Representation

Aims/Objectives of today’s lesson: To add to knowledge of

representation in analysing various readings of characters and settings

RepresentationBy definition, all media texts are re-presentations of reality. This means that they are intentionally composed, lit, written, framed, cropped, captioned, branded, targeted and censored by their producers, and that they are entirely artificial versions of the reality we perceive around us.

When studying the media it is vital to remember this - every media form, from a dvd to a glossy magazine, is a representation of someone's concept of existence, codified into a series of signs and symbols which can be read by an audience. However, it is important to note that without the media, our perception of reality would be very limited, and that we, as an audience, need these artificial texts to mediate our view of the world, in other words we need the media to make sense of reality. Egs. News, Music

Representation Every time we encounter a media text, we are

not seeing reality, but someone's version of it. This may seem like an obvious point, but it is something that is easily forgotten when we get caught up in enjoying a text. The media place us at one remove from reality: they take something that is real, a person or an event and they change its form to produce whatever text we end up with.

This is called mediation. What/Who is being represented? Communities, religions, families, or individual representations AND who is not?

CAGES (class, age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality)

In groups discuss about the various representations in the media of the following event, person or places:

What images come to mind and what words would you use to describe them?

Representation = image + point of view? New York Football fans Ascot

How about a representation you’re very familiar with – the teenager.

What words would you use to describe media representations of the teenager?

Have a look at the following media image representations of teenagers….

Teenage representations

Are you emo, goth, chav or trendy?

When considering representation it is important to consider these points:

Is the representation based on reality? Or are stereotypes relied on?

Does the way certain groups are represented alter how audiences think of them? Eg asylum seekers, travellers

To what degree will the representation of certain groups be accepted by the audience?

The picture on the right is of Tony Soprano from The Sopranos, an American drama series about modern day mafia members in New Jersey. Some Italian-Americans have complained that this programme represents all Italian-Americans as being criminals who are violent and corrupt. They say that this creates an unfair impression of their community.

http://www.tv.com/drama/genre/5/summary.html

What is a TV Drama?http://library.thinkquest.org/04apr/00328/dramajen.htm

Some useful links:

http://www2.tv-ark.org.uk/drama/index.html

http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/482184/index.html

A look at different representations of Asian Americans on TV ...

AAS Asian American Representation in Lost and other ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_television_drama

TV DRAMA

Dramatic programming is television content that is scripted and (normally) fictional. This excludes, for example, sports, news, reality and game shows, stand-up comedy and variety shows. Also, by convention, the term is not generally usually used for situation comedy or soap opera. Most dramatic programming for TV falls within other standard categories such as miniseries, made-for-TV movies or certain rather circumscribed dramatic genres.

With reference to specific examples from the following extract, discuss the way it

constructs representations of gender and ethnic minorities.

ABOUT THE SHOW

Awarded the 2005 Emmy and 2006 Golden Globe for Best Drama Series, "Lost" returns for the second act of its third season of action-packed mystery and adventure -- that will

continue to bring out the very best and the very worst in the people who are lost.

After Oceanic Air flight 815 tore apart in mid-air and crashed on a Pacific island, its survivors were forced to find inner strength

they never knew they had in order to survive. But they discovered that the island holds many secrets, including a mysterious smoke monster, polar bears, a strange French

woman and another group of island residents known as "The Others.“

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Characters_of_Lost

Representation of Muslims

81% of British Muslims think the War on Terror is a war on Islam. 91% think the War on Terror has increased the threat of terrorism in Britain. . Thirty six Justice bills, six anti-terror bills and five asylum and immigration bills have been introduced in Britain since 1997. Many young Muslims feel this legislation is aimed directly at them.

A Populous survey in June 2006 found that 50% of British Muslims aged 18-24 feel that Britain's laws are applied unfairly to the Muslim community.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V5Bgo1MbTQ

The Story

Riz Ahmed and Manjinder Virk play brother and sister Sohail and Nasima. Sohail is an ambitious law undergraduate who signs up with MI5 and, eager to play a part in protecting British security, begins an investigation into a terrorist cell.

His sister Nasima is a medical student in Leeds who becomes increasingly alienated and angered by Britain's foreign and domestic policy after witnessing at first hand the relentless targeting of her Muslim neighbours and peers. With action set in Pakistan, Eastern Europe, London and Leeds, both feature-length episodes detail a tragic sequence of events from two distinct perspectives. At the heart of this thought-provoking drama is a revealing examination of British Muslim life under current anti-terror legislation. Britz ultimately asks whether the laws we think are making us safer, are actually putting us in greater danger.