Analysis
• What is the Representation
• Is it positive or negative?

19. Practice Pieces
• Dr Who - Jan 2009 Exam
• Primevil - June 2010 Exam
• Mad Men

20. HOMEWORK!
• Watch the Clip from the January 2011 exam
from HUSTLE
• Hustle - Jan 2011 Exam
• Write an essay answer to the question