representation - an introduction
DESCRIPTION
mediaTRANSCRIPT
Everything in media is representation
• Individuals• Groups• Places• Nations• Ideas
Representation is
• WHO / WHAT is being represented• HOW it is being created• WHO created it• WHY did they create it? What’s
their intention?• What is the effect of it?
• WHO / WHAT is being representedA 1941 female factory worker
• HOW it is being createdStrong female, masculine elements to representation, fist clenched, showing muscles, rolling her sleeves up, hair back in a workers scarf alongside the tagline ‘We can do it’
• WHO created it?Westinghouse Electric (the people who still make fridges, washing machines etc!)
• WHY did they create it? What’s their intention?To boost worker morale during WW2
• What is the effect of it?During the war the image was strictly used in the Westinghouse factories, and was not for recruitment but to encourage already-hired women to work harder. Most people thought the image was originally to recruit women to join the war effort, and is used by feminist movements etc.
Mediation
What we see in the media has gone through a process called MEDIATION.
The Process
PHOTOGRAPHER selects position/lens/angle/exposure/framing of photos
PHOTO EDITOR may crop/enhance/alter images
EDITOR chooses photo. Any photos that do not meet the means of the text are omitted.
Further mediation continues…
• Will it be large or small?• Front page or less visible?• What headline?• Caption?• Will it be close to another photo?
A representation is the FINAL product after all decisions/mediation has been made.
In short…
• WHAT is chosen or not chosen
• HOW it is organised and communicatedwhich pushes …
• How the audience FOCUS and read the text; focusing on one aspect and ignoring others.
REALITY HAS BEEN CHANGED
Gatekeepers
White (1961) theorised that there are certain peopleand institutions within the media who are gatekeepers of media texts. People who are able to construct, mediate and select what or what not is represented…Who are they? Has this changed since 1961?
Representation as reflection
• Some media texts are seen to provide a reflection on life – are seen as more real. They are invested in creating an honest, trustworthy and sometimes authoritative relationship with its readers…
News, Reality TV, some Soap Operas, TOWIE?
Representation as deliberate construction
• Other media texts are seen as biased or intentionally constructed in order to communicate ideas or values.
Michael Moore is a perfect example of this… His films are usually an attack on the US govt and are from a left-wing viewpoint.Bowling for Columbine trailer
Representation in Advertising
Advertising is the process of linking ideas and images together.
When you buy a razor
What are you thinking?
What are you buying it for?
What ideas and messages are Gillette sending to media readers?
What ideas and messages are Venus/Olay sending to media readers?
Representation as Constructionist
• Meaning is created by the relationship between producer/text/audience
• Representation is constructed with a set of ideas or values to be communicated (producer’s intent)
• Audience reacts to representation depending on personal interpretational context (age, gender, reiligion, nationality, etc)
“Negotiated meaning”
More examples…
When we look at the following media texts, think about …
• The producer’s intent• Ideas and values• How the audience may read it• Whether or not it is a fair
representation
Wikipedia Search - Obama
Conservapedia Search - Obama
Your task
• In pairs, create a PowerPoint using four different examples of representation from four different media platforms (e.g. Advertising, TV, Film, Newspapers, Magazines, Games etc)
WHO / WHAT is being representedHOW it is being createdWHO created it?WHY did they create it? What’s their intention?What is the EFFECT of it?