Lesson 7 - Media theories and harry brown

MEDIA THEORIESLO: To apply theories on the representations of youth, cultural identities and society to Harry Brown and in the news

AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of media concepts, contexts and critical debates.

IDEOLOGY Media texts convey ideological messages:

Ideology is a system of ideas, values and beliefs promoted by dominant groups to reinforce their power (e.g: governments, state institutions, corporations).


THEORIST - KARL MARX Developed the concept of ideology in 1900s. Analysed the way those in power protected

their interests by representing their privileged position as being natural.

As a media student you should consider how dominant ideologies are reinforced/challenged by media texts.


TEENAGERS/YOUTHIN HARRY BROWN











THE TEENAGERIs this Representation unique to Harry Brown?

Where else might we see this stereotype being used?


EVERYWHERE!!! News Advertising Music Industry Film Industry TV Drama Comedy

What type of ‘panic’ does this create? Who is the theorist?


• Most common words used to describe young people in British newspapers in 2008-10 were yobs, thugs, sick, feral, hoodie, louts, evil, frightening, scum.

• Over half the newspaper stories about teenage boys relate to crime.

• Representations of young people in films such as ‘Harry Brown’, ‘Eden Lake’, and ‘Fish Tank’, as well as TV programmes such as ‘Skins’ and ‘Misfits’ need to be understood in this context.


BACKGROUND READING Read through one of the articles on London

Riots What points are made about the

representation of young people? Why might the writer have this perspective? Identify useful quotes from the article.

Do you see any similarities between these representations and the representations in Harry Brown?


GRAMSCI (1971) Cultural Hegemony: This is the idea that

one social class (usually the middle class) is able to dominate a society by making their way of life and values appear normal, natural, and common sense.

As a result other social classes accept these values as the normal way of life.



CULTURAL HEGEMONY (GRAMSIC 1971) AND HARRY BROWN Cultural Hegemony:

one social class dominate a society by making their values appear normal

Other social classes accept these values as the normal

Media to promote the ideas of the ruling class.

How can we apply this theory to Harry Brown?

Think about:

Todorov’s narrative structure.

What else can we call equilibrium?

What/who threatens this equilibrium?

How does this fix social class outside of the film?


• Almost all teenage characters in representations are clearly working class.

• Main adult characters tend to be middle class.

• Representations may be said to reflect middle class anxiety at threat of working class to their hegemonic dominance.

• Is one of the functions of these representations to maintain hegemony?

• Who produces this representations? Why?


MCROBBIE (2004) Contemporary British TV often contains

‘symbolic violence’ against the working class,

These representations emphasise middle class dominance and depict the working class in very negative ways


SYMBOLIC VIOLENCE (MCROBBIE 2004) AND HARRY BROWN ‘Symbolic

Violence’ against the working class emphasises middle class dominance

How can we apply this to Harry Brown?

Think about:

Who is the protagonist and antagonist in the text?

How are the issues in the text resolved?


GIROUX (1997) Giroux argues that in media representations

youth becomes an ‘empty category’

Media representations of young people are constructed by adults. Because of this they reflect adults concerns, anxieties, and needs.

As a result of this media representations of young people do not necessarily reflect the reality of youth identity.

Can you think of any examples of this?

AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of media concepts, contexts and critical debates. EMPTY CATEGORY (GIROUX 1997)

AND HARRY BROWN Youth becomes an

‘empty category’

Representations constructed by adults.

Reflect adults concerns, anxieties, and needs.

Representations do not necessarily reflect the reality of youth identity.

How can we apply this theory to Harry Brown?

Think about:

Who constructed the text?

Who it is aimed at?

Does the text reflect adult anxieties or serve the purposes of adult society? (reinforcing hegemonic values).


ACLAND (1995) Media representations of delinquent

youths actually reinforce hegemony.

They do this by constructing an idea of ‘normal’ adult and youth behaviour, and contrasting it with deviant youth behaviour which is shown to be unacceptable.

Media representations of young people out of control allows

the state to have more control of them (e.g. media reports about delinquent youths led to ASBOs).

‘Ideology of protection’ – the idea that young people need constant surveillance and monitoring. This happens because youth is the time when young people learn about social roles and values, and allows the state to make sure they conform to hegemonic values.

VS

AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of media concepts, contexts and critical debates. DEVIANT YOUTH (ACLAND 1995)

AND HARRY BROWN

Representations of delinquent youths reinforce hegemony.

‘Normal’ adult and youth behaviour, contrasted with deviant youth behaviour

Representations of young

people out of control allows the state to have more control

Ideology of Protection: young people need constant surveillance and monitoring. State ensures that they conform to hegemonic values.

Apply this theory to Harry Brown. Think about:

The extent to which the text shows young people as in need of control.

Does the text show young people as behaving in an unacceptable way?

If so does this identify what behaviour society thinks is acceptable? (i.e. hegemonic)

How does the text show class youths to be deviant thus reinforcing middle class hegemony.


GERBNER (1986) Gerbner studied the effect of television on

people’s perception of crime.

He found that people who watched a lot of television tended to overestimate the levels of crime. He called this ‘mean world syndrome’

Because news reports, TV dramas, films, contain lots of representations of crime over time this influenced people’s perceptions of the world. This is called ‘cultivation theory’

The repetitive pattern of television’s mass-produced message and images influences people’s understanding of the world


MEAN WORLD SYNDROME (GERBNER 1986) AND HARRY BROWN Mean World

Syndrome: People exposed to large amounts of media tend to overestimate the levels of crime.

Cultivation Theory: exposure to negative representations influences peoples perception of the world

How can we apply this to Harry Brown?

Think about:

If this text supports or opposes ‘mean world syndrome’

The message overall contained in the text?

If this message can be applied to ‘cultivation theory’


APPLYING THEORYHOMEWORK Write up each of the theories we have covered in

your own words.

Gramsci (1971), Cultural Hegemony McRobbie (2004), Symbolic Violence Giroux (1997), Empty Category Acland (1995), Deviant Youth, Ideology of Protection Gerbner (1986), Mean World Syndrome, Cultivation

Theory

Apply these theories to the other texts we have studied Harry Brown and any of the three newspaper articles


Theorist Year Concepts Your explanationGramsci 1971 Cultural hegemonyMcRobbie 2004 Symbolic Violence

Giroux 1997 Youth as ‘Empty Category’Acland 1995 Deviant Youth,

Ideology of protectionGerbner 1986 Mean World Syndrome,

Cultivation Theory

Support for Homework

ESSAY QUESTION:How are young people represented in contemporary media?

LO: To write a plan for this essay using the texts we have studied.


ESSAY QUESTION

Introduction: State argument (link

to theory) Identify texts

Paragraph 1: Main text Examples Link to theory

Paragraph 2: Main Text

Examples Link to theory

Continue paragraphs as necessary…

Conclusion: Summary of key points in P1,

P2 etc… Summary of overall

argument

How are young people represented in contemporary media?

Education

Lesson 7 - Media theories and harry brown