Representation within media
'Batman' Movie Trailer 2021
Signifiers such as “FBI” are used to show the presence of authority within the world the film is trying to portray and perhaps how there will be conflict between a character within the movie and the “FBI”. There are also images of blood that manufacture feelings of danger, death and torture. The news-paper within the trailer generates a sense of urgency and fear as this could mean whatever the notion is a threat to everyone and that everyone should be aware. The word “Batman” is repeated several time throughout the trailer; a big indication that he is the main character of the movie – hero or villain? The Batman Logo is also shown throughout, which is globally renowned for being the logo of a character that is a hero amongst men.
The social groups being represented in this trailer are those of authority, the criminals and the civilians of the city. The criminals are being represented by thugs that are holding weaponry and have angry expressions on their faces. The civilians have a look of fear within their eyes and are in positions of entrapment and hostage. We can see this from items such as tape wrapped around their hands and feet, that shows some sort or bondage – they also hold no weapons. The authoritarian figures are in matching uniforms and tend to have some sort of weapon whether that be a fire arm or baton, the expressions on their faces are more often serious and solum.
Deviant behaviour is the behaviour of the thugs and criminals, this is because these are the people that Batman has physical conflict with throughout the trailer and generally vicious people withholding weapons, without uniform, in our own society are considered to be unlawful citizens. The Batman is considered to be a normal character as he is working alongside the people in recognisable uniform, even though he is in a Bat suit, that would be considered outlandish in our own society to wear.
The representation was created by our own society and stigmas that are based on real life experiences. This is because we use things that happen to us in our own personal lives to make judgment or sense of things that are unfamiliar to us.
The stereotype of the criminal is used as there are screaming and using profane language, they look unkept and have “mean” facial expressions whilst carrying arsenals. They make us naturally fear them and want them to be stopped. The Batman is dominant as he is seen breaking a thugs arm and pounding him, needlessly, to the ground. He also appears in the majority of the scenes throughout the sequence.
The reality the trailer creates is that Batman is the only one that has the strength to stop the masked villain and his affiliates, as the police seem to be failing and getting hurt by the thugs as well as the civilians. The representation has a loose relation to reality, as the main character; the Batman is a fictional character and there isn’t just one person that a whole police team relies on to save the day in any city, anywhere.
'Humans' Show Review
The signifiers in this show are mainly sounds, for example, the sound of a Synth that is being turned on or off is just a two-tone noise that signifies this. The colour of the eyes of the characters within the show signifies whether the characters are humans or synths, making it easier for the audience. The police have uniforms that are the same as those in real life, making it easy for a UK audience to note who the police officers are.
The representation was conducted by the writers and director as they decided that they wanted there to be tension between the two groups. To do this each group has to be represented in opposing ways; one group being clealry against the other and the just wanting to be accepted however both groups fearing the other for valid reasons. This drives the story forward and gives it purpose.
The stereotype that the synths are stupid and can't think for themselves is used often, having them say things like ‘I don’t understand the question’ repeatedly or making foolish errors, this is so that there is a more noticeable difference between the conscious and non-conscious synths.
The reality of is one of a parallel universe that is far from a life that we know but at the same time very familiar in more ways than one. Ever since technology started to evolve humans have begun to fear it for what it may potentially become; stronger and smarter than the human being. The synths could also represent a different race and how humans have treated those of different races; as if they are without thought or feeling making the synths easy to sympathise with as humans have always feared what they know little of or don’t completely understand. Therefore the reality of a synth world is very familiar to a modern-day audience.
One of the groups represented within this show is a traditional, middle class, nuclear family that has typical family dramas and dysfunctions. The other is the synthetic characters that are created by the humans to serve them, however, within this group, there are two types, the few synths that have a consciousness and the majority of synths that do not have a conscious. The humans (nuclear family) are shown to be considered normal and accepted within society, the synths without a conscious are accepted by the many, however, there are some humans that don’t believe that they should exist. The synths that have a conscious are considered to be undesirable and an extreme from the norm; they have to hide their true selves not to risk being destroyed by the humans that fear them and their power. As an audience we are made to recognise that the synths with a conscious are far from the norm, yet we are still made to sympathise with them and understand their fear of the humans.
The dominant characters at the beginning of the show are the humans as they are in control of the synths, the creators of the synths. They are able to abuse them in multiple ways, physically and sexually; using synths as prostitutes and punching bags in illegal cage fighting. However, throughout the first series, there seems to be a shift in a dynamic where we see the synths start to better humans in subtle ways that could be used to foreshadow future events.
'RuPaul's Drag Race' show review
In RuPaul’s Drag Race signifiers such as a checked flag is used to signify the “race” aspect of the show. This is used within the setting and staging of the programme as well as in the title screen. The alarm bell that is set off before RuPaul’s video means he will appear on the screen and give the competitors the challenge for the week, letting the competitors know that RuPaul will soon enter the workroom. Phrases such as “shanté you stay” mean that the contestant will get to continue to the next round the following week. The term “saché away” means that that particular contestant will be sent home because of their poor performance.
The social groups being represented within the show are those of the LGBTQ+ community and the drag community, the show often highlights their struggles that they have within the rest of society. The drag queens and the industry is normalised within the show, as well as being apart of the LGBTQ+ community. The behaviour shown tends to be standard and they are portrayed as normal people with a bit of added flare; “charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent” is a common saying throughout the show which are qualities the contestants must aspire to having.
As the host and a producer of the show, RuPaul has a large influence on the representation that is constructed throughout the programme, however, the representation of the gay community is represented by the contestants themselves as they are seen being themselves throughout the show. As an audience, however, we can't be entirely too sure that everything we see happened as it did as things can change through editing and be perceived differently by those that are watching.
Some stereotypes are used throughout the show, the workroom itself is completely decorated in pink, this is where the contestants spend most of their time and where they are mainly shot. This can be perceived that the men in the competition, although doing drag, are all incredibly feminine in their personal lives also and to a less informed audience they may perceive all gay men, those that aren’t in the show, to come across as ultra-feminine – when this simply isn’t true.
The stereotype that all gay men are loud, bold, sassy and feminine could have harmful impacts on the way they are perceived by a larger, less informed audience and could also be damaging to those that do not fit into that category of gay men as they may feel that they are not being represented properly.
RuPaul is the most dominant within the show as he has the power to send people home at any point. Second to him would be Michelle visage as she is RuPaul’s most trusted judge, she has influence over who is sent home from the competition.
RuPaul’s dominance and constant praise and worship throughout the show create the illusion that RuPaul is a very important figure within drag that should be constantly celebrated. He appears to know the “correct” way to drag and can easily spot out the “talented” drag queens from the “non-talented” queens.
Narrative Theorists
The Enigma code
The Enigma code Roland Barthes
This is a code that suggests that there is something within the piece, a mystery, that makes the audience ask questions, such as, “who did it?” A question like this is often the driving force of the film and is then followed by some action codes that drive the plot forward so that the audience can get their answer. In the trailer for the Falcon and winter soldier, the questions are ‘who are they trying to defeat?’ ‘Why does this person want to get rid of all heroes?’ this is then followed by action codes, which can be signifiers, of the Captain America shield and logo throughout the trailer. This suggests that there is going to be a conflict where ‘America’ may have to defend itself. There are also scenes of shooting and violence suggesting that our protagonist and antagonists may have some head-on conflict eventually.
Binary opposition
This is the theory that the man will always have to have a conflict with something for there to be a narrative. These are the seven binary oppositions that come up in both film and literature.
Man vs nature
Man vs man
Man vs the environment
Man vs machines/ technology
Man vs the supernatural
Man vs self
Man vs god/religion
They provide literary context for a text and help audiences understand the theme of a film. Within the trailer Falcon and The Winter Soldier, the theme appears to be Man vs Man as a lot of the conflict and action happens between what looks like people although they could be supernatural as this wouldn’t be unfamiliar to the Marvel brand. The trailer also suggests man vs man between the two main characters as there is a scene at the end of the trailer where the two compete against each other in a trivial eye contest. This level of competitiveness could foreshadow events in the film and future conflicts between the two that get in the way of them stopping the real enemy.
Other binary oppositions include:
Good vs Evil
Male vs Female
Humanity vs Technology
Nature vs Industialisation
East vs West
Dark vs Light
Dirt vs Clean
The trailer suggests that the film will be about good vs evil as a line presumably from the villain states that he wants to ‘get rid of all heroes’. The norm in society is that we always root for the hero, therefore making anyone that wants to do them harm the enemy; evil.
Vladimir Propp - Narrative
Propp was a theorist that identified plots and there were only 31 generic functions to a plot. He developed this into the 8 spheres of action narrative.
1 – The villain
2 – The hero (seeking something)
3 – The donor (Provides an object with magic property)
4 – The helper (aids hero)
5 – The princess (reward for hero and object of villain scheme – although the princess can be male.
6 – Her Father – (who rewards hero)
7 – The dispatcher – who sends the hero on his way
8 – The False hero
Within the trailer, although not clear who, there is a villain our protagonists have to defeat. We have our two heroes who are seeking out his villain in order to stop them. There also would appear to be a donor as the Falcon at a point in the trailer is holding captain Americas shield. Even though we don’t actually see Chris Evans (Captain America) we can only assume that that is where Falcon obtains the weapon.
Todrov's Equilibrium Theory
This is the theory that all starts well and ends well however there is a disruption in between. The five stages are
1. A state of equilibrium (all is well)
2. A disruption of that order by an event
3. A recognition that disorder has occurred
4. An attempt to repair the damage of disorder
5. A return or restoration of new equilibrium
Within the trailer, it would seem that it has displayed the events of the story in a non-chronological fashion. This makes it hard for the entire theory to apply, however, it is evident that it starts off being well, in a state of equilibrium, then moves through stages 2-4. But what we don’t see within the trailer is stage 5. This is paramount however because for a trailer to be successful there have to be unanswered questions that the audience wants to find out, relating back to the Enigma code theory.
There is also a circular narrative that tends to be where the story starts at any point in the narrative and the character tends to have a transformation. This may be more befitting for this film as there would appear there is room for the two protagonists to resolve their differences and become a fully functioning team.
Three Plot Act Syd Field
This is where the plot of the story can be split up into three acts; The setup, confrontation and resolution. To move from one stage to the other key plot points must take place that changes the lives of the characters. Field says the setup is very important as within the first 10 minutes the audience knows whether they are interested or not, its vital for the filmmaker to setup the film properly and introduce the characters to the audience. Within this trailer it is difficult to apply this rule exactly however there is a setup, good vs evil, our protagonist must stop the antagonist
The confrontation is where most of the action happens, they come into contact with the enemy and possibly start to turn things around. Within this trailer you can only get a sense of confrontation, you cant tell if they are beginning to turn things around and win just yet; there is only confrontation and fighting.
The finally part is the resolution, the trailer obviously doesn’t show this however, it usually entails of the character going to make a final victory on the villains turf.
media influences
I don’t think they have normalised what people would call typical behaviour, especially for women as they are all a bunch of criminals and outcasts, however they have done this with their costumes – the women are dressed in tight, short clothing that tends to expose a lot more skin than the males. I think this has been done to ponder to a male audience and fall into the trap of reaffirming the male gaze. The impact of the Harley Quinn costume, was astronomical after the first film, many young females wanted to dress up an look like her around the time of Halloween or just create and showcase makeup looks inspired by the character in general.
The theory, in this case, is that social media influencers on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok had an influence on many young females, making the Harley Quinn look desirable. The step flow theory is the theory that suggests most people form an opinion from someone else’s opinion, these are called opinion leaders and tend to gather their information from the mass media or they can be people that have a strong platform on social media. An example of this could be the Ben Shapiro show that gives opinions on current politics.
Hypodermic needle syringe theory
The idea that media is produced to satisfy one of these four things: diversion, personal identity, personal relationships and surveillance. The movie, Suicide Squad, has the purpose of allowing the audience to create personal relationships with the characters as you learn about their lives and backstories this also could encourage the audience to identify with some of the characters also.
This theory relates to how we interpret different forms of media for example there are three different ways this can happen; the preferred or dominant way which is where the audience picks up the message that was intended by the creator, for example, the sitcom Friends is meant to be a comedy as it has encoded features that would make it obvious to the reader that humour is the intended notion i.e the laughing in the background after a punchline.
The audience can have a negotiated reading of the sitcom also, this happens when some moments of the show are meant to be interpreted as quite serious or more meaningful and are perceived by the audience to be cringe-worthy or even laughable. This could be because in their own experiences situations such as those in the show have been deemed to be not that big of an ordeal.
The final way of interpreting the piece of media i.e friends is by understanding the texts code and the intended meaning however choosing to reject it for certain reasons, one of these being political, the audience may find that by watching, or re-watching in most cases, that the text is misogynistic or has a poor representation of women, this is called a radical reading where the audience may have feminist, right wing or Marxist views in which that they are not able to accept the intended meaning as they see it showing or representing something else.
Two-Step Flow Theory
The Gratification model
The Stuart Hall Reception Theory
Relating to the narrative
The theory that most relate to my piece is Binary opposition this is because it's easy to distinguish who and what the enemy is and because of this, it is clear to get an understanding of the concept and theme of the plot itself. The theme is good against evil or man v supernatural. This tells me, as a member of the audience, that there will be supernatural elements to it, concluding that it is a science fiction film. It's easier for them to understand the genre of the film and what to expect when it comes to the conflict. I don’t think the other narrative theories work just as well, this is because Propp’s theory applies to the characters and the role they have in moving the plot forward. My narrative doesn’t have elaborate characters that have a huge influence on the plot, there are few that fit into the characters that Propp has outlined but not all my characters do this.
The enigma theory relates to an ongoing question throughout the narrative, this is something that my plot doesn’t really have. There may be questions the audience may want to have answered but they are not the driving force of the film or what pushes the narrative forward. It is difficult to get a sense for the film through this option as there isn’t a burning question that must be answered in the end.
If I were to have this broadcast on a streaming service, I would choose Netflix as the style and theme of my movie takes influence from Edgar Wright, who makes movies such as At worlds end and Shaun of the dead; movies that have inspired my own film. Netflix has a decent range of films that are made by Wright and other movies made in a similar fashion on their platform, making me believe that my film will be quite popular on there and fit into that category.
Todorov's theory was also considered, I think that this theory does fit quite well as there a versions of them that fit with linear and non linear plot. However I dot feel that you get a sense of what the film will be about. Most films tend to “end well” as there must be some sort of resolution and conclusion. I feel as if this theory is just too broad and vague to get a feel for what my narrative is about.