GCSE Media Studies Revision of Representation. Action Adventure Film Textual Analysis

1. Representation
Learning Objectives:
To explore how different groups are represented in action
adventure film
To analyse representation of gender, race and nationality,
spies and family, love and marriage in Spy Kids

2. Q3: Discuss the representation in the extract.
Refer to stereotypes in your answer. Use
examples from the extract.
• Gender
• Race/Nationality
• Spies
• Family, love and marriage

3. Where have we studied representation
before during this course?
Film Analysis
• The Hunger Games
• The Amazing Spiderman
In both of these films the
characters are represented
in a certain way because of
their gender and age. They
are both typical of modern
action adventure films
because they challenge
common stereotypes.

6. Representation of gender in Spy Kids
How does she match the stereotype of gender and
family, love and marriage here?

7. Compare the use stereotypes in these two
images from the clip.

8. How does this frame break the gender
stereotypes?

9. Representation ideas for this question
which focus on gender
• the anti-stereotypical representation of
violence as a feminine activity
• the equality between man and woman as
professional spies.
If you spot something that is not following the
stereotype, mention it and call it an anti-
stereotype.

10. This question looks at other stereotypes other than gender. Look
at the images from the clip and say which stereotype you think
they fit.

11. This question looks at other stereotypes other than gender. Look
at the images from the clip and say which stereotype you think
they fit.

12. This question looks at other stereotypes other than gender. Look
at the images from the clip and say which stereotype you think
they fit.

13. Other areas you could focus on in your answer
• the stereotypical representation of the mother-
daughter bond as the centre of the family
• the anti-stereotypical representation, for Hollywood, of
Mexicans as a diverse range of individual characters
• the anti-stereotypical representation of Mexico as a
modern and sophisticated country
• spies are stereotypically represented as efficient
professionals
• the stereotypical representation of ‘love at first sight’
• the extract celebrates family, marriage and love.

14. Mark scheme
This question is worth 20 marks.
You need to discuss your ideas with plenty of examples
from the clip to show what you mean as evidence.
• Discusses a range of representation issues or discusses
one issue in depth from the extract
• Shows thorough understanding of appropriate
representation issues
• Offers a range of textual evidence from the extract that
exemplifies these issues
• Ideas expressed clearly and fluently in well-structured
sentences with few, if any, errors of spelling,
punctuation and grammar.

15. Exemplar answer Level 3
The spies are shown as resourceful and professional. They are “master
of disguises” according to the voice over and this is shown in the
flashback to their first meeting. In the airport, she uses disguises,
technology and props in the form of her technologically advanced
sunglasses and chewing gum. He is one step ahead of her at the top of
the lift where they are both shown to be ruthless killers.
At the wedding they are seen with their entourage of minders and
unknown characters because spies live a life of mystery. When they are
dating they cannot be seen together. While this is part of the humour
of the clip, the scene with them in the café and on the Eiffel Tower as
he proposes at a distance shows how they adapt to the situation. It is
almost a parody of the real life of spies, especially when the wedding is
interrupted by helicopters and people jump into the tiered cake and
have two parachutes ready for the bride and groom to escape in a
nearby boat. It is so far-fetched that is shows how stereotypes of spies
is entertaining.
EBI: Needs more sophisticated discussion about where the
audience has been positioned and links to cultural/social ideas
about certain groups of people to achieve Level 4.

16. Mark scheme
• Level 1 answers might describe some people in the extract, whereas level 2
answers will show some, albeit very limited, understanding of representation.
Level 2 answers do not have to explicitly use the term ’stereotype’ but it must be
implied in the answer.
• Answers that solely describe characterisation (‘the hero is brave’) or repeat generic
conventions (‘there is stereotypically a hero’) with no analysis of representation
might earn up to the top of level 2 marks. However, if such answers are detailed
and include some reference to, for example, age, gender, ethnicity, body types,
class, region or nationality, they can rise into lower level 3.
• Answers that display a clear understanding of stereotyping by using the term
accurately in analysis of, for example, age, gender, ethnicity, body types, class,
region or nationality should attain level 3. Such answers with relevant textual
exemplification should achieve higher in the band. However, if an answer is very
short or is mostly irrelevant it may be marked in level 2 even though it contains
one accurate example.
• Level 4 answers may offer a detailed discussion of stereotyping of one group, or
explore effectively the representation of a range of social groups. At the top of this
band answers may show some understanding of ideology and values.