representation

Representation and key terms:

The act of depicting someone or something in a certain way in order to assist the audience in decoding the meaning of the media in the way the filmmaker desires is known as representation. There must be a broadly accepted notion of gender, age, ethnicity, and regional identity in order for representations to be included in the manner the director wants them to be. The split of representation into important subdivisions allows us to dig further into why and how it influences viewers.

Stereotypes: A stereotype is an image, notion, or depiction of a group of people, a place, or an issue that is generally fixed and oversimplified. They are easy techniques to identify a huge group of individuals and frequently include some truth. Stereotypes are known to be harmful because they can lead individuals to generalise about areas or persons.

Ideology: These are the thoughts and views that media producers have and that are reflected in their work in a media text. In TV shows, the producer can affect how particular events are portrayed, resulting in the support of certain political parties or the hatred of specific ethnic communities.

Mediation: This is the procedure followed by media before it reaches its target audience. Film scripts are usually subjected to several modifications and mediations before being finalised. This also applies to age ratings; if a picture is aimed at a specific age group, the blood and gore will be toned down.

Construction: This is how the media is assembled. Mise-en-scene, editing, and camera angles are all used in cinema and television to generate meaning and representation. A low angled picture of a figure, for example, might be utilised to convey his or her authority and strength.                                                                                                                                        

Ethnicity representation example: Because misrepresentation may lead to negative preconceptions, the way the media portrays specific groups is crucial. Certain ethnic groups may suffer as a result of this. 

Stereotypical depictions of Africans and women are transformed in a positive way in the film Black Panther. The Dora Milaje, a squad of elite female soldiers, are included. This favourable portrayal defies stereotypes by demonstrating that women can be powerful fighters, which is why the film has received a lot of positive feedback.

Representation and theorists:

Stuart Hall: According to Stuart Hall (shown in the picture below), representation isn't about whether or not media matches reality, but rather how many different meanings a representation may produce. Representation is regulated by norms and is the result of meaning through language. He also thinks stereotyping reduces people to a handful of characteristics.

Levi Strauss theory of binary opposites and subordinate groups: A method of comprehending how representation is purposefully placed in binary opposition to guarantee that the dominant culture is preserved and minority representation is viewed as inferior and marginalised.

Laura Mulvey theory of the male and female gaze: This is when a woman is sexualized or objectified in order to compete for the attention of a male audience. The same may be said of men.

Tessa Perkins theory on stereotypes: She believes that stereotypes can include a degree of truth, and that while certain preconceptions are negative, stereotypes in general are not, and can be informative or helpful.