Representation theory- Taken trailer
1) Representation is an important concept in media studies. This is because the word representation holds a clue to its importance. When we see a person, place, object or idea represented in the media text, it has in some way been mediated by the very act of representation. The media stands between the object and what we see.
2)The photograph of Kate Middleton has been manipulated with by the media, it is a re-presentation of what she really looks like. The media can take advantage of her pose and present this to the audience in a certain way, as they are able to manipulate and change the angle, lighting and timing of the pose to present a different view to the audience, it is also heavily edited. In the first image, the media presents her in an inaccurate way, as it portrays her as negative, whereas in the second image she looks respectful.
3)All media products have a specific function which will impact on the representations they construct. Producers will consider the audiences expectations and needs, type of narrative and their institutional remit. In this process the producers reject and select specific representations, this helps create ideological meaning. These are known as genre codes, which slowly become natural to the audience.
4)Stuart Hall's critique is known as 'Encoding/Decoding Model' and challenges conventional assumptions about how media messages are produced, circulated and produced. Hall argued that audiences do not accept the ideology of texts passively but, instead draw on their own interpretations. In his view meanings and messages are not fixed an depend on the relationship between the reader/viewer and the text. Some audiences may accept the intended meaning, however some may only partially accept this-negotiated or they may not accept this at all-oppositional.
5) New technology has changed the way representations are created in the media massively. This is because we can control our own image and construct media products that can be seen from different viewpoints and create different meanings. For example, using filters allows you to manipulate with your image.
6) Old media forms have always attempted to define and construct an identity for their audience, using certain types of representation to prescribe how people think about themselves and others. National identity is invariably raised during national sports competitions. During the 2014 World Cup, The Sun sent a free newspaper to 22 million households in England which represented its own concept of 'Englishness'. They made symbolic references to The Queen, roast dinners and Churchill. However, social media forums and comment pages allowed people to voice their rejection of messages. Through self representation, they were able to distance themselves from tabloid newspapers.
Applying Representation Theories to 'Taken trailer'.
Dyer: stereotyping and power
This theory is applied to the trailer as the trailer shows weak women and dodgy Europeans. We can see how this is a typical stereotype of women as they are the vulnerable ones and have less power in the society. We can also see how they have reduced complex and varied groups down to a few, simpler characteristic.
Medhurst: value judgements
This theory can be applied because it shows how the male are more dominant and female are seen as inferior. The protagonist is seen as dominant, the hero and saviour as he is able to protect the female. This is shown in a short space of time as you can see this in the trailer. However, by doing this implies that women are incapable and can have a negative representation. Also, the fact that the European is involved in crime creates a negative image.
Perkins: some stereotypes can be positive or true
This theory can be applied to the trailer because it is known that men are seen as dominant and masculine and can therefore always succeed. This could be seen as positive as they get the role of a saviour/protector.
Mulvey: the male gaze
This theory can be applied to the trailer as we can see how the females are viewed through the eyes of a male. This is because they are seen as vulnerable, inferior and scared. Additionally, the fact that she is taken by traffickers objectifies her as a sex object because in these types of situations, women are more susceptible to rape and we as the audience can see this through a males perspective.
Berger: 'ways of seeing'
This theory can be applied because this trailer clearly shows how "men watch women", this is when the girls is taken advantage of , and "women watch themselves being looked at", is when the camera focuses on the female being vulnerable and see how they are taken advantage and being submissive to men.
Levi-Strauss: representation and ideology
This theory can be applied to the trailer, this is because there are lots of dominant representation such as women as inferior, men as dominant and foreigners as dodgy and playing the villains.
2)The photograph of Kate Middleton has been manipulated with by the media, it is a re-presentation of what she really looks like. The media can take advantage of her pose and present this to the audience in a certain way, as they are able to manipulate and change the angle, lighting and timing of the pose to present a different view to the audience, it is also heavily edited. In the first image, the media presents her in an inaccurate way, as it portrays her as negative, whereas in the second image she looks respectful.
3)All media products have a specific function which will impact on the representations they construct. Producers will consider the audiences expectations and needs, type of narrative and their institutional remit. In this process the producers reject and select specific representations, this helps create ideological meaning. These are known as genre codes, which slowly become natural to the audience.
4)Stuart Hall's critique is known as 'Encoding/Decoding Model' and challenges conventional assumptions about how media messages are produced, circulated and produced. Hall argued that audiences do not accept the ideology of texts passively but, instead draw on their own interpretations. In his view meanings and messages are not fixed an depend on the relationship between the reader/viewer and the text. Some audiences may accept the intended meaning, however some may only partially accept this-negotiated or they may not accept this at all-oppositional.
5) New technology has changed the way representations are created in the media massively. This is because we can control our own image and construct media products that can be seen from different viewpoints and create different meanings. For example, using filters allows you to manipulate with your image.
6) Old media forms have always attempted to define and construct an identity for their audience, using certain types of representation to prescribe how people think about themselves and others. National identity is invariably raised during national sports competitions. During the 2014 World Cup, The Sun sent a free newspaper to 22 million households in England which represented its own concept of 'Englishness'. They made symbolic references to The Queen, roast dinners and Churchill. However, social media forums and comment pages allowed people to voice their rejection of messages. Through self representation, they were able to distance themselves from tabloid newspapers.
Applying Representation Theories to 'Taken trailer'.
This theory is applied to the trailer as the trailer shows weak women and dodgy Europeans. We can see how this is a typical stereotype of women as they are the vulnerable ones and have less power in the society. We can also see how they have reduced complex and varied groups down to a few, simpler characteristic.
Medhurst: value judgements
This theory can be applied because it shows how the male are more dominant and female are seen as inferior. The protagonist is seen as dominant, the hero and saviour as he is able to protect the female. This is shown in a short space of time as you can see this in the trailer. However, by doing this implies that women are incapable and can have a negative representation. Also, the fact that the European is involved in crime creates a negative image.
Perkins: some stereotypes can be positive or true
This theory can be applied to the trailer because it is known that men are seen as dominant and masculine and can therefore always succeed. This could be seen as positive as they get the role of a saviour/protector.
Mulvey: the male gaze
This theory can be applied to the trailer as we can see how the females are viewed through the eyes of a male. This is because they are seen as vulnerable, inferior and scared. Additionally, the fact that she is taken by traffickers objectifies her as a sex object because in these types of situations, women are more susceptible to rape and we as the audience can see this through a males perspective.
Berger: 'ways of seeing'
This theory can be applied because this trailer clearly shows how "men watch women", this is when the girls is taken advantage of , and "women watch themselves being looked at", is when the camera focuses on the female being vulnerable and see how they are taken advantage and being submissive to men.
Levi-Strauss: representation and ideology
This theory can be applied to the trailer, this is because there are lots of dominant representation such as women as inferior, men as dominant and foreigners as dodgy and playing the villains.
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