Marxist Media Theory

A central feature of Marxist theory is the 'materialist' stance that social being determines consciousness. According to this stance, ideological positions are a function of class positions, and the dominant ideology in society is the ideology of its dominant class. This is in contrast to the 'idealist' stance that grants priority to consciousness (as in Hegelian philosophy). Marxists differ with regard to this issue: some interpret the relationship between social being and consciousness as one of direct determination; others stress a dialectical relationship.


Stuart Hall

Stuart Hall, now Professor of Sociology at the Open University, was a major figure in the revival of the British political Left in the 1960s and '70s. Following Althusser, he argues that the media appear to reflect reality whilst in fact they construct it.
Janet Woollacott (1982: 108-110) offers a useful critique of Policing the Crisis, a key work by Stuart Hall et al.(1978). The work reflects an analysis of the signifying practices of the mass media from the perspective of Marxist culturalist theory inflected through Gramsci's theory of hegemony, and 'an Althusserian conception of the media as an ideological state apparatus largely concerned with the reproduction of dominant ideologies', claiming relative autonomy for the mass media (Woollacott 1982: 110). For Hall et al. the mass media do tend to reproduce interpretations which serve the interests of the ruling class, but they are also 'a field of ideological struggle'. The media signification system is seen as relatively autonomous. 'The news' performs a crucial role in defining events, although this is seen as secondary to the primary definers: accredited sources in government and other institutions. The media also serve 'to reinforce a consensual viewpoint by using public idioms and by claiming to voice public opinion' (Woollacott 1982: 109).

Describe  how you developed research and planning skills for media production and evaluate how these skills contributed to creative decision making. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time.

Planning and Researching where a key factor that I followed. I planned my story board and script before I created and filmed my teaser trailer. Throughout my teaser trailer I followed the story board and I handed out a printed script to the actors, so they knew exactly what they were doing. In doing so I found it much easier and it was well planned seeing as I am working on my own.  

Before I recorded my teaser trailer, I planned which camera I will be using and I planned how it will be structure in doing so I did I schedule and a shot list telling me exactly where the shots will be. And in my schedule I followed it and handed it out to all cast members I did this to be well planned and organised.

Furthermore I was influenced by the film called ‘Paranormal Activity’, I thought this teaser trailer was really well edited and it did not give away the whole story.  I chose specific edits which I envisioned would look great on my teaser trailer for example, the night-vision scene, I added it to my teaser trailer; I did this to get more colour and more suspense to my trailer.

I developed my idea in several ways such as, I made a to do list and I followed it.  i also researched the what I will do in my poster, I looked at paranormal activity and I liked hot the poster was a well photographed screenshot of the movie, I then did the same, I re-took a photograph that was seen in the trailer, I thought it would catch the viewer’s attention, I also wanted it to look real; so the audience can relate to the idea. I then researched more movie posters and I really thought the poster ‘Rec’ was great so then I added a few references that ‘Rec’ has and applied it to mine. I thought this was a creative decision because it made my poster and the main product connected.

Overall I thought researching and planning for my teaser trailer are vital because it helped me make creative decisions to make my teaser trailer look professional.  And overtime my main product and ancillaries developed. As the time went by I kept adding notes to my domain website (weebly).

Precious & Fish tank

Write a comparison of the representation of Mia in fish tank & Precious

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-xCcoG6Wlc

Precious clip:

This clip shows ‘black’ people; to be more specific Black women as the general stereotype loud and rude. What i noticed is the mother is seen as more dominant just by using her voice she is seen as the predator thus her daughter ‘Precious’ is seen as the prey.   In this clip the mother is using vile language and blaming everything on her daughter; she is angry and frustrated at precious.  This film represents more so the black poor community. 

It is a film that stereotypes black women; ‘Jerry Springer’ a well-known TV Series ; it is a TV series  that generally shows the more negative side to the more poorer community in America.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg1yMOdjyp0

Fish Tank Trailer.

The comparison between ‘Precious’ and ‘Fish tank’ are that both this female character live in a dysfunctional family; this is generally the stereotype to people living in council houses & have less income.  They are being targeted by their mothers and are seen as ‘Rejects’. Arguably both their mothers are frustrated and want some-one to blame for their life mistakes. 

Both these clips show no male figure ; there are no father figures in these films; this represents women as needing a man or they will just turn out angry at the world. Arguably precious mother blames her for her husband’s bad choices. 

Moreover both these films represent single parent households and both Mia and Precious feel alienated and frustrated and they both want to escape the life there living. 

Furthermore  In precious mostly all the darker skin characters where seen as evil &terrible whereas the two lighter skin characters the teacher and the doctor where seen as the protagonists ; the representation  was un liked .

essay pracitse prepration

Representation

The film represents sub working class culture. Poverty, social housing and single parent families are foregrounded as audiences voyeuristically see the grim realism of south east Essex ‘chav’ culture unfold. The central character Mia is the typical social realist central protagonist – angry, frustrated and alienated with an abusive, overtly sexualised irresponsible mother.

There is no apparent father, her younger sister drinks (as does Mia), swears but ultimately remains faithful to the family unit and almost at times has a parental type of representation.

The key problem for Fish Tank would be hegemonic cultural stereotyping which would be dependent on the cultural capital of the target audience but arguably the character of Mia is pluralistic eventually in the struggle to leave her urban and dysfunctional family environment.

It is a film that represents a specific regional identity but uses the familiar stereotype of Jeremy Kyle ‘trailer park trash’ to pin its narrative themes to. Representations of gender and age predominate as Mia experiences humiliation as a stereotypical female victim and sexual exploitation at the hands of Connor, her mother’s boyfriend - she is 15. Patriarchal ideology is arguably challenged though by the narrative outcomes.

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 FISH TANK & PREC..
arguably- good term

make comparisons e.g. Precious
class issue amongst the black community
she is seen as a 'black' charcter

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 Hypermedic needel theory- makes you want to do things

Uses and gratification theory
 -watch to be entertained
-compare our own personal identity
-social interactions -
-observation- observe things because we are intrested . e.g. news-intrested in the world

moral panics
stanley

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essay HOMEWORK

find specific clips- ananlyse it
e.g. paragraph

add theories
hegemony, realism, sterotyping, feminism

wider secondary research: news articles, academic studies, goverment, research, audience responcses

find studies- specific ones

presentation: essay with clips

The media is responsible for biased and inaccurate representations. Discuss this statement in relation to the area you have studied and consider the impact of media representations on collective identity

do a comparison between mia fish tank and precisous

How do the contemporary media represent nations, regions  and  ethnic/social/collectivegroups of people in different ways?

Media is a very powerful source, and for most people it is where they get there information from. Media can form people opinions . So therefore media can represent nations, regions and ethnic/social/collective-groups of people in different ways. Gypsies is going to be my key focus throughout this essay. I will expand on how they are represented through the media and how the stereotypes are shown through the media.

There are many stereotypes shown in the media such as ‘My big fat Gypsy wedding’ this documentary follows the travelers and it shows the audience what they do and how there life is like.  In this documentary we see them with big fancy weddings; this shows that they do have money. Also in some episodes we see them traveling long distances this also shows they have money to be moving around.

In addition to how the stereotypes are weaken in ‘My big fat Gypsy wedding’ are that the gypsies in this documentary do not steal and this breaks the general stereotype towards gypsies. However watching this documentary on gypsy weddings what i noticed is that most of the girls want to get married in an early age. That is there main goal in life. Thus the women that are already married are mainly housewives and do the domestic role.

The programme is mainly for entertainment, so they have to make it entertaining; this could cause them to take the  editing scenes out and manipulating the audience; also since the viewing public know such little information about ‘Gypsies in general’ they will use that as an advantage.

There are other forms of media witch do stereotype gypsies such as ‘Shakira – Gypsy’ This is a song which has all forms of general stereotypes, One of the lyric says ‘I might steal your clothes And wear them if they fit me’ This song lyric is labeling gypsy women as thieves.

To conclude there are gypsies are represented in mostly negative ways; they are seen as thieves, and that they all get married at a young age (14+18). The stereotypes towards gypsies could go on. However Documentaries such as ‘My big fat gypsy wedding’ can sometimes influence the stereotype or weaken it. The stereotype that gypsies are thieves is broken in the documentary ‘My big fat Gypsy wedding’ however re-opened in the song ‘shakira- Gypsy’. Thus the stereotypes towards gypsies still go on to this day and age. An example is the Poster which was made for ‘My big fat gypsy wedding’ It was quite a known poster some may argue it is racist. It says ‘ Bigger, fatter, Gypsier’ It sounds like a good catchphrase  however to the gypsy traveling society it caused offense.

what i have finish:

i have to finish my magazine ancillary

i have to finish my evaluation:
Surveys
questionnaires

and i have to add more things to the blog

such as research and add more power points

Research on price tag

i also need to do a storyboard the real one

what ideas/words are associated with the term gypsies and travellers.

Thieves= asking for money in the streets
scamming
In documentries such as gypsy weddings they are living in caravans and traveling the country.
Young marriage
family orientated

Snatch (2000) clip:
accents
how are they being represented
viloent language
very poor
there called 'pikey'
they squat; behind the van
they drink alot


How do the contemporay media represent nations, religions and ethnic/ social/ collective groups of people in diffrent ways. (50 marks)

analyse the content you have been given
how are gyypsis and travellers represented?
which institution is it? how does this affective the reading?  how is it meditated?
which theories  could help to support your  answe?

PLAN:
WEB