2. what is it
The re-presenting of a reality to an audience by a
producer.
The reality we see in
the media is not reality
it is a representation of
it. An image of a person
is not the person, it is an
interpretation of it. Can be
representation of a place
issue or event as well as a
person.
3. mediation
Is the process of taking a reality, interpreting it,
and re-presenting it to the audience.
All media goes through this process, it cannot be
otherwise.
Even reality TV is not real reality, Big Brother for
example has carefully chosen housemates, the
cameras will select certain angles, and the
program makers will select certain scenes to
broadcast and some not to.
4. Types of representation
Reflective – taking a true meaning and trying to
replicate it. Is this how the news works?
Intentional – what becomes influential here is the
person doing the representation, so that they
create a representation that will mean the same
to the audience as the producer intended.
5. Representation
Each representation has four factors
The thing itself
The opinions of the people doing the
representation
The reaction of the individual to the
representation
The context of the society in which the
representation is taking place
6. Audience - Cultivation Theory
CULTIVATION theory helps us to understand the
importance of the media. ‘Drip drip’ but slowing
down from an immediate effect to a slower
more accumulative effect.
George GERBNER started this and cultivation
theorists argue that TV has long term effects ,
which are small gradual, indirect and cumulative
and ultimately significant. That TV reinforces
values already present in society and to support
the dominant ideology.
7. Questions to ask
What/who is being represented?
In what way? Using what codes? Within what genre?
By whom? At whom is it targeted?
Why are they being represented this way?
What does it mean to you? For others?
Is the representation fair and accurate?
What opportunities exist for self-representation for the
subject?
8. Jean Baudrillard
French theorist ( 1929-2007) will form the basis of our
study of the future debate concerning collective
identity.
In media he is know best known for his concept of a
hyper- reality
The signs and symbols of your culture have no basis in
reality but have created a new world, one that is a
simulation of reality and construct a perceived reality
To simulate – to pretend to have something one does
not have
9. He believed that in this post modernist world the
illusion has gone that media texts can
accurately or neutrally reproduce reality or truth.
He introduced the idea of hyperreality, with
blurred boundaries between the real and the
fictional. EG Disney world, exists in the real world
yet is based on a fictional make believe one.
10. Myths
Representations can be founded on a reality or
indeed a reality that does not exist
Roland Barthes argued that representations are
mythic in the sense that they have an
appearance of being natural or commonsensial.
Representations are problematic and simulations
of realities which don’t exist, A blurring between
what is real and what is not, eg celebrity images.
This hyper reality theory was developed by Jean
Baudrillard
11. Richard Dyer
“How we are seen determines how we are
treated, how we treat others is based on how we
see them, How we see them comes from
representation’ ( The Matter of Images)
Your only experience of the group being
represented might be the media text that the
representation is in.
12. David Chandler
Representation refers to the construction in any
medium of aspects of ‘reality’ such as people,
places, objects, events, cultural identities and
other abstract concepts.
Representation always involves ‘the construction
of reality’
13. reading the photograph
As an iconic sign the photograph closely
resembles the object.
Fiske 1982 ‘Denotation is what is photographed
and connotation is how it is photographed’
Because the photographic signifier closely
resembles its signified, it can appear a ‘natural
sign’ one made intervention of any codes
(Barthes 1980)
14. Stereotyping
Walter Lippman said that stereotypes were a
shortcut or an ordering process.
A way of segregating groups of highlighting
differences, the otherness of a group.
Tessa Perkins (1979) stereotyping is not a simple
process other wise it wouldn’t work
Martin Baker (1989) stereotypes are condemned
for misrepresenting the ‘real world,
15. So what does this mean for you?
You have all used representations, you have all
imaged something that is real
You have all seen representations of something
that is real
But how aware were you when you did that?
The signs and symbols you, or others have used
and the technical codes you, or others have
employed.
16. Break it down
When you or others created a character, they were
dressed a certain way, make-up, hair, body adornment.
You, or others, had them act a certain way, movement,
body language, facial expression, relate to others a
certain way
You, or others, imaged them a certain way – lighting
style, camera angle, shot them from close or far, direct
or indirect mode of address, close up or long shots
You , or others, then carried out post-production on that
image to colourize, increase contrast, correct blemishes,
shape body shape
17. Your answer will….
Put all these different aspects together, the
theory and the way that the representations
were created.
Simple…..
