Stuart Hall's theory of representation suggests there are three types of readings: dominant, oppositional, and negotiated. The document applies this theory to analyze representations in a student magazine targeted at 17-24 year olds in Leeds. Specifically, the magazine's front cover uses a bold masthead and image of a band before an audience that creates the stereotype that all students aspire to music. This relates to Tessa Perkins' theory that stereotypes contain distortions but are based in some reality. While stereotypes can entertain, they also make assumptions. The magazine represents students as interested in music and nightlife through pictures of clubs, reinforcing some dominant cultures despite efforts to avoid gender stereotypes through color choices.

1. Media
Section A
Question 1b
‘Apply theories of representation to one of your coursework productions.’
Representation - A depiction, description or symbolisation of something, someone or a group of
people
There are many ways in which representation is presented within my magazine. Stuart Hall’s theory
suggests that there are three readings: dominant, oppositional and negotiated readings. My magazine
has a primary audience of students in Leeds aged 17-24. Therefore, due to the niche market, Hall’s
theory can be applied to my magazine as the dominant readers would be the audience that falls into this
primary audience category. In terms of Hall’s encoding theory, I have encoded specific aspects of my
magazine which I thought best applied to my audience in the way that I have manipulated elements such
as the font, style, content and layout. For example, on the front cover, my masthead is big and bold which
stands out on the page and looks enthusiastic. Moreover, my main image is a band playing to an
audience. However, due to the camera angle the audience are looking up to the band which creates a
stereotype that all students and young people aspire to music. This relates to Tessa Perkin’s theory of
stereotyping. She suggests the idea that stereotyping is not a simple process and contains a number of
assumptions that can be challenged. She also argues that although stereotypes can have negative
effects often it is based on some degree of reality but distorted and manipulated for the purpose of
entertainment values. In this sense, I have applied Perkin’s theory to my own magazine as I have created
a representation that all students are interested in music and nightlife which is shown through visual
codes, for example the pictures I have used of nightclubs on the contents page and double page spread
which is an assumption that can be challenged because not all students and young people will be
interested in this. Alternatively, Andy Medhurst suggests that stereotyping is used by media texts as a
means of quick communication with the audience. In terms of my own magazine, I feel that I have, to
some extent, represented students in a stereotypical way in order to relate to students.
There are many ways in which representation is presented in my contents page. I have applied
representation theory to my coursework production in the way that I have produced the layout and style of
the contents page. For example, I have used bright and bold colours such as electric blue and purple
which I thought were non gender specific and therefore I avoided gender stereotypes which are often
prevalent in media texts. This links to Levi-Strauss’ theory which presents the ideas of maintaining a
dominant culture e.g. the male dominated rock genre and patriarchal ideology. However, to some extent
my magazine has representations which reinforce dominant, mainstream culture as it is highly focused on
mainstream culture in Leeds such as nightclubs, music and lifestyle which is what students are
stereotypically interested in.