Representation Theory

Zandile Lungah

The media is where we get most of our information as it represents the whole world. From it we are able to gain knowledge and info about current events. as well as being responsible for keeping us up to date with the worlds current affairs- it is also responsible to us to gain knowledge on the representations of things. This helps us to both recognize and challenge their perspective. In the media you can get both an exaggerated representation of a certain group but more commonly, a natural representation. 

• Masculinity or Femininity• Social Class• Sexuality• Race and ethnicity• National identity• Age

In the 'Smiley' trailer protagonist is a female character who seems to be the 'damsel in desserts' she is seeking help from the male characters who are seen as being strong and the hero. This is a common representation in the media of the females always needing male assistance when they are being challenged.

In terms of age, when the male officer is interviewing her, we see that he has a lot of authority over her this mirrors the life of the youth today and how people see then both in the media and day-to-day life. However instead of being in trouble with the police, which is a common scenario, she is the one going to the police with a problem.There are two sides to the representation of teenagers in the trailer. First we see a shot of them in school which is a positive because we see them keeping productive but then we see another shot of them drinking underage this could be a sign of teen rebelling.

There are a range of different representations in the media today, I think that is important to do you because it offers personal identity, if someone can identify with the characters in the in a film. Additionally it is a way to attract our target audiences.