Question 1
(40 marks)
This question will be a Textual Analysis oB f Print based material.
You should revise how to analyse Film Posters and Magazine Covers.
Be Familiar with the words and meanings of VISUAL CODES, LAYOUT AND DESIGN, LANGUAGE AND MODE OF ADDRESS.
Visual Codes-
- Clothing and physical appearance
- gesture and body language
- facial expressions
- settings
- use of colour
- any use of graphics
- denotation/connotation (what its associated represented)
- intertextuality ( taking one text and referencing it in another)
Layout and design
- masthead
- cover lines (puffs)
- dateline
- main image
- main coverline
- barcode
mode of address-
whether something is formal or informal. For example, a kids TV show will be presented informally, whereas the six o'clock news will be presented formally
Language-
this term refers to the style of language used when addressing a particular audience largely depending on its age and educational level: for example the language used in THE SUN is more simple and colloquial than used in THE DAILY TELEGRAPH.
Question 2
(one 10 mark question and one 20 mark question)
This question will deal with Audience.
You should revise the different types of Audience based on AGE, GENDER, RACE, REGION, SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS.
You should also revise USES AND GRATIFICATIONS theory.
Audience there are two types. Mass and Niche. A mass audience are large audience which are usually for tv shows like eastenders or premiership football match. Niche are much smaller audiences they are usually dedicated and very loyal. Example BBC four.
Question 3
(30 marks)
This question will deal with representation of GENDER.
You should revise and find strong case studies of GENDER representation in the media today. Chooses a variety of examples from PRINT (newspapers, magazines etc) VISUAL (Television programs, Films, Music Videos and Advertisements)
You should use THREE good examples and be as detailed as possible.
KATY PERRY- Music videos
Sexualised throughout all of her videos, her first video was I kissed a girl and the name is very explicit itself. The video involves half naked girls dancing around Katy. To me this shows desperation of becoming famous. Katy’s family is very religious so by saying she kissed a girl doesn’t show any respect to herself or her family.
California Gurls- another hit by Katy Perry but the video to go with the song is just pathetic. The representation she gives to her fans and a younger audience is diabolical. Her video is being played like a game. Also she gets naked and lies on a candy floss cloud. To me this shows desperation. Not only does she get naked she wears inappropriate outfits which squirts cream out of her bra. It gives the representation of women a bad and desperate vibe. Even though Katy Perry isn’t the only one doing this it’s not like she has ever changed. Artists like Rhianna and Miley Cyrus in my opinion have been inspired to be this to become a bigger and more well know artist.
Part of me- She isn’t getting naked in this video but what she does is influence by a man. Which gives not only the representation of a pushover but weak by how she only did what she did because she got cheated on. It shows she can’t make that decision by herself. Even in this video it like Katy jumps at any chance for the world to see her body. In part of me it shows when she’s getting changed which in my opinion you could do without. In my opinion it shows the army like a joke because she only did it because of a man and she keeps referring to him. The representation here is like I have said weakness and that a women can’t function without a man.
These two videos are totally different but still have the same in sight by how women are treated in the music industry. Katy perry is portrayed as a sex object throughout any video or song. Women these days are the complete opposite of a domestic housewife. The representation of women are sexualise objects only to entertain and please the male audience.
Lead character from the top 67 films of 2012
55 of the lead characters were male only twelve were female
- Men are seen as the protectors, the saviors, the breadwinners, and the know-alls.
- In the few movies where we see strong lead female characters, we also see them having the support of at least one male who is involved in their situation in some way where the female ends up needing their help
- We very rarely see any breaks in stereotypical gender roles. Even in action films where the lead is a female, there is always some sort of emotional baggage tied into the movie that makes her seem more “soft.”
- There were plenty of films where women were presented in stereotypical roles, which we would define as stereotypes that perpetuate gender roles within a male-dominated system. In these roles women are overtly feminine, have weak character, lack confidence, have an identity that is tied to a man or need to be saved by a man.
Project X-
One example is how women are portrayed in the film Project X. Project X is a “high school” film about three guys who throw a party at one of their houses, a party that is over the top in terms of size, but fits into the typical high school film genre. One of the lead male characters has a friend who is female. They flirt on and off before the party, but want to hook up at the party. Instead, the male character, played by Thomas Mann, ends up with another woman at one point. The girlfriend walks in on them, runs away, only to forgive him later and be by his side after the fallout from the party devastation.
In addition, there are scenes all throughout the film during the party, where some of the high school girls in attendance are topless around and in the pool. This kind of casual hypersexual depiction does not take place with male characters, thus normalizing the objectification of female bodies.
