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– What carries representation
face ,age, gestures and body language
Stereotype-Definition
How I would define stereotype is a particular person of thing is seen as an image in someone’s head of how they are meant to act. for example when people say girls aren’t as strong as boys are as you cannot judge how strong a person is whether they are a girl or a boy.
Countertype– Definition
A representation that actively seeks to subvert and challenge negative stereotypes usually of a person, group or place. For example a black president instead of a white president.
Sarah Conner representation examples-
waitress-
when she was a server she was very unfocused and ditsy , this was shown when she was late to work. you can tell that she didn’t enjoy working there and she wasn’t going to peruse the job for much longer.
soldier-
when she was a soldier she was very fit and ripped and they showed this so that it would take away her femininity. she was handling a gum and she knew how to do so so you can see that she had transformed into this badass.
Trainspotting Representation-
1.WHO IS DOING THE REPRESENTATION? (DIRECTOR’S VIEWPOINT) Danny Boyle (director)
2.WHO IS BEING REPRESENTED ? Spud, Renton, Sick boy, Francis and Tommy. who were tragically addicted and affected by drug use.
3.WHAT SOCIAL GROUPS ARE OMITTED FROM THE REPRESENTATIONS? They are more likely middle class but some would say lower class.
4.WHAT MESSAGES ABOUT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS ARE BEING CONVEYED? Tells the audience how lower class communities are affected by drug abuse and crime.
5.WHICH CHARACTERS OR SOCIAL GROUPS HAVE POWER WITHIN THE REPRESENTATIONS? I believe that the girls have more power as they don’t do drugs really. Also in the first scene in mother superiors house you can tell that the boys are obsessed with the lady or at least sick boy is.
6.DO THE CHARACTERS ADHERE TO OR CHALLENGE STEREOTYPES? Glasgow is seen as a ‘rougher’ city and the movie shows depth of the people and the city.
7.ARE THE CHARACTERS TYPICAL OF FILMS IN THAT GENRE? No, as all the characters are different and distinctive for the black-comedy genre.
8.WHAT DO REPRESENTATIONS TELL AUDIENCES ABOUT SOCIETY AT THE TIME THE FILM WAS MADE AND/OR SET? The depictions in Trainspotting communicate to global audiences that Edinburgh in the late ’90s wasn’t always cheerful and welcoming. Instead, it exposes the city’s grittier realities, illustrating how drug abuse often goes unnoticed and highlighting the devastating impact of heroin addiction on both the individuals involved and those around them.
9.HOW ARE ELEMENTS OF FILM FORM (MISE EN SCENE/PERFORMANCE/SOUND/EDITING/CINEMATOGRAPHY) BEING USED TO CONTRUCT THE REPRESENTATIONS? A strong example of Mise En Scène in this film occurs when Renton plunges into a filthy toilet, searching for his drugs. This scene takes on a surreal quality, shifting from the grimy reality of the toilet to a boundless, crystal-clear blue water, likely symbolising the euphoria heroin induces. This helps convey the portrayal of desperate young addicts in Edinburgh. In the same scene, the music changes as Renton dives, shifting from a fanfare to a calm ambiance, aligning with the contrast between harsh reality and the bliss of euphoria.