Representation Theory no. 3

Representation Theory no. 2

Representation Analysis/Representation Theory

Mulvey

Mulvey argues that film provides scopophilic pleasure to the audience. Female characters tend to be displayed for the visual pleasure of male characters and male spectators. For Mulvey, men look, women are looked at. Women are the object of the gaze (looked at), whilst male characters/spectators are the subject of the gaze (or the bearers of the look - the people looking). Women connote 'to-be-looked-at-ness', and are the focus of a clearly male gaze. Mulvey identifies an important process whereby women are coded as the object of the gaze (and represented sexually). Robin Thicke's video supports this theory, where women are represented sexually. However, her work has been criticised for only focusing on the male, heterosexual spectator, and ignoring the male providing the visual pleasure.

Audience Theory no. 3

Audience Theory no. 2

Audience Analysis/Audience Theory

David Morley

Social and Cultural Context

-Reception theory - 'the politics of the living room'

-The meaning of the text will be constructed differently depending on the audience member's position in society

-Differences based on things like social class, gender, and ethnicity, may determine an individual's cultural tastes

-People from different social groups will have a knowledge of the codes of different types of media texts

For example, people may construct this music video differently, with a different teenagers growing up happily with their families. People may think that the signs shown are false because of the background they come from, for example they may not have grown up with a family around them. However, other may think it is a very good representation of growing up because it reflects how they grew up, because it is a similar background they came from.

Narrative Theory no. 3

Narrative Analysis/Narrative Theory no. 2

Todorov

Todorov states that narratives have an equilibrium (the normal life of a character) - diequilibrium (disruption to that life) - resolution (return to an equilibrium). The key idea here relates to the equilibrium and resolution.

The happy family at the start of the video is being represented as 'normal' - the equilibrium

The abuse towards the mother is the disequilibrium

The father being sent to prison and the daughter moving out is presented as the resolution, which is creating a new equilibrium as it doesn't return to 'normal'

This narrative rienforces values that are needed in life, such as happiness and escapism

Narrative Analysis/Narrative Theory

Levi Strauss

Levi-Strauss looked at narrative structure in terms of binary oppositions. Binary oppositions are sets of opposite values which reveal the structure of media texts.

boy vs girl
sitting down for breakfast vs walking out
jewellery vs guns
ignorant vs intimacy

Genre Theory no. 3

Genre Theroy no. 2

Genre Analysis/Genre Theory

Neale

Genres are made up of not just groups of films, but also audience expectations, and discourse including marketing, and media discussion. Genres help audiences understand texts.

Expectations that audience might bring to this product is: women, fast editing, dancing

Genre would help them make sense of the product because hip hop is typically upbeat and played at parties/discos for example.

Initial Ideas Tesselate by Alt-J