Introduction to Representation- Blog task

Taken-  https://youtu.be/kZ02_Uzf7So
1.  In the trailer, the different people represented are men, women, Americans, criminals, Frenches
2.  Women= dominant, because it presents the weakness of women and how they need saving. Americans= Dominant, usually the hero. Criminals= dominant, because they are still men and violent and clever. Frenches= dominant, anything outside America is usually considered the bad guy.
3.  Their are a lot of stereotypes in this trailer, one of which is its representation of women as a submissive, weak, need of saving always by a male hero and victims of sexual abuse. In addition is the stereotype of the hero being a man, strong, fearless and powerful over all. Another is the criminal stereotype of if they can being from another country as the bad guy and never the good American.
4. The Taken trailer would offend groups like women who feel wronged by showing women as so weak and wearing revealing clothes. Alienates the power of women. Also it would offend the french as they are targeted as the bad people while the Americans are the heroes of the story. It alienates coloured people.
5. They often use stereotypes because they want to appeal to a large audience most of which are still stereotypical and in order to make the most money they would do this

The Killing- https://youtu.be/Y5t4Aczm_fM
1.  In the trailer, the different people represented are men, women, Danish,
2. Men= dominant/alternative, both because some men are following women and in other cases the women are helplessly in tears compared to the men. Women= Both again because we see in the beginning a fragile, young, blond girl running for her life scared but later the investigator who is a women is portrayed as the leader and doing all the complicated detective work.
3. The stereotypes in this trailer in the beginning is a fragile, young, blond girl running for her life scared with blood all over her face and wearing a short dress. this definitely reinforces the submissiveness of women. Some men are shown as strong and being a supportive dominate husband while the wife is the crying and a emotional mess who cannot keep it together.
4. The trailer may offend women because of how weak they are presented in someways as always running from the bad guy and hurt. It also alienates coloured people in general.
5. They often use stereotypes because they want to appeal to a large audience most of which are still stereotypical and in order to make the most money they would do this

No Offence- https://youtu.be/e9_lAFLVqME
1. The people represented in this trailer are men, women
2. women= dominant/alternative because main lead is very forward and takes control but other women are really hung by their appearance and wear revealing outfits. Men= alternative, they are being led by a women and do not show dominance
3. Stereotypes of women gushing over what to wear and how much cleavage to portray, making it very feminine
4. It may offend some women because of how they are portrayed but it also may offend other women that see the main lead women who is funny forward and dose not care about what men think bad.
5.  They often use stereotypes because they want to appeal to a large audience most of which are still stereotypical and in order to make the most money they would do this

Representation- information

Representation- process by which the media presents the "real world" to an audience. Media texts are artificial, constructed versions of reality 
Even factual media- such as news- goes through the processes of selection, organisation and editing that shapes its content

Mediation

Media texts are a construction of reality and play an important role in the way we view the world.
Reality is therefore a subject to mediation which is the process that takes place when a media text's meaning is created
When mediation takes place, an institution, individual or even technology comes between actual event and the audience

Stereotypes

A stereotype is a standardised, usually oversimplified mental picture or attitude towards a person group, place or event. They act like codes that give audiences a quick common understanding of a person or group of people usually relating to gender, cast, ethnicity, sexual orientation, social role, or occupation
Media messages have to be communicated quickly which often means relying on stereotypes. stereotypes work as a kind of shorthand where a word, image or sound will stand for a lot more.

Representation: dominant or alternative?

A media representation will either reinforce or challenge the stereotype. if it reinforces the stereotype, its a dominant representation. if it challenges stereotype its an alternative representation

Exam question practice

    Discuss theories to gender in relation to the killing (20)

/.

    Laura Mulveys ays Male Gaze. In the killing the teenage girl who is fed now was seen wearing a very slutty outfit as if she was dressing for men, wearing what they want her to wear. men have pushed this on women so much that they now dress for men. wheres Sarah Lund is quite opposite and doe not look at herself through the eyes on men.

    Judith Butler- Gender is performative. In the killing the girl running through the wood is what society has created and hat society expects her to do. its the appropriate thing to do

    Van Zoonen- Gender is constructed through what we see. So in the killing again the girl running through the woods in a short white dress which reinforces and teaches girls thats how they have to act and look which creates a circle of repetition.

    Bell Hooks- Feminism is for everyone. Like in the killing, the detective is a women and no one is ever like Omg she's a women! its just accepted as a normality. 

Why is the killing relevant to Hesmondhalge?

This show has received a lot fans, not just in Denmark but in the US and UK also. The killing is not just a TV Show thats popular but also increased tourism to Denmark. Also Sraha Luns jumper has become a trend. Its promoting a culture where women have rights. 

Cultural industry theory- Hesmondhalgh

Cultural industry - an industry which produces creative texts of cultural or artistic value; Cultural industries are those industries that are most directly involved in the production of social meaning; Hesmondhalgh considers cultural industries to be those that deal primarily with the industrial production and circulation of texts.

He says that shows have different motives and agendas, not just a TV show. for example the killing send a messages about female empowerment but also about Scandinavian culture to increase tourism and positivism of Denmark. use tv to teach people the matter. cultural industry promotes culture and makes people want to visit Denmark  

http://www.stvincent.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/Media/media_fact_sheets/168%20The%20Cultural%20Industries.pdf = weblink to everything about it

Essay questions

"The killing is a show that gained critical acclaim and was seen as innovative in terms of its representation of its female characters. In what ways do you agree/disagree?
I feel like the killing does both in the sense that they do have a powerful dominated lead female but also investigating a murder of a fragile vulnerable "blond" girl. Firstly, i could argue that the lead her self is a very powerful character where this is demonstrated by her taking on a case and investigating and physically chasing and being a detective. in addition this is further emphasized by her male partner who tries to be the dominant and try to take over the case, but she being the dominant women that she is, she fights back and retains control. The clothes that she wears is very repetitive, dull and smart clarifying she doesn't care about her looks and just wants to get the job done, not thinking about what men think of her which contrasts with Mulveys theory of the "male gaze" where women look at themselves through the eyes of men and also Butler who claims gender is performative. This shows that The Killing is innovative in the idea that it subverts gender stereotypes with a strong dominating main female
     However the series is focused around finding the murderer of a dead girl who we now know was raped. in the pilot, the first thing we see ids her vulnerable, shy, submissive character as she runs away from the murderer. she is whimpering (which men would not do) and in this way it does support Mulveys and Butlers theory. The girl is also wearing a short white dress, further portraying the theory of dressing in the eyes of men. There is blood all over her, demonstrating how weak she is and not able to stand up for her fragile self . This is a very stereotypical scene that we are opened to as the audience that was not innovative at all.



The killing uses narrative codes appropriate to genre. in what ways do you agree/disagree
The enigma that we are trying to solve is the murder of a teenage girl. i partially disagree because due to Todrovs theory, its states a specific order the show should go with equilibrium. this goes against it because every episode we are trying to find the killer, uncovering little details as we go along which does not lead back to equilibrium. it stretches the show. This links to Knight who states "thrill comes from the prolonging of the inevitable" and is done for 9 ep finding small details to lead to the bigger picture. Another is Film Noir. there is a sense of film Noir but its set in modern times and it is not in black and white.
However i agree also because Film Noir their is a detective, a murder and of who is a vulnerable petty young blond girl. Narrative code of Neal (genre is instances of repetition and difference) where the women who was being chased to be killed was wearing a dress (mise en scene) and running screaming for her life and so seemed to be very vulnerable and weak in the situation. this is shown by the sound and cinematography of her screaming and looking small.  Another example is in the killing there is a detective that is solving a murder case and is usually in dark dull areas when looking. This is supported by the cinematography that is very dark.