Area of Study 1 - Representation

On completion of this unit, students should be able to describe the construction of specific media

representations and explain how the process of representation reproduces the world differently from

the direct experience of it.

Area of Study 1 - RepresentationKey knowledge• Media representation and its relationship to the selection and construction

of reality in various media forms• The nature of codes and conventions evident in media productions, and the

meanings they create• The nature and role of audiences in reading media representations• notions of ‘realism’ in media texts• Representations within the context of values such as those related to

gender, age, ethnicity, culture and socioeconomic status• The influence of institutional and social practices on the nature of

representations, and their availability and accessibility• Representations within the context of media history and culture, including

the emergence and development of stereotypes, styles and generic conventions within media

Unit 1 – Representation and Technologies of Representation

Key Skills• Describe representations in media texts• Compare the construction of representations in a range

of media texts and across media forms• Use concepts of representation, selection, omission and

construction in the evaluation of media texts• Discuss how audiences make judgments about how

realism is represented in specific media texts• Analyse representations within the context of

institutional practices, media history and cultural values.

REPRESENTATION LIFE CYCLE

Author(Sender) Rep Audience

(Receiver)

Using Codes & Conventions

Cultural & Historical Context Symbolic

AudioTechnicalWritten

Cultural & Historical Context

Selection & Omission

Selection & Omission

Values ValuesUsing Codes & Conventions

Symbolic Audio

TechnicalWritten

DEFINITION

The act of ‘re-presenting’ or attempting to depict reality. The creator constructs a representation that attempts to portray reality; this is mediated in a number of ways by the process of selection, omission, construction, and interpretation by the receiver.

TYPES OF REPRESENTION

Representations can appear in many different forms. They can depict:• Individuals (celebrities, historical figures)• Social groupings (families, ethnic groups)• Institutions (the law)• Ideas (freedom)• Events (war)• Issues (terrorism)

REPRESENTATION & MEANING

An image does not carry meaning in itself; it is the reader that creates meaning within an image.

The audience plays an essential role in the creation of meaning behind a representation.

Audiences read and interpret a representation based on a number of factors.

CONNOTATION & DENOTATION

• Connotation is the meaning is attached to an object

• Denotation is the name attached to an object

SYMBOLIC & CULTURAL CODES

• Meaning is also attached to images through references to, and within, culture or society.

• Meanings are specific to the society or culture in which they are viewed.

• Meaning is attached via what Barthes called a ‘cultural code’, which is knowledge gained from living in, absorbing and consuming products of a culture.

COLOUR CONNOTATION

Red Power, excitement, energy, and physical courage.

Green Money, envy, environment, Mother Earth, universal love and youth.

Blue Trust, integrity, and communication

Purple Quality, luxury, and decadence

Black Glamour, sophistication, exclusivity

Gold Wealth and prestige

Yellow Happiness, optimism and friendliness

Orange Fun, playful and joyful social interaction

Pink Love, nurturing, and caring (light pink); sex appeal (brighter pink)

Brown Warmth, safety, reliability, and dependability

CODES & CONVENTIONS

The word ‘code’ refers to any system of signs that are used to communicate meaning.

‘Conventions’ are well-established ways of constructing texts.

Activity

1. Create a table2. Look at the following advertisment3. Write down the denotative and connotative

contentDenotative Content Connotative Content

The man is wearing a dark suit, white shirt and a brown and black striped tie

He is wealthy and has a high-paying job: he is a businessman

The man has short brown hair that is slightly combed to one side

He is a conservative person who has to look ‘respectable.’ As the cut is no longer in fashion, it suggests that the ad is from the 80s

Codes & Conventions

• Systems of generally accepted signs that help create and communicate meaning

• Audio/Visual codes can be categorised into four:– Index– Symbolic– Written– Audio– Technical

* Codes don’t work in isolation *

Index Signs

• Index - An Index signs is a sign where there is a direct link between the sign and the object. The meaning is derived from the context/situation in which the sign is read.

• The majority of traffic signs are Index signs, as they represent information that relates to a location.

Index Signs

• Colours are frequently used to reference meaning, but the context in which a colour is perceived plays a big part in the meaning it carries (Indexical)

• Write down two different meanings for each of the colours below and two different contexts/settings that change the meaning:– Black– White– Blue– Red– Green

Symbolic Codes

• A symbol has no logical meaning between it and the object

• Flags are symbols that represent countries or organisations

• Film clips often operate by using symbolism to communicate meaning

• Watch the film clip ‘November Rain’ and write down as many symbolic references under the headings of:– Props & Costume– Setting– Colours

Props & Costumes

Symbolic meaning

Setting Symbolic meaning

Colours Symbolic meaning

Broken Crucifix

Empty whiskey bottle

Short wedding dress

Smoking

Casket

Sinner not saint

Drowning sorrows

Lustful bride,Passionate relationship

Wild/fearless Lifestyle Or stupidity depending on Values*

Death

Derelict house

Rain

Church

Abandoned by God

Foreboding tragedy/ sadness

Loss (death), Joy (marriage)

Grey

Red

Black

White

Danger/sadness to come

Passion, love, life, irreversible damage

Mourning

Loss of vitality

Written Codes

• Can be very powerful at creating meaning• Almost impossible for text on screen not to be

read• Written statements are credible as our culture

respects the written word• Can intro setting, time, place or work to anchor

the meaning of an image• What is written (How it is written = Technical

Code)

• How important is setting/context in the way codes are read by an audience?

• Choose one code and provided a different meaning by deconstructing it from a different perspective

Written Codes

• The following is the film clip Everybody Hurts by R.E.M.– How have they used written codes?– What effect does it have?– How did it make you feel?– In what other ways could this technique be used?– Same video, different text = changed meaning

Written Codes anchor meaning

This image of a Big Mac could have any number of meanings depending of the it appears with.

Write a caption that clearly anchors the meaning of this image. E.g. Take a good look because you won’t see this when you buy one.

Audio Codes

• Audio codes are used to enhance the illusion of reality. The filmmaker can use music, sound effects or dialogue to assist in this deception, even though these sounds weren’t present when shooting took place.

• Diegetic Audio – Audio that takes place in the world of the representation. The characters can hear it, react and interact with it.

• Non-diegetic Audio – Audio that takes place outside the world of the representation. Only the audience can hear it.

TV & Movie Themes

Track 1 – Raiders of the Lost Ark(adventure)

Track 2 - E.T.(family/adventure)

Track 3 – Halloween (horror/thriller)

Track 4 – Monty Python and the Holy Grail(comedy)

Track 5 – Pulp Fiction(crime/thriller)

Track 6 - Schindler’s List(biography/drama/history)

Track 7 - The Crow(action/fantasy/thriller)

Track 8 – The Godfather(crime/drama)

Duck Amuck

• Often, we take audio codes for granted, accepting that what we hear is just what should be heard. What about when we watch an animated cartoon when all we’re watching are thousands of drawings providing the illusion of reality? How are the audio codes used then?

In this Warner Brother’s cartoon, notice how– Music– Sound effects &– Dialogueare all used to construct reality and to make the audience awarethat it operates under different conventions.

Technical Codes

• Codes of the profession, these codes are the techniques of construction

• They can be broken down into any of these production elements:– Camera– Lighting– Editing– Mise en scene/Visual Composition

Technical Codes

• Tech codes are interested in the reasons behind certain shots / composition / lights / editing has been used

The Matrix

• In groups, examine:– Camera– Mise en scene– Lighting– Editing

What has been used? Why has it been used? What meaning does it communicate?

Stereotypes

• An oversimplified version of a representation is called a stereotype. These can often be quite negative as they don’t give a detailed, accurate portrayal of the truth

• These representations are used mostly in advertising

Stereotypes

• Stereotypes are quick and easy to use, as they are easily assembled and easily understood– Write down a group of commonly stereotyped

people– Write down five stereotypical objects/qualities

that could be used to identify them – Beware the Wog – The Late Show

Values

• Society is held together by beliefs and ideals• Values are ideas that people hold to be ‘true’ or

‘important’ and society reflects these beliefs• Media products reflect these beliefs as they are

created within a particular time and society• Values are expressed as attitudes towards an

idea, e.g. Education is important

Values

Realism

• The reality of a representation is influenced by the point of view of the author and the experiences of the audience

RealismIs this realistic?