“Media simply represent collective identity, they don’t create it.” How far do you agree with this statement? Make reference to one or more group(s) of people in your answer.
Collective identity refers to an individuals sense of belonging to a group through a shared set of traditions and values. The sense of belonging to these collectives causes the group's identity to become a part of their own. David Gauntlett suggests that "Identity is consciously constructed, and the media provides us with some of the tools to help us construct it". This argues that whilst our individual identities or the identities of particular groups are created by ourselves, the media have an influence upon this. Processes of mediation and the ways in which different groups are represented in the media often affect the identity of a collective, and can cause differing viewpoints of groups in society. Mediation refers to the process of electing and shaping a representation of a group or event through processes or selection vs rejection, organisation and focussing. David Buckingham puts the idea forward that "the media do not offer a transparent window of the world but a mediated one, they don't just present reality, but re-present it". This shows how the media's reflections of different groups may not be entirely accurate and representative of their true forms. It is often suggested that the media representation of different collective groups aids in maintaining hegemony (Antonio Gramsci).
Youth is one group thats identity is frequently mediated and misrepresented, influencing the group's sense of collective identity. Anne Gould suggests that there are six common stereotypes of youth in the media (1999): rebellious, violent, sexual, belonging to artificial tribes, nihilistic and self-destructive. This has been reinforced regularly in contemporary media, causing 86% of 1,000 teenage boys surveyed in the Independent (2009) to believe that the media portrays them in a bad light. Representations of youth in the media during the London riots in 2011 reinforced this. For example the BBC webpage displayed an article headlined "England's rioters: poorer, younger, less educated" in August. Wilkins (1964) believes that events such as these can cause a deviancy amplification spiral, where a cycle of increasing numbers of reports on a category of undesirable behaviour can lead to a moral panic, where society believe that they are threatened by folk devils (Cohen 1972). This creates the impression amongst non-youths that youth as a collective group display these traits, rather than a minority of the individuals within it - misrepresenting the identity of the collective.
Other media also represents youths similarly. For example, the 2011 Sci-Fi Attack the Block, directed by Joe Cornish, shows a group of youths in a South London estate dealing with an alien invasion. Throughout this texts, the youths are represented to conform to many of Anne Gould's stereotypes, such as violent and rebellious, in scenes such as the opener, where the group are seen mugging a female resident in the estate, and throughout the text where we can see them indulging in a lifestyle of drugs and violence - such as when drug dealer Hi-Hatz shoots at one of the youths in the main group. Giroux (1997) suggests that media such as this cause "youth to become and empty category in representation, reflecting adults concerns", whilst Acland (1995) suggests that "the representation of youth maintains social order" (1995). Each of these ideas put forward that youth are portrayed as inferior in order to maintain hegemony in society, and reinforces the idea of an unfair reflection of the youth's identity, enforcing a viewpoint on non-youths regarding their attitudes.
In historical representations of youth, there are instances where similar representations have occurred. For example, in Quadrophenia (1979) a film about a mailroom worker Jimmy who quits his job to become involved in the mod subculture lifestyle, youths are represented similarly, with representations of them being violent and belonging to artificial tribes being prevalent, as we see them as they go to Brighton and involve theirselves in riots against the opposing sub-culture (the rockers). Hegemony is further reinforced in this text through hard and soft power, from the police and the parent's of the youths, suggesting that youths need to be kept under control. On the other hand however, in earlier media texts such as The Young Ones (1961) directed by Disney J Furie, the youth are represented very differently, with a focus on their pro-activity in society, through the attempt to save their youth club from a millionaire property developer. In this text, they are also presented as much more social responsible and polite, such as when they are inclusive of younger generations during the scene at the beach, where Nicky sings and the children of the town crowd around him and enjoy. This shows that negative representations and the mediation of youth are much more common in today's society, most likely due to a period of social change (linking to Giddens' structuration theory), where youth's activities are perhaps different to what they were previously.
Gender is another whose identity could be argued to be created rather than reflected in the media, therefore affecting how they're viewed in society. It is often suggested that the media is predominantly male-run, with UK Feminista suggesting that 22.6% of news reporters are female, whilst 77.4% are male. This may reflect that the representation of females in the media is subject to bias, enforcing a patriarchal society. Historically, females have been represented in the media as domesticated and objectified. The televised Fairy Liquid advert of 1966 reinforces this by depicting a female in a typical maternal role, based in the kitchen, doing the washing up. In the advert, she appears to be teaching her child how to carry out washing duties, whilst saying that the washing up liquid 'keeps her hands looking pretty' presenting her as domesticated as well as an object of beauty. Again, this is another example of the media constructing a sense of identity for the female group, as this is not entirely representative of the demographic as a whole, and could cause society to view this to be common of the whole group.
Many contemporary media texts also reinforce this, for example, Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines music video of 2013, which has amassed a 43,000,000 views on YouTube shows the singer, professionally dressed in a suit whilst nude girls are dancing around him. This conforms to Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory, which suggests that media texts are created from the perspective of a heterosexual male, made for the heterosexual male. The focussing on the nudity of the females, presenting them as objects of inferiority to the male reinforces this. Jonathan Schroader suggests that "to gaze is more than just to look, but implies a psychological relationship where the gaze is superior to the object" illustrating this further, and again fortifies the idea of a patriarchic society, misrepresenting the identity of the female in order to suit the male agenda. In the modern day however, it can be noticed that males have also been subject to objectification in this sense, such as in Coca Cola's 2013 Diet Coke TV advert, which shows a group of female throwing a coke can at a seemingly well-maintained male gardener, with the intentions of making it spill onto him and causing him to cake his top off and expose his built body. The advert focusses heavily on the presence of the male body and the positive reactions of the females to his nudity. This conforms to Miriam Hansons 1984 theory of the Female Gaze, which suggests that many texts are made from the heterosexual female perspective. This shows that in the modern day, both gender groups are subject to media representations, which enforce unrealistic ideologies of both the male and female, depicting the female to be a sexualised object of the male, and the male to be depicted as having to conform to certain standards in terms of their body image.
A contemporary text that subverts gender stereotypes significantly is the Sport England advert 'This Girl Can' which was televised in 2015. This advert shows a montage of clips of women partaking in sports and athletic activities, presenting them as empowered, capable and equal to their male counterparts. This may be a more representative portrayal of the female gender, reflecting their identity more than the aforementioned texts, which attempt to create it.
It feels as though texts such as these are becoming far more prevalent within today's media, and there seems to be a trend of more equal gender representations, causing me to believe that the media is becoming less gender bias. On the other hand however, I believe that whilst the representation of the female gender in the media may be improving, the representations of youth may not be, as the media continue to create a negative image of them, maintaining a hegemonist society. Ultimately however, it is up to the audience to believe and read texts differently, making their own judgements. Although it is clear from the above examples that the media is attempting to create a sense of identity for different groups rather than reflect it, the uses and gratifications theory of Katz and Blulmler in 1974 suggests that "audiences are active rather than passive individuals, they choose what they want to watch, consume in different ways and believe different things", meaning that dominant ideology suggested in the media may not always be believed, and although collective identity is often not reflected by the media, it may not necessarily be created by the media either, as viewers become more aware.
Tuesday, 7 June 2016
Monday, 6 June 2016
Explain the role played by the media in the construction of collective identity.
http://www.slideshare.net/clairearmitage/essay-question-task
Explain the role played by the media in the construction of collective identity.
Collective identity refers to an individuals sense of belonging to a group, who share a similar set of traditions and values. The belonging to groups causes the identity of the group or 'collective' to come a large part of the individuals identity. David Gauntlett suggests that "identity is consciously constructed and the media provides us with some of the tools to help us construct it", showing that although it is up to the individual to construct their identity, the media has a large influence upon it. The activities of the media affect collective identity significantly by creating different representations of these groups through mediation, causing them to be viewed in various ways by society. Mediation refers to the ways in which the media present a group or issue, using processes of focussing, organisation and selection vs rejection. Merrin (2005) suggests that "the media do not just reflect and represent the reality of the public, but produce it. Employing this simulation to justify their own continuing existence". This suggests that the media create mediated representations of groups as a means of selling and economic longevity. Alternatively, it could be argued that the reinforcement of hegemony (Gramsci) is to blame for this.
Explain the role played by the media in the construction of collective identity.
Collective identity refers to an individuals sense of belonging to a group, who share a similar set of traditions and values. The belonging to groups causes the identity of the group or 'collective' to come a large part of the individuals identity. David Gauntlett suggests that "identity is consciously constructed and the media provides us with some of the tools to help us construct it", showing that although it is up to the individual to construct their identity, the media has a large influence upon it. The activities of the media affect collective identity significantly by creating different representations of these groups through mediation, causing them to be viewed in various ways by society. Mediation refers to the ways in which the media present a group or issue, using processes of focussing, organisation and selection vs rejection. Merrin (2005) suggests that "the media do not just reflect and represent the reality of the public, but produce it. Employing this simulation to justify their own continuing existence". This suggests that the media create mediated representations of groups as a means of selling and economic longevity. Alternatively, it could be argued that the reinforcement of hegemony (Gramsci) is to blame for this.
Youth is one collective identity group that is frequently marginalised and who's activities are often mediated. Anne Gould (1999) suggests that there are six dominant stereotypes in the representation of youth in the media: violent, nihilistic, rebellious, self destructive, belonging to artificial tribes and sexual. This is reinforced by a study by the Independent (2009) which suggests that 85% of 1,000 teens surveyed believed that the media portrayed them in a negative light. Events such as the London Riots in (2011) demonised youth excessively through the media. For example the BBC produced an online news report in August that year, headlined "Englands rioters: poorer, younger, less educated." Leading to a deviancy amplification spiral (Wilkens 1964) as a cycle of an increasing number of news reports on the undesirable behaviour led to a moral panic. This caused youths to be marginalised as folk devils (Cohen 1972), outcasting them in society. Film is a medium that also presents youths in different ways, and can lead to further marginalisation of the group, affecting their identities and the ways that they are viewed in society. Attack the Block (2011) directed by Joe Cornish depicts a group of youths in an estate in South London, who are faced with surviving an alien invasion. Anne Gould's stereotypes are conformed to frequently in this text, as they are portrayed as violent and rebellious for example, as we see in the first seen they rob a resident in the estate and later on become involved in drug use. Giroux (1997) suggests that "youth become an empty category in representation", and media such as this, which portrays them in a negative light reinforces this.
Historically also, youths have been seen to be represented similarly in texts such as Quadrophenia (Franc Roddam 1979). In this text, where a mailroom worker,
Thursday, 2 June 2016
1A Research and Planning
Textual analysis vs Timed and Textual/Watching More Texts to inform production of conventions
No Test Shoots vs Test Shoots & Set preparation
No Budgeting vs Budgeting (Allowed us to spend our money wisely)
Audience Research + Start vs Whole way through production - Creation of a Research Report - qualitative and quantitative methods
Location Scouting vs More Location scouting/visits to location - site plan made
Drone Regulations
More descriptive Storyboards/shot lists/Call lists to ensure more organisation - particularly useful given that it was shot over four days rather than in one day - taken with us on the day
No Test Shoots vs Test Shoots & Set preparation
No Budgeting vs Budgeting (Allowed us to spend our money wisely)
Audience Research + Start vs Whole way through production - Creation of a Research Report - qualitative and quantitative methods
Location Scouting vs More Location scouting/visits to location - site plan made
Drone Regulations
More descriptive Storyboards/shot lists/Call lists to ensure more organisation - particularly useful given that it was shot over four days rather than in one day - taken with us on the day
1A Describe how your analysis of the conventions of real media texts informed your own creative media practice.
Describe how your analysis of the conventions of real media texts informed your own creative media practice. (25)
Intro
Bentley: "Creativity is the making of the new and the rearranging of the old" - suggesting that although creativity in the production of texts relies upon the invention of new ideas - it is important to build upon existing conventions of texts.
- Both texts relied upon extensive research into conventions in order to produce texts that followed industry standards/techniques and to provide recognisable form that is well received by the target audience. Explanation of Captive/Festival
Captive
Intro
Bentley: "Creativity is the making of the new and the rearranging of the old" - suggesting that although creativity in the production of texts relies upon the invention of new ideas - it is important to build upon existing conventions of texts.
- Both texts relied upon extensive research into conventions in order to produce texts that followed industry standards/techniques and to provide recognisable form that is well received by the target audience. Explanation of Captive/Festival
Captive
Attempted to mostly follow conventions in order to establish genre, however, considered it important to challenge certain conventions in order to differentiate from other texts. Steve Neale: "difference is absolutely essential in the economy of genre"
Textual Analysis of horror genre/analysing real texts:
- Colour Grade (The Ring) - cold colours
- Props/Iconography/Location - Dolls - The Woman in Black
- Narrative Strucuture/Enigma - Todorov - Challenged
- Sound - Diegetic - Silent Hill
FestivalTextual analysis of more examples/ Better related to my production - suiting the target audience - a
Timed Analysis - Allowing us to scrutinise examples further on a shot by shot basis
More confidence and experimental in terms of conventions
Experimental genre - less conventions to follow
Timed Analysis - Allowing us to scrutinise examples further on a shot by shot basis
More confidence and experimental in terms of conventions
Experimental genre - less conventions to follow
- Music videos tend to relate to song Goodwin - Theory of Disjuncture - challenge conventions in terms of using a music video with no relation to the genre or lyrics.
- Using Narrative and Performance - similarly to Late Night (but performance in the context of the narrative)
- Music videos tend not to imitate cinema, but a more snappy, less immersive video. Blending conventions with film - widescreen/immersive experience. Followed conventions of film somewhat.
- Pacing conventions (experimental videos) - holocene, slow starting - prevalence of location
Wednesday, 1 June 2016
Post-Production Decisions 1A
1a) Describe the most important post-production decisions you made for your different media productions and explain why these decisions were significant. Refer to a range of your examples in your answer to show how your skills in post-production developed over time.
Post-production refers to the work carried out on a project after the filming and recording has taken place, and is arguably one of the most important aspects in the production. This generally consists of the editing process of the recorded content. This could include, sound editing/creation, sequencing and selection, colour grading and general effects. My skill set in these areas has developed extensively in my transition from my Foundation to my Advanced Portfolio.
Firstly, the project that i produced during my AS year was a short horror film opening. This was based around the kidnapping of an adolescent, after he was found by an entity trespassing on private property. My advanced portfolio project however, was a narrative and performance-based music video for the song 'Festival' by icelandic band Sigur Ros. This was based around a drummer in a post-apocalyptic wilderness, who discovers a drum kit and uses is it as a form of release and escape from the monotony of his everyday life. Throughout the post-production stage of both projects, there were various decisions made within our editing platform, Premiere Pro CC.
In order to show continuity and to create a sombre tone throughout our film opening, we attempted to colour grade our resultant footage. When doing this we applied an adjustment layer, which is a filter that can be applied to the film as a whole, rather than each individual clip. We used the three-way colour wheel, which allowed us to adjust the tone of the shadows, mid-tones, and highlights. In contrast , when editing our music video we paid much more attention to our colour grading process. Rather than using an adjustment layer in order to adjust the colours of the project as a whole, we graded each clip individually. This allowed us to adapt to the different lighting present in each clip, and gave us more accuracy and consistency when correcting the colours in order for them to match seamlessly with one another. To further enhance this specificity, as well as using the three-way colour wheel, we used the Colour Balance tool, which gave us more precision when editing the highlights, mid-tones and shadows. In addition, the brightness and contrast facility was used in our second project to correct exposure and further aid continuity between clips. When using this tool, the mask device allowed us to highlight particular areas within the frame that needed to be altered.
Additionally, both of our projects incorporated movement that was implemented after production. I believe that the movement used in my first year project was rather forced due to the fact that we hadn't included any camera movement during production. Through feeling that the product was too static as well as getting audience feedback, we decided to included artificial movement in post-production which allowed us to gain a sense of fluidity. In order to achieve a natural movement at the speed that we required, we utilised key framing which allowed us to alter the position, direction and speed the movement took place. In contrast, in our second year we felt that it would be more effective to introduce movement such as tilts, pans and tracks during the production stage. After seeing the success of the acquired zooms in post-production during the first year we felt that it would be beneficial to implement this facility in our second year music video. Also, in the second year we developed a further knowledge on artificial movement through exploring the Warp Stabiliser which allowed us to maintain a steady transition of movement during a shot. When applying this, the tool analysed the background and foreground of each frame, slightly warping the footage and removing any movement anomalies. This shows that we have amended the mistakes that we made in the first year.
Furthermore, we also implemented a variety of post-production effects to change the aesthetic of the footage. Due to the genre and narrative of our first production, we utilised and experimented with grain in order to give the CCTV segment an authentic look. In order to implement this affect we applied noise to the clip. We also split the screen into 4 different segments
Captive
Experimented with grain
4-way split
timecode
FX e.g. cut out
Sound/volume editing
Cutting - pace
Ident - After Effects
Titles
Festival
Slow motion
Colours
Warp Stabilisation
Timing/Pacing
Matching footage on each camera
Colours
Warp Stabilisation
Timing/Pacing
Matching footage on each camera
wide screen
Sound editing - louder as the helicopter gets closer
Digital Technology 1A
Digital Technology
Year 1
DSLR Camera/GoPro
Adobe Premiere Pro
External Boom Mic
Logic X
Year 2
DSLR Camera - Lenses - prime for DOF etc. Varying frame rates rather than conventional 24fps - Image stabilisation
InDesign
Logic X
Adobe Speedgrade
Drone
Adobe Premiere Pro - colour correction facilities, motion - keying facilities, stabilising, Widescreen
TWIXTOR! - Failed
Crane/Slider?
Analyse the ways in which at least one group of people is "mediated"
Mediation refers to the process by which a media outlet uses focussing, and selection vs rejection to create a false representation of a particular group or issue. Merrin (2005) suggests that "The media do not just reflect and represent the reality of the public, but produce it, employing this simulation to justify their own continuing existence". This is an argument that suggests it often makes economic sense for a media institution to use mediation with regards to some issues or groups, as a means of selling. Furthermore, it is also argued that mediation is used as a tool of power, aiding in the maintenance of a hegemonist society. The ways in which audiences perceive the media that they consume and the extent to which they believe it depends on how they read a text. Whilst the hypodermic needle model suggests that audiences passively consume media, believing everything they see, the uses and gratifications theory explains that audiences are active rather than passive individuals, who will choose what they consume and believe - altering the impact that mediation of identity groups has upon society.
Youth is one group that are often mediated. Anne Gould (1999) suggests that traditionally youths are represented in six ways in the media: Nihilistic, Sexual, Violent, belonging to Artificial Tribes, Rebellious and Self-Destructive. A study from the Independent suggests that 86% of 1,000 males believe that they are portrayed in a negative light in the media (2010), whilst the Youth Media Agency suggest that 76% of media portrays youth negatively. Recent events such as the London Riots in 2011, where a minority of youths carried out looting and various anti-social behaviour in the city reinforced this - and a series of negative news reports of youths during this period led - Such as The Daily Express headline "to a Deviancy Amplification Spiral (Wilkens 1964), creating a moral panic and presenting the youth as folk devils. This representation is also conformed to in contemporary cinema, such as Attack the Block, directed by Joe Cornish (2011). In this film, about a group of youths protecting their estate from an alien invasion, the youth are presented as many of these stereotypes as Anne Gould suggests, such as rebellious, nihilistic and violent, such as when they mug a female on the estate in the opening scene. Giroux suggests that the mediation of youth in instances such as these cause "the youth to become an empty category in representation, reflecting adults concerns", acting as a form of control to allow those in power to keep the order (hegemony - Gramsci). As a result of these representations, it is likely that audiences passively consuming media such as this regularly will overestimate the amount of crime in society (Gerbner, Cultivation theory) and will demonise youths as a group.
In addition, youths have also been represented similarly historically, as evident in Franc Roddam's 1979 feature film Quadrophenia, based around a mailroom worker Jimmy who escapes his day job to embrace Mod subculture, particularly by travelling to Brighton to engage in a riot against the rival 'rockers'. Hebdidge suggests that "a subculture is a group of like-minded individuals who feel neglected by societal standards and form a sense of identity", and in this instance this subculture, consisting of youths, is represented negatively and is mediated, again showing youths to be violent and destructive through their rivalry with the opposing subculture, shown in various fight scenes throughout the film. Furthermore, hegemony is reinforced in this text through the way that 'hard power' is shown through police attempting to restore control, strongly detesting the movements of the groups. On the other hand however, in The Young Ones (1961), a musical directed by Disney J Furie, the representation of youths shows them to be very different. In this musical, a group of youths work to save their local youth club from being taken over from a millionaire property developer, and are presented in a mostly positive way - as active in the community and inclusive of younger generations, such as when Nicky (played by Cliff Richard) performs on the beach and allows the children in the community to be involved. It could be argued that between these two time periods, a process of social change has taken place, as youth have become more challenging of society and the media has reflected this.
Females are also an identity group that suffer from mediation. Traditionally, the misrepresentations we see of women in the media due to mediation processes consist of them being placed within binary categories - where they are assigned typical gender roles, and being sexualised. UK Feminista report that 6% of global news reinforces gender stereotypes, 8x more than the amount of news that challenges it. In addition to this, it is suggested that 1/3 young females would change an aspect of their appearance, due to the media. Mediated representations of females have been taking place for a long period of time, and examples of media texts that contain stereotypical content regarding the female can be seen frequently in history. For example, in 1966 a Fairy Liquid advert aired on television, presenting a female in a maternal and domesticated role - she appears to be teaching her daughter how to wash up - implying that she would be doing so herself one day, and she also presents herself as an object of beauty - saying that the Fairy liquid product keeps her hands 'pretty'. This is an example of mediation and shows how women were often misrepresented as an object of beauty and as a domestic figure.
In the modern day, the practice of objectifying women continues - exemplified by Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines music video (2013), which has amassed over 43,000,000 views on YouTube. This shows a misrepresentation or mediated version of the female gender, by showing a group of dancers in the nude - objectifying them and presenting them as an object of sex, juxtaposing them next to a male, wearing a suit (who is made to look like a professional). Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze (1975) can be applied to this, as the text is made from the perspective of the heterosexual male, for the heterosexual male. Jonathan Schroader suggests that "to gaze implies more than just to look, but a psychological relationship where the gaze is superior to the subject". The songs lyrics "i know you want it" reinforce the objectification of females, and undermines them further - presenting females as an object of the man, reinforcing a patriarchal society. It should also be considered however that this process can also take place for the male, reinforcing Miriam Hanson's (1984) theory of the female gaze. Diet Cokes televised advert of 2013 reinforces this, and uses focussing to sexualise the male, as a group of females throw a can of coke at a male gardener in an attempt to spill it on him, forcing him to remove his clothes.
I believe that more recently however, there is a conscious effort to challenge gender stereotypes in the media however, and try to steer away from mediating representations. An example of this is Sport England's televised advert 'This Girl Can' (2015), which presents the female as powerful, athletic and as an equal to the man, through the focussing on their ability to compete in sport, hyperbolised by slow motion shots and powerful titles such as "Deal with it". This less mediated representation of the female challenges the patriarchal society that has so frequently been shown through the media, and I believe that this form of media demonstrating equality will be more prevalent in the future.
In terms of the mediation of both of these groups, it is clear that traditionally and currently there is a trend for them to be misrepresented, however I believe that is the responsibility of the audience to consume and believe as they choose according to the uses and gratifications theory (Katz and Blumler), rather than allowing the media to inject a viewpoint into our belief system.
Youth is one group that are often mediated. Anne Gould (1999) suggests that traditionally youths are represented in six ways in the media: Nihilistic, Sexual, Violent, belonging to Artificial Tribes, Rebellious and Self-Destructive. A study from the Independent suggests that 86% of 1,000 males believe that they are portrayed in a negative light in the media (2010), whilst the Youth Media Agency suggest that 76% of media portrays youth negatively. Recent events such as the London Riots in 2011, where a minority of youths carried out looting and various anti-social behaviour in the city reinforced this - and a series of negative news reports of youths during this period led - Such as The Daily Express headline "to a Deviancy Amplification Spiral (Wilkens 1964), creating a moral panic and presenting the youth as folk devils. This representation is also conformed to in contemporary cinema, such as Attack the Block, directed by Joe Cornish (2011). In this film, about a group of youths protecting their estate from an alien invasion, the youth are presented as many of these stereotypes as Anne Gould suggests, such as rebellious, nihilistic and violent, such as when they mug a female on the estate in the opening scene. Giroux suggests that the mediation of youth in instances such as these cause "the youth to become an empty category in representation, reflecting adults concerns", acting as a form of control to allow those in power to keep the order (hegemony - Gramsci). As a result of these representations, it is likely that audiences passively consuming media such as this regularly will overestimate the amount of crime in society (Gerbner, Cultivation theory) and will demonise youths as a group.
In addition, youths have also been represented similarly historically, as evident in Franc Roddam's 1979 feature film Quadrophenia, based around a mailroom worker Jimmy who escapes his day job to embrace Mod subculture, particularly by travelling to Brighton to engage in a riot against the rival 'rockers'. Hebdidge suggests that "a subculture is a group of like-minded individuals who feel neglected by societal standards and form a sense of identity", and in this instance this subculture, consisting of youths, is represented negatively and is mediated, again showing youths to be violent and destructive through their rivalry with the opposing subculture, shown in various fight scenes throughout the film. Furthermore, hegemony is reinforced in this text through the way that 'hard power' is shown through police attempting to restore control, strongly detesting the movements of the groups. On the other hand however, in The Young Ones (1961), a musical directed by Disney J Furie, the representation of youths shows them to be very different. In this musical, a group of youths work to save their local youth club from being taken over from a millionaire property developer, and are presented in a mostly positive way - as active in the community and inclusive of younger generations, such as when Nicky (played by Cliff Richard) performs on the beach and allows the children in the community to be involved. It could be argued that between these two time periods, a process of social change has taken place, as youth have become more challenging of society and the media has reflected this.
Females are also an identity group that suffer from mediation. Traditionally, the misrepresentations we see of women in the media due to mediation processes consist of them being placed within binary categories - where they are assigned typical gender roles, and being sexualised. UK Feminista report that 6% of global news reinforces gender stereotypes, 8x more than the amount of news that challenges it. In addition to this, it is suggested that 1/3 young females would change an aspect of their appearance, due to the media. Mediated representations of females have been taking place for a long period of time, and examples of media texts that contain stereotypical content regarding the female can be seen frequently in history. For example, in 1966 a Fairy Liquid advert aired on television, presenting a female in a maternal and domesticated role - she appears to be teaching her daughter how to wash up - implying that she would be doing so herself one day, and she also presents herself as an object of beauty - saying that the Fairy liquid product keeps her hands 'pretty'. This is an example of mediation and shows how women were often misrepresented as an object of beauty and as a domestic figure.
In the modern day, the practice of objectifying women continues - exemplified by Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines music video (2013), which has amassed over 43,000,000 views on YouTube. This shows a misrepresentation or mediated version of the female gender, by showing a group of dancers in the nude - objectifying them and presenting them as an object of sex, juxtaposing them next to a male, wearing a suit (who is made to look like a professional). Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze (1975) can be applied to this, as the text is made from the perspective of the heterosexual male, for the heterosexual male. Jonathan Schroader suggests that "to gaze implies more than just to look, but a psychological relationship where the gaze is superior to the subject". The songs lyrics "i know you want it" reinforce the objectification of females, and undermines them further - presenting females as an object of the man, reinforcing a patriarchal society. It should also be considered however that this process can also take place for the male, reinforcing Miriam Hanson's (1984) theory of the female gaze. Diet Cokes televised advert of 2013 reinforces this, and uses focussing to sexualise the male, as a group of females throw a can of coke at a male gardener in an attempt to spill it on him, forcing him to remove his clothes.
I believe that more recently however, there is a conscious effort to challenge gender stereotypes in the media however, and try to steer away from mediating representations. An example of this is Sport England's televised advert 'This Girl Can' (2015), which presents the female as powerful, athletic and as an equal to the man, through the focussing on their ability to compete in sport, hyperbolised by slow motion shots and powerful titles such as "Deal with it". This less mediated representation of the female challenges the patriarchal society that has so frequently been shown through the media, and I believe that this form of media demonstrating equality will be more prevalent in the future.
In terms of the mediation of both of these groups, it is clear that traditionally and currently there is a trend for them to be misrepresented, however I believe that is the responsibility of the audience to consume and believe as they choose according to the uses and gratifications theory (Katz and Blumler), rather than allowing the media to inject a viewpoint into our belief system.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)