IGCSEShort Film - Representation

Representation

All around the school environment students are represented in various ways. In your books list as many examples of this representation as you can think of.

Objectives

See how ideas, values and emotions are portrayed.

Consider how audiences choose and respond to film

Recognise different audience interpretations of the same film

ViewingTwo Cars, One Night

In this diagram each question feeds into a new question. To considerthe issue of representation we need to jump into the chain and beginanswering the questions.

RepresentationWho is being represented by the characters in the film?

Are there things about the character which make him/her familiar to us in some way?

Do we recognise aspects of his/her personality or behaviour?

Is the character recognisable from a particular social context in the real world, or are his/her qualities more universal?Create a table like the one below into your books and fill in the details for

each character

Target AudienceWho has the film been made for?Who is it being targeted at?Red: People who would identify closely with the characters in Two Cars One Night.Orange: People who might not identify so closely, but would still identify with them in an immediate way.Gold: Other individuals / groups who might not identify so personally with the characters but would recognise them.Yellow: People who though not able to recognise the characters would be able to identify with the characters in other ways.

What is the relationship betweencharacters and audience?

You have done some thinking about the different audiences Two Cars, One Night might be aimed at.

Use this thinking to develop your ideas about the possible relationships between characters on screen and the different types of spectator.

Consider whether the relationship is of:• Identification• Understanding• Discovery• Learning?

Write about which character(s) relate to which audience(s) and how.

What is the relationship betweencharacters and audience?

Summary

Ask students to write their own definition of ‘representation’ without looking back at the original

Extension

Examine audience and representation in the other two films studied.