'Most texts today mix genres' how true is this of your three main texts?

District 9 does mix genres, its typically a sci fi, however there are some documentary conventions. 

The most visible conventions of district 9 are that of the sci fi genre. The most typical is species from another planet, portrayed by the prawns. However, another sci fi convention and something seen a lot n this genre is the questioning of real life and the world. The prawns symbolise black people, as the film is set in South Africa when the apartheid was in force, they were separated from the white people. Through the use of corporation names seen all the way throughout the film, we are shown how they're under the control of a corporation. This shows a dystopian view, first the segregation of the black people, and the villains signified through this corporation, and the people always under the power of it.  The seperation of black people and white people can be shown to us through the camera shots and editing. There is one shot, after Wikus has been infected by the prawns and is standing outside eating of Wikus, standing alone in power, and then the camera cuts back to two black people standing with him. The fact that Wikus, being white, is standing in the shot alone shows the power of white people in this situation. This then takes the narrative to the convention of body horror, where there is a black substance coming from his nose as he starts being affected by the transformation.                                                              

The documentary genre is shown to us right from the beginning of the film. There is acknowledgement of the camera by Wikus whilst he is putting on the microphone. This is the fourth wall, a rule that isn't usually broken 

Key Characters

 Wikus van de merwe- protagonist. 

- doesn't understand the other species of the aliens, until he transforms into one. Feels empathy for the aliens.

Can be referred to as the polysemic meanings of the text.

Colonel Koobus Venter -villian

-shows pleasure in killing the aliens, and responding brutally to anyone who opposes him. Shows the power men think they have.

Piet Smit - Villian

Wilkus' father in law. Portrays white middle age men as abusing their power when they have it and becomes corrupt. 

Christopher - hero

-Christopher tries to save his species

Sin City

Dwight Mccarthy - cynical protagonist

Marv - cynical protagonist 

John Hartigan - cynical protagonist 

introduction

How realistic are the representations of young people in Skins and Sun Sex and Suspicious Parents?

For my research investigation I am questioning if the representations shown on mainstream tv shows are entirely realistic, and how producers go about showing this. I am particularly looking at episode ?????????? in Skins and episode ????? of Sun Sex and Suspicious Parents. By applying hyperrealism and the cultivation theory and also looking into the uses of gratification I will identify why producers represent extremes of behaviour in young people as realistic and if anything they show as positive is completely applicable to teenagers of today.

My initial aim is to discuss how the producers represent the young people in these two shows. The genre may affect this because of the conventions, Skins as a drama may be seen as more dramatic and exaggerated whereas Sun Sex and Suspicious Parents should be portraying a true reality as a documentary.

I will initially explore the representations and stereotypes of young people in society today. I will find how the news, print based media and popular tv shows confirm or contradict of how young people really are. I will do primary analysis and secondary research to discover if the characters in these two texts conform to modern stereotypes.

My next aim is to discuss how the texts portray young people’s aspirations, which differ from educational to minimal or no aspirations at all. To do this I will analyse the characters morals in these texts, their conversations and characteristics towards each other and other people.

And finally I will look into how these representations can affect a passive audience. Representations and stereotypes are shown throughout the texts through the use of mise en scene, dialect and camera shots as well as construction and mediation of the text. For a passive audience this can influence them to believe the representations are completely realistic, and therefore start believing any stereotype the producers confirm or set out are entirely true. The target audience for these texts are young people of about 16-19 year olds and through watching these shows could begin to be influenced by their behaviour. I am going to discuss if this can make the representations in these texts realistic and true in society today.  

Research

I have researched into the cultivation theory, which suggests that the more we watch of something the more influenced we are by it. It is a theory by Professor George Gerbner, and he states that people who watch more television or intake more media texts are most likely to be influenced by what they see.

 Another theory i could apply is the idea of hyperreality. In the modern world, much of "reality" is mediated in some way. Reality programmes are constructed for the viewers entertainment, a lot of what we see on screen in reality shows is not actually reality. People know they're being observed which makes them act differently and the producers choose what to show when, even if it isnt in realistic form.  Information is edited and packaged into news programs, so what is real is often processed and shaped to fit a particular narrative structure. In hyperreality, the copy becomes more valuable than the real thing, and what something symbolizes is more important than what the thing actually is.

Constructions of realism. The media tries to represent what they show as real, and for passive audiences they are influenced and believe what they see as the 'real world'. This can change their views on people, issues and other aspects of society, to the way the producers want them to be seen. 

Sin City

How do your chosen texts use genre conventions?

The genre of Sin City is film noir with elements of comic book and the horror genre. We see this through iconography and typical conventions of these genres. Right from the first scene of the film we see it in black and white, with red being the only colour of her lips. Connotations of this colour would be passion and danger, which indicates femme fatales. Femme fatales are a typical feature of this style of films, and because of the threat of war people lived in fear and mistrust of everyone in this time period. This meant that even the women were dangerous and using the colour red on her lips instantly gives us a sense of a femme fatale character in this film. This use of unnatural colours is also an element of the comic book genre.
Another convention of film noir is the use of highly contrasted shadows and low key lighting. A lot of split lighting is used, particularly on the protagonists faces, which gives a reference to good and evil. This can link to both genres of the film, the hero and villain side of the comic book genre, as well as the idea of mistrust in the film noir genre we are unaware if these characters are good or not through the use of split lighting. The low key lighting we see throughout the film is a convention of the film noir genre and gives us an idea of the dark and gloomy time that the film was supposedly set about.

A typical convention of the comic book genre is shown in the scene where Hartigan is crouched down near the beginning of the film after being injured. We then see him stand up in a heroic fashion, with his long trench coat flowing out behind him, which resembles a superheroes cape. This is iconography of the comic book genre, and also the use of low angle shots on him as he stands indicates his power and strength, that of a hero figure.

Elements that we see of the horror genre are in the scene in the forest where Kevin is tied against a tree by Hartigan and eaten by his dog. This scene alone has the disturbing feel of a horror, however the typical conventions and iconography we see in this scene is the lightning in the back ground and even the location of a dark forest can be seen as a generic feature of many horror films. In this scene it quickly switches to the comic book genre and we see an animated version of him getting attacked by a dog, which by no means is realistic. It also turns a grotesque event into a more light hearted view, which could be seen as a comic book convention, highly stylised and not taking anything too seriously.

Fish Tank

The genre of Fish Tank is social realism, which explores issues in society in a realistic way. The producers aim of this genre is to represent the underrepresented, in this case the underclass. We are given an insight and information into a world we may not be so educated about. It is shown to us in a realistic way so we feel as though we're getting a reliable insight. We see this through the use of hand held camera, non diegetic sound and shallow depth of field which are all elements that we see as realistic, a natural way for us of seeing the world. The sounds we hear are also features that relate it back to the genres concept. We hear traffic and dogs barking, children screaming in the tower block, we get a real sense of unsettled and run down locations. We see tracking shots of Mia walking through the estates, and at the start of the film we see her going to see the horse a lot.
This initial scene with the horse relates to the character and the conventions of the genre. We see close ups of her trying to break the chain its attached to, and releasing the horse. It could relate to her life, she's trying to get away from the cycle of an unloving mother, no education and false aspirations. She's trying to free the horse like she wants someone to come and free her from her life. Through the mise en scene we see the area she's in with the horse, a poorly kept field surrounded by the noise of the road, and gates around the edge of the field. This furthers the location of a run down area and no getting away, a daily struggle which is a convention of this genre.
The only real time we see no sense of struggle or unsettlement is the first time the family are together with Connor in the car. This could confirm a stereotype that women do need men. We see this through the camera angles, we mostly see through Mia's point of view, from the back of the car with Connor in the front, almost as if she's looking towards him for guidance or security. The family are happy when there is a man around. Connor acts as almost a father figure initially, but in the scene where he sleeps with Mia while her mothers drunk and sleeping, changes his character role to the false hero. Throughout the start of the film he has been grooming Mia, although we've seen him as saving the family's relationships, and it isn't until this specific scene that we realise and change our perception of Connor and his role.
The rest of the time we see no connection between the family. We see many scenes where Mia's mother is swearing at her, and drinking in front of her. She also hits Mia, which can relate to one of the very first scenes we see, where the girls are dancing outside of the tower block. We see Mia headbutt one of the girls and shout abuse at one of their fathers. This represents the lower class upbringing that she's had, and how her mothers attitude towards her has effected the way she acts. This again is a convention of the social realism genre, there is no sense of security in her life at all, its a daily struggle and she never lets her guard down unless there is a man around, and even that doesn't last.

Mainstream and Niche

Mainstream tv shows such as Hollyoaks are scheduled to be shown in the evening, when there is the most viewing figures. Channel 4 is also a mainstream tv channel which is seen by a lot of people. It is advertised and broadcasted on this channel, therefore gaining the most awareness and viewing figures they can, and the most money can be made.
The content of Hollyoaks can be relatable to a wide range of audiences as there is an ensemble cast and issues that many of the viewers could of been through. This could mean there is quite a few uses of gratification for a wide audience. For an older audience however it may be less popular than shows such as Eastenders because the target audience of Hollyoaks is a younger one, however they could get some gratification from watching it such as filling time.
The mode of address would be more familiar rather than formal, its easy to watch and get into and anyone could understand it, instead of formal and specialist where you have to have some initial knowledge before watching it.

An example of a niche text would be the film 'Joy', which has been shown at film festivals such as Edinburgh Film Festival. It was shown early evening but when more mainstream films were also shown. 'Joy' is a greek film and the whole dialog was Greek with English subtitles, which again would attract a more specialist audience.
The subject content would be seen as quite disturbing to an audience who prefers a mainstream text and almost boring as there is no generic use of event at the beginning middle and there is no happy ending, which is typical of a niche text.
The mode of address used is by no means familiar, because of the Greek dialog, it could be seen as hard to get into or relate with and the content of the film it does not address the audience.                                                                                                 

Die another Day

The James Bond franchise is a clear example of film objectifying females and forcing the audience to view females the via the male gaze. The scene within 'Die Another Day' when James Bond meets the character Jinx demonstrates my previous statement by the use of post production editing right from the beginning of the scene. We see the first shot with the use of vignette, which makes it look like we are looking through the binoculars, giving us the view of James Bond. Straight away, even a female audience is having to see through the eyes of the male. The vignette is then used again when we see Jinx coming up out of the water. As well as this effect, slow motion is used along with it, which exaggerates the shot and gives the audience more time to look at her for visual pleasure. Its also a constructed representation of reality, nobody sees the world like that.
Through this use of editing, us as the audience are made to objectify the woman, we are made to see her how the males do. This is again a false representation of reality, her character has been coded. Her movements are exaggerated and unnatural for a reason. When she walks, she exaggerates swinging her hips, she has a full face of make up despite just getting out of the water, its a false representation of females. The producers have constructed the character purely for scopophilia. This again makes the audience objectify her, her initial role in the scene is to be looked at. This is further confirmed through James Bonds dialog when she walks towards the bar. He says 'magnificent view', although clearly talking about her and not the landscape, implying that he is only there to look at the women. She then agrees when saying 'it is isn't it', which is again a false representation of females, most are modest and self conscious whereas she is craving for attention.

Representations -The Sweeney trailer

The first time we see some of the cast in the Sweeney trailer is when they are together as the police force in action on the start of a mission. Right from the very start we get a sense of power from the males. There are five people from the force in the shot, and only one of them is a woman. Also, it's made clear to us that the four men have guns and hers, if there is one, isn't seen clearly in the shot. This could confirm a stereotype of men being overpowering of women, and its in their role, especially in this genre of film, to be the heroes, while the women are the princess' or damsels in distress. Also, when we are shown this shot in the trailer, we first see the men, as they are the most emphasised and then the woman is slightly more in the background. The oldest character is leading the others, he also walks with the most confidence and his body language is fairly relaxed compared to the younger members in the cast, this could represent age as the older is more experienced and shows guidance whereas the younger roles portray more naivety and vulnerability. Therefore even in the first 8 seconds of the trailer we get an initial sense of the representations they are portraying.

A few shots after that we see an armed robbery taking place, one where only males are involved which represents men as violent, and also with a sense of greed. This representation is later confirmed when Ben Drew, or George Carter in the film, is running round with a baseball bat and shown punching another man, which although he is seen as the hero, it shows a violent side of males. This is already a stereotype of men in society, so the producers of this film could be confirming it instead of contradicting it.

One of the other few times we see a woman in this trailer is when a jeweller was shot in another armed robbery. This does represent women as vulnerable and as the victim, rather than the opposite so that the men are still seen as more powerful over women. One of the few times we do see a woman overpower a man throughout the whole trailer is in the bar when she hits a guy, although this was after she was objectified by the man as a sexual object, and only through his tone and use of dialog do we see this. This does represent men as derogatory and women as sexualised.

Narrative - Skyfall

James Bond - Skyfall

For this scene in Skyfall, Propp's theory of character roles can straight away be applied. The villain, Raoul Silva, is easily identified as an extravagant character from the first time we see him in the scene, by how he dresses in a white jacket with bleach blond hair, he stands out immediately compared to James Bond, the hero. Bond is in a slick black suit with dark sunglasses, which is his identity in all of the films. We see him as a hero through the use of straight on shots and low angle shots, showing a sense of power. Also the way in which they use dialog can help us define the hero and the villain, Bond has the more familiar accent so we automatically assume his role in the film.

Strauss' binary opposition can also be applied. There is a sense of good and evil between Bond and Silva, we can relate this to how we indentified the character roles by how they dress and talk. Also there is a shot of their faces in the same frame, which we compare good and evil. As well as this opposition, there could also be powerful and vulnerable. Severine is the princess in the scene, she has no power at all compared to Silva. We can tell this through her body language, especially in the shot of him kissing her she looks resistant and uncomfortable, but cannot do anything about it. Long shots of her also make her look small and vulnerable, whereas there are more close ups on Silva which show his emotions and his power, he laughs in the situation but close ups on her show her crying.

There are a few conventions of genre that we see in this clip. Close up shots of guns and focusing of the barrel while he points it at Severine, shows that there will be some action and it is also specific of the spy genre. Bond's  attire also portrays this genre, a black suit and dark sunglasses is another convention of this specific style of film. Also the music cuts out when the scene gets tense, which leaves our focus purely on whether she will get shot or not, an enigma code.

Induction Task - Opening Paragraph

How realistic are the representations of young people in the media, particularly Skins and Sun Sex and Suspicious Parents?

 

I will be exploring the representation of young people in the media and how realistic the representations are.

In particular I will be looking at Skins which in general show both positive and negative representations and to a certain extent are quite fabricated. I will also be looking at Sun Sex and Suspicious Parents which does show an extreme of behavior in young people. To do this I will be applying particular theories, such as the hypodermic needle theory as these programmes could make people feel a certain way and stereotype young people in general.

I will be exploring Skins series 2, and a few of the episodes of Sun Sex and Suspicious Parents which will show the differences in behavior and morals of different gender and ages of the young people shown.

Initial Research

How realistic are the representations of young people in Skins and Sun Sex and Suspicious Parents?

Despite Sun Sex and Suspicious Parents being a reality show, the construction and mediation of the programme creates an extreme representation of youth, and in every episode the teenagers are represented negatively. The footage of the teenagers at night, drinking excessive amounts, being irresponsible and promiscuous takes up the majority of the programme and narratives from the parents and the voiceover further anchor the negative representations we get from this show. 

Skins is another programme i looked into that represents young people and in my opinion similar to Sun Sex and Suspicious Parents, although sometimes accurate, it exaggerates the partying lifestyle, adolescent behaviour and day to day life of young people. As a drama, it is created and the producers control the representations that are shown. Different people will take a different reading to the show but the main audience would be 16-19 year olds perhaps because they can personally identify and relate with the characters and some of the issues that are raised in the programme therefore it is realistic to some extent, just very exaggerated. 

Positive representations: In Sun Sex and Suspicious Parents there are more negative representations than positive. Some of the girls on the programme are shown acting more maturely, they seem more reserved and less confident the boys in the majority of the episodes however there are very few positive representations on the programme as it definitely shows teenagers at their extremes of behaviour.
Skins does create a few positive representations of young people, however most of them are further contradicted at some point later in the series. They're shown discussing grades and uni which portrays a care for their futures which is fairly realistic, most young people have priorities of getting a good job and going to university and it does create something positive because it contradicts stereotypes of naivety and carelessness that is often associated with young people.

A lot of the representations in these two programmes do confirm stereotypes of young people in society, for example Sun Sex and Suspicious Parents shows the negative side of teenagers going out drinking to extremes which will confirm a lot of stereotypes of youth. However at the start of the programme, we get some insight in the type of people the teenagers are through the narrative, they are given labels immediately and we make instant judgements before the programme even properly gets started. Most of the labels are negative and exaggerated, often unrealistic and contradicted further on in the programme, which makes the initial representations in this programme not very realistic. 
In Skins there are many stereotypes confirmed and some are fairly realistic.