Representation of regional identity

Representation of regional identity

Regional Identity refers to the part of the United Kingdom someone is from. It could refer to a general area such a “North” or “South”, a country such as “English” or “Scottish” or specific towns such as “London” or “Manchester.”




Essex: often shown as being glamourous but cheap, footballer’s wives, lots of partying, being quite stupid

South England: often shown as being the centre of culture, modern, classy, clever, sunny, richer, doing middle class jobs such as managers, etc.

North England: often shown as being poorer, bad weather, lower class, aggressive, less culture, less clever, doing working class jobs such as builders, etc.

Representation of class

Representations of poverty and underclass

Portrayal usually negative and stereotypical,

 Portrayed in the form of statistics in news bulletin such as figures of unemployment,

 Recent media interest in the labelling of the poor such as “chavs” which according to Shildrick and MacDonald (2007) suggest that the poor are undeserving of sympathy,

Hayward and Yar (2006) – the term chav is used as an amusing term of abuse for young poor people 

         The word 'vile' puts a negative light on everyone that is part of the welfare system and it doesn't make you feel sorry for them as they should be working. That man is sat there with his six children, on benefits, not paying taxes when someone else is working 9 until 5 everyday, not on benefits and paying their tax so 'vile' people like the man on the image doesn't have to.  By the newspapers describing them as 'vile products' makes it look like that families on benefits aren't humans and that they are nothing but objects. 

needy and drain resources

anchorage between caption and image

demonisation of people unemployed and working class

benefits cheats and abuses the system 

children wearing cheap clothes, father wearing adidas 

Mise en scene:

Wide shot of council estate, associated with working class people- littered area

Fire

Police

Obsessed with partying

Drinking down the pub

Smoking- chain smoker, always with one in his hand. Using benefits to pay for them

Rude

Beer cans

Rough, cheap clothing

Knuckle dusters

Violent- toilet scene, fights

Flawed because he is an alcoholic and unemployed but he won't get a job with a drinking problem

All live together

Sexual behaviour- inappropriate

Rebellious- no respect

Camera work:

Slow motion

Zoom fast on faces

Follows them around

Shaky- reflects chaotic lifestyle

Editing:

One scene to the next

Dull colours

Sound:

Swearing- poor parenting skills 

Accents

Music 

Overall, by watching Shamless, you are left quite gobsmacked at how some families act and what

they do. They always have a beer in one hand which could represent that they have a drinking

problem, they are all chain smokers who are unemployed which shows that they spend their benefit

money on cigarettes and drinks and nothing else. The steretype of the working class being violent is

rude, is shown heavily throughout the scenes as they start fights, swear and shout eachother and hang

out outside of shops. The stereotypical council estate is shown to be in a littered area, in a dark setting

which suggests that it is not a nice place. They are rebellious with no respect and this is shown when

they start fires wherever they want. 

Alvarado's Race Theory 1978

Four key themes in racial representation

-Exotic

-Dangerous

-Humorous

-Pitied

Black stereotypes

Become accustomed to seeing black people as successful athletes

Criminals/ black gangsters

Knife and gun crime

American hip hop music

Representation

Stereotypes

Males:
cant't cook or clean or look after children
men are supposed to be doctors
play video games
jobs involving physical work

Females:

house wives
have babies
lower than men
have to constantly look good
unemployed

Youth:

wear hoodies
have life easy
insecure
easier exams
criminals
drugs
alcohol
no interest in politics
knife carriers
phone obsessed
brain dead
wear full face of makeup
moody
can't drive

Scottish:
alcoholics
argumentative
drug addicts
rugby 
gingers
pessimistic
love haggis
always wear kilts

Black people:
strong, black women
dance
can't swim
likes chicken
loud
violent (gangs)

Essex:

spray tan
loud
short clothes
over the top
short tempered

UK migration is represented as saying that UK has no control over it's borders and that we get little say in what goes on. The EU laws dictate everything that goes on. The words 'Breaking point' are all capitalised letters and in a very bold colour. This could suggest the anger people have about migration and warning people about it. By using an image with lots of migrants in the background, it could suggest the amount of people actually coming into the country and it could show that there is a never ending 'line'.

The ideology of UKIP is that they are against EU and believe in everything opposite. They want stricter borders to stop migration from happening. The stereotypes of the migrants suggest that they are poor, needy and ragged. 

Task 3: you will be required to copy the common stereotypes and theories used by the media in the representation of the following groups.

Youth/age:
rebellious
artificial tribe
sexual
violent
self-destructive
nihilistic 

The Inbetweeners

After watching this episode of the inbetweeners, the stereotypes that I have picked up on are:

Teenage boys vandalise things as they think they are cool. In this episode, they ruined a flower display on a round a bout
When they get left home alone, youths think about throwing parties without their parent's permission.
Stereotypical that youths hang around on the streets causing trouble sometimes. They were standing outside a shop.
All teenagers swear a lot, always comes out of their mouth. Such as 'Fuck'
Homophobic as Jay calls Will's new game station gay.
All teenage boys think about is sex and fun. When Jay was on his own
Objectifying women as they are all obsessed with Will's mum and think about sexual stuff to do with her

Representation of women

Beauty (within narrow conventions)
Size/physique
Sexuality
Emotional
Relationships (as opposed to independence)

Often represented as being part of a context (family, friends)
Passive rather than active (passivity extends to victimhood)

In advertising and magazines they are shown as:
Young
Slim
Overwhelmingly white
Perfect hair, skin and alluring eyes

They are often linked to the domestic situation:
Women are housewives or mothers
Or as sex objects represented to entertain men

Gender representation






Representation of men

The fool/Buffoon- Characters which range from slightly inept to hopeless in work or parenting and domestic situations

The metrosexual- Young, single man with a high income, living in the city. He is objectified and sexualised which goes against traditional representations of masculinity. Metrosexual man is not gay.

Masculinity and violence- Widespread and disturbing equation of masculinity and pathological control and violence. Violence, dominance and control - create that as being normal

Male characters are often represented as isolated, not needing to rely on anyone

Strength- Physical and intellectual
Power
Sexual attractiveness

Physique
Independence- action and finances

Men look good in suits whereas women have to be naked to look good and appealing. Lana is wearing makeup and jewellery to make her physically attractive. She is wearing red lipstick which represents her being sexy and seductive. Tinie is wearing a clean suit and glasses which shows he is important and intelligent. The white background makes him stand out as he is the boldest image on the page. Lana has a fancy background so it doesn't make just her stand out. Tine is serious where Lana is seductive. Male's body language shows us he is confident whereas the women's body language shows us she could be quite desperate and vulnerable. Males need to wear a suit to look smart and women need to look desperate. To be women of the year you have to be naked which suggests that women are being objectified.

Constructed Media prints

Constructed Media (Prints) 

In these two images, Jeremy Corbyn has been portrayed in very different ways. In the left image, Jeremy has been presented as being like rubbish and is he is actually in the bin. His hands are diry, and his beard is unshaven which could suggest that he is scruffy and not well put together. "Don't chuck Britain in the COR-BIN" uses play on words with his last name as they are referring to his surname as actually being a bin. In the red headboard, it says "we've had enough of Jezza's rubbish" and this shows that they are representing him in a bad light and even by calling him "Jezza" is disrespecting his own name. By him being in a bin could suggest that he is full of rubbish and everything that he says isn't right.With the bullet pointing down the side it can be seen as very straight to the point and not very presentable. It lists all the negative things he will bring to the country and this is also represented by the dirty background and half eaten apple. In the next magazine, Jeremy Corbyn has been shown to look very powerful. The angle he is standing at and his posture, such as the arms crossing, could represent his power and that he is a strong man. He looks very smart in his clean, presentable suit and he looks put together with his shaven beard. The background colour contrasts hugely with his suit because it is so light, yet he is wearing something so dark. This makes him stand out as he is the boldest and biggest feature on the page. They use words like 'hostile takeover' which is much more professional and appealing than 'Cor-bin' and 'Jezza'.

In these two images, Theresa May has been presented in a negative way. These articles would have bought negative attention towards her. In the first article from The Sun, there is a massive picture of her leopard print heel on top of six mens face's. How the layout of this newspaper has been presented could make people think that Theresa May is standing on their head's to show her power and control. It is very degrading for the men because it makes them seem like they are worthless and unimportant if someone is literally standing on them. The heading, 'Heel, Boys' could be viewed as her talking to the men as dogs. "Heel', is something you say to your dog when you want them to stop and stand near you, so this could represent May making sure that they knew who's in charge and who has authority. The word 'Boys', is also degrading for the six men because it suggests that Theresa is calling them children and that is why they need someone to control them and that they aren't worthy enough. The heels being the centre and main point of the page show the readers what they want them to see first and by the heels being leopard print, it makes them stand out. In the next article from the Daily Mail, it shows Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon sitting next to each other. They use play on words like  "Legs-it" as both of the women have their legs out. By having that as the main title, it will draw people to look at their legs before anything which could be seen as objectifying. "Who won legs-it' shows that their is competition and a bit of rivalry between May and Sturgeon, so by asking who won, it is just stirring the pot. The heading will make the readers just think the article is about legs, which is not the message they need.

History of the media

History of the media

Timeline of media from MacyHoward

Media Definitions

Definitions

Anchorage. Anchorage is when a piece of media uses another piece of media to reduce the amount of connotations in the first, therefore allowing the audience to interpret it much more easily. For instance, in a newspaper, pictures are accompanied by a caption that allows us to understand what the picture is showing us.

Constructed Media. The process by which a media text is shaped and given meaning through a process that is subject to a variety of decisions and is designed to keep the audience interested in text. 

Representation. Representation is how media texts deal with and present gender, age, ethnicity, national and regional identity, social issues and events to an audience.

Stereotypes. These are a simplified representation of a person, groups of people or a place, through basic or obvious characteristics - which are often exaggerated.

Counter stereotypes. Are  positive stereotypes. They Focus on positive elements of a group traditionally represented as bad.

Identity. Is a socially and historically constructed concept. ... Social and cultural identity is inextricably linked to issues of power, value systems, and ideology . The media uses representations—images, words, and characters or personae—to convey specific ideas and values related to culture and identity in society.

Mediation. Every time we encounter a media text, we are not seeing reality, but someone’s version of it.

ideology. These are ideas and beliefs, held by media producers, which are often represented in their media texts.

Social power. In social science and politics, power is the ability to influence or outright control the behaviour of people. The term "authority" is often used for power perceived as legitimate by the social structure.

Caricature. a picture, description, or imitation of a person in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect.

Media language.

Narrative. a spoken or written account of connected events

Mise en scene. the arrangement of the scenery and the props, {props}

Editing. correcting, condensing, and modifying 

Camera work.

•Emotive Language – the use of language to generate specific emotional reactions in the target audience

•Headlines – The text highlighting the main story being given priority by the producers of the print media text. Often designed to be eye-catching.

•Inverted pyramid structure - Newspaper stories start with the main events. Then they give more details and eyewitness comments in short paragraphs. The paragraphs at the end of the story are less important than those at the beginning. This allows sub-editors to shorten stories by cutting paragraphs from the end.

•Layout – How the print media text has been designed and formatted.

•Masthead - The top section of a newspaper which gives the paper’s title, price and date

•Sans Serif font – Font type which does not have lines perpendicular to the ends of letters e.g. Comic Sans – often seen as more contemporary. Think of Apple’s advertising.

•Serif font – Font type which does have lines perpendicular to the ends of letters e.g. Times New Roman – generally seen as more traditional or higher class.

•Splash – The front page story

•Sub-headings – Smaller, typically one line headlines for other stories.

•Tabloid - Smaller newspapers aimed at a large audience. News is reported in less depth and emphasises human interest stories. The language level is lower, paragraphs and stories shorter, with more use of images. Content often includes more celebrities, media news and gossip. Examples: The Sun, The Mail, The Mirror, The Express

•Text to image ratio – This involves considering how weighted the print media text is with regards to text and image – you need to ask yourself why the ratio exists.

•Typography – The collective term when considering elements of print media relating to the style of the text such as the font, colour, serif, sans serif etc.

Hegemony. the dominance or leadership of one social group or nation over others.

•Banners – Typically found at the top or bottom of a print media text.

•Broadsheet - Large format newspapers that report news in depth, often with a serious tone and higher level language. News is dominated by national and international events, politics, business, with less emphasis on celebrities and gossip. Examples: The Independent, The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph

•Byline - A journalist's name at the beginning of a story.

Captions – Text below an image that describes the image or informs the audience who

•took the image.

Copy - Main text of a story.

•Coverlines – Captions on a magazine front cover

Connotations- An abstract meaning or intention of a term

Semiotics- The study of signs and symbols and their use of interpretation

Main Coverline- 

Tag- 

Header- 

Left third- 

‘puff’- 

•media language: how the media through their forms, codes, conventions and techniques communicate meanings

•media representations: how the media portray events, issues, individuals and social groups

•media industries: how the media industries’ processes of production, distribution and circulation affect media forms and platforms

•media audiences: how media forms target, reach and address audiences, how audiences interpret and respond to them and how members of audiences become producers themselves.

•‘media product’ refers to media texts, such as television programmes, newspapers, radio programmes etc., as well as to online, social and participatory media platforms

•‘intertextuality’ refers to the way aspects of a particular media product relate to another and thus accrue additional significance.

Decoding = understanding a media text

 Codes = can be visual (you can see them) or aural (you can hear them). Codes have symbolic value. For example in our society wearing a pair of glasses (glasses are the code) symbolises, or connotates, that you are clever. TV drama, magazines and videogames use these symbolic codes to generate character types and character archetypes.

What is Public Service Broadcasting?

In the United Kingdom, the term "public service broadcasting" refers to broadcasting intended for public benefit rather than to serve purely commercial interests.

Constructed media

Constructed media

The process by which a media text is shaped and given meaning through a process that is subject to a variety of decisions and is designed to keep the audience interested in text. 

Media are not windows on reality or mirrors of society. They are carefully constructed products.

This could mean that the media doesn't see everything that goes on, but when they publish products, they make the situation either sound worse or much better as they 'carefully construct' them.

and that even the most realistic images represent someone's interpretation of reality. 

not all of the pictures are real

When we say that all media messages are constructed, we mean that all media messages have been assembled by someone. 

based on someone's views    

newspaper writer’s articles may be based on his own beliefs, or based on the beliefs and ideologies of his publishers,

The products published could be biased as it is based on own thoughts and beliefs. 

Donald Trump's speech

Mexicans 

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/06/16/trump_mexico_not_sending_us_their_best_criminals_drug_dealers_and_rapists_are_crossing_border.html

Trump presented the Mexicans as being criminals, rapists and drug dealers. This would have had a massive impact on how 

people portray them as Trump is so widely known. It creates a 

negative impact on the whole country.

Obama's speech

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qKgS2O1QUQ from 4:00 to 5:48

The Mexican and American flag behind Obama, represent that he wanted

 to bring the two countries together and call a 'truce'. 

Serena Williams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvXJOnoFgqc

Serena was done for cheating in the US tennis game when she was taking advice from her coach. She was given a $17,000 fine and lost the game as a result of it. Serena could have had a point taken away instead but she insisted on arguing with the umpire.

Cartoon of Serena

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3xkt5Nquyg

These images were created by Mark Knight for the newspaper, Herald Sun. People were so angry with how she had been portrayed by cartoons and as a result of this, people took to twitter to share their views. 

Lynx advert

The stereotype that the women are 'house wives' that do all the cooking has been shown here as she is at the oven with a cooked chicken. I don't think it is that offensive because I see it as being a joke advert that intends to make people laugh. It is mainly aimed at men as lynx is a mens deodorant. 'can she make you lose control' could refer to the fact that the women is going to make them sweat and that they will need deodorant. Other people could see the advert as being offensive because the women can be seen as being a sexual object. 

The only way is essex

The only way is essex can present essex as being very fake and common because of the way everyone talks and looks. The makeup and fake tan is heavy and the dresses were short and this could have a negative affect on the public because the younger audience could think that this is how they should be and look. You can tell that this is scripted because the argument was petty and short and if it was a real argument it would have gone further.