AS Media Lesson 7 - realism and stereotypes

RepresentationStereotypes & Countertypes

StereotypES: Dyer (1979)• The word 'stereotype' is today almost always a term of abuse.

Stereotypes involve a number of processes:

• The complexity and variety of a group is reduced to few characteristics.

• An exaggerated version of these characteristics is applied to everyone in the group as if they are an essential element of all members of the social group

• These characteristics are represented in the media through media language.

Other than gender: what stereotypes can you think of?

Why do we believe representations?• One of the reasons why we accept representations is that they are

presented to us within texts that seem realistic

• Some texts are more believable, we are likely to take them more seriously, and take on their messages willingly.

• Which type of media texts are more realistic?

How do we judge what is more realistic?

• Believable or credible: what we see is something which could have happened, it resembles the world as we know it

• Plausible: is what we view possible? Could someone have acted in the way they did on film?

• Verisimilitude: this word suggests that something is true to life. Is the people's behaviour authentic, it is like real life?

When watching any text ask yourself:• How believable is the behaviour of people?

• How realistic is the story line?

• How true are the messages made by the text?

• How has your experience made the representations more or less believable?

Believable? Realistic? True? Your experience?

Stereotypes in the media•We have explored a range of texts i.e.

adverts, magazines, etc and their often inappropriate representation of some demographics•With continual changes in society’s attitudes

and beliefs, the stereotypes have had to change… and they continue to do so.

The Countertype•A positive stereotype.

•Focuses on positive elements of a group traditionally represented as bad.

•Still an oversimplification of the enormous diversity featured with the group.

Task: Analysing a text Analyse the clip in terms of mise-en-scene, sound and camera work. How have the

representations been depicted.

Write at least 2 paragraphs contrasting the representation.

Consider: The stereotypes How are these characters represented? how realistic is the representation?

Try and use as many key words as possible, such as: › Stereotype

› Countertype

› Objectified

› Patriarchal society

›Mulvey’s Male Gaze ›Believable or credible›Plausible›Verisimilitude