Miss Sommel Exam prep Notes

Stereotypes in the 7 areas

Age

·         Represents how you act

·         Babies are shown crying and screaming

Or cute and cuddly

·         Elderly people are shown as weak and lazy

Or mad and weird

·         Babies and Elderly people are both shown as needing to be looked after

·         Teenagers are shown as rude trouble makers and are shown steeling, drinking and doing drugs.

Or they are shown as hard working students who never get into trouble or do anything wrong.

·          Middle age people however are shown arguing, disagreeing or comical.

Regional Identity

·         The ‘North’ is shown as friendly and without a word for ‘the’ because its pronounced ‘T’

·         The ‘South’ is shown as cold, grey, monotonous and yet sophisticated.

·         The ‘Countryside’ is shown as being nice with big houses, green grass and farmers.

·         The ‘City’ is shown as really fast paced, dull and grey.

·         The ‘Village’ is shown as being slow, relaxed, bright and colourful.

Ethnicity

·         Black teenagers are shown as being unapproachable wearing dark thick clothing.

·         Indian people are shown to wear traditional clothing and be set up in arranged marriages with controlling parents.

·         White lower class are shown as skin heads with rude and obnoxious attitudes living on council estates.

Also having lots of fights, being rough and being small minded.

·         Black male is seen as being lazy and unwilling to work, or violent criminals (robbery etc.)

·         Asian Gay is shown as not being allowed or as being taboo and never seen.

Sexuality

·         Gay is generally shown wearing tight clothes and over the top leather.

They are generally shown with dark colours, implying evil.

They are also shown to be glowing or more feminine with a high pitched voice etc.

As well as that they are shown to not be interested in sport, to talk a lot, to be interested in dance and to be a drama queen.

·         Lesbian however are shown to be the complete opposite of the stereotypical gay with a lower pitch voice, more masculine features and are generally described as butch.

Ability and Disability

·         Disabled people are generally shown wearing comfy indoor house wear and living in dirty rundown unappealing bungalows. They are also always shown with their carer in shot and are always shot from a high angle as if they are to be looked down upon. Their personalities are generally quite stupid, evil or even helpless.

Female Representation - Calvin Klein (Eva Mendes)

In the above advert you see how Calvin Klein has represented the female form. The have shown them both sexually empowered and at the same time they are objectified. They have done this in many ways.

Firstly to show the woman is sexually empowered they have given her a strong and powerful stance, legs apart and hands on hips. This is viewed as quite a masculine stance due to it being easier and more comfortable for men. The legs apart show a steady stance and show that she doesn’t need any kind of support. In the image she isn’t hunched over and is in quite a dominant pose showing attitude and power. She is also wearing a plain black bra, because it is plain and slimming but at the same time stylish and sexy. The hands on hips automatically directs the audiences gaze to a specific region, they are essentially pointing to where they want you to look. The woman is also objectified by oiling up her body, showing a light shimmer of light. This makes you think that she’s just got out of the shower, instantly putting images into the viewers head.  It also gives the impression that it’s the evening and she could be going out on the town or for a date with someone from the opposite sex. Giving the impression that she is attractive to the opposite sex. She’s also shown wearing high heals to make her look taller and make her legs look thinner. 
Another thing that makes her sexually empowered is the fact that a low angle shot has been used to give the impression of looking up to her, again giving her a dominant position over the viewer. Even the placement of the ‘Kalvin Klein’ writing draws attention to the underwear by placing it near the suspenders, drawing the male’s gaze to the suspenders then up to the underwear. The suspenders are used to make her look more sexy and attractive, whilst there is no wedding ring to show that she could be single and provoke the male imagination. However this is still kept as tasteful sexiness and not slutty to show that she is still proper.

How is ethinicity represented in this clip from 'Hotel Babylon'?

Find more videos like this on Beauchamp College Media

In this clip from ‘Hotel Babylon’ ethnicity is represented in a very stereotypical fashion.

Firstly ‘Black’ people are represented by:

·         Bad Language

·         Being womanizers

·         Liking to party a lot

·         And smoking weed

Next is the ‘Japanese’, being represented as:

·         Perverse

·         Dirty

·         Rich

·         Neat

·         And Tidy

Then there is ‘French Maids’, being represented as:

·         Kinky

·         Strippers

·         ‘No Standards’

·         And doing anything for money

After that there is the ‘English’, being represented as:

·         Fat

·         Pathetic

·         Angry

·         But shown wearing white to show that he is still good

Finally there is the ‘Italian’ male, being represented as:

·         ‘Sleazy’

·         Dangerous

·         Has sex with a lot of people

·         Has sex with married people

·         Dirty Fighter

·         Good Cook

·         And wears black because he’s shown to be evil.

British and American Film

Film Questionnaire

1. What is your favourite genre of film?
2. Do you prefer British or American films?
3. How often do you watch movies?
4. Do you prefer DVD or Blue Ray?
5. Do you download videos Online?
6. Do you prefer to watch movies online or on tv?
7. How often do you go to the cinema?
8. Would you choose 3D or 2D films?
9. Would you prefer a 3D TV to a regular one?
10. How do you find out about up and coming films?
11. Do you follow information on sequels?
12. How often do you watch Trailers?
13. Do you follow news about the film industry?
14. Do you prefer animated films or actor films?
15. Do you buy films on pirate copy before their release date?

Lesson: Roland Barthes - Narrative Codes

Narrative Types:

• Open: (Lots of different meanings)
• Closed: (Only one obvious meaning)

Codes:

• Action Code
• any action that implies a further narrative acion. (when a gun is drawn you know there is going to be a gun fight).
• Enigma Code
• Any element in a story that is not explained and therefore, exists as an enigma for the audience, raising questions that demand explication.
• Semantic Code
• any element in a text that suggests a particular, often additional meaning by way of connotation (signs/signifiers)
• Cultural Code
• any element in a narrative that refers 'to a science or a body of knowledge'. In other words, the cultural codes tend to point to our shared knowledge about the way the world works.
• Symbolic Code
• Claude Levi-Strauss - binary opposites, the contrast between two opposites, the grey are between two complete opposites.