The document provides guidance for students on applying media theories to evaluate representations in their own media products. It discusses using theorists' concepts rather than extensively explaining theories. Examples are given of integrating theorists through phrases like "A Todorovian analysis..." The document also discusses how representations are constructed through technical, symbolic, written, and semiotic codes. It suggests exploring how students' works may conform to or challenge stereotypes and dominant ideologies. Guidance is offered on discussing the construction of stars based on Dyer's theory of stereotypes. Key representation concepts are also outlined in a "rundown".

1. Critical Perspectives in Media
Question 1b
Revision of media theories around
representation

2. Homework
• Create a practice answer for the question over the holidays.
• If this is completed and posted on your blog at some point close to
the end of the holiday, it will be marked and fed back on.

3. The Question (Example)
• “Representations in media texts are often simplistic and reinforce
dominant ideologies so audiences can make sense of them.” Evaluate
the ways you have used or challenged simplistic representations in
one of your media products.
• Joining the dots. . . Is there a connection between the statement
above and the concepts of moral panics and representation of youth
culture?

4. Applying theories - guidance
.
.
What do you need to be able to do with
theorists and theories?
• You do NOT need to:
⁻ Learn a load of quotes
⁻ Explain their theories in great depth
⁻ Know them all
• You DO need to:
⁻ Use a few
⁻ Be able to apply them to your work
⁻ Consider and explain how useful/not useful they are when discussing
your work
⁻ Play them off against one another, if they are opposite viewpoints

5. How to use theorists. . .
• Quote
• Summarise
• Comment
• Assume your reader knows about the theory/theorist
• Don’t explain the theory; use it, apply it, evaluate it
• Bring it in using sentence starters such as:
“A Todorovian analysis of the narrative would argue. . .”
“Mulvey’s notion of the Male Gaze (1982) provides a useful way of
understanding my music video in that. . .”
“An analysis using Dyer’s concept of Star Theory (1979) would suggest
that my artist is represented as. . .”

7. How representation is constructed in a text – write down an
example of each one that you used in one of your constructions.
How representation is constructed in a text – write an example for
each one as it relates to your own constructions.
• Camera angles, shots, framing, editing (technical codes)
• Mise-en-scene, body language, performance (symbolic
codes)
• Titles and captions (written codes)
• Semiotics – signs of what we see (signifiers)
• Denotation (a Norwegian pine tree covered in shredded
gold plastic and coloured glass balls)
• Connotation (Christmas, family, peace , safety/security)
• Paradigm – a set of codes that we see within a media text

10. Dominant ideologies
• These are accepted views constructed via the media, which according to
Marxism are created by the ruling classes to ‘hypnotise’ the masses.
• Many other representation theories plus into this, such as Mulvey’s
notion of the Male Gaze, which argues that women are sexualised in the
media because it is male dominated and that is the ideology it wants the
audience to accept.
• What dominant ideologies might be present in a music video? What
about a thriller?
• Answering these successfully requires you to think in terms of
stereotyping.

11. • You may explore the stereotypes that have influenced your
decisions in your music videos or thrillers – have you conformed
to them or challenged them?

17. The construction of the star text
Dyer specifically talks about the use of stereotypes
in constructing artist image – in a process that
typically involves four stages.
Whatever style of video you have chosen for your
A2 project, you have represented the star in a way
which either conforms to or challenges
stereotypes.

22. Representation Rundown
• Symbolism: what are the connotations of the media text?
• Verisimilitude – appears to look real so it accepted as ‘common sense’ or ‘natural’, linking with the idea of
myth (Barthes, 1973).
• Stereotypes (Dyer, 1977) are used to generalise and represent society. It is easier to group characteristics and
social positions together as it builds a stronger ideology of what they are like, without actually knowing them
(assumption).
• Perkins (1979) argues that stereotypes are not simplistic, they contain complex understandings of roles in
society, are not always negative and often contain truth.
• Hegemony – leadership by one smaller group over another larger group (e.g. media owners lead the
consumers – Marxism; Gramsci).
• Dominant Ideology – a belief widely held by many members of society; Marxism version and the Hypodermic
needle audience model suggest the media creates and controls it.
• Pluralism – the audience can choose whether to accept what they watch as real; the media simply mirrors the
dominant ideologies society already holds.
• Baudrillard (1980) – the idea of hyperreality, where everything we watch is a reflection of the real world, but
still needs to be deconstructed and challenged.
• Male Gaze (Mulvey, 1982) - the media positions the audience as male dominated (and is a male dominated
industry), therefore the camera gazes at a female ‘object’ on the screen and frames the male ‘character’
watching her. Audience members, including women (see also Winship), identify as the male gazing at the
female.