Moving Image Terminology & Representational Issues

7/27/2019 Moving Image Terminology & Representational Issues

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Moving Image Terminology


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TV Drama A television programme containing scriptedcontent that is most commonly fictional.

Representation When someone or something is portrayed to

be a certain way.Mediation (mediated) The way in which the media haveintervened in producing something, so that the product isslightly altered (providing the audience with the mediasversion of it).

Stereotype A basic assumption about a type of person (in

terms of personality, dress, etc.)Hegemonic Norm Cultural assumptions that are simply

implied and never pointed out. (e.g. you dont point outsomeone who is heterosexual)

Ideology A collection of ideals or ideas held by an individual.

(These are often expressed or presented through the mediae.g. movies, TV dramas).Connotation A feeling or mood that something creates and

suggests.Semiotics The study of signs and symbols and how they are

used.


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Semiotics

Signifies indicates or symbolizes a hidden meaning.Signifier The form of which a sign is presented. (e.g.

an object of significance may signify something,therefore it is the signifier).

SignifiedThe idea/concept/thing behind the sign.Types of Signifier:Indexical Something that relates to the signified by

association. (e.g. an indexical sign of fire would besmoke).

Iconic A physical representation of the signified. (e.g.printer icon )Symbolic Associations between the sign and the

signified that stem mainly from culture (meaningsymbolic symbols are not always universal).


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Binary Opposites Two opposing ideas thatultimately drive the narrative. (e.g. good vs. evil)

Mode of Address The way in which the writer ofthe piece of media connects with the audience.(e.g. in film and tv drama the audience are rarelyaddressed directly although it is more likely to

be used in comedy).Anchoring Confirming the meaning of

something. This is usually text (or dialogue) thatconfirms the meaning the image implies

(sometimes an image - or signifier can havemore than one possible meanings).


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ConventionsThe typical (or conventional) way ofdoing something. This can be in terms of technique andstyle.

Conventions of TV Drama: Dramatic narrative Ensemble Cast (where all main characters have

somewhat equal importance)

Exaggerated/heightened character representation(often using stereotypes) Scheduled to air for 30/60/90 minute slots (60

minutes most common run time) Contains binary oppositions (to create conflict)

Commonly open narrative (storyline continues overthe course of the series)

Open narratives frequently use cliffhangers


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Sub-Genres with TV Drama and their conventions:

Period Drama Often a dramatization of classic novels. If an original work, willtackle issues of the time period. Targets women in the ABC1 social bracket.

Crime Drama The most important convention of crime drama is the need for amystery, so that the audience can try to work out who done it.

Science Fiction Sci-fi dramas tend to target men, and play on using a mixture ofreality and fiction to draw the audience in.

Medical Drama Storylines can be similar to that of soap operas to simulate thatsense of realism. Tend to be targeted at women in the C2DE social bracket. Howevermany women in the ABC1 social bracket and men watch medical dramas.

Teen Drama Represents the target audience by casting actors of that age group and

tackling issues related to the audience. Soap Opera Gives a feel of real time as the series go on throughout the year.

Targeted at working class women.

Comedy Drama (Sitcoms) Conventions in terms of humour vary depending on thetarget audience, because different audiences will find different things funny. Sitcomsoften use canned laughter. Some are filmed in front of a live audience.

Action/Adventure Drama Mainly targeted at a male audience, action dramasconventionally have a stereotypical hero against a stereotypical villain or villains.

Fantasy Drama Often uses darker lighting than other dramas. Can be filmedsimilarly to a horror movie. Has many similar conventions to sci-fi dramas, but tendsto be targeted towards a more female audience than sci-fi.


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Representational Issues


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AgeTeenagers

The way in which teenagers are represented rarely strays from the stereotype. It is usually whothey are portrayed alongside that dictates the way in which they are presented.When put alongside an older character, the older character is often a figure of authority(teacher, parent, etc.). In this type of scenario, teenagers are represented as quite childish andtemperamental. They can often be extremes depressed and moaning or loud and emotional.It is often suggested that the older characters just dont get them.

Alongside other teenagers, they are usually portrayed slightly wilder. An example of this is the

teen drama Skins. There can be parties that get out of hand that represent teenagers as bingedrinkers (this can frequently raise the issue of underage drinking if the teenagers are youngerthan 18). Teenagers often make mistakes (sometimes when trying to get away with being olderor when trying to seem older) and in teen dramas the storylines can centralize around themtrying to right their mistakes.

ElderlyThe elderly can be portrayed in several extreme ways.

They can be represented as very happy and friendly individuals, or rather mean and grumpy.An example of this could be a sweet, likeable grandparent vs. a grumpy old man/woman thatlives next door. The negative portrayal of the elderly is mostly linked with a sense of loneliness the grumpy neighbour would be likely to live alone with a cat.Intellectually, again there are two extremes. The elderly can be represented either as a source of

wisdom or wont be taken seriously.Which ideas are used to represent the elderly in a TV drama, really depends of the ideology ofthe drama.


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EthnicityBlack British

The representation of Black British people was initially offensively stereotyped (Love Thy Neighbour 1972/77). However, this has changed and improved since.

Now, it is often Black British males that are stereotyped being frequently linked to gang culture

(hoodies).White

There are many stereotypes within the representation of White British people.

One of these is the dumb blonde, which is both an American and British representation of attractive,young blonde women in Film and TV (e.g. Legally Blonde).

White people are sometimes portrayed as bad dancers (Ricky Gervais The Office), unlike black,Asian and European people who are usually portrayed with good dance ability, or it is not commentedon.

Asian

Most of the Asian stereotypes relate to career and education.

Small businesses such as newsagents and off licences in TV dramas are usually owned by Asians (e.g.Dev Alahan runs the off licence in Coronation Street).

Doctors are often Asian, and this can be linked to their representation in education they are usually

portrayed as very clever/over achievers.When it comes to representing the Asian family, they are stereotypically very big and close.

Eastern European

Eastern European immigrants are frequently portrayed as cheap manual labourers. They also oftenhave young children.

Hispanic

In American TV drama, Hispanic people are portrayed very similarly to Easter Europeans in British

TV drama. They are portrayed as poor and usually are positioned in working class, laborious jobs.


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Gender

WomenMen still appear in TV dramas 3 times more than women. That beingsaid, women in TV drama usually have feminist views.On the other hand, women are often represented in an assisting rolerather than an active, dominant one (e.g. Carla in Scrubs). They tend to

tackle or be involved in the emotional issues of the drama.However there are dramas in which women are empowered (e.g.Nikita). This tends to place women into a male role and plays on theidea that it is unexpected.MenMale characters are usually represented as independent. Especially if

they are the main character, their independence is an integral part ofthe drama. The focus of the storyline often uses the idea that they cando it alone, rather than needing other people to help them. If theysettle down, it will be at the conclusion of the story, rather than a partof the characters backstory.


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Class

When social class is being represented in TV drama, often those from differentclasses do not mix. If they do, that is normally the cause of problems.Upper ClassUsually portrayed as quite snobby, the upper classes tend to look down uponpeople of a lower class than them. It is not often that upper class characters areshown to be likeable particularly if they show dislike of lower classes (e.g.

Gossip Girl).Middle ClassNormally the most relatable to the audience, therefore they are oftenrepresented as quite normal. They are quite down-to-earth and have a goodsense of morals. (e.g. Dan Humphrey Gossip Girl).Working ClassRepresented as very hard working and usually a little worn down. Often focuseson money struggles, but there is a good sense of community.Lower ClassSometimes suggested to be bad parents (therefore children from lower classfamilies tend to be presented as rebellious and difficult). Also, may be shown toturn to criminal acts.


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Disability

There are many problems with the way the disabled areportrayed in the TV drama.Firstly, they can be represented as the victim. This can mean thatthey become the victim of abuse (verbal or physical) because theyare disabled. Or their victimization is used to suggest fragility

because they are disabled.Also, a disability is often one of the qualities held by the villain orevil character. Sometimes, their disability is the reason for theirvillainous ways.When their disability is hidden (possibly a mental disability suchas Autism), their disability can sometimes be used as reason forcomedy (e.g. Sheldon - Big Bang Theory)


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Regional Identity

Accent/DialectOne of the main ways in which regional identity is represented is throughaccent. It is probably the most obvious and common way that regions areidentified. TV dramas are often scripted to incorporate lots of words/phrasesassociated with that region. (e.g. ay rather than yes used in Scotland &Manchester).

CharactersCountryside areas are represented as areas that are mostly populated by oldercitizens (middle aged couples, elderly etc.).City areas are portrayed as young areas. Areas in the heart of the city (London,Manchester, Glasgow) are often portrayed as being populated by mainlyyoung adults (young professionals, university students).Class/Status

People in more rural regions tend to be portrayed as upper-middle class/upperclass, as the houses tend to be bigger and have more land.In cities, there tends to be a more extreme divide in representation (either richand successful upper class or working class).

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Moving Image Terminology & Representational Issues