2. Overview
The lesson focus on bringing together the textual elements to
analyse the representations being depicted within a Media
scene.
3. Representations
There are a wide variety of representations that could be
presented:
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Sexuality
Class and status
Physical ability/disability
Regional identity
The way these representations are depicted is important, can they
be considered stereotypes conforming to Media traditions.
4. Disability
What are some of the stereotypes of disability?
How do these stereotypes challenge or conform to social
expectations?
6. Representations of Age
What are the three stages of age that predominantly focused
on when discussing age?
What are the some of the stereotypes of this?
7. Childhood
There are 8 stereotypes:
As victims of horrendous crimes – some critics of the media have suggested that White
children who are victims of crime get more media attention than adults or children from ethnic
minority backgrounds.
As cute – this is a common stereotype found in television commercials for baby products or
toilet rolls.
As little devils – another common stereotype especially found in drama and comedy, e.g. Bart
Simpson.
As brilliant – perhaps as child prodigies or as heroes for saving the life of an adult.
As brave little angels – suffering from a long-term terminal disease or disability.
As accessories – stories about celebrities such as Madonna, Angelina Jolie or the Beckham’s
may focus on how their children humanise them.
As modern – the media may focus on how children ‘these days’ know so much more ‘at their
age’ than previous generations of children.
As active consumers – television commercials portray children as having a consumer appetite
for toys and games. Some family sociologists note that this has led to the emergence of a new
family pressure, ‘pester power’, the power of children to train or manipulate their parents to
spend money on consumer goods that will increase the children’s status in the eyes of their
peers.
8. Youth
There is a whole media industry aimed at socially constructing youth in
terms of lifestyle and identity. Magazines are produced specifically for
young people. Record companies, Internet music download sites, mobile
telephone companies and radio stations all specifically target and attempt
to shape the musical tastes of young people. Networking sites on the
Internet, such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace, allow youth to project
their identities around the world.
Youth are often portrayed by news media as a social problem, as
immoral or anti-authority and consequently constructed as folk devils as
part of a moral panic. The majority of moral panics since the 1950s have
been manufactured around concerns about young people’s behaviour,
such as their membership of specific ‘deviant’ sub-cultures (e.g., teddy
boys, hoodies) or because their behaviour (e.g., drug taking or binge
drinking) has attracted the disapproval of those in authority.
9. Elderly
There are a range of stereotypes used to describe them:
As grumpy – conservative, stubborn and resistant to social change.
As mentally challenged – suffering from declining mental functions.
As dependent – helpless and dependent on other younger members of the
family or society.
As a burden – as an economic burden on society (in terms of the costs of
pensions and health care to the younger generation) and/or as a physical and
social burden on younger members of their families (who have to worry about or
care for them).
As enjoying a second childhood – as reliving their adolescence and engaging
in activities that they have always longed to do before they die
10. Gender
What is gender, can you explain the difference between this
and sex?
What type of society do we live?
Identify some traditional representations of women?
What is Berger’s Gender Oppositions?
11. What is gender
“SEX” refers to the biological and physiological
characteristics that define men and women.
“Gender” refer to the socially constructed roles,
behaviours and attributes that a given society considers
appropriate for men and women.
Due to these points the representation of masculinity and
femininity are determined by us and reinforced through
Media products.
13. Gender Stereotypes
Female
We all know the stereotypes—
the femme fatale, the
supermom, the sex kitten, the
nasty corporate climber.
Whatever the role, television,
film and popular magazines
are full of images of women
and girls who are typically
white, desperately thin, and
made up to the hilt—even after
slaying a gang of vampires or
dressing down a Greek
phalanx.
Male
The Joker is a very popular character with
boys, perhaps because laughter is part of
their own “mask of masculinity.”
The Jock is always willing to “compromise
his own long-term health; he must fight avoid
being soft; and must be aggressive.”
The Strong Silent Type focuses on “being in
charge, acting decisively, containing emotion,
and succeeding with women.”
The Big Shot is defined by his professional
status. The Action Hero is “strong, but not
necessarily silent. He is often angry.
The Buffoon commonly appears as a
bungling father figure in TV ads and sitcoms
14. Male Gaze – Laura Mulvey
Mulvey wrote this theory in 1975.
She states that women are objects to be observed by the
audience and that the camera is the male perspective
viewing them, often why the camera will linger on female
curves etc.
She argued that women took the passive part of film while
the male were the active part of the film.
It denies women an identity other than as an object.
Scopophilia - It is an act of voyeurism where the female is
viewed as of visual pleasure both for characters and
actors.
In cinema the women are viewed from the perspective of
a heterosexual male and that women are viewed
unequally and sexualised for the viewers pleasure.
The masculinisation of the viewer
Also consider how the Media Objectify Women - Objectification
15. Sexuality
What is sexuality?
What are the three types of sexual orientation that you may
need to consider?
How might these different sexuality be depicted? Give
examples.
16. Sexuality
Heterosexual
They are always monogamous
It is the ‘norm’
‘There is nothing at all wrong with heterosexuality’
Male partners are the abusers
Straight couples always have children
Homosexual
It’s just a phase
All gay men will die of AIDS
All gay men are feminine
All gay women are butch
Gay men can’t marry or have children
Bisexual
People deny that bisexuality is real
They are confused, undecided, dabblers, insecure, experimenting or “just going through
a phase”.
People are either ‘gay, straight or lying’
They are promiscuous
They are greedy
17. Social Class
What are social classes?
Can you identify the three social classes?
Describe how the classes are represented in the Media. Give
examples.
18. Social Classes
Three main social groups
Working Class
Middle Class
Upper Class
Monarchy – Nairn 1988
Representations of poverty and the underclass
Also worth revisiting the theorists on social class including
Marxism – on blog.
19. Regionalisation
What is regionalisation?
Identify three different regional identities?
Explain how they are different?
20. Ethnicity
How are ethnic groups depicted in the Media?
Give examples of how the Media might demonise ethnicity?
Has the depiction of ethnicity changed give examples?
What are the key terms to consider when analysing
representation?
21. Stereotypes of Ethnicity
Alvarado’s (1987) stereotypes in the representation of
ethnicity and race;
EXOTIC
DANGEROUS
PITIED
HUMOUROUS.
A recent revision of this has added the SEXUALISED
stereotype
Key terms
Otherness
Tokenism
23. Textual Analysis
The questions may identify all elements to answer or just two
elements:
Camera shots, angle, movement and composition
Editing
Sound
Mise-en-scène.
Only analyse what the question asks you to
24. Textual Analysis
What would you need to consider within each of these
elements?
Camera shots, angle, movement and composition
Editing
Sound
Mise-en-scène.
25. Textual Analysis
Cinematography
Shots: establishing shot, master shot, close-up, mid-shot, long shot, wide shot, two-shot, aerial shot, point of view shot, over
the shoulder shot, and variations of these.
Angle: high angle, low angle, canted angle.
Movement: pan, tilt, track, dolly, crane, steadicam, hand-held, zoom, reverse zoom.
Composition: framing, rule of thirds, depth of field – deep and shallow focus, focus pulls.
Mise-en-scene
Production design: location, studio, set design, costume and make-up, properties. Lighting; colour design.
Location Design
Costume
Props
Lighting
Movement
Sound
Diegetic and non-diegetic sound; synchronous/asynchronous sound; sound effects; sound motif, sound bridge, dialogue,
voiceover, mode of address/direct address, sound mixing, sound perspective.
Soundtrack: score, incidental music, themes and stings, ambient sound.
Editing
Includes transition of image and sound – continuity and non-continuity systems.
Cutting: shot/reverse shot, eyeline match, graphic match, action match, jump cut, crosscutting, parallel editing, cutaway;
insert.
Other transitions, dissolve, fade-in, fade-out, wipe, superimposition, long take, short take, slow motion, ellipsis and expansion
of time, post-production, visual effects.
26. Screening
Watch the clip and consider how you would answer the following
question. Create an essay plan of what you would need to include
to answer the question below. Be detailed about the content and
evidence to be used.
Answer the question below, with detailed reference to
specific examples, from the extract only. Extract: Treme,
Season 1, Episode 6, directed by Brad Anderson.
Discuss the ways the extract constructs the
representation of ethnicity using the following:
• Camera shots, angles, movement and composition
• Editing
• Sound
• Mise-en-Scène.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2U2ycG3JOs
27. Past Exam Examples
See the handouts.
You have an essay at Level 2, 3 and 4.
Read the essays and the commentaries and identify why
each was each level.
Based on the feedback and the commentaries from the examiners what level
would you give to your plan and justify this level considering the examiners
commentaries.