Section 1B: Representation

Representation: a re-presentation of reality
The way in which a media text communicates meaning in relation to a particular group of people, individual, object or place.

Theories:

Semiotics - Ferdinand De Sassuare -

As an audience we look for signs to find meaning in a text

A signifier is a representation of an object or something - the object - e.g. lips
A signified representation is the accosiated meaning to the signifier - the meaning - lips= love, lust, female, princess (narrative theories), temptress (use men), drawing attention, sex, rage, danger, death

Thriller opening -
Signifier= wooden sculpted animals/predators in the church
Signified= represents how the villain is a predator/killer/murderer/doesn't care

Music Video -
Signifier = Jimmi Hendrix guitar graffiti
Signified = a reference to the classic rock genre within our indie rock music video, represents how the indie rock genre has been influenced by classic rock

Encoding/Decoding - Stuart Hall -

Preffered - reader interprets the text the way the producer intended
Negotiated - reader may decode the text in a slightly different manner
Oppositional - reader interprets text in the opposite way the producer intended

Denotation/Connotation - Roland barthes - Mythologies (1970) -

Denotation = literal meaning of something
Connotation = suggested meaning - connotation of the colour red - death, love, danger...
'It is possible to argue that all media representations relate to broader cultural myths'

Thriller opening -
Denotation = the bible shows how the victim is religious
Connotation = represents how the victim has religous views on something, which could suggest why he is the victim of the murder in our opening. The bible is red which represents death and danger

Laura Mulvey - Male Gaze theory -

Controlling the male gaze - men being in charge is what makes a girl sexy
Female form is objectified by the frame - to be looked upon
Cinema is a male dominated arena

Scopohpilia - the pleasure at looking at other peoples bodies as objects
Voyeurism - the pleasure of seeing the forbidden

Yvonne Tasker - softening theory-
Yvonne Tasker suggests in her theory that all female characters will be 'softended' by something/someone in the film. For example a female can be softended by the fact she is a mother.
E.g. Nikita in 'La Femme Nikita (Besson), is softened by the character is Victor the Cleaner when he takes over her mission in the film.

David Gauntlett - Media 2.0 -
The internet generation is about participation and collaboration
Unmediated self-representaion in the age of prosumer. You can now produce your own ideas about things

Judith Butler - performativity -
Gender identity is a performance
Gender performativity - speech + gestures - are a daily performance by genders every day
Non conformer ism - leads to being bulled/victimized