Representation
Critical Perspectives Exam
Section A: Question 1 B:
Theoretical Evaluation of Production
Film:
Media Concepts
Question 1(B) requires candidates to select ONE PRODUCTION & evaluate it
in relation to a media concept.
You will focus on your TRAILER ONLY.
The list of concepts to which questions will relate is as follows:
• Genre
• Narrative
• REPRESENTATION *
• Audience
• Media Language
In the exam, questions will be set using one of these concepts.
Film:
Representation
• Key questions when studying Representation in any media text.:
1. Identify characters within the product to discuss (event / issue )
2. What representation concepts are highlighted? (e.g. race, gender, cultural
attitudes etc.)
3. What representations have been generated?
4. Discuss the specific elements of character representation (i.e. mode of
address, facial expression, clothing, behaviour, etc.)
5. Are there any stereotypes?
6. Does the product conform to or go against dominant ideologies?
Film:
Representation
• You already know about representation. Break down the
word and you see it clearly…
• The Media re-presents (i.e. changes or re-interprets) or
constructs meanings about the world we live in.
• In order to make sense of this, you need to think about
some fairly difficult concepts about how society (the
world and the way we live in it) actually works.
• We will look at a few different theories of the way
society functions. We call them 'models' and you should
remember that they are theories and that not every
society works exactly the way the theories suggest.
Film:
Representation of
Gender Roles
•
Berger (1972) “Men act and women appear. Men look at
women. Women watch themselves being looked at.”
•
If we define ‘male’ and ‘female’ all we are doing is a biological
classification, but if we think about the terms ‘masculine’ and
‘feminine’ we have to think about social construction.
•
These words have specific connotations of natural behaviour
for each sex. In other words, society has constructed a set of
‘truths’ about the ‘right’ way for a man or a woman to behave.
•
Media theorists argue males are represented as dominant,
strong, intellectual & authoritative. Females are represented
as submissive, passive, focused on physical beauty, sexual,
emotional, & defined through their relationships with men.
•
The way in which gender is represented in the horror genre
differs from other media texts. These differences are evident
in various subgenres of horror, however each film (& your
film) will bring it’s own pros/cons of gender representation.
REPRESENTATION
QUOTES – Include one/two in your answer
•
“ To gaze implies more than to look at – it signifies a psychological
relationship of power, in which the gazer is superior to the object of the
gaze” – Jonathan Schroeder.
•
“One might say that the true subject of the horror genre is the struggle for
recognition of all that our civilization represses and oppresses” – Robin
Wood.
•
“Males enjoy horror more if their female companions are scared. Females
find horror films less enjoyable when their male companions are scared yet
enjoy it if the males are brave and handle this fear” - Dolf Zilmann.
•
”The gaze is male, for it directs itself (taking pleasure in) where women
function as erotic objects” – Laura Mulvey.
Laura
Mulvey
‘The Gaze’
•
Mulvey researched the representation of women in film, finding the
cinema largely ‘masculine’ with women controlled by ‘The Male Gaze’.
•
The theory being that a woman’s body displayed on screen, makes the
(male) viewer a voyeur, who experiences erotic pleasure from seeing
her. This ‘controls’ the woman, making her an ‘object’ of gaze.
•
The audience are forced to view scenes via the gaze of a heterosexual
male; objectifying women whilst the male is who we identify with.
•
You need to remember that the cinema is a largely male-dominated
industry, so men are in control of the making of the cinematic texts.
•
Many horror films (particularly slashes) have been criticised as being
products of ‘the male gaze’, since most directors are men. In the past,
men have not been portrayed in the same erotic, sexual way, in order
to be looked at & ‘controlled’ by women.
•
However, recently the media has begun to represent men as ‘sex
objects’ for women to look at. This is known as ‘The Female Gaze’.
Clover
‘The Final Girl’
•
The final girl is a horror film (often Slasher) theory that refers to the
last female alive to confront the killer, the one left to tell the story.
•
The term was coined by Carol J. Clover in her book Men, Women and
Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film.
•
It has been observed in many films including: Halloween, Texas Chain
Saw Massacre, Scream, & A Nightmare on Elm Street. Clover suggests
the viewer begins by sharing the killers perspective, but experiences
a shift in identification to the final girl partway through the film.
•
According to Clover, the final girl is typically virginal, avoids the vices
of the victims (sex, drugs, etc.), sometimes has a unisex name (e.g.
Billie, Sidney), & occasionally has a shared history with the killer.
•
The final girl is the ‘investigating consciousness’ of the film, moving
the narrative forward, exhibiting intelligence, curiosity, and vigilance.
Clover
•
‘The Final Girl’
One basic premise of Clover’s theory is that audience identification is
unstable & fluid across gender lines, (particularly Slasher films).
–
–
–
During the final girl’s confrontation with the killer, Clover argues, she becomes
masculinised by taking up a weapon (knife) against the killer.
Clover states the villain is often a male whose masculinity or sexuality are in crisis.
(Norman Bates- Psycho, Billy & Stu- Scream).
Audiences often identify with a male protagonist, however Clover argues that horror
is popular with males as they can identify with not being at the top of the “macho”
hierarchy; every male has felt intimidated at some point.
•
This male dominated genre, where males identify with young females,
raise questions about horror films & their relationship with feminism.
Clover argues that for a film to succeed, the survivor must be a female
experiencing terror as viewers would reject the terror of a final male.
•
Another interesting feature of the horror genre film is the 'punishment'
of beauty, youth experimentation, and sexual availability.
Sarah
Dobbs:
Words & Monsters:
Feminism in Horror
•
Horror has a confused relationship with women. On one hand, you’re more likely to have a female protagonist in a
horror film than any other genre, except maybe rom-coms; on the other, women in horror films are frequently
treated like decorative objects and disposable victims. “Scream Queens” are celebrated for their looks, not their
talents. Complex, interesting female characters tend to be rare, and female antagonists rarer still.
•
Most of the women famous for working in the horror genre are actresses – not writers, directors, or producers.
There’s obviously nothing wrong with being an actress, but it’d be nice to see more women on the other side of
the camera, too. Horror films still seem to be made to appeal primarily to a male audience, and throwing in some
attractive, scantily clad women is a lazy way to do that.
•
Really, there’s no reason horror should appeal to men more than women. Horror films don’t have to be macho
endurance tests, something to brag about getting through; they provide a safe and often fun way to be scared,
letting audiences feel the thrill of fear without actually being in danger. You don’t need to be male to enjoy that.
(And neither do you have to be male to like monsters!)
•
Most of the horror fans I know are women, and a lot of the most successful horror films appeal more or less
equally to men and women. Why does it seem so surprising that the Saw movies are so popular with women?.
•
Although there’s something problematic about the Final Girl trope – is there really any need for quite so many
films about women being stalked, tortured, raped and murdered by faceless men? – there’s something
wonderful about it, too. The Final Girl is the one who survives. She’s the one who triumphs, ultimately; no matter
what happens to her throughout the course of the film, she gets her revenge, and she lives. She’ll be covered in
blood, messy hair, torn clothing by the end of the film, but victorious. That’s not to be taken for granted.
Film:
Zombies
•
Zombies have a number of theoretical ideas associated with them.
•
Zombies can be metaphors for a plague or disease within our
culture. This could be applied to ideas such as the concept that
Zombies are the symptom of decay of moral behaviour or our
society generally.
•
Zombies can also symbolise a lack of independence of thought
within our culture, as all zombies act unthinkingly & act ‘en masse’.
•
Therefore the survival of characters in zombie films such as I am
Legend of Day of the Dead are symbolic of an individual’s struggle to
survive as an individual.
•
Some people also think that Zombie movies are criticisms of
capitalism – Zombies behave like capitalists – consuming more and
more flesh without considering whether they are full or not.
Film:
Zombies
•
When zombies first became stars of the screen they were,
“particularly resilient and chimerical figure in the history of popular
monsters. An exemplary boundary figure originating in the folklore of
Colonial Haitian culture, the legendary zombie is a human being
whose soul has been stolen after death by a sorcerer who has then
brought them back to life.” (John Cussan,2009)
•
28 Days Later (Boyle,2002) is about the spread of the “Rage” Infection.
Danny Boyle specifically wanted to point out that the Rage virus was
a representation of today’s increasing incidences of road rage, air
rage etc. It deals with the change of our culture from a spiritual
society to a more consuming society leaving people feeling trapped
in certain roles, this leads to frustration (Allen 2008)
Cussans, J.(2009) Tracking the Zombie
Diaspora.http://codeless88.wordpress.com/tracking-the-zombie-diaspora/
– Allen, M (2008) 28 Days Later: An
Analysis.http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/922275/28_days_later_an_a
nalysis
–
Film:
Zombies
•
George A. Romeros Dead series followed a different style , using zombies as a
medium of representation. We feel for the zombies as we realize they used to
be human, with families. Showing all types have become zombies, poor people
and rich people. (Stout,2009,p.2).
•
In Dawn of the Dead we see clear representations of consumerism. The
survivors taking refuge in a mall and making it there own by clearing out the
zombies and turning it into some kind of utopia. They “steal” money from the
mall bank, cheekily posing for the security cameras; they take all goods they
desire; play video games; and in a marvelously frenetic scene, Stephen and
Peter “tool up” in the mall’s weapon shop. The music during these scenes is
light, airy and released, inviting us to regard this as an ironic paradise.
•
Romero’s script emphasizes the economic exclusivity of consumerism.
Perhaps the most poetic instance occurs in the armoury scene, in which Peter
aims an expensive rifle at a zombie’s forehead. “Ain’t it a crime,” he remarks,
“the only person who could ever miss with this gun would be the sucker with
the bread to buy it.” (Harper,2002)
–
–
Stout, R. (2007) Romero, Dawn of the Dead and its political Symbols.
Harper, S. (2002) Zombies, Malls, and the Consumerism Debate.
Film: Charles Derry
• In his book ‘Dark Dreams’, Charles Derry charted
the emergence of three distinct sub-genres in the
decades following Psycho (1960), and discussion
of representation within these subgenres.
• He also traces their historical predecessors in the
‘classic’ horror movie & other supporting genres.
1. Hauntings and Demonic Possessions
2. Apocalypse
3. The Human Monster
Derry:
Hauntings & Demonic
Possessions
•
Demonic Possession horror films such as the Exorcist &
Paranormal Activity play on fear of the unknown, superstition &
the idea that evil forces exist in the world.
•
Theorists such as Derry believe such films display unique
representations of religion, gender, & sexuality.
•
Within films of this subgenre, dark forces can remain spiritual
presences, or can take the guise of witches (Blair Witch), ghosts
(The Haunting) or demons (Exorcist).
•
Characters fall prey to an evil force that is trying to victimise
them somehow. The evil entity is perhaps gaining vengeance.
–
•
In Nightmare on Elm Street Freddie is taking revenge on the people who killed
him by haunting the dreams of their children.
Derry believes that there are sexual connotations to a
‘possession’, as the evil force is often represented as a male,
who projects from within a female. Often seen as taking control
of the ‘weaker/vulnerable’ sex.
Derry:
Hauntings & Demonic
Possessions
•
Sometimes the evil force wants to corrupt its victims - to make them
do evil. Eg ‘The Shining’. In this case the evil force wants to take
control of its victim - take over his body or his mind or soul.
Vampires and werewolves turn you into one of their own kind.
•
Derry believes that often at the heart of these stories is the fight
between good and evil in the Christian sense- temptation and sin.
So there is usually a counterpart to the evil force - a symbol of good.
Eg Dracula’s counterpart is Van Helsing. In the Exorcist, the Catholic
priests fight the Devil for the soul of the girl.
–
•
If you influenced by evil/the devil/ then God is the only factor that can save you.
Witches, vampires and demons have their roots in folklore. Before
modern medicine many disorders, blood diseases and
psychological illnesses were attributed to supernatural causes: eg,
epilepsy was thought to be caused by possession by demons. So
these mythologies are in our ‘collective unconscious’ and are
bought to the surface by horror films.
Derry:
Apocalypse
•
In this subgenre mankind is threatened with extinction by inhuman creatures
that rise up and take over the world. Sometimes the threat comes from outer
space (War of The Worlds). Sometimes the threat is a plague or virus that
threatens to wipe out mankind. (Dawn of the Dead, Crazies).
•
Sometimes the threat comes from the everyday traditionally harmless
creatures with whom we share the planet. All at once these creatures decide
to gather together against us and take over the world. The most famous film of
this type is Hitchcock’s The Birds.
•
In the seventies there was a whole spawn of films featuring all types of
creatures: rats (Willard), bees, worms (Squirm), ants (Phase 4) even giant
rabbits (Night of the Lepus).
•
The films have a set structure: there’s a sudden proliferation of these
creatures as if from nowhere and they descend upon a group of survivors who
have barricaded themselves in a house. Usually the story ends with the people
dying and the creatures winning out.
•
A characteristic of these films is that there is often no explicit reason for the
creatures suddenly rising up against us. But there is a subtext there to do with
fears of ecological unbalance, or a sense of revolution with the new order.
Derry:
The Human
Monster
•
Generally dates from Psycho (1960). Deals with horror of the
personality: psychopathology and murder (the serial killer) or
psychosis and insanity. So the audience is taken inside the
mind of a killer (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer) or of a person
who appears to be going insane (Repulsion, Jacob’s Ladder)
•
The ‘monster in the human’ (eg, Jekyll and Hyde) deals with
mankind’ s propensity for evil. Often children are the subject
(The Bad Seed, Apt Pupil). The idea that some people are born
bad, with no sense of morality.
•
The ‘human in the monster’ (eg Frankenstein’s monster) deals
with the sympathetic monster. We can feel some kind of
understanding for these monsters because of their loneliness.
They did not want to be created and are vilified by normal
society.
Film:
Hegemonic Model
•
Antonio Gramsci’s Hegemonic theory: "...Dominant groups in society... maintain their
•
A hegemony is a system where one group is dominated by another. The dominating group
achieves its domination by ‘winning’ popular consent through everyday cultural life.
•
In media, this model works by achieving dominance through media representations of the
world. The media ‘tell us’ what to think, what to believe and how our world ‘should be’.
dominance by securing the 'spontaneous consent' of subordinate groups...through the
negotiated construction of a political and ideological consensus which incorporates both
dominant and dominated groups.”
–
If we think about Hollywood, the Major studios have become the dominant group in the industry. In music, Art
and culture in general, they all have dominant groups who dictate the way in which things are done, they are
hegemony.
–
In media studies today, people look at how the media support power structures such as government,
capitalism/corporations, and patriarchy. For example: A news report that shows strong support for a
controversial foreign policy decision can be said to hegemonically support the government.
–
A game show that shows scantily-clad women passively standing still until the host tells her to "open the
case" can be seen as hegemonically promoting patriarchy.
Film:
Ideologies
Hegemony works through ideology.
•
An ideology is a set of ideas which give a partial or selective
view of reality.
 The media can circulate or reinforce these ideologies,
showing us familiar ideas
 OR, the media can undermine and challenge ideologies,
showing us different or unexpected ideas.
•
Ideologies can seem to be ‘true’, ‘natural’ or ‘common sense’
but they aren’t!
•
Try to think of some ‘truths’ that shape Western ideology. (e.g.
a woman’s place is in the home). How do these ‘truths’ create
inequality in society? Where did the ‘truths’ originate? More
importantly, perhaps, WHO made them true?
Your Media Text &
Representation
•
Is your media text hegemonic, reinforcing ideologies by representing things in
familiar ways?
•
Is your media text counter-hegemonic, challenging ideologies by representing
things in different and unexpected ways?
•
Does your media text contain stereotypical representations of gender roles? Or
does it challenge stereotypes associated with gender?
•
Does your media text contain representations that support ‘The male gaze’ theory?
•
Does your media text contain representations that support ‘The female gaze’
theory?
•
Do you include ‘The Final Girl’? Or is that an insult to the representation of women
in horror?