Stuart Hall argues that stereotypes reflect the ideology of the producer. Evaluate this theory of representation. Make reference to Les Revs to support your answer.
Stereotypes refer to a widely held belief about a certain group of people, a place, or an event. Producers typically use stereotypes to categorise groups of people, and to communicate meaning to the audience. However, Les Revs subverts stereotypical representations in order to appeal to a niche audience. Les Revenants is a French supernatural drama, set in rural France, and produced by Canal + and partly funded by the French Alps tourist board.
One way in which Les Revs subverts stereotypes is thorough its atypical representation of France. This arguably helps it to target a niche and more specific audience. The vast majority of French products that target a secondary international audience are set in Paris, as this is a recognisable and stereotypical French setting. However, Les Revs is set in a rural setting in the French Alps, which is highly subversive. This complex and subversive representation is constructed through the calm and picturesque setting.. Unlike typical Zombie shows, there are many establishing montages of the beautiful French alps covered in snow. This MES constructs a uniquely peaceful atmosphere, which is highly atypical to the conventions of the supernatural drama genre. However, other locations are also depicted, which form a binary opposition. For example, there are many shots of empty and abandoned concrete buildings and underpasses, which have clear symbolic connotations of death, loss, and dull and disinteresting locations. Therefore, the representation of France is significantly more complicated than standard representations, and clearly is intended to subvert stereotypes of France as a beautiful and cultured utopia. This nuanced representation of France will be highly relatable to the target French audience who do not live in Paris of large urban settings, and can ultimately help the show to become financially successful by targeting a number of niche audiences.
One character who subverts gender stereotypes is Julie...
...Challenges the male gaze theory ...
...However, Julie is highly relatable to many of the target audience, purely because she DOES ksubvert stereotypes...
Another excellent subversion of gender stereotypes is the characters of Lena and Simon, who both subvert gender stereotypes. The character of Lena is arguably a challenging representation of women. After picking up the attractive and mysterious Simon while drinking alone at the local pub, Lena chooses to walk Simon home though an eerie, abandoned, suburban setting. Lenna is motivated by sex, and walking Simon home is a proairetic code, suggesting a future sexual encounter. In instigating a sexual encounter, Lenna is breaking hegemonic codes and conventions that stereotypically surround young women. This is further anchored through her costume code. Lena wears a short dress and tights coupled with a baggy and oversized combat jacket, which clearly subverts the expectations of the male gaze. Lena is clearly hegemonically attractive, yet is coded through her rebellious personality, and she shouts out 'de rien connard!', which clearly subverts stereotypical conventional representations of young women. While Lena is atypical in terms of her representation, she is still highly relatable to a number of niche audiences, in particular middle class teenage audiences, who may well appreciate the feminist themes of the inclusion of characters such as Julie and Lena.
However, one way in which Les |Revs is arguably completely stereotypical is in it's inexcusable lack of ethnic diversity
Othering through exclusion
Symbolic annihilation
Through the sole inclusion of white characters, Les Revenants unfortunately reinforces prejudiced and stereotypical societal values towards race, and that in particular, non-white people are less important than white people