Representation
Read the Media Magazine feature 'Representation old and new'. This is in MM51 on page 6 - go to our Media Magazine archive to find the article. Complete the following tasks:
-A picture editor selects the photo from a whole series of images to be used to illustrate a news story. The image maybe cropped, resized and, in some cases, photoshopped.
- A news editor will decide on the way the story will be presented, and the use of captions to pin down, or anchor, the meaning of the image.
- The photograph of Kate Middleton in the newspaper is a re-presentation of what she looks like, with people controlling and manipulating the image at various stages throughout the process.
- The Duchess herself, the person, is some distance away from the image that is reproduced.
3) Summarise the section 'The how, who and why of media representation' in 50 words.
You may support the implied ideologies, and therefore you might accept the preferred meaning. However, some audiences may only partially accept the meanings being offered by a text; Hall calls this the negotiated readings. Other audiences might reject them completely, oppositional reading.
1) Why is representation an important concept in Media Studies?
Representation influences how people are seen and understood on a society, impacting inclusivity and social perceptions.
2) How does the example of Kate Middleton show the way different meanings can be created in the media?
Representation influences how people are seen and understood on a society, impacting inclusivity and social perceptions.
2) How does the example of Kate Middleton show the way different meanings can be created in the media?
-A picture editor selects the photo from a whole series of images to be used to illustrate a news story. The image maybe cropped, resized and, in some cases, photoshopped.
- A news editor will decide on the way the story will be presented, and the use of captions to pin down, or anchor, the meaning of the image.
- The photograph of Kate Middleton in the newspaper is a re-presentation of what she looks like, with people controlling and manipulating the image at various stages throughout the process.
- The Duchess herself, the person, is some distance away from the image that is reproduced.
When analyzing representations, it's important to question who creates them and why. Media products have specific functions influenced by the target audience, genre codes, desired narrative and institutional goals. Choices made by producers shape the overall representation and can convey ideological meaning.
4) How does Stuart Hall's theory of preferred and oppositional readings fit with representation?
4) How does Stuart Hall's theory of preferred and oppositional readings fit with representation?
You may support the implied ideologies, and therefore you might accept the preferred meaning. However, some audiences may only partially accept the meanings being offered by a text; Hall calls this the negotiated readings. Other audiences might reject them completely, oppositional reading.
5) How has new technology changed the way representations are created in the media?
With the rise of new media, audiences can now construct and share their own media products, and in websites, video-sharing platforms and social media there are more opportunities for people to represent themselves. Individuals can now engage in the act of self- representation, often on a daily basis, through the creation of social media profiles and content.
6) What example is provided of how national identity is represented in Britain - and how some audiences use social media to challenge this?
During the 2014 World Cup, The Sun sent a free newspaper to 22 million households in England which represented its own concepts of ‘Englishness’ by symbolic references.
With the rise of new media, audiences can now construct and share their own media products, and in websites, video-sharing platforms and social media there are more opportunities for people to represent themselves. Individuals can now engage in the act of self- representation, often on a daily basis, through the creation of social media profiles and content.
6) What example is provided of how national identity is represented in Britain - and how some audiences use social media to challenge this?
During the 2014 World Cup, The Sun sent a free newspaper to 22 million households in England which represented its own concepts of ‘Englishness’ by symbolic references.
Watch the clip from Luther that we studied in class (Season 1, Episode 1 - minute 7.40-10.00 - you'll need your Greenford Google login to access the clip). Now answer these final two questions:
7) Write a paragraph analysing the dominant and alternative representations you can find in the clip from Luther.
The dominant representations in the Luther clip can be noticed in the character, Luther, who is portrayed as an antagonist by the way he enters. We can see that his superior is white and female and upholds traditional views regarding the status quo. As the video progresses, we can tell that the victim is a tiny girl who is conditioned to be one of Todorov's characters, the princess who needs saving. The alternative representation, on the other side, is reinforced by the police, who are seen as unworthy through their careless acts towards the dead. The show's lead inspector is a woman who challenges all gender assumptions in the workplace.
8) Write a paragraph applying a selection of our representation theories to the clip from Luther. Our summary of each theory may help you here:
Levi-Strauss: representation and ideology
Mulvey: the male gaze
Dyer: stereotyping and power
Medhurst: value judgements
Perkins: some stereotypes can be positive or true
7) Write a paragraph analysing the dominant and alternative representations you can find in the clip from Luther.
The dominant representations in the Luther clip can be noticed in the character, Luther, who is portrayed as an antagonist by the way he enters. We can see that his superior is white and female and upholds traditional views regarding the status quo. As the video progresses, we can tell that the victim is a tiny girl who is conditioned to be one of Todorov's characters, the princess who needs saving. The alternative representation, on the other side, is reinforced by the police, who are seen as unworthy through their careless acts towards the dead. The show's lead inspector is a woman who challenges all gender assumptions in the workplace.
8) Write a paragraph applying a selection of our representation theories to the clip from Luther. Our summary of each theory may help you here:
Levi-Strauss: representation and ideology
Mulvey: the male gaze
Dyer: stereotyping and power
Medhurst: value judgements
Perkins: some stereotypes can be positive or true
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