All aspects of film form including narrative contribute to the representations of cultures and societies (gender, ethnicity and age) including the ideological nature of those representations.
Performance – age, ethnicity, costume, facial expressions, body language + gestures, etc.
Stereotype – A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.
Countertype – challenging stereotypes of certain beliefs. Example: having a black president of America.
Sarah Connor:
Sarah Connor looks like an average stereotypical American diner waitress in Terminator 1. She seems to be fed up with her job, as she shows up late and has to deal with demanding and annoying customers – whether that be a boy putting ice cream in her pocket or people forgetting which orders are theirs. She looks like she is in her early-mid 20s, and has stereotypically feminine traits.
Sarah Connor in Terminator 2 is far more built and muscular, which makes her a countertype of the stereotypical nurturing and caring female character. She looks like she is the heroine in an action film, as she seems comfortable with guns and ready to fight.
Representation in Trainspotting:
1.) Who is doing the representation?
Danny Boyle, the director of Trainspotting.
2.) Who is being represented?
Drug (specifically heroin) addicts, young, white Scottish men, parents.
3.) What social groups are omitted from the representations?
People of colour, wealthy people
4.) What messages about about particular social groups are being conveyed?
They seem to be trying to convey that drugs are not only bad for a person’s health, but also their general lifestyle by showing the very un-glamorous life they live.
5.) Which characters or social groups have power within the representations?
People such as the people who interviewed Spud made it clear that they have the power in that situation, which I think shows how more middle-upper classes look down on the lower classes and people who are struggling with addiction.
6.) Do the characters adhere to or challenge stereotypes?
I think that the main characters stray away from the previously glamorised lifestyle that is mostly associated with rich rockstars and musicians. However, it does adhere to the stereotype of what heroin-addicted people are like.
7.) Are the characters typical of films in that genre?
The characters reflect some traits of characters in a drama, but this type of explicit representation of heroin addicts was very atypical.
8.) What do representations tell audiences about society at the time the film was made and/or set?
Representations are good to show underrepresented or common types of attitudes/people of the time period.
9.) How are elements of film form (mise en scene/performance/sound/editing/cinematography) being used to construct the representations?
Different elements of film form help to contribute to the verisimilitude of the film, which constructs representations. For example, the performance of Ewan McGregor is very effective in presenting what an addict would act like in real life. As well as the performance, costuming in Trainspotting reflects clothing of the time.
Trainspotting Representations:
Older people:
Elderly people in homes are represented in this film briefly as the main group of characters steal their television and drugs. They are shown as a bit of a stereotype as they sit around, sleep and don’t do anything as their TV is stolen. As well as this, there are other older people such as the people that interview Spud, who seem very above him and seem to think that they are superior.
Addicts:
Addicts are represented a lot throughout Trainspotting whether it be when they are taking drugs with the Mother Superior, taking speed before going to an interview, or even just when they are smoking consistently throughout the film.
Scottish people:
Scottish people are shown a lot in pubs in general, for example the beginning of the film when Begbie is being introduced they are in a very busy pub, with people drinking and chatting all around, which is a staple of Sottish and British culture in general. There are other parts of Trainspotting that represent the general Scottish population such as the nightclub scene and in the second pub scene towards the end of the film.
Women:
Women are represented scarcely in Trainspotting; the only woman that is part of the ‘main group’ being an addict as well. Other than that, Tommy and Spud’s girlfriends are presented to be fed up with their boyfriends, especially Tommy’s, who breaks up with him after he becomes addicted to heroin, suggesting that a lot of the women in their lives won’t put up with their addictions. Finally, the only other woman that is in the film is rather coercive and doesn’t tell Renton that she is underage before he sleeps with her, which is a very negative depiction of her.