Representation - Gender and representation in Riptide and an unseen film promotional image

1. Compare how the representations of gender in this poster and the Riptide music video convey values and attitudes. [30]
In your answer you must:
• consider the similarities in how representations of gender convey values and attitudes
• consider the differences in how representations of gender convey values and attitudes
• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far the representations of gender relate to social contexts.

Knee jerk reaction

Both media products construct a representation where women are vulnerable victims, and men as the assumed violent protagonist. Not only is this a typical convention of the horror films, but it also reinforces patriarchal hegemonic conventions

Introduction

Representation refers to the views and ideologies of the producer, and how they are conveyed through a media product by using heavily suggestive media language to re-present to ‘show again’ a group of people, an issue or an event. Representations do not exist in a strict sense, but are a re-presentation of reality, and therefore can reconstruct the world in the image and ideology of the producer. To explore this idea, I shall refer to the video to Riptide and the poster for The Joker 2, and shall compare and contrast how ideological perspectives are encoded through representations of gender. Both media products construct a representation where women are vulnerable victims, and men as the assumed violent protagonist. Not only is this a typical convention of the horror films, but it also reinforces patriarchal hegemonic conventions

Plan

The Joker 2

• Women as performers, constructed through spotlight, makeup 
• The use of high key lighting connotes pressure on women in society, and their visibility under the male gaze. Additionally, through the anchorage of The Joker clutching Lady Gaga, an ideology is also constructed where women are reliant on the protection of a man 
• However, in both texts, a complex relationship between both men and women and mental health is constructed, where violent representations of men are confirmed through representations of mental health crises

Riptide

• Digitally convergent media
• Over 0.5 billion views on YouTube
• Women represented as performers, constructed through combination of spotlight, glittery outfit, MES of mic and heavy makeup
• Liesbet Van Zoonen - women are used as a spectacle for the pleasure of heterosexual men 
• Women being presented as a spectacle is reinforced through the montage of blonde thin hegemonically attractive women who are presented interchangeably. This constructs a controversial and confrontational ideology that all women are the same, and conform to a specific stereotype 
• Could represent the universal experience of women in a patriarchal hegemonic society, therefore presenting a sense of unity for all women ,and therefore a feminist ideology? 
• An excessive amount of hermeneutic codes, constantly asking questions of the audience, forcing them to come up with their own conclusion, therefore creating a highly polysemic mode of address
• Additionally, the use of hermeneutic codes within the video encourages rewatching, therefore forcing the audience to engage with the video over and over, and therefore ensuring financial profit, with the audience hopefully buying the ep via iTunes 
• While the female characters in Riptide are underdeveloped and interchangeable, we can still make sense of their background and personalities through intertextual relay. Intertextual relay refers to the relationship between audience and the media products they consume, and where an audience member will gradually understand more with the more they watch. This allows producers to make significant shortcuts when producing media products, as they can completely avoid any sense of anchorage, and rely on the assumptions of the audience. However in doing so, this ends up crudely reinforcing stereotypes and perhaps inadvertently reinforcing patriarchal hegemony. 
• Heavy iconography of horror films in Riptide includes: 
  
  
• legs being sucked under a bed,
• Woman being tied to tree
• The forest setting
• CU of woman being dentally tortured 
• Hand being stabbed 
• CU of scared woman with smudged lipstick
• Strange hand clutching woman 
• High contrast, chiaroscuro shadows
• Ouiji board
• POV stalking shot - slasher films!!
• Voyeuristic and vulnerable representations of changing women 
• Women running away
• Graveyard setting 
• Waves crashing in an isolated setting
  
  
• Hyperreal representations of women in a variety of different time periods encodes the ideology that the mistreatment of women has been going on for some time 
• Reference to non existent films (Velocite???) constructs a terrifying alternate reality, and a hyperreal simulacrum . The entire video constructs a highly postmodern address where nothing means anything, and the world is extremely confusing. 
• The postmodern address reinforces the ideology that gender is complicated, and that roles and representations change over time. What it means to be a man or a woman is a complete ideology, but in this video, it is remarkably straightforward, even if the plot is confusing.
•  Ultimately , the video infers that the world is meaningless, nothing makes sense and their is no such thing as reality. Causing the audience to engage with this philosophical standpoint therefore encourages engagement, and ultimately allows the producer to make more money
• Additionally, the video could encourage the audience to explore themes of sexism, and through combination with the song, creates an anthem to challenge violence against women 

Industry and audience - video game industry revision

Explain the impact of recent technological changes on the videogame industry. Refer to the AC franchise to support your answer [8]

Knee-jerk reaction 

Recent technological changes have greatly impacted the videogame industry in a number of ways. In order to explore this I will look at the Assassin’s Creed Franchise, an action/RPG/open world hybrid produced by Ubisoft.

Plan 

AAA

Conglomerate

Producers

Lots of similar games

High productions

High draw distance

Multi Platform release

Ubisoft own other companies like Redstorm 

Huge production team

Motion capture

Curran and Seaton: it’s all about power and profit

Vertical integration 

Digitally convergence

Digitally convergent advertising

Realistic gameplay

Cultural industries: maximising audiences 

Multiple languages 

Mobile phone accessibility

Open alpha and beta playtesting appeals to fans

Interactive features: history mode

Regulation 

Violent content easily accessible 

Complex narrative

Larger storage space allows for bigger games 

Another way in which recent technological changes have impacted the videogame industry is through…

4a) Explain how the videogames industry targets audiences. Refer to the Assassin’s Creed franchise to support your points. [10]

The videogame industry targets a range of audiences, but in particular, maximises profit by targeting fans. In order to explore I shall look at the Assassin’s Creed franchise,  an action/RPG/open world hybrid produced by Ubisoft.

While the Assassin’s Creed franchise targets audiences in a particular way, this is not the only way in which certain audiences, in particular fans are targeted by videogames. For example, the recent action adventure game Stellar Blade which targets a teenage male audience through hypersexualised representations of female characters. Through doing this, Stellar Blade has blatantly targeted a small yet extremely vocal online fanbase who wish to see very sexualised representations of women in videogames. However, The AC franchise takes a completely different approach to target it’s fanbase, by focusing on core gameplay elements, and a focus on a violent and productive gameplay. In doing so, Ubisoft is shying away from controversial content, in order to minimise risk and maximise profit. Additionally, societal responses to sexualised and sexist imagery have completely changed in the last 15, and for a studio to be seen as being sexist or exclusionary could also put off diverse and different audiences from engaging with videogames. 

• Heavy production of sequels allows targeting a pre-sold audience 
• Use of interactive features, such as actively roleplaying a character, allows for an escapist mode of address
• Mirage targets a diverse audience through it’s middle eastern setting 
• Lots of different language settings allow international audiences to be targeted
• Jenkin’s theory of fandom allows us to understand that videogames can ensure financial success by providing audiences with opportunities to socially interact with other fans 
• Cosplay, dressing up as a fictional character is encouraged through the character design in the AC franchise, through the simple, straightforward and stylish iconography. Any fan can put on a hood and hold a sword menacingly. Posting these images on sites such as reddit provides social interaction
• The escapist fantasy of exploring an ancient city appeals to a variety of audiences 
• The young male audience is targeted through the use of violent situations. The use of blood and gore stereotypically appeals to teenage boys, however the violence can described as moderate fantasy violence that is highly unlikely to traumatise an audience 
• In certain games like Valhalla, a choice of gender is provided, allowing the franchise to target female audiences
• The use of intertextuality not only refers to previously released games but also highly successful films (such as Aladdin)
• David Gauntlett - audiences can use elements of AC to feel more empowered through constructing their own identity. The AC games therefore give the audience a sense of belonging 

Industry and audience - revising Have You Heard George's Podcast

What opportunities do radio shows provide audiences to engage with the product? Make reference to Have You Heard George’s Podcast to support your answer [10]

Knee Jerk Reaction

• Digitally convergent media has allowed for many opportunities for audiences to engage with HYHGP
• A range of digitally convergent opportunities, most notably the website common ground have been provided 

Plan

• Producer
• Audience
• Stuart Hall
• Common Ground
• Active and passive audiences
• Accessibility 
• Fandom theory
• Jenkins
• Ideology
• Niche
• Social media 
• Stereotypes
• Representation positioning audiences 
• Pick and mix
• Unconventional 
• Shirky - production values 
• Preferred negotiated oppositional
• Criticising government
• Criticising prison system
• Emotional mode of address
• Left wing ideological bias
• Rap and hip hip 
• Low fi production values 
• Producers
• Common Ground
• Social media pages
• Interacting with music/music recommendations
• Henry Jenkins
• Clay Shirky - George’s amaurish mode of address, using sound effects and actively walking around the streets while recording (It’s nice out here) constructys a more relatable mode of address!
• Stuart Hall
• Reception
• Preferred, negotiated oppositone
• Preferred reading of Grenfell - reflect on what’s wrong in society, and how the government has let certain people down 
• Social and political issues - left leaning ideologies 
• Relaxing mode of address - chill out with George’s relaxing voice!
• Direct mode of address, parasocial relationship!
• Tone of voice and accent: George is clearly black and from London 
• Available through BBC sounds, more accessdible to nioche audience 
• Funded by BBC
• PBS
• Accessible anywhere, either through streaming through the app or direct download
• A range of different topics appeals to a range of niche audiences, plurality, a pluralistic approach!

Audience positioning

One excellent example of an opportunity for audience interaction can be found on the Common Ground website, a non BBC affiliated website website that is less to promote the podcast than provide fans ways of interacting with it. Powered by Chat GTP, the website uses digitally convergent media to directly address the audience as George in ways not previously possible. Through answering a series of questions, the audience are able to interact with and discover facts about George, which allows the audience to form a parasocial relationship with George that would not be possible with old media. From a stereotypical perspective, younger audiences are more likely to engage with digitally convergent media, and George provides the young, potentially black target audience with a range of further resources to explore. Henry Jenkins argues that audiences are increasingly actively engaging with media products, and this is a fantastic example of fandom. However beyond this, Common Ground serves another purpose. Younger demographics are far less likely to listen to radio, and therefore websites like Common Ground allow for a larger and more diverse audiences to reached, by using digital tech to provide active audience responses

Digital technology also allows accessibility of the podcast, through the Sounds Web portal and the ability to stream or download

(d) Explain how radio programmes are shaped by the organisations that produce them. Refer to HYHGP to support your points. [12]

• TV licence
• Niche audience
• Deliberate low production values
• Unconventional for a radio, example walking out his house and announcing “it's nice out here’ 
• Extremely personal and emotional modes of address
• Surprising twists and unconventional narratives 
• Social issues and specific problems 
• Unconventional use of sound effects 

Representation - ideology and representation in Formation and an unseen print advert

1. Compare the ideologies conveyed through the representations in this advert for Hennessy cognac, released in America in the 1970s, and the music video you have studied.
In your answer, you must:

• consider how representations convey ideologies

• consider the similarities and differences in the ideologies conveyed

• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far social and cultural contexts affect the representations. [30]

Knee jerk reaction: the ideology of Formation is that Beyoncé is a powerful black woman, and black culture is complex and must be celebrated. The Hennessy advert constructs an ideology where black people are civilised, wealthy, and cool. Therefore there are considerable similarities between the representations, however, the video to formation deals with negative aspects such as poverty and police brutality against black people. 

Plan

Hennessy 

• Purple connotations of wealth and femininity
• MES of book suggests free time and a single woman 
• Representation of a well educated black woman
• Clean, sophisticated setting 
• Beige suit: connotations of business and wealth
• Binary opposition between sophisticated rep of black urban living and the flooded streets of New Orleans
• Gender performativity
• Hegemonic representation of gender roles
• Heteronormative gender roles 
• Man leaning on door frame is a proairetic code signalling his romantic intentions
• Romantic genre codes
• Use of 2-shot/MS anchored through the proximity of actors also represents a romantic mode of address
• The representation of an educated middle class black woman is notable because it resists the stereotype that all women are made notable only through their sexualisation and their attractiveness. By resisting the stereotype of black women only being presented in certain roles, the advert challenges the predominant ideology of the times 
• Sophisticated outfits
• The lexis of 'civilised' brings up an important postcolonial context, and constructs a binary opposition between 'black people' and 'civilization' in order to subvert and challenge the stereotypical assumption that black people are uncultured and uncivilised. It is worth noting that this representation is very blunt and on the nose, and while the producers of the advert mean well, this representation absolutely would not be acceptable in exactly the same way today.

Formation

• MES of sinking police car negative rep
• Binary opposition between Beyoncé's braids and dancers afros constructs a diverse representation
• The hair shop has connotations of black community
• Queer representations
• Liesbet Van Zoonen - Beyoncé's sexualised representation reinforces a patriarchal ideological perspective about women, and anchors the ideological perspective that in order to be power, women must be sexually attractive
• Beyoncé is powerful, confident and empowered 
• However bell hooks argued that Beyoncé's self sexualisation was a form of terrorism, and reinforces the ideological perspective that the only way to be powerful is to be hegemonically attractive and sexualised 
• Beyoncé's sophisticated antebellum era dress refers to a specific period in the late 19th century in the south of America. Making intertextual references to films like gone with the wind, Beyoncé's white dress, repeated in one of the master shots throughout the video would only have been worn by a woman who’s family owned slaves. This shocking ideological representation is further anchored through the MES of the setting of the luxurious old wooden house. However, Beyoncé is not supporting the ideology of slavery, but instead is rebelling against this ideological perspective. By re-appropriating the racist iconography of the antebellum dress, Beyoncé is breaking social hierarchies, and placing herself in a position

Applying theory in the most effective way possible

This task helps practise for the unseen media language question, the unseen representation comparison question, and the industry and audience questions by using a single unseen newspaper front page pulled from Tomorrow's Papers Today

However, the real focus of this revision task is to practise using theory, and to demonstrate how useful certain theories are. The following theories are from completely different parts of the framework, yet they all link together when applied at a high level. Therefore, while I have tried to keep them separate, in the group discussion, they all overlapped. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY FINE AND GOOD, as long as you absolutely make sure to actually answer the question in front of you! For example, if it’s a representation question, semiotics is perfect for understanding how representations are constructed.

Media Language - Semiotics - Barthes - Different meanings are constructed through different codes. A code is anything that can hold meaning

• The image of the murdered old man is set against a black background, which here connotes death and evil.
• The binary opposition constructed between the scandalous headline story of murder and the idyllic country garden constructs a highly enticing binary opposition to the target audience, and infers that this newspaper will be excellent value for money. This diametric opposition is further anchored through the symbolism of the colour palettes: grey and miserable for murder, and bright and green for the country gardens

Representation - Representation - Hall - Representations are constructed through media language by the producer to present an ideology to the audience. Stereotypes always occur where there is an imbalance of power

• A binary opposition is constructed between the good, innocent and white older gentleman, and the younger, threatening and black murderer. 
• This binary opposition reinforces the differences between the protagonist and the antagonist of this narrative. 
• Additionally, the mental health of the murderer is underplayed in favour of constructing him as a threatening killer, a fact that is anchored through the selection of images, which clearly depicts the MES of blood on the murderer’s hand, inferring his guilt from the outset.. (Click here for a more reasoned analysis of the link between underfunding mental health services and apparently random acts of murder, published in the broadsheet newspaper The Guardian)
• Additionally, this is a perfect example of a biased representation of a man of colour. While traditionally white people are represented in more favourable ways in both tabloid and broadsheet newspapers, the stereotype that black people are more threatening and dangerous has been cultivated through highly biased representations for decades. 
• Finally the representation of a scandalous murder proves a source of escapism for the target audience. These horrible narratives are shocking, and clearly will appeal to a working class audience. The maxim ‘if it bleeds it leads’ is often used by tabloid newspapers in particular, and by manipulating the target working class audience with a fearful mode of address, Reach PLC ensure maximum audience consumption
• The National Trust, and visiting large stately homes is seen as a stereotypical middle class activity, where a middle class lifestyle is sold to the target audience. However, in targeting a working class audience, The National Trust are using the promise of a free family pass as a sell line and incentive to target a working class audience who may normally not visit stately homes. This marketing strategy is clearly carried out in the name of power and profit, and directly benefits the Mirror through the use of a lucrative advertising contract. 

Media industries - Power - Curran and Seaton - The sole function of a media product is for power and profit

• The simple and straightforward selection of stories in tabloid newspapers are carefully selected to reflect the ideology of the producer. By presenting such a straightforward ‘good vs evil’ ideology to their working class target audience, a manipulative mode of address here ensures that the Daily Mirror minimises risk and maximises profit
• By including a brief lead in story on the front page, the newspaper ensures it’s financial success, by offering the target audience a teasing hermeneutic code 

Audience - Reception - Hall - The producer encodes a message or ideology, and the audience can decode this in a variety of different ways

• The image of the old smiling man against a black backdrop encodes an ideological perspective that the victim was innocent and vulnerable. In turn this strongly constructs a preferred ideological perspective that the audience should feel sorry for him, and therefore will engage more with the newspaper. This ideology is heavily anchored through the lexis ‘pure evil’ which clearly refers to the murderer, and constructs a clear and straightforward mode of address for the working class target audience.