What is the current relationship between homosexuality and the mediascape in Britain as evidenced by various media texts?
The representation of homosexuality in Britain has been “greatly
moulded and remoulded” in the media, as said by Jermaine Caldwell. This is
definitely true if one were to look at past representations juxtaposed with the
present. One could argue that the increased illustration of the LGBT community
and more open LGBT personalities (such as Elton John) has led to a greater awareness
and possible acceptance, as well as a greater level of comfort experienced by
homosexuals themselves. For example, a number of political leaders are in
favour of the ban being lifted. This may have been caused by the change of
discourse over the years. Homosexuality was seen as a sin, as a law was made
punishing homosexuals, until around the 70s, when it was then seen as more natural
and more occurring around and one could argue that, in the present day,
homosexuality is almost glamorised, due to a much larger media portrayal of the
community. It would seem that portrayals of homosexuality in British media have
come a long way, yet positive and negative depictions are still both depicted -
there is never just an encouraging light shone upon the topic. However, some
still consider it a sin, or a taboo subject, causing backlash against media concerning
gay characters or relationships, generating the question – does the media have
enough power to change an entire world’s perception on homosexuality? It would
seem that these discourses will continue to exist, and that no clear linear
progression will ever surface. Since July 2012, over 8 million gay slurs have
been used on social networking sites this year. An incredibly controversial,
yet interesting and revolutionary, website, ‘nohomophobes.com’, counts the
amount of times derogatory terms such as ‘faggot’ and ‘dyke’ are used on
Twitter daily. The people using these terms, and the tweets themselves, are
shown on the site. Its tagline states that “Homophobic language isn’t always meant to be hurtful, but how often
do we use it without thinking?” which is extremely true of the current
generation’s slang. For example, the term ‘faggot’ is in the Oxford Dictionary
with one definition being ‘a derogatory term for a homosexual male’. Matthew
Wood stated, in an essay entitled ‘The Portrayal of Gays and Lesbians on
TV, and How Viewers React’, that “there are several ways in which gays and
lesbians are portrayed” which is true of
the Scottish drama ‘Lip Service’. The show, concerned with the life of a number
of lesbians living in Glasgow, features a group of protagonists, some who
appeared rather masculine, a common stereotype of homosexual women, and others
who were feminine and may not have been considered gay on first watching,
illustrating the strain that media stereotypes tend to impose upon a society. The
reality of the situation is much more complex and features more intricate
‘characters’ and ‘story lines’ than the media could ever produce.
My homework was to anaylse contrasting representations of the BBC. I looked at an article published in the Daily Mail, a newspaper notorious for its right-wing satire, and the BBC 'countdown' advert. Needless to say, both were very different.
First published in 1896 by Lord
Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper
after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982.
Scottish and Irish editions of the daily paper were launched in 1947 and 2006
respectively. The Daily Mail was Britain's first daily newspaper aimed at the
newly literate "lower-middle class market resulting from mass education,
combining a low retail price with plenty of competitions, prizes and
promotional gimmicks", and the first British paper to sell a million copies
a day. (Wikipedia)
Text 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqLI-io6_TU - The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service
broadcasting corporation. Its main responsibility is to provide impartial public service
broadcasting in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. It is the largest broadcaster in the world by
number of employees, with about 23,000 staff. The BBC is headquartered at Broadcasting House in London and has
major production centres in Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow,
London and Salford and smaller production centres throughout the UK. (Wikipedia)
The Daily Mail
newspaper article depicts the Public Service Broadcaster as a corrupt and
disliked institution. This particular newspaper's mode of address is rather
satirical and negative. The writer offers to “assist” the audience to “clamber
over the heaped corpses of the BBC's failed, and now sacked, senior
executives”. The imagery of death is rather hyperbolic, as it suggests that the
BBC affiliates have failed so extremely that it is comparable to death. This is
quite a common trait of the Daily Mail that, one could argue, enjoys
criticising other institutions that may not share the same values and
ideologies of the newspaper. The imagery conjured up by the phrase “heaped
corpses” could make the audience think of murder, a completely corrupt
representation of a previously well-liked institution. However, it may be a way
of convincing the audience that the BBC's actions recently have been dishonest
and terrible, which some may agree with. The pictures are cleverly utilised to
further this notion of corruption and negativity. The first image depicts
people walking out of the BBC building, an obviously innocent act, however, one
could infer, from the surrounding body of text, that the walking away is an
attempt of escaping. The second image shows the outside of the BBC building on
a cloudy day. If pathetic fallacy were to apply here, one could argue that the
atmosphere surrounding the BBC is hopeless, depressing and bleak. Both images
are rather humorous ones chosen by the Daily Mail to feature in the article. The rather bias imagery created by the text and pictures in the article depict the BBC as a corrupt and tainted institution.
One could argue that Text 2, the promotional BBC text, presents a modernised representation of the institution, rather than a traditional one. The clip features a montage of scenes depicting journalists reporting from unusual areas, such as football pitches and war zones, rather than the traditional studio format. This modern illustration of journalism is presented as a positive trait through the use of low-angled camera shots when looking at the journalists, as if the reporters are important and highly regarded for their dangerous reports. The question that arises is whether this modern take is positive or not. Text 1
depicts this change as a negative, impying that the BBC no longer has its traditional, well-liked values. The
article claimed that the new changes made by the 'modernised' BBC create “a serious misfortune
for the British people, to whom the old, trustworthy, decent, sometimes boring
but sometimes brilliant old-style Auntie BBC meant so much”. One may note the
adjective “trustworthy” to contrast with the recent notion of deceitfulness,
suggesting that it is not only a loss of tradition, but a loss of actuality to
the news. Furthering the notion of loss of reality, one could bring up the debate of censorship. Although danger is implied in Text 2 with a montage of scenes depicting war zones and non-diegetic bangs, no actual tragedies are reported, such as combat and subsequent death. Although these scenes are not shown for viewer safety, one could argue that the truth is being censored, stopping the audience from learning the true nature of events, such as war. Modernity is represented as a positive trait of the BBC in Text 2, with the use of camera angles and a montage of modern, global scenery. However, it is represented as negative by the Daily Mail through the use of contrasting imagery of the "old" (and "trustworthy") and new.
Text 2 represents the BBC as diverse,
showing a montage of scenes appealing to different audiences and their various
gratifications. Scenes depicting sports journalists are merged with scenes of
war reports and celebrity activity, in order to engage a range of viewers and
satisfy uses and gratifications such as entertainment, information, escapism
and topics for social conversation. David Attenborough, a BBC affiliate, stated that it is "a responsibility of the BBC to provide programs which have a broad spectrum of interest". The BBC is also represented as culturally
diverse. Close ups and long shots depicting Asian children from countries
affected by war as well as cast and crew of different cultures are used frequently.
This is an example of globalisation, as one could argue the world is becoming ‘smaller’
and more intimate, as people in the Western world, that receive reports from the
BBC, learn about cultures and lifestyles different from their own, hopefully
strengthening international bonds and lessening prejudice. The global and broad content shown in Text 2's representation of the BBC implies that it is very diverse, not only as a requirement of a PSB, but also to appeal to a wide audience with differing taste and interests.
Text 2 also represents the BBC as
an institution set on discovering and presenting the truth to its audience. A
mid shot depicting a camera operator and female reporter in protective clothing
in an area that appears to be involved in war and a close up of a reporter
reacting to some kind of explosion imply that the BBC strives to document
reality to their viewers, regardless of the dangers they may face in the
process. The non-diegetic bang that accompanies the startled journalist may be
a method of anchoring the notion of danger to the audience, as the noise is
rather sudden and unexpected, or to involve the audience, implying a unity and
intimacy between the institution and its audience. With the recent allegations
of the Programme Editor, Peter Rippon, refusing to air the ‘Newsnight’
concerning the late Jimmy Savile’s abuse case and George Entwistle, the
Director General, airing an episode of ‘Newsnight’ that wrongly accused Lord
McAlpine of abuse, one could argue that the BBC does not report the truth, or
has at least struggled to for the past few months. Text 1 develops this notion
by referring to George Entwistle as “unfit” to fulfil his role as Director,
possibly due to his airing of the incorrect accusatory 'Newsnight', and calling
the BBC, in general, a “grotesquely overblown organisation”. The adjective
“overblown” may imply that the institution is relied on by a large number of
people to receive the news, and ultimately the truth, which the BBC has not
recently delivered. Text 2 attempts to represent the BBC as a truthworthy institution with aspects of danger faced by the journalists, whereas Text 1 desires to expose the insitution as an untrustworthy and corrupt organisation.
Text 2 implies
that the BBC has a passion for reporting the news. The constant use of the
colour red (seen on the logo that remains in the bottom left-hand corner, the
ending moving image of the globe and the shoot of colour travelling through
television aerials, symbolising the news reaching different households). Red
has connotations of passion and love, possibly implying a love of reporting
news felt by the BBC. Red also has connotations of danger, which may symbolise
the type of news reported, as many of the scenes depict camera operators and
journalists in harsh and war-affected areas. One could argue that the
repetition of scenes depicting war may contribute to a form of moral panic. The
audience may become desensitised to the images they witness on the news,
meaning that sad stories of lives lost and continual struggles no longer affect
an audience and sadden them the way one would expect, purely because of the
constant reporting of warfare. Impressionable audience members may also relate
what they see to violent video games they have played or just interpret it as
fun. This could be considered a moral panic as it may influence someone to act
violently as they are constantly exposed to savage images and have become
desensitised to the horrors of military action. Although Text 2 desires to illustrate a passion for reporting the news, the danger of a moral panic is an effect of the constant depicting of war.
The BBC's role as a Public Service Broadcaster means that it must depict the truth to its audience. The recent controversy would imply that this is not being fulfilled by the institution. The Daily Mail article could be argued to revel in the BBC's neglected duties, whereas the BBC 'countdown' text aims to develop the idea that the organisation is a passionate, truthful and diverse institution.
For my representation homework, I looked at how teenagers are
represented in the newly-established cult movie, Project X.
The ‘blurb’ from Wikipedia states that:
Project X is a 2012 comedy film directed by
Nima Nourizadeh in his feature film debut, written by Michael Bacall and Matt
Drake based on a story by Bacall, and produced by The Hangover director Todd Phillips. The plot follows ... three
friends who plan to gain popularity by throwing a party, a plan which quickly escalates
out of their control. ...The film was presented as a home video from the perspective of an attendee using a camera to document
the night's events. Project X
was released in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom on March 2,
2012, and grossed over $100 million worldwide during its theatrical run.
The film received a mixed-to-negative critical response on release. Criticism
focused on the perceived misogyny, mean-spirit, and "loathsome" behaviour of the lead
characters, and disregard for the effects of drug use. Following release,
incidents of large scale parties referenced or blamed the film as an
inspiration.
Teenagers are
represented as destructive and immoral. Numerous acts of criminal activity are
presented, such as under-age drinking and destruction of property (seen in the
image depicting a police car being vandalised from the view point of a police
security camera), and these negative events are celebrated. Depending, on one’s
discourse, the trailer may be viewed differently. A person with strong morals
and little desire for destructiveness might look down upon the trailer’s events.
However, a teen with loose morals and one that enjoys dangerous and vulgar
behaviour may look upon these actions with respect and amazement. Regardless of
discourse, it is clear what the producers of the text want the audience to feel
when watching the trailer, through the use of the written code stating that the
film is “a celebration of bad behaviour”, suggesting that although these
activities are recognised as bad, they are still represented as fun, or a
socially constructed image of fun. This caused a ‘moral panic’, as it led to
cases of teenagers being reckless and mimicking the behaviour seen in the film.
In March 2012, a spring break rave in
a Houston mansion, that was
meant to emulate Project X, ended in disaster after several attendees fired guns, killing one
person as police tried to break up the party. In Florida, an 18 year old sent
out an invitation on YouTube, promising the ‘party of a lifetime’ and was arrested
after vandalizing a house and causing $20,000 worth of damage with fellow
teenagers. This establishes the film as a moral panic, but also demonizes
adolescents simply because of a few negative incidents.
As the night deteriorates, the lighting changes. The high-key lighting where
the party-goers are laughing and dancing changes to a low-key lighting when the
police become involved and criminal activity begins. The low-key implies
negativity and wrong-doing – possibly a method of convincing teenagers that
this rebellious behaviour ends badly. Despite this negative result, large scale
parties were still carried out, imitating the Project X gathering. This
particular trailer screenshot, depicting teenagers wearing hooded jackets may further
the stereotype of the ‘hoodie’ culture (a group of ‘folk devils’), being
destructive and rebellious as a way of having fun. This is an extremely
negative representation of teenagers, as it fails to represent those that abide
by laws and morals and value other legal activities.
This
particular screenshot demonstrates how Project X furthers the notion of girls
being sexual objects. The teenage boy in the picture is fully clothed, yet the
girl is in a bikini. The way in which the boy is holding the girl in this
particular scene also implies a sexual relationship dominated by him. Even the
angle of the camera implies that women are inferior objects to men. The male is
at the forefront of the two shot, and even though the scene prior to this
depicted the scantily clad teenage girl alone, the boy is now in control of the
situation as he pushes her into the pool. Throughout the trailer, men are seen
as the ‘fun loving’ gender and the girls are seen as the ‘objects’ for the men
to gaze at. From a feminist point of view, this stereotype being furthered by
Project X is an unjust and rather old representation. Women of the 1950s, such
as Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, were seen as objects of male gaze, which
was just the common media representation of the time. However nowadays, women
such as Germaine Greer and other women that are not seen as sexual objects,
rather as figures to be respected, have emerged and revolutionised views on
women. One could argue that this film’s representation of women is a ‘set-back’,
almost forgetting the positive representation of innovative women and resorting
back to older media representations to interest the male gaze and fantasy.
The up-beat, modern
non-digetic music, close-ups of smiling faces and the fast-paced montage
editing This shot depicting a teenage boy jumping from a height into the
swimming pool is shot, cleverly, with a high-angled camera shot, in order to
make the audience look up at him, physically and metaphorically, in an
admirable way. Whether or not the audience view his behaviour as exciting or
fun, they are forced to look up at him, implying that his way of life is
superior and the way life should be. This links to the blurb’s statement “Following release, incidents of large scale
parties referenced or blamed the film as an inspiration”. The
teenagers replicating this behaviour may have done so in order to fit in and
imitate those they view as superior.
Overall, teenagers are unjustly represented in the trailer
for Project X. Not all teenagers engage in criminal activity or large-scale
parties. Women are represented as objects of the male gaze, which is a rather
sexist view that revolutionary modern media tries to avoid. Despite all of the
negative implications, the party within the film is seen as a celebrated and
amazing event, even though it ends in destruction and criminality. The
producers of this text may have included scenes of rebellion and immorality in
order to create and maintain interest or to present ways of life for some teenagers.
Since this film was shown globally, media imperialism could apply here, as
teenagers from other countries and cultures may mimic the seemingly fun, but
ultimately negative behaviour they see. Teenagers are represented as the cause
of problems, crime and corruption in society, which may be the case for certain
individuals, but not for adolescents as a unit.
