Representation - Theories
Intersectionality is present in all media forms and encompassed by all characters, whether they are in portrayed in films, news or magazines. Kimberle Crenshaw first coined this term to address the issue of how the experiences of black women are expressed only in terms of one aspect of their lives. This theory then extended to all representations of groups and individuals, especially in media. In our film opening, the character has many different aspects that make up his identity, we expressed these In various ways. Firstly, the audience sees him as a young man, even a boy. His sad expression is the first thing they see so they might instantly think of him as a troubled teenager. Ethnicity might also be a more important factor in this piece of media than social class. His clothes seem out of place but no reference is made to his social position or status. However, that fact that he is a white, handsome young man makes the discrepancy between him and his location more obvious. The audience questions how he got to where he is and what his situation might be.
Through our media project we tried to create a message that would be relatable to our target audience. More specifically, the misunderstanding of youth in society and the struggles they face. By creating this bridge between a media text and the people who consume it, media has the power to create different groups and perspectives on issues and themes. People often take sides and create collective identities on what they see, hear or read in the media. “Demure” can be received differently by different people, they might understand and relate to our character or they can take an opposing attitude. They might believe that the representation is exaggerated or not truthful.
The idea mentioned above extends to the theory of Stuart Hall. He explained that people can either adopt oppositional, negotiated or dominant attitudes to what they consume. That means that they can either agree and relate to what they are presented, or try to extract what fits their perspectives and understand what they want to, or contradict and disagree with what they see. For example, differences can appear between age groups and even within youth sub-cultures and identities. Older audiences may understand what is presented but may not agree or relate to it; they could also not understand at all they style and presentation of the film. When it comes to teenagers, most might understand if they have a more analytical understanding of media, however, they might not have gone through the same experiences and may understand the message differently.
On the other hand, David Buckingham says that in post-modern societies, identities are increasingly fragmented so no collective attitude and identity can be formed. We are presented with so many different versions of reality and perception that we are free to pick and mix what we believe in and how we think. “Demure” does represent one theme and perspective, but this perspective is made up of various ideas than form a distinct message. The usual representation of trouble youth focuses a lot more on ethnicity, class, gender or age. Here we focused on the character’s thoughts and cognitive processes to construct his representation. We blended his rational and irrational thinking to create the surreal atmosphere and engage the audience, bringing them into what he is feeling and experiencing.
