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:

1) Why is representation an important concept in Media Studies?

Representation create meaning, it is a central to an understanding of the media. The media intervene and stand between the object and what we see – the act of communicating the image or idea in some way changes it.

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 may be 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.

The section emphasizes the importance of questioning the creation of representations in media analysis. It asserts that all media products serve specific functions that influence the representations they convey. Producers consider factors such as the target audience, genre codes, narrative goals, and institutional mandates in shaping these representations. The choices and rejections in media language contribute to the overall meaning of a representation. The repetition of values and ideologies in genres, like soap operas, can make them seem 'natural' to viewers, according to Roland Barthes. This 'naturalization' may hide underlying ideologies, making certain ideas unquestioned and potentially leading to the silencing of differences.

4) How does Stuart Hall's theory of preferred and oppositional readings fit with representation?

It is a influential approach to the ways readers/audiences make sense of the ideological meanings of televisual texts. Stuart Hall argued that audiences do not necessarily accept the ideology of texts passively, but instead draw on their own cultural and social experiences to create their own interpretations.

5) How has new technology changed the way representations are created in the media?

Audience members 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 than ever before. 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 – queuing, the Sunday roast, Churchill

and The Queen – to heroes, values and behaviours that the paper (and its owners, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corps) defined as appropriate expressions of ‘English identity’.

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.

From the Luther clip, the dominant representations are seen through the main character of Luther who is portrayed as an antagonist by how the producer constructs his entrance. The main chase scene at the start, shows the impulsive and violent side of men that everyone believes are masculine traits. We are able to find out that his superior is white reinforcing traditional ideologies when it came to the status quo. As the clip develops, we are able see that the victim is a small girl who is reinforced to be one of Todorov's character  princess who is the damsel in dress. The alternative representation om the other hand is reinforced by the police who are illustrated as unworthy through their irresponsible actions towards the death accusations. Luther, the main character is from eh black community while the criminal is a white caucasian male. The lead inspector in the show is seen to be a women who subverts all stereotypes towards women in the working field.

8) Write a paragraph applying a selection of our representation theories to the clip from Luther. Our summary of each the   ory 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

Mulvey's theory of 'the male gaze'  is shown how the victim, the little girl, is portrayed in the picture to be pretty towards societies standers in order to fulfil male desires towards women appearances. The theory of 'stereotyping and power' by Dyler is reinforced by the stereotype of Lucifer, being a black male, the bad guy while the white man is the victim. Medhurst and the theory of 'value judgment' is deemed by there not being much diversity in the police force, showing hits of maybe racism. Perkins theory of 'some stereotypes can be positive or true' is found by the police being viewed as untrustworthy as they can be reckless which view as a reality.