2. One of areas below will appear in the exam. We will need
to prepare for ALL areas.
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Sexuality
Class and status
Physical ability/disability
Regional identity
3. Your marks for this question are broken down into three
categories.
Explanation/analysis/argument (20 marks)
Use of examples (20 marks)
Use of terminology (10 marks)
4. We will look at two types of representation
1.Representing as Re-presenting
1.Who does the re-presenting? (Richard Dyer
1985)
5. Mimetic theory of representation
Reflects reality
Window to the world
Transparent
Unmediated What does this term mean?
What does this term mean?
6. 1. Why are some interpretations (re-
presentations) of the world made over
others?
2. What are the ranges of representation in
Western cultures?
7. 1. How the re-presentations of reality are
never innocent/neutral.
2. How representations are political
3. How they always reflect the producer’s
beliefs and values (those doing the re-
presenting)
8. Predominantly white, middle
aged, middle class men
Mark Thompson Dir Gen BBC –
2004 (replaced Greg Dyke)
Adam Crozier – Chief Exec ITV -
2010 (replaced Michael Grade)
David Abraham – Chief Exec CH4 -
Jan 2010- (replaced Andy Duncan)
Dawn Airey Chair and Chief Exec
of CH5 sanding down in 2010.
9. Women still under represented in the audio-
visual industry
38%
‘ethnic minorities’
7% total audio-visual workforce
Broadcast TV 9.1%
24% cinema cleaners
21. Created by David
Chase
HBO 1999-2007
Frequently hailed the
‘Best ever drama’
Who has seen it?
22.
23. Explore the representations of masculinity in The
Sopranos
How is representations in The Sopranos similar or
different to previous representations of masculinity in
traditional masculine gangster films/ crime dramas?
How does The Sopranos draw on the conventions of
traditional feminine texts?
Here is a clip to get you started. Use Youtube to find
more if you need to http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=h347Cr7UkU8
24. The Sopranos can be seen as
drawing on the generic
conventions and history of the
GANGSTER FILM of cinema –such
as The Godfather etc
Gangster Film
The Godfather (Coppola 1972)
Scarface (De Palma 1983)
Goodfellas (Scorsese 1990)
Casino (Scorsese 1995)
Indeed like previous constructions
of masculinity within the gangster
film the mob boss of Tony Soprano
is represented as a violent, macho,
aggressive man
25. Sopranos follows the
typical representation of
the masculine within the
‘male-centred’ gangster
film but also male crime
series of TV
Dominant males
Subservient females
Physical action
Lack of emotion
Romance controlled
Male heroes
26. Lack of respect/security
Shifts to mob fathers way
of being as head of the
‘family’ business
Shifts to fathers
positioning in relation to
his own personal family
Across his PUBLIC and PRIVATE life Tony feels the MOVEMENT AWAY from
TRADITIONAL RULES and NORMS that govern his life and SECURED his POSITION as
HEAD of both FAMILIES
The old rules of DUTY, HONOUR and RESPECT for those in positions of authority have
eroded at work
The tradition of respecting your FATHER & HUSBAND as BREADWINNER have also been
eroded with women
28. Laura Mulvey – Male Gaze
Influenced by Freud & Jacques Lucan,
Mulvey sees the representation of woman
in film & literature (and therefore society in
general) as being dominated by a male
point of view. Her belief is that the world is
a patriarchy and that men have the
‘active’ roles and woman ‘passive’
29. To look is seen as active
She believed the camera acted as a male and
everything we see is from a male point of view
30. Men play active roles
which drive the narrative
Women play passive
roles and are seen as
erotic objects which slow
the narrative
Men far outnumber
women
Female roles are
sidelined
Lead roles for women
scarce
31. Bimbo
Female’s physical
attractions such as
figure and breasts to
overpower the male
Easy
House wife
Mother
Intelligent yet willing
to settle down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=J0J9FdN8oqA
32. Two distinct modes of the male gaze of this era:
voyeuristic and fetishistic
Mulvey argued that women where given two
characters types - sexually active female or the
powerless female
Films presented images of women that were
produced simply for the gratification of male
viewers
Various studies in the 1970s found men to be
the dominant characters and decision makers in
film and TV production
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfL09c4cw2I
33. Where women had important roles they
were far more likely to be shown as…
frightened
in need of protection and direction
offering support to the male lead character(s)
not independent or self driven
generally weaker
still objectified sexually
“Women, in any fully human form, have almost
completely been left out of film….”
L Mulvey
34. As women's roles change in society so does media
representation.
Women are still objectified but also likely to be…
Career driven
Intelligent
Confident
Empowered
Able (violent)
Remember changes may be made cynically and in
order to make money rather than change ideologies
How many female action stars who are not
attractive?
36. Uma Thurman represented as powerful
and dominant and independent
Sword stands in for and castrates phallus
Adopts male characteristics of aggression
Not masculinised yet in masculine roles
Use of low angles, and a masculine
performance
37. The job of seeking revenge family is given to the
female character thus conforming to stereotypes
where women are seen to be possessed with
family and emotional
Tight outfit allows objectification
Voyeuristic pleasures by watching Thurman on
her killing rampage
Remember male director/industry may still
mean male ideologies
40. Gene Hunt (TV
Detective from
Life on Mars,
set in 1970’s
Britain) talking
about politics:
'THERE WILL NEVER BE A WOMAN PRIME MINISTER AS LONG AS I
HAVE A HOLE UP MY A**E.'
41.
42.
43. How would you define the term misogyny based
on what you have just seen?
Can you think of any other examples of
misogyny that you may have seen in any media
text or simply experienced in everyday life?
Misogyny – the contempt or hatred of women
and girls
44. Find examples of both male and female characters in
TV Dramas that follow stereotypes and ones that
challenge stereotypes. Using images to support and
discuss how they have been represented through
clothing, location, narrative, dialogue, camera angle etc.
Present this in your blog, on a powerpoint or in a short
movie like the bond example you saw.
Link you answers to Mulvey’s Theory
Editor's Notes
What are
Since the 1960 ’ s television drama has developed a strand of drama: This marks new trend and offers strong, female characters and female point of view
Follows the typical representation of the masculine within the ‘male-centred’ gangster film but also male crime series of TV (SE SLIDE FOR CONVENTIONS)