2. WHAT IS REPRESENTATION?
• Representation is where someone’s concept if existence led into a series of signs and
symbols which can be read and identified by the audience.
• Therefore media texts are re-presentation of reality.
• Representation has dealt with particular social groups such as focusing on age, gender,
sexuality, ethnicity etc.
3. REPRESENTATION THEORISTS
• Branston and Stafford recognise that there is characteristics of representation;
• Categorising that the group is being sterotyped
• Focused on specific issues which are easily recognised by the audience for them to
make an assumption of the featured group.
• The overall evaluation is likely to be a negative.
4. REPRESENTATION THEORIES THAT LINK
TO THE HORROR GENRE
• Representation can be linked to horror films such as representation of gender. This is
because women are represented to be the more vulnerable target within the horror film.
However the horror genre can reverse the stereotype of women as later in the film the
woman can be portrayed as the hero.
• Horror and gender can be linked to Laura Mulvey’s male gaze theory which shows the
stereotypical view of women.
