Representation is the way the media RE-PRESENT

individuals, groups, events and issues.

Representations can change over time.

The Sun, 1998 Headline ‘Banished Beckham’

The Sun, 2001 Headline ‘Glorious Golden Balls’

Burberry used to REPRESENTED as sophisticated, classy & expensive. Now it is REPRESENTED differently by the media.

These images RE-PRESENT Amy Winehouse in very different ways.

Her official website used the image above. The Daily Mail used the image on the right. Why?

How is Rooney being represented? Think about his body language; what might he have done?

Why does he have red & white paint on his body? What might this represent?

Who is the AUDIENCE for this advertisement and where might we see it?

This advertisement was created by an ADVERTISING AGENCY for Nike. Why doesn’t it have ‘Nike’ on the advert?

Q: Did you see the game last night?

A: No, I watched a mediated constructed re-presentation of the match through the medium of live television.

‘The media do not just offer us a transparent window on the world but a mediated version of the world. They don’t just present reality, they re-present it.’

(Buckingham, 2003, p.58)

The construction of a mediated version of reality in a media text which conveys meaning

The logical, seemingly authentic world of a text.

Stereotypes Media Institutions use stereotypes

because the audience will instantly understand them. Think of stereotypes as a ‘visual shortcut’. They’re repeated so often that we assume they are normal or ‘true’.

Archetypes This is the ‘ultimate’ stereotype. For

example, the white stiletto wearing, big busted, brainless blonde bimbo

Countertype A representation that challenges

traditional stereotypical associations of groups, people or places

Think of a stereotypical character which might appear in each of the following genre:-

Uniform Drama Children’s Drama Soap Opera Period Drama

You will need to analyse the representation of either:-

Gender Age Ethnicity Sexuality Class and status Physical ability/disability Regional identity

Each genre of drama has certain conventions which are specific to it.

These conventions are not rules set in stone but rather standard expectations of the genre.

What are the conventions of Crime Drama – think The Bill.