Compare how the poster for The House With A Clock In Its Walls and the poster for KOTV construct versions of reality. In your answer you must:
- consider the choices media producers make when constructing versions of reality
- consider the similarities and differences in the representations
- make judgements and draw conclusions about how far the representations relate to relevant media contexts. [30]
Versions of reality - every media product makes claims about what is real. The ideology of a media product is encoded by the producer. However, the audience also comes to a conclusion by decoding the producer's ideology
DAC
Every media producer constructs a version of reality when making a media product. It is up to the audience to decode and to interpret the message of the producer. In this essay, I shall argue that that both of these film posters construct completely different versions of reality. Kiss Of The Vampire is a 1963 British horror film produced by Hammer, and is in the vampire subgenre.
Paragraphs
Point - One way in which [X] makes claims about reality is through it's representation of...
Evidence - (media language)
Analysis - Why does the producer do this? What effect does this have on the audience? Any theory?
Example paragraph
One way in which The House Of Clocks makes claims about reality is through it's representation of women. In particular, it simultaneously subverts and conforms to stereotypical representations of gender. For example, Blanchett's warm and welcoming smile is indicative of a motherly figure, and indicates to the target audience that she is a comforting character. This is further anchored the MES of her grey hair, which has symbolic connotations of a stereotypical older person. This communicates a motherly persona that will appeal to a younger target audience. However, this is also a highly subversive representation. Older women are often not represented in this way, and by being given equal billing with Jack Black , this reinforces Blanchett's importance. Additionally, Blanchett is hegemonically attractive. The MES of her makeup, her stylish hair which is neatly presented and the elegance of her costume all combine to create a subversive representation of an older woman.
However, in KOTV, the representations of women are significantly more stereotypical and straightforward....
Plan
- Hyperreality
- positioning (audience)
- Historical contexts
Paragraphs
1 - KOTV - Representation of women - dominant, powerful, atypical, sexualised
2 - Clocks - Representation of women - dominant, powerful, atypical, not sexualised
3 - KOTV - Representations and genre - typical of their genre, sexualised women, bleak, foreign setting
4 - Clock - Representations and genre - typical of genre - dark fantasy/horror/family hybrid - less sexualisation, inclusion of child
5 - Representations of men - KOTV, atypical, challenging
6 - Representations of men - Clock film, typical, hegemonically unattractive, double standard
Media language and House Clocks
- Mid shot/2 shot of characters standing side by side indicate equal status
- Blanchett is softly smiling, which connotes a warm gentle friendly persona. Stereotypical representation of women
- Gender performativity: conform to stereotypes, and reinforces patriarchal hegemony
- Conventions of family films: MES of golden sparks, typical of the fantasy genre
- Golden, high key lighting connotes family audience
- Iconography of magic, eg MES of golden light, the purple ball of power, MES of wand
- Intertextual reference to other fantast films eg Harry potter
- Horror conventions eg prop of skull, crescent moon, silhouette of branches etc
- Genre hybridity
- Black's beard is neat and well groomed, which reinforces stereotypically masculine ideologies
- MES of costumes: connotations of intelligence, status and power
- Binary opposition between active male and passive female
- Proairetic code of fireball reinforces stereotype of active, aggressive male
- Narrative codes: indicated through MES
- Established actors are larger and indicate their star power