1. Representation “Identify is complicated Everyone thinks they’ve got one. Artists play with the idea in modern society. ” – David Gauntlett

2. To reinforce basic representation theory To understand how to evaluate our coursework against key theories Objectives

3. 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 'theconstruction of reality' What is Representation?

4. Systems of representation are themeans by which the concerns of ideologies are framed; such systems ‘position’ their subjects Roland Barthes ‘Myth’ – mythic in the sense of having the appearance of being natural or commonsense Things Appear Natural

5. WHO or WHAT is being represented? HOW is the representation created? WHO has created the representation? WHY has it been created in that way? WHAT is the effect of the representation? Questions…

6. All texts, however 'realistic' they may seem to be, are constructed representations rather than simply transparent 'reflections', recordings, transcriptions or reproductions of a pre-existing reality Representations which become familiar through constant re-use come to feel 'natural' and unmediated Semiotics

7. The representation is constructed with a set of ideas / values (intended meaning) The context of the representation is part of the representation (form, genre expectations, media language) The audience reacts to this representation and this depends on their own personal interpretational context i.e. age, gender, beliefs (negotiated meaning) The Constructionist Approach

8. Archetype – a familiar characters from hundreds of years of fairytales Stereotype – generalisations used to appeal to particular audiences; easily recognisable Generic type – familiar through particular genres Character Typing

9. Masculinity and Femininity are socially constructed Think about the way women’s bodies in the media has become a common theme (hip hop videos, Page 3) Laura Mulveyargues that the dominant point of view is masculine Gender and Ideology (Feminism)

10. John Berger: “Men act and women appear” “Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at” Ways of Seeing

11. “Striptease is based on contradiction. Woman is desexualised at the very moment when she is stripped naked.” He is suggesting it is clothes that sexualise her more – plenty of evidence of this in pop videos. Did you subvert these ideas in your texts by your representations or not? Barthes View on Sexualisation

12. Walter Lippmann – a shortcut or ordering process In ideological terms, stereotyping is a means by which support is provided by one group’s differential against another Stereotyping

13. Tessa Perkins 1979: stereotyping is not a simple process otherwise they would not work culturally and over time Martin Baker 1989: stereotypes are condemned for misrepresenting the ‘real’ world) Other Theorists

14. Details that if we are to be told that we are going to see a film about an alcoholic then we will know that it will be a tale either of sordid decline or of inspiring redemption He suggests this is a particularly interesting potential use of stereotypes, in which the character is constructed, at the level of dress, performance, etc., as a stereotype but is deliberately given a narrative function that is not implicit in the stereotype, thus throwing into question the assumptions signalled by the stereotypical iconography Richard Dyer 1977

15. ‘Representations in media texts are often simplistic and reinforce dominant ideologies so that audiences can make sense of them’ Evaluate the ways you have used/challenged simplistic representations in one of the media products you have produces. Practice