CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES

SECTION 1b)

REPRESENTATION

REPRESENTATION

The way people, places,

events are shown through

media texts

Can be done through mise-

en-scene, camera or dialogue

Can be negative or

positive

Can be real or inaccurate

Can promote or challenge

dominant ideologies

Can be stereotypical

REPRESENTATION THEORY

These are the theories we will be focusing upon when looking at representation:

Roland Barthes– Mythologies

 Laura Mulvey—The Male and Female Gaze 

REPRESENTATION THEORY

Roland Barthes– Mythologies

Barthes representation theory looks at myths—usually about people and place. Basically, his theory suggests how the media offers mythic representations, or a fairytale-like portrayal of a particular place of person.

Think about it… is London really the friendly, bustling community it is wonderfully presented as in the opening sequence of Notting Hill? Or is it much more urban, gritty and erm… real life? And what about the area’s ethnic population—did they just forget to represent them in the film?

HAVE YOU REPRESENTED A PERSON, SOCIAL GROUP OR PLACE IN A “FAIRY TALE” LIKE WAY IN YOUR COURSEWORK? 

REPRESENTATION THEORYLaura Mulvey—The Male and Female Gaze

Laura Mulvey is a contemporary media theorist, who came up with the idea of how film producers make films from a male point of view. It’s called the male gaze, where the woman on screen is the object of desire. Film audiences have always been encouraged to identify with the protagonist of the film, who in most cases is a bloke. Women on the hand are, according to Mulvey, coded with "to-be-looked-at-ness." She wanted a new feminist approach to filmmaking, to get rid of the “patriarchal” system that was in place. And that was achieved by a role reversal or the female gaze, where instead of the woman being the object of desire it now becomes the man.

THINK ABOUT YOUR PRODUCT – HAVE YOU CONSTRUCTED A CHARACTER OR ARTIST/BAND MEMBER TO SIMPLY APPEAL TO THE OPPOSITE SEX?