The document discusses how stereotypes are used in media according to scholar Dyer. Dyer argues that stereotypes can serve as a point of reference in narratives where characters are not fully developed, as a shortcut to convey complex social meanings, and as a way for creators to express their own views and values through the media they produce. The document asks how stereotypes may have been used in certain media productions and what meanings are constructed through symbols, images, and words within those productions.

1. “The media offer us a mediated version of the
world.They don’t just present reality, they re-
present it.”
Buckingham

3. Dyer has written extensively on stereotypes and
how they are used in the media and by audiences.
According to Dyer stereotypes are used as;
As a point of reference- a purely aesthetic
functions in narrative, where character traits do
not develop
As a short cut- stereotypes carry with them
complex meanings and a knowledge of social and
cultural contexts
As an expression of values- a statement of
thoughts, opinions and values of the creator.

4. Have you introduced stereotypes in your production?
What have they been used for?
As a point of reference- a purely aesthetic functions
in narrative, where character traits do not develop
As a short cut- stereotypes carry with them complex
meanings and a knowledge of social and cultural
contexts
As an expression of values- a statement of thoughts,
opinions and values of the creator.

5. What meaning is constructed through symbols,
images and words?
What is signified?