How to write a Representation Essay - Q1b

Apply the concept of representation to one of your coursework productions

·      Identify characters, events or issues within the production to discuss

·      What representational concepts are highlighted?  Eg, race, gender, class, age etc

·      What representations have been generated?

·      Discuss the specific elements of character representation – ie. Mode of address, facial expression, clothing, behaviour etc

·      Have any stereotypical representations been generated?

·      Does the production conform to or subvert any dominant ideologies?

Some useful quotations:

“Identities are not ‘given’ but are constructed and negotiated – David Gauntlett

“Identity is complicated.  Everybody thinks they’ve got one.  Artists play with the idea of identity in modern society.” – David Gauntlett

“Men act and women appear.”  “Men look at women.  Women watch themselves being looked at.” – John Berger

“Women are aware of being seen by a male spectator.” – John Berger

“In a media saturated world, the distinction between reality and media representations becomes blurred or invisible to us” – Julian McDougall

“In advertising, males gaze and females are gazed at” – Jib Fowles

“Female models addressed to women appear to imply a male point of view” – Paul Messaris

Depending on who the main characters were in your AS and A32 productions, choose 1 or more of the following categorisations of people, and discuss how your video represents them.

INTRO – Explain which product (AS or A2) you will be analysing and which social groups you will be analysing the representations of..

MAIN BODY – AGE – How does your film/music video construct representations of different ages?  Consider costumes, props, location, body language, facial expression, sound, edits etc

Repeat for GENDER/CLASS/ETHNICITY/GOOD VERSUS EVIL

Have you included stereotypes and why?  Have you challenged them and why?

CONCLUSION: Why did you create these representations and what was the intended effect upon the audience.

Theorists you could include:

Levi Strauss and binary opposites – which media techniques did you use to create these oppositions and to what purpose?

Laura Mulvey and the male gaze (women seen as sex objects – only two roles for women “virgin” or “whore” in the media)

Vladimir Propp – his theory of narrative suggests that texts often represent characters as particular types in order to make them easily identifiable to the audience – eg. Hero, villain, donor, dispatcher etc

How did you signify this to the audience and why does it engage them?

Angela McRobbie (http://www.angelamcrobbie.com/)

She says that men and women are often represented through stereotypes in the media and are often shown in traditional gender roles.  For example women are often shown as weaker, victims, mothers, carers etc  Men are often shown as aggressive, strong, leaders etc.  Can you apply this to your work?

Stanley Cohen – he believes certain groups in society are ‘demonised’ and ‘marginalised’ through negative representations which cause moral panic when the majority of society fears that social group.  Did you do this?  Why?  What was the effect?

Any audience theory can be applied in the conclusion – eg. Two step flow; Stuart Hall’s Reception Theory (preferred reading) etc.