Anthony Giddens

"What to do? How to act? Who to be?"

Giddens developed the theory of structuration, wherebuy individuals are shown to have the power to make changes and influence society as well as large powerful organisations e.g. the government or mass media. You can apply Giddens' theory to the film 'Made In Dagenham' where the protagonist, Rita, leads the women of Forn in Dagenham to win equal pay as the men for 'semi-skilled' work. Also Hunger Games: MockingJay as Katniss leads the districts into rebellion against the Capitol. 

Analyse one of your coursework productions in terms of audience

I will be analysing my music video, which I made for my Advanced Portfolio. I made a pop music video to the song ‘Nasty’ by Pixie Lott. As I am the audience of this genre, I was able to abide by and challenge the conventions, as I find this genre very accessible, as David Gauntlett says ‘Making is connecting’; I am not only a member of the audience, but I have also made something for the other members of the audience.

The audience for my pop music video is generally aged between twelve and eighteen and female, however the pop music genre is accessible by anyone of any age. A psychographic profile of my audience would show that they are ‘Mainstreamers’ however also ‘Aspirers’ and ‘Explorers’. Like the artist in the video, due to their younger age, they have not yet come to a static identity. This genre probably has the widest audience in the UK, which is reflected in the performance style and representation in my music video that shows a feisty teenage girl and focuses on asserting herself and having fun. 

The mise-en-scene is very colourful, particularly with the shots in front of the graffiti wall; this presents how the performer is a fun-loving, bright girl, representative of the audience. However I also mix the genres, such as using a black and white green-screen scene, which is more common in the R&B genre, however is becoming more common in pop music videos, such as in ‘Problem’ by Ariana Grande and Iggy Azelea. In this way, my music video reflects the fact that, with a young audience, genre conventions are constantly being updated and changed. My intertextual references exemplify this idea, such as where the background changes frequently behind my artist as she dances dynamically.

The editing in my music video is fast paced, which is also conventional of the genre. It is also dynamic and use elements of humour in order to appeal to the youth audiences. I use multiple locations/scenes throughout the music video in order to keep the audience entertained and wanting to replay the video over and over again. My performer also wears lots of different outfits throughout the video. She wears on-trend clothes such as crop-tops, which are currently very popular amongst the target audience. Therefore the young girls do not only see her as a performer and singer, but also a style icon.

This links to Andrew Goodwin’s Music Video Theory from his 1992 book ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’, as he states that music videos typically have iconography, which appears across their work, since on the digipak, magazine advert, and in the video, she wears crop tops. Music Video Theory also suggests that music videos present a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. This is true for my Advanced Portfolio video as at the beginning of the song, the words of the rap appear on the screen, this makes it clearer for the audience as they are able to read the words, as well as hear them. My video also includes lots of close ups of the artist, particularly as she sings significant words in the song, such as ‘nasty’. This is in order to build up a relationship with the audience so they can feel drawn into the performer’s celebrity world.

Blumler and Katz’s ‘Uses and Gratifications Theory’ is also significant to my advanced portfolio music video. Personal relationships were established through my performer constantly looking into the camera as she sings, in order to seem as if the is talking to her ‘friends’ (the audience). The audience are able to see my performer as a role model, and identify with her, as she is of a similar age to them and therefore they are able to feel closer to her. Obviously, my music video is designed to entertain my audience as it provides enjoyment and escapism from the real world, into an idealistic teenage lifestyle, which the young audience can aspire to.

I also enabled my audience to identify with my artist over several different platforms, by creating synergy between my digipak, magazine advert and video. The font is a pinky-red, which is stereotypically girls however there are aspects of the black and white theme, which links to the sophistication, which my audience aspires to. The name of my album is ‘Blockin’ Out The Haters’, a phrase that has become a viral ‘vine’ video, very popular amongst my target audience. This links to the way in which social media is so important to this generation, as the stars in music videos are becoming more accessible by the young fans, by websites such as Twitter, Instagram and now even Snapchat.

Many pop music videos conform to Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory, as to objectify women in a sexual manner. However I have subverted this theory as I wished to present my artist as a strong, independent woman. This shows to my audience that it is ok to be strong, female and sassy, as well as that you don’t have to conform to men’s rules of life.  An example of this is when she wears her crop tops. This is not done in a way as to be objectified by men, through showing flesh. Instead this is used to show how she is free to dress how she likes and not worry about what others think, and this is also relevant in her dance moves, which are dynamic and playful.

Binary oppositions are used in my music video, an example of this are with the black and white scenes. This contrasts the pure white and the rebellious black, and suggests the angel/devil sides to my performer and to the youth audience who are able to identify with this conflict of emotions that young teenagers experience. This also reflects the lyrics of the song, in that they contradict themselves when she sings ‘you’re nasty’ ‘but I don’t mind’, she is a carefree girl who makes her own way through life, and sets this example to the young audience.

In conclusion, there are many ways in my video in which the audience can identify with my performer.  As my audience were so accessible to me on social networking sites such as Facebook, I was able to receive lots of feedback, which showed me how successful my video had been, the results presented that the target audience found it entertaining and fun, which was my main aim. Therefore, I believe that the audience is one of the most important parts in creating my Advanced Portfolio Coursework Production.

Analyse one of your coursework productions in relation to genre

According to Daniel Chandler (2001), “genre is a type” which is clear in any piece of art, music or literature. For my A2 Advanced Portfolio production, I created a music video to ‘Nasty’ by Pixie Lott. I chose the pop genre, as it is a type of text that offers the ability to both abide by and challenge the genre conventions.

Andrew Goodwins ‘Music Video Theory’ that he developed in his book, ‘Dancing In The Distraction Factory’ (2002) is very useful when exploring genre in music videos. It states that ‘the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist’ which I have features in my video, as close ups are a key part of displaying my performers actions. This enables the audience to develop a relationship with the artist as she is constantly looking into the camera.

This is also supportive of David Gauntlett’s concept of ‘ideology’, which was developed by the Spice Girls. He describes that ‘The girl power concept was a celebration of self-belief, independence and friendship’ in his book ‘Media, Gender and Identity’ (2002). Therefore as my performer is constantly looking into the camera a relationship is built with the audience. Blumler and Katz’s ‘Uses and Gratifications Theory’ that audiences consume the media in order to build a relationship with the artist, I have linked to this convention in my video.

Throughout my music video I have used a monochrome theme, this could be related to Levi-Strauss’ ‘Binary Oppositions’ as there is a contrast between the black, which is considered as bad and rebellious and the white, which is pure. I also used Barthes ‘Theory of semiotics’ here, as the use of the white also represents the innocence of my artist, which then I contrasted with the black to show how her innocence is slipping away, to become more rebellious and independent. I also use this theory when l used shots of the performer flicking her hair and looking towards the camera, this could be considered as rebellious and challenges authority. Furthermore, one of my filming locations is in front of a graffiti wall, this also relates to the theory of semiotics as the artwork, colours and phone in the corner, symbolise the rebellion of young people (like the performer), there is also a fallen over traffic cone in a couple of shots, which also symbolises rebellion of young people. In addition, Barthes Theory of Semiotics can be applied to the opening scene of my music video. There is a rap to begin with, which I have the words flashing up on the screen in a pink font. The writing I use for this is very girly, so that and the colour symbolise femininity. Also at this point in the video, Andrew Goodwin’s theory can be applied as the video reflects the lyrics.

In conclusion, David Buckingham says that ‘genre is not…simply “given” by the culture: rather, it is in a constant process of negotiation and change’. This suggests that every music video slightly alters and moulds the genre of that type of music. I reflect other music video genres such as with the use of the text appearing on the screen, I am relating to the ‘indie pop/rock’ genre and the use of the urban graffiti wall could be related to the hip-hop genre. However once I have reflected the videos which are appropriate for my pop genre, I added in my own techniques which identify myself as a director.

“Media representations are just reflections of reality, not constructions or distortions.”

One of the reasons that media representations are fascinating areas of study is that there are a myriad of contrasting and complex ideas out there, with equally contrasting theories. When we are considering the representations of certain groups of people, we have to consider how their collective identities are constructed. This is particularly interesting in the representation of women, which I have studied in connection with film, TV advertising and magazines. The question of whether those representations are reflections of the way women ‘really’ are, or whether they manipulate the way we see women, is constantly up for debate.

As theorist David Buckingham states, “Identity is an ambiguous and slippery term”. The collective identity of women has been a particularly newsworthy in recent months. In 2014, celebrity actress and UN Global Women’s Ambassador Emma Watson’s impassioned speech on gender equality to the United Nations to kick of the ‘HeForShe’ campaign which became a trending topic on media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Roland Barthes’ theory of semiotics is highly important when observing the representation of women in the media. This can again be observed in film when looking at examples such as the clothing worn in ‘Wasp’ (Andrea Arnold- 2003) and ‘Les Miserables’ (Tom Hooper- 2012). The prostitutes in ‘Les Mis’ along with the mother from ‘Wasp’ are seem wearing revealing clothing with heavy makeup. This reinforces the concept of women having to appear in an overly sexualised manner to be seen as attractive by men, something which the media use to this day  with airbrushing and photoshopping; women are being pushed further and further to achieve a higher standard of unattainable ‘perfection’.

An example of where this ‘perfection’ is being pushed is in the magazine ‘Women’s Health’, this magazine emphasises a ‘perfect’ and idealistic lifestyle for women. It provides them with diet plans and fitness regimes in order to gain and maintain a slim figure, which the magazine implies is more attractive to men.  The front cover generally shows a toned female wearing limited clothing, such as the November 2014 issue with Saturday’s member Frankie Bridge and titles such as ’50 best beauty buys’ and ‘Burn fat 24/7’ which pushes women to beautify themselves in order to fit in with society and be attractive to men. Laura Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' theory, which applies to all media,is relevant here because women are being invited to see themselves through the eyes of men and make themselves into something that they think men will enjoy.

‘Cosmopolitan’ is another magazine which pushes women to question their identity. The magazine calls itself ‘The Bible for young women', which suggests that it is essential reading for their target audience, which the media kit identifies as 18-34. In the November 2014 issue there is an article called ‘Taylor Swift on Feminism, Famous Friends and single girl freedom’ which presents how 'Cosmopolitan' is tackling today issues such as feminism and women rights. Celebrity, Taylor Swift epitomises the 'Cosmo Woman' as a strong, successful business woman (who is also beautiful and slim!). This fits in well with Blumler and Katz's 'uses and gratifications' theory as women can read the magazine for social interaction, information and entertainment from the relatable features on 'real women' as well as aspiring to the images in the fashion and diet pages.

One area where representation of women has been problematic over time is in TV advertising. Advertisements tend to uphold the status quo, while encouraging consumers to buy products to improve their lifestyle. In a series of Fairy Liquid advertisements from the 1960s to the present day, women are represented in a traditionally idealistic way, which may not be considered as a reflection of reality. For example in the 1960s adverts, an idealistic home mother is presented, who is looking after her little girl (who will also grow up using Fairy Liquid) and doing the washing up. The whole range of adverts are set in the kitchen at the sink, with the emphasis on how the product makes your hands soft, as if that is a priority for women. The mother is shown doing educational activities with the little girl at the end of the advertisements such as playing with blocks or reading nursery rhymes. The actors in the adverts are extremely ‘well spoken’ and use received pronunciation, this emphaisises that the people who use the product have high standards and therefore the product must be good quality too. This, I believe is not a true reflection of reality as Fairy have used a very stereotypical view of women at home. The advertisements are presented as if, if you use Fairy Liquid, your lifestyle will change and you will have a much cleaner and less problematic life.  This applies to Judith Butler’s theory of ‘Gender as a performance’ as the woman in the advert is performing to the stereotypical manners and standards of women in the 1960s, playing up on her gender. This pushes the women watching to play up on their gender too, being a perfect housewife, looking after children and of course washing up using Fairy Liquid.

The Fairly Liquid adverts reinforce a stereotype, which does suggest that they are constructing or at least distorting reality for the purpose of selling a product. Over time, films have been much criticised for doing the same. In films such as ‘Vertigo’ (Alfred Hitchcock- 1958), Laura Mulvey’s theory of male gaze is clear, which presents his ‘ice women’ in such a sexualised manner due to the male camera shots of the female body which he believes appeals to the male viewers. His ‘icey blondes’ as the main women in his films,  are presented as the ‘damsel in distress’ with a male figure who has to come to the rescue. This style has lead some to criticise Hitchcock as a misogynist (women hater) who misrepresented women by not allowing them to be strong independent characters. 

There have been a lot of films about strong, independent women in the past few years, however in ‘Divergent’ (Neil Burger- 2014) this is taken to a new level where gender is not an issue and men and women are totally equal. The female protagonist, Tris, is presented as a strong independent woman and presents a much stronger interpretation of women as just as powerful if not more so than men. Throughout the film the female characters are presented as being on the top spots of the ranking board. Which we can link to the fact that the writer Veronica Roth, wants to present the strong female side which despite being fantasy film is present in today's society.  Therefore as a fantasy it does distort reality, presenting a dystopia which clearly in not even attempting to reflect reality.

In conclusion, I believe that to an extent media representations are just reflections of reality. However much the media may attempt to reflect reality it is impossible as the media is being created for a purpose and a certain audience so there has to be some reconstruction in order for the audience to buy into the idea. In the future the media is still likely to distort reality as even now, the most popular films are not total reflections,and even in the future people are going to watch films and read magazines in order to escape reality and adverts will still reflects the status quo trying in influence consumers to buy their product with their idealistic yet distorted representations.

Representation of Women in Advertising

Advertising is an interesting area to look at when studying the representation of a group of people, because it does two thing:

• Advertisements tend to represent the status quo of society at the time and any hegemonies that may exist (e.g. that football is our countries sport).
• Advertisements represent an ideal that  people must aspire to 

In a series of Fairy Liquid advertisements from the 1960s to the present day, we discovered that women are represented in a traditionally idealistic way, for example in the 1960s adverts  they all present the idealistic at home mother, looking after her little girl (who will also grow up using Fairy Liquid) and doing the washing up. They are all set in the kitchen at the sink, with the emphasis on how the product makes your hands soft, as if this is a priority for women. The mother is shown doing educational activities at then end of the advert with the little girl, such as playing with building blocks and reading nursery rhymes/fairy tales. The actors in the adverts are extremely 'well spoken' and and use received pronunciation, this emphasises that the people who use the product are have high standards and therefore the product must good quality too. 

In the more modern Fairy Liquid advertisements, a little boy is introduced, rather than having a girl, this shows that the demographics have widened out as more types of people are shown. This continues in the 2012 advert where a mum, dad and son are shown, however it is still the mother who is presented to be doing the washing up as in the 1960s advertisements. The adverts also become much more interesting in modern times. In the advert from 2009, where the little boy was introduced, it becomes more humorous as a dishwasher is shown, with the boy trying to fit his bike into it, as he sees how clean the dishes are when they come out after using the new fairy dishwasher tablets. In the 2012 advert there is no longer any actors talking, there is a clear male voiceover, however the focus is still on the mother as the voiceover says 'for mum to build an athlete', therefore there is still a clear focus on women in the home, rather than men doing the washing up, Fairy still, even today stick to their stereotypical advertising, of traditional roles in the home. 

Nowadays, this has become such an established product that in 2013 the company produced an advertisement showing a montage of classic advertisements from the 1960s to the present day. All of them reflecting the very traditional, perhaps now old fashioned values of women in the home. This could be effective as it promotes that the product is long standing, long lasting and reliable. 

All these Fairy Liquid advertisements are seen to be romanticising the past and presenting a 'golden age' of which we can all aspire to.

British Cinema

We are looking at the way that women are represented in cinema over time. We have watched 'Vertigo' (Alfred Hitchcock- 1958), with a view to apply Laura Mulvey's theory of the Male Gaze (see this post. 

We are now looking at contemporary British cinema, and the ways British films construct, reinforce or challenge notions of identity. We are looking at 'the burden of representation' and the conflict between successful commercial films and cultural UK films. 

We watched the trailers for 'Notting Hill' (1999) and 'Bend it Like Beckham' (2002) which were commercially successful films but also challenged the representation of women through a humorous representation of stereotypes. 

We are considering the dilemma that film makers have between making films that are commercially successful and might attract an American audience and social realist films by directors such as Ken Loach which are critically acclaimed but give a much bleaker representation of society in general.

We are also looking at the representation of women in contemporary films such as 'Fast Girls'(2012), 'The Kings Speech' (2010), 'The Angels Share'(2012) and 'Its a Wonderful Afterlife' (2010).

Representation of Gender in Films, TV and Youtube

Judith Butler states in her book 'Gender Trouble', that 'gender should be seen as a fluid variable which shifts and changes in different contexts at different times'. This is relevant to the recent film 'Divergent' (2014), as male and female characters are seen as equal, and their lives depend on their personalities and character traits rather than the importance of gender. Women are in top leadership positions in the film, which presents the key theme of gender empowerment. Boys and girls sleep in the same room and use the same bathroom facilities without that devolving into sexual tension. Self-control and sexual equality are simply a fact of life in the post-modern era in which the film is set.

Divergent also defies the parameters of traditional gender roles. The actor Theo James, who plays the supporting role of Four in the film said that “We’re in a world where masculinity, especially with these big spectacle movies, is often pushed by rippling six packs and forcing an image down someone’s throat trying to prove masculinity. Whereas I think true masculinity comes from having a strong sense of self,”. This agrees with Butler's idea of 'gender as a performance' and that you don't have to conform to society, despite having the seem conformist in the film, you can choose how to identify yourself, as a masculine or feminine character. Butler emphasises how gender is staged. This is true for the protagonist Tris who acts in a much more masculine way in order to fit into the conforming society of the Dauntless (courageous) faction. However, throughout the film there are sections where she is presented as a true girl as loving beautifying herself, such as getting dressed up and her hair done. However a following scene contrasts this where she gets a tattoo, which is seen as something more masculine. Tris must conform to the male lead society in order to be accepted into her new life.