6.2 - Constructing meaning and representations.pptx

1. 6.2Constructing
meaning and
representations
Task 6 – Extended Response to Documentary
Syllabus Point:
How media is constructed
to convey preferred
meanings, themes, values
and point of view.
There is no such thing as
objective journalism.The
phase itself is a pompous
contradiction in terms.
- Hunter S.Thompson

2. Cornell Note
taking
 The idea behind this is very easy.
All actual notes from the lecture
go into the main note-taking
column.
 The smaller column on the left side
is for questions about the notes
that can be answered when
reviewing and keywords or
comments that make the whole
reviewing and exam preparation
process easier.
 Besides being a very efficient way
of taking great notes in class,
Cornell note taking isTHE perfect
tip for exam preparation. Here’s
why:
 The system itself encourages you
to reflect on your notes by
actively summarizing them in
their own words. Often, this can
already be enough to remember
study notes and to successfully
pass an exam.

3. Representation

4. What is
representation?
A recap
Stuart Hall believed representation was the “process by
which members of a culture use language… to produce
meaning”.
It is the organisation of signs, which we use to understand
and describe the world, into a wider set of values of
ideologies.These meanings are not fixed or “real”; they are
produced and defined by society.
Hall summarised three approaches to understanding the
representation process:
reflective, intentional and constructionist views.
Stuart Hall was a cultural theorist
and one of the founding figures of
the Birmingham School of Cultural
Studies.
Although much of Hall’s theories
are in relation to Human Language
and communication we can apply
his thoughts to our relationship with
Media and communication in the
21st century.

5. The ReflectiveView
This approach to understanding representation
suggests the signs we use communicate with each
other reflect their true meaning because language
acts like a mirror to the world.
Visual signs often have some sort of relationship to the physical
form of the objects they represent so, in terms of semiotics, we
might categorise these signs as icons.
However, as Stuart Hall pointed out, a picture of a rose “should not
be confused with the real plant with thorns and blooms growing in
the garden”.
What is
representation?
A recap
Stuart Hall was a cultural theorist
and one of the founding figures of
the Birmingham School of Cultural
Studies.
Although much of Hall’s theories
are in relation to Human Language
and communication we can apply
his thoughts to our relationship with
Media and communication in the
21st century.

6. The IntentionalView
By contrast, the intentional approach suggests we impose
meaning on the world through the signs we use to describe
it. When you are talking to a friend, the words you use to
encode your message will mean exactly what you intended
them to mean.
The intentional view is not without it’s issues/flaws.We may produce
media texts, but their meanings are limited by the framework of
knowledge of that particular audience, time period and culture. Hall
also proposed the audience could have a negotiated or even an
oppositional interpretation of the text.This leads us to the
constructionist approach to understanding representations.
Media producers may want to believe that the exact intentional message
is being presented, however, we know this is rarely the case.
What is
representation?
A recap
Stuart Hall was a cultural theorist
and one of the founding figures of
the Birmingham School of Cultural
Studies.
Although much of Hall’s theories
are in relation to Human Language
and communication we can apply
his thoughts to our relationship with
Media and communication in the
21st century.

7. The ConstructionistView
Things exist in the physical world. Our conceptual maps are
based on reality, but representation is a symbolic practice
and process. It is argued that there is no natural
relationship between the sign and its meaning or concept.
Put simply, we construct meanings by organising signs into
a system, often impacted by culture and experience.
 Stuart Hall mentioned the language of electric plugs in the UK to
illustrate this approach. Before 2006, red wires were used to carry
the current from the power supply to the appliances.The system
was changed to match the European standards so brown wires are
now live. In this way, colours have no fixed meaning and their
definitions can quickly change.
What is
representation?
A recap
Stuart Hall was a cultural theorist
and one of the founding figures of
the Birmingham School of Cultural
Studies.
Although much of Hall’s theories
are in relation to Human Language
and communication we can apply
his thoughts to our relationship with
Media and communication in the
21st century.

8. Persuasion
Ethos,
Pathos,
Logos.

9. ETHOS
Ethos is the persuasive technique that
appeals to an audience by highlighting
credibility. Ethos is the Greek word for
‘Character’.This technique invokes the
superior “character” of a speaker,
presenter, writer, or brand.
Ethos examples aim to convince the
audience that the advertiser is reliable
and ethical. It’s easier to make a
decision when someone you respect
signs off on it, right?
When an esteemed public figure
endorses a product, it validates it to the
end consumer. An ethos advertisement
plays off the consumer’s respect for a
given spokesperson.
Through that respect, the spokesperson
appears convincing, authoritative and
trustworthy enough to listen to. Of the
types of persuasive techniques in
media, ethos is best used to unlock
trust.
PATHOS LOGOS
Pathos is persuasive technique that try to
convince an audience through emotions.
Pathos as a mode of persuasion appeals to
the senses, memory, nostalgia, or shared
experience. Pathos examples pull at the
heartstrings and make the audience feel.
A quick way to appeal to a viewer’s
emotions?
A cute animal. A devastated family. A love
story. Overcoming great odds.An
inspirational song and imagery.
Logos is the persuasive technique that aims to
convince an audience by using logic and reason.
Also called “the logical appeal,” logos examples
in advertisement include the citation of
statistics, facts, data, charts, and graphs.
As the “headiest” of the three main rhetorical
strategies, logos uses reasoned discourse and
logical arguments to convey a point of view and
win over the audience.
Aristotle believed that people are rational, and
appealing to the rational mind with data,
research, and evidence is the best way to win
them over.
Which in your opinion is most impactful?
Which is most commonly used in documentary film?

10. Point of
View
Point of view is an important cinematic term
that raises questions about where the viewer is
positioned in relation to the screen characters
and the narrative world and about how the text
addresses it’s audience. It stresses the way we,
as audiences, are invited to view and hear
events.
The position the cameras
take and whose viewpoint
they show the viewer.
Often films encourage
identification with a main
character, particularly
through the device of first-
person voice over narration,
like in American Beauty.

11. CreatingCo-Presence
Most narrative invite viewers to identify with characters and to be
emotionally involved with the events shown. Emotional
involvement comes about because audiences are encouraged to
enjoy being close to (simulated) exciting events. In the cinemas we
can almost feel what its like to go on a rollercoaster ride, to fly in an
aeroplane, to be part of a bank robbery, to be in a fight, or a car
crash, and so on.
These virtual experiences are dependant on on camera work,
editing choices, and sound techniques, all of which draw us into the
action, making us feel part of the events being portrayed. This
encourages a viewing experience based on strong emotional
responsiveness; such emotional viewing experiences are often
more stimulating that a detached, intellectual appraisal of the
same issue.
Traditional Narrative cinema does
this frequently, as do some
categories of Documentary.
In the case of Michael Moore and
his documentary film Fahrenheit
9/11 he bring the audience into the
narrative, consistently addressing
them and using techniques to
engaging them into the ‘here and
now’ of the footage.

12. Detachment & theVerfremdungseffekt
It is, however, possible to present events in different ways to
traditional means. Some narrative invite detachment rather than
identification. In order to facilitate detachment, these films may
use long shots (to encourage the audience to distance themselves
from the action) and slower editing.They may also avoid presenting
events from the point of view of any particular character.
All these techniques are designed to encourage the audience to
be critical and detached in their viewing, and to make them
aware of the construction of the film itself, unlike the techniques
ofTraditional Hollywood cinema which try and convince the
audience of the realism of the story.
While this may be less conventionally exciting, ion the sense that
the emotions are not so immediately engaged, it has the
advantage of encouraging critical thought about what is being
portrayed.
Verfremdungseffekt:
The distancing effect, more commonly
known by JohnWillett's 1964 translation as
the alienation effect or as the
estrangement effect, is a performing arts
concept coined by German playwright
Bertolt Brecht.
Brecht intended to assign the audience an
active role in the production by forcing
them to ask questions about the
artificial environment and how each
individual element related to real-life
events. In doing so, it was hoped that
viewers would distance themselves
emotionally from problems that
demanded intellectual solutions.

13. Detachment & theVerfremdungseffekt
It is, however, possible to present events in different ways to
traditional means. Some narrative invite detachment rather than
identification. In order to facilitate detachment, these films may
use long shots (to encourage the audience to distance themselves
from the action) and slower editing.They may also avoid presenting
events from the point of view of any particular character.
All these techniques are designed to encourage the audience to
be critical and detached in their viewing, and to make them
aware of the construction of the film itself, unlike the techniques
ofTraditional Hollywood cinema which try and convince the
audience of the realism of the story.
While this may be less conventionally exciting, ion the sense that
the emotions are not so immediately engaged, it has the
advantage of encouraging critical thought about what is being
portrayed.
The 1994 documentary film Hoop Dreams
is an example of an observational
documentary. At it’s core is a set of
questions and themes related to coming
of age, social housing, black America and
youth in sports. It remains observational
through it’s slow editing pace and lack of
narration. Audiences are encouraged to
find their own ideas and assumptions
about what they see, without being
directly led to it, like in other forms of
documentary.

14. To finish/
Homework Answer the following question:
-
Complete this in your Summary
section of your notes.