Representation in our Media Product

Representations in Our Coursework

Family

• In the two minute sequence shown, the three life stages are represented. Ellie, a child; Georgina, an adolescent and the mother, an adult. The quick representation of different ages in the first 2 minutes is stereotypical – the child wants to play, the adolescent is studying (and refusing to play) and the adult is shown going to work.

• In the screenshot below, this shows a stereotypical aspect of family life: nagging but caring.

Waltons - classic happy family stereotype



My Family - nagging but caring stereotype

• This  also represents role reversal between teenagers and children and their parents; they make sure that their mother has everything so she wouldn’t have to come back and that they would have the house to themselves - classic set up for a thriller and the familiarity of the representation makes it feel a believable situation.

Outnimbered - children often control parents

Home Alone - stereotype of left behind child and ensuing drama

• The extract takes place in the house the whole time. Locations within the house include the teenager’s bedroom, the kitchen, stairs and hallway. The house is shown to be warm – this suggests that the family is happy and comfortable (reinforced by the exchanging of dialogue between the children and their mother before she departs). This is one of the two conventional representsations of family life in media. For us, it needs to be stable and harmonious for the disruption to occur. In other genres, it is often a broken environment and this provides the drama rather than just being a back drop.

• A key point is that representations are often a matter of convenience rather than thought by the producer,

• The mother’s keys and mobile phone (the fact that her children have to remind her suggests that she might be a forgetful person).This is an almost teen drama representation where parents need to be like this so that the teenagers get left alone a lot so the drama can take place.

Saying goodbye

• This screenshot shows a picture frame as a prop. This over the shoulder shot of the older Ellie (younger sister) looking at the old photograph of her and her older sister. This represents the close bonds of family and makes sense of the fact the younger sister will spend the rest of the film looking for the older. Continues positive representation of family.

Looking at the photo frame

• There is a transition towards the end of a cross-dissolve from dream to reality. This represents passing of time and shows the yonger sister has not forgotten - family loyalty is paramount and drives the rest of the film.

• The lighting throughout the house is welcoming – warm, soft, natural and high-key lighting. In contrast, after the nightmare the lighting is cold, hard, artificial and low-key created by the solitary bedside lamp of a grown-up Ellie.

The cross-dissolve

Film representation of close relationship between sisters