What is representation?
A term used to describe how certain people/places/events/issues are presented to us by the media.
It is a constructed 're-presentation' of reality.
It is a way in which the media reflects and presents attitudes attitudes, behaviour and beliefs.
Representations vary over time.
What is dominant ideology?
Dominant ideology, when applied to an analysis of representation in the media, is a set of common values and beliefs shared by most people in a given society, framing how the majority think about that group of people. This is quite often in line with a stereotype or an often repeated idea or characterisation of a certain group of people.
EXAMPLE
The dominant ideology of gender in the media is that women are more sensitive, less physically able, less aggressive, more caring, better with children than men. In contrast to this men are stronger, more aggressive, more prone to violence and usually the decision-maker.
These views are not an accurate presentation of reality but they are frequently seen and perpetuated in films and other media products nonetheless.
How to analyse representation:
First, examine the text and identify what the representation is of your chosen group of people/place/issue/event. Do this by writing a list of adjectives which describe the dominant representation in the text. If there is more than one representation on offer of the same thing then write two lists. You should also consider whether the representation is generally positive or negative, strong or weak. Additionally, decide whether it is line with the dominant ideology or if it challenges it.
Next, you will need to look for ways that this representation has been constructed. Think of this as finding evidence for the representation you identified in the first stage. Choose several good strong examples form the text. Be detailed and specific. Try to use examples which utilise a range of signs and codes. For example, an example of cinematography, one of diegetic sound, one of non-diegetic sound, one of mise-en-scene and one of editing.
You could consider the following areas when looking for examples of how representation has been constructed:
Appearance
Facial expression? Clothes? Jewellery? Stance and body language?
Sound
Tone of voice? Sound of voice? Soundtrack and music associated with them?
Setting
What sort of places do we see these people in or associated with?
Behaviour
What do we see them doing? What are typical actions for these people?
Omission
What or who has been left out?
Editing
What is the balance of the edit? Who gets most screen time?
Reaction
What are the reactions of other characters to this person or people? Accepting? Positive? Angry? Lustful? Fearful?
