Stereotypes are socially constructed and exist as myths and are neither true nor false but simply a reflection of dominant ideologies Stereotypes can be reinforced challenged or even constructed by the media through ID: 790140
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Slide1
Representation
TV Drama
Slide2Dominant Ideologies
Stereotypes are ‘
socially constructed
’ and exist as ‘
myths
’ and are neither ‘true’ nor ‘false’ but simply a reflection of
dominant ideologies.
Stereotypes can be. reinforced challenged or even constructed by the media through
representation
The group of ideas that make up the dominant ideology in Britain are not something that remains static- they change as new ideas enter the are encountered and people discuss them. For example one of the dominant ideologies in Britain is that youths are thugs; there is an anti-youth culture
Slide3Changing representations – Countertypes
In the Sci-Fi blockbuster film Independence Day there is a character played by Will Smith who is clearly intended to be a positive and strong hero. As such, he goes against many of the previous negative stereotypes of black people in American films. In one crucial scene from the film we see him responding to the danger of an alien's attack by simply kicking it.
In another blockbuster Sci-Fi film - Mars Attacks - there is also a black hero who also responds to the attack of a bunch of aliens by punching one of them. Both of these films were made virtually simultaneously.
The directors wanted a change from the ‘norm’ and they have in fact created a new positive stereotype, a countertype
A
counter-stereotype
is the reverse of a stereotype. Although counter-stereotypes arise in opposition to stereotypes, they may eventually become stereotypes themselves if they are too popular.
Slide4Returning to Mediation
Mediation…what is it?...
The fact that any representation is not a reflection of reality but someone’s version of it
Another way to look at it is through the following theory:
Encoding and decoding model (Stuart Hall)
The media encodes the representation
The audience decodes it…
Therefore your job as media students is to decode TV dramas to understand the encoded message
Slide5Activity 1a
Draw a table with the following headings and compile
a list of what you consider to be
characteristics/adjectives
that reflect each gender (strong, dependent, fragrant, vein, soft
etc
)
Male
Female
Slide6Activity 1b
Add to your table a list of objects you associate with each gender
Male
Female
Slide7Feminine Representation
Feminism
Representations
of women across all media tend to highlight the following:
beauty
(within narrow conventions)
size/physique
(again, within narrow conventions)sexuality (as expressed by the above)emotional (as opposed to intellectual) dealings
relationships
(as opposed to independence/freedom)
Women are often represented as being part of a context (family, friends, colleagues) and working/thinking as part of a team. In drama, they tend to take the role of helper (Propp) or object, passive rather than active. Men are still represented as TV drama characters up to 3 times more frequently than
women
.
Slide8Stereotypical?!
Slide9A Countertype?!
Slide10Slide11Masculine Representation
'Masculinity' is a concept that is made up of more rigid stereotypes than femininity. Representations of men across all media tend to focus on the following:
Strength
- physical and intellectual
Power
Sexual
attractiveness (which may be based on the above)
PhysiqueIndependence (of thought, action)Male characters are often represented as isolated, as not needing to rely on others (the lone hero
).
If
they submit to being part of a family, it is often part of the resolution of a narrative, rather than an integral factor in the initial equilibrium.
Slide12Past Representations
Slide13Current Representations
Slide14Activity 2
Write down a list of the different technical approaches that might be used to construct stereotypical representations of gender:
Camera shots, angle, movement and position
Mise
en scene
Sound
Editing
Slide15MASCULINE GENRES
Dominant males
Subservient females
Masculine ‘action’
Lack of emotion
‘Serious’ storylines
Romance controlled
Patriarchal ideology (narrative closure)
Male heroes
Sole characters or characters with one/two side kicks
Slide16FEMININE GENRES
Female interaction
Males as ‘partners’
Relationship issues
Emotive storylines
Shared feminine identity
Narrative openness
Confirmation of patriarchal ideology
Female ensemble dramas
Slide17Textual Analysis: Gender
Slide18Textual Analysis
:
Gender