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This Is England: Representation

Young people in This Is England play a big part in representing this time period in England, the youngest being Shaun who’s 12, along with Woody’s group who are all young adults. For the most part, they’re depicted to the spectator as being reckless, carefree, and unified by style.

Older people in the film have a range of roles, there’s Cynthia who is Shaun’s mother, she is caring and down to earth, and then there is Combo who has an authoritarian approach to keeping people close to him, instilling fear and nationalist propaganda onto others. The audience is shown that this heavily impacts Shaun, since Combo hones in on Shaun’s grief, weaponizing it so that Shaun becomes an asset to Combo’s gang.

The working class is the prominent class in This Is England, this is important to the spectator because it signifies how Margaret Thatcher’s time in parliament wasn’t taken lightly by those in the working class, as shown multiple times with graffiti.

English people are only represented by those from the North of England, in depth, the only time we ever see Southern citizens is on news broadcasts about those in power, like Margaret Thatcher and the Royal Family. This indicates to the audience that it is a common occurrence that the South have an overpowering hold on the North, along with classism against northern England.

Asian and Black people are depicted in a bad light whenever Combo has something to say about it, casual racism is a common occurrence throughout the film, for example, when Combo first visits Woody and the others to tell them a story about his time in prison, openly discriminating a black inmate whilst Milky is in the room (a Jamaican man). Asian people are portrayed as “job stealers”, according to Combo, as well as being verbally abused and taken advantage of in the scene where Shaun and Combo’s gang raid Sandhu’s shop.

Aesthetics

aesthetics definition – The overall style of a film and the visual appearance. This can include the costumes and the set design throughout the movie

Aesthetics term 1-realism

definitions

Realism – a way to represent real life issues / characters through film

verisimilitude – The appearance of being true or real; believability

Example– Selma is an example of verisimilitude since its based on real events that happens (the fight to pass the voting act right)

social realism – Effects on the environment and the factors of the development of characters throughout

Example – This is England is an example of social realism since in the movie represents real life England and its issues, including the racist development of Shaun.

magic realism – a literary or artistic genre in which realistic narrative and naturalistic technique are combined with surreal elements of dream or fantasy

example – Encanto (2021) is a magic realist film since the movie has surreal elementals like magical powers the a realistic feal from the community and village

hyperreality definition – over dramatic version of reality or reality that is emphasized / too real to be real

Example – The Barbie (2023) movie is over emphasized and a dramatic look of reality

aesthetic term 2Visual style

Visual style – the look and the feel of a film / language

iconography – the visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study or interpretation of these

example – The boy in the stripped pajamas (2008). The reoccurring pajamas symbolize the holocaust and the people who suffered throughout

intertextual referencing – when films and other arts/literatures collide in a movie

Example – In Monsters inc other Disney movies are referenced like in the scene where they are trading plushies of nemo

visual / sound motifs –  a recurring sound element that is associated with a particular character, theme, or idea within a film or audio-visual work

Example – The movie jaws has the memorable sound track whenever the shark is nearby

colour grading – digital tools used to make videos or films look better or change the colour tone and mood

Example – In the movie corpse bride, the colour grading waw a cool toned blue throughout adding the the eerie feeling

auteur trademark – something used by directors to make sure no one else steals their work

Example – Stanly Kubrick has a signature style of symmetry throughout all of his movies e.g. the shining

Aesthetics terms 3 – Tone

Tone – The overall mood/ atmosphere

Pathos – capture audience through emotion

Example – In the movie Frozen when Anna freezes , the emotion displayed on Elsa can be captured to the audience

bathos – an anti-climax, when the audience is expecting bigger and better and the outcome is not what expected

Example – Spiderman across the spider verse. This movie ends on a part 2 right before the action part is about to begin

suspense – holding something back form the audience and increasingly adding to the tension building

Example – Zodiac is a great example of suspense especially since we never find out who is the zodiac killer in the end

comedy – a humor themed movie with jokes and the aim is to make the audience laugh, sometimes comedy is mixed with other dark genres to create a more textured movie theme

Example – A great comedy movie was sherk 2 since the main characters were alraedy established making more room for jokes

dramatic irony – when the audience understands more of the situation than the characters

Example – In Romeo and Juliet the audience is aware that Juliet is only pretending to be dead when Romeo finds her

distancing effect – a sense of distance between the characters and the audience

Representation

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.

Representation in ‘Trainspotting’

Young People

Throughout the film, the young people, known as Generation X, are portrayed as nihilistic and unknowing of what they want to do with their lives, shown by the fact that the vast majority of the main cast are heroin addicts and that the characters of Sick Boy and Allison unsuccessfully being able to care for a new life and maybe even this could be seen as them being unable to care for the next generation. A contrasting representation is portrayed to the audience by the character of the school girl, Dianne. She, unlike most of the characters in the film, knows what she wants to do with her life and sexual, whilst also being knowledgeable about the way in which the new generation is heading.

Older People

The main depiction of older people in the film ‘Trainspotting’ is that of Renton’s parents, who are depicted sympathetically as a caring loving couple, deeply concerned for their son. However, I also think there is a bit of hypocriticalness in their behaviour, as through Renton’s dialogue and the visual depiction of the mother and father, the audience knows that they too are drug addicts constantly drinking and smoking. The difference they are socially acceptable drug addicts and this depiction may be the director socially commentating that these people too should be shunned for their unhealthy habits.

Working class people

Working class people are depicted as something for the main protagonists/drug addicts to take advantage of, for the their own beneficial gain, evidenced in the airsoft gun scene, where Renton and Sick Boy shoot a pit-bull and get it to maul it’s master and the scenes of Bigbe’s irrational outbursts, such as the multiple bar fights throughout the film, cause we know thanks to Renton that Bigbe finds pleasure in other people’s pain. A major sequence which echoes this message of working class people being taken advantage of is when Bigbe and Sick Boy move into Renton’s new flat without asking and turn it into a dump.

Scottish People

The key representation of Scottish people that comes to mind for me and most likely many viewers is when the character of Tommy tries to make the group go on a hike through the Scottish hillsides, which they then reject, resulting in Renton’s infamous ‘it’s shite being Scottish’ monologue/speech towards the rest of the group. Though it is fuelled by his realisation that his lover is a school girl, it stills represents the key representation of Scottish people in this film that being they don’t have a very view of themselves and, even though they hate England, they realise its probably a better place to live. This thought is thrown to the curb when Renton moves to England and he realises its just a big of a dump as Scotland is.

Addicts

In ‘Trainspotting’, the obvious portrayal of addicts is that of the main cast of protagonists, who are addicted to heroin. Their addiction is shown to be something that hurts all those around them, key examples being Renton’s parents constantly being disappointed in him throughout the film and the death of Sick Boy and Allison’s baby. Other addicts in the film are Renton’s parents, who are seen throughout the film constantly smoking and drinking. As Renton says, they are ‘socially acceptable addicts’ and perhaps Boyle’s inclusion of these characters carrying out these actions may be him critiquing society and saying that all drug addicts, socially acceptable or not, should seek help.

Men and Women

The entirety of the film is told from the white male perspective of Renton, meaning the views expressed throughout the film are that of a white male. Men in the film of ‘Trainspotting’ are pictured as being careless, not thinking about if their actions are hurting anyone, as shown through the heroin addiction of the main protagonists and the robbing montage, where the main protagonists rob all types of different people, including old people. The women in the film are pretty much in there for love interests for the main protagonists. However, the character of Dianne does give some insight to how the next generation will get on with life. Renton saying ‘one thousand years from now there will be no guys and no girls’, does show that he thinks there will be gender equality down the years, whilst also suggesting his views on sexual fluidity.

This Is England Representation Task

Masculinity

Masculinity is a key theme of the film ‘This is England’, as obviously a lot of the characters in the film are men. There are two main characters, in my opinion, which not only exhibit masculinity to the characters in the film, but also represent two types of masculinity in the eyes of the viewer. On one hand, you have Woody, who embodies the male in Britain at the time who was accepting of everyone, no matter of their appearance, age, gender or ethnicity, which is shown by him inviting Shaun in to his group despite being such a young age. Then you have Combo, who embodies the males who had very right wing views and who believed that through Britain caring for minorities that the white working class male had become a minority themselves.

Women

Women throughout the film of ‘This is England’ are shown to be caring towards the male characters in the film, such as Shaun’s Mum to Shaun, the girls in the gang to Shaun and Smell to Shaun. They’re also used in the film to portray some of the horrible that happened to women during that time period and still happen today. This is shown through the interchange between Combo and Lol in which Combo claims that the thought of their ‘love’ got him through prison. Lol then implies that Combo raped her whilst drunk, as she says that she’s been trying to forget about that night ever since it happened. They’re also portrayed as the more sensible characters in the film and soceity at the time, as shown by the second montage in the film where the boys are messing about and walking solemnly towards the camera, and also when Shaun’s mum takes him to the shoe shop and insists he gets a certain pair of shoes.

Young People

Young people throughout the film are shown to be quite impressionable to their surroundings, such as when Combo convinces a handful of Woody’s gang, including an extremely young Shaun, to join him in committing these heinous, racist acts that we see them do throughout the film. They are also actually shown to be more sensible than adults that we see throughout the film, and even though they do destroy an old abandoned house, that has a nice, friendly tone to it, as they aren’t hurting anyone and they’re bonding with one another over something. On the other hand, the adults throughout the film do horrible, disgusting things, such as prank Woody’s party with a machete. It is only once the young people find themselves under the adult’s tutelage that start to do horrible things, such as racially berate children and men and sexistly taunt women. This film maker showing the audience how impressionable the youth of that time was.

Older People

In terms of older people in the film ‘This is England’, some of them shown to be the caring parental figures in Shaun’s life, such as his mum and Combo, even though Combo does have malicious intent, he is shown to be caring towards Shaun at certain points throughout the film. Politicians, such as Margaret Thatcher, are shown to be, just like in real life, uncaring fools, shown by the graffiti on the side of the church, which is constantly shown throughout the film. Her lack of caring for the working class is the reason for the emergence of these subcultures, such as the ska movement that Woody’s gang follows and the right wing liberalism that Combo believes in.

English People

English people in the film ‘This Is England’ are portrayed in a majority of ways, one being the way in which they are portrayed as violent through the characters that support the political views of the far right, such as Combo. This portrayal is also shown through the opening compilation, in which there is quite a lot of footage that shows British people rioting. Another in which British people are portrayed are quite accepting other people no matter their age or ethnicity. This shown through Woody’s gang and how he invites Shaun, a child, into the gang/friend group as well as being friends with Milky, who is black. This representation though is contradicted later on by the far right characters who berate and abuse people of other ethnicities, such as the man who owns the corner store.

Asian/Black People

Asians and Black people are represented through the characters of Milky, the only black skinhead, and the Asian man who owns the corner shop and the group of Asian boys playing football. Throughout the film, these characters are constantly discriminated against, the most memorable examples for me being when Shaun calls the shop owner a paki and when Combo beats Milky nearly to death whilst berating him with racial slurs. This representation in the film shows to the audience the discrimination people of different ethnicities faced during this time period.

Place (the Midlands where it is set)

The setting of the midlands in the film feels like its own sort of character and as a way for the director to show to the audience the feelings that people had at the time towards those in power, evident from the mise-en-scene which portrays a run-down northern town, telling the audience that the government don’t really care about these people, which is why they’re angry at them. Another element which portrays this anger towards government officials is the ‘Maggie is a twat’ graffiti shown throughout the film.

Class

From the very beginning of the film, directly after the montage, the audience is presented with a clear image of a working class home, which is the opening scene of Shaun’s bedroom and the basic furnishings that it has. The audience is then shown the negative effects that poverty can have upon a person mentally, besides from the obvious effects such as lack of food, as Shaun is bullied for his outdated and ill-fitting clothes. Other images of class presented throughout the film are Combo and his defiant stance on society that the working class male has now become a minority, due to too much immigration, which even those is wrong, could be viewed as right in the case of Combo, as he has clearly had a poor education and where he lives isn’t the nicest of places.

Representation in This Is England

Young people:

Young people are mainly represented in the beginning of This Is England, not only by showing the school that Shaun goes to, but also in the form of Woody and his friends, who are quiet young. It is revealed that Gadget goes to the same school as Shaun, as well as Smell. They are mainly represented as a rowdy sort of bunch, who are easily influenced which is evident by how quickly Shaun joins Combo. However, it is also shown that a lot of them don’t hold the same views as the typical skinhead does, as Woody is far more left-wing than Combo.

Older people (parents/authority figures/politicians):

There are multiple clips of Margaret Thatcher, as well as radio broadcasts of her, throughout This Is England. However, she is not presented in a good light; from the very beginning of the film, there is lots of anti-Thatcher graffiti, and then later on, Combo reveals his criticisms of her. Conservative politicians, especially Thatcher are represented in a very negative way, though it was mainly because of Combo’s white supremacist views.

There are other people of an older generation that are also represented in the film. For example, the National Front that are giving a presentation are all older men, who seem to be of a higher status and class due to their much nicer clothes. Combo and his friends are also of a generation older than Woody, which emphasises the fact that the older people in the film (apart from Shaun’s mother) are represented with far more right-wing views.

English people:

A lot of the English people in the film -despite whether they are white supremacists or not- seem to be somewhat proud of the country. However, a majority are represented as racist nationalists, which include Combo’s violent group, as well as the politicians that are introducing the National Front to Shaun for the first time.

Masculinity:

There is a bit of a theme in This Is England of masculinity, even though it is quiet subtle. There are no women at the National Front meeting, and none of the women in Woody’s group decide to join Combo, which suggests that the nationalist skinhead stereotype is very much associated with men. As well as this, when Shaun comes back in after Combo assaults Milky, Combo stops sobbing and notices that Shaun is crying a lot, which prompts him to shove a finger in his face to tell him to stop crying and say that ‘men don’t cry’.

People of colour:

The representation of people of colour in the film shows them as being a villain in Combo’s eyes. In his ‘This Is England’ speech he describes them using racist slurs, and talks about how they are ‘taking jobs’ from the unemployed in England. While they are represented in a negative way, they are clearly not shown to be the actual villains of the story, and the audience is seemingly supposed to sympathise with them. Rather, Combo and his group are presented as the villains.

Setting:

The setting of the film really seems to give an insight into what England was like in 1983. It is filmed on site, which gives it a sense of verisimilitude and in general, it just feels grimy, gritty and grey which represents the English weather very well.

Representation

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, wardrobe, facial expression, body language, and gestures are all examples of representation through performance.

Stereotype

A stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example, an expectation about the group’s personality, preferences, appearance or ability. Stereotypes are often overgeneralized, inaccurate, and resistant to new information. A stereotype does not necessarily need to be a negative assumption. They may be positive, neutral, or negative.

Countertype

A representation that actively seeks to subvert and challenge negative stereotypes usually of a person, group or place.

Sarah Connor Examples

Countertype

Although Sarah Connor was shown as a submissive female character in the first movie, in the second she is shown a lot more masculine, donning more utilitarian costuming and displaying tight muscles and shorter hair. These all hint towards Sarah fitting a much stronger character type in the second movie, one commonly assumed to be fit with men.

Stereotype

In the first movie, Sarah is shown to be a lot more ditzy and feminine, wearing light colours and having large styled hair, whilst working in a service job, we get the idea that this is the “damsel in distress” type character

Representations In Trainspotting

  1. WHO IS DOING THE REPRESENTATION? (DIRECTOR’S VIEWPOINT)

Danny Boyle

2. WHO IS BEING REPRESENTED ? (Identify specific social groups)

Heroin addicts, Scottish people

3. WHAT SOCIAL GROUPS ARE OMITTED FROM THE REPRESENTATIONS?

POC, women

4. WHAT MESSAGES ABOUT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS ARE BEING CONVEYED?

People who do drugs are generally less intelligent than clean people

5. WHICH CHARACTERS OR SOCIAL GROUPS HAVE POWER WITHIN THE REPRESENTATIONS?

White men have power, and older people are given the most

6. DO THE CHARACTERS ADHERE TO OR CHALLENGE STEREOTYPES?

Begby adheres to the stereotype of Scottish men being very aggressive and angry

7. ARE THE CHARACTERS TYPICAL OF FILMS IN THAT GENRE?

They don’t fit the typical character types of dark comedies like itself, but the ensemble matches casting of similarly “British” films

8. WHAT DO REPRESENTATIONS TELL AUDIENCES ABOUT SOCIETY AT THE TIME THE FILM WAS MADE AND/OR SET?

As this film is set in Edinburgh, Scotland, the main theme being about drug addiction tells us that Scotland has an issue with drugs

9. HOW ARE ELEMENTS OF FILM FORM (MISE EN SCENE/PERFORMANCE/SOUND/EDITING/CINEMATOGRAPHY) BEING USED TO CONSTRUCT THE REPRESENTATIONS?

The grimy setting of “Mother Superiors” den conveys the idea that drug addicts usually dont pay much attention to taking care of their surroundings, and end up living in nasty conditions

This is England representation

Young people:

Throughout the film, young people are portrayed as easy going without being too concerned about rules and the law. This is particularly shown when Woody’s gang invite Shaun to hang out with them, dress up and go to an abandoned place. They are represented as having their own belief system without just following what the older generations say, such as when Woody didn’t agree with Combo’s racist and nationalist beliefs so he left.

Older people:

Older people in the film are presented to have strong beliefs, many of them are nationalists and hold discriminatory views towards ethnic minorities in order to create what they believe to be a better England, seen in this scene where a speech is being given about trying to make England better, and what the audience (majority being white, poorly educated older men) can do to achieve this.

Class:

Many of the characters in the film are lower class, and poverty is prominent throughout the film. The characters are often wearing out-dated and ill fitting clothing. In this scene Lol followed by many other women are walking to work in a large factory, the setting is quite dingy and rundown highlighting the lack of money in the area, and it’s drawbacks are prominently shown in the different settings, and costumes.

English people:

The majority of characters in the film are English and it creates a large proportion of the plot, however their nationalities are represented very differently. For example Combo uses the meaning of being English to manipulate and convince others to join his discriminatory gang. Whereas characters like Woody and Lol are comfortable in their nationality and are less focused on it, which makes them appear more content compared to Combo. In this sceneCombo is giving Shaun an English flag to show their proudness of their ethnicity, however they’re proudness can be perceived as almost too much leading them to appear almost insecure about it.

Asian/Black people:

People of other ethnicities and minorities are commonly discriminated against in the film by Combo and his gang. There is a very small amount of non-english representation yet it its crucial to the plot. Such as this scene where foreign shopkeeper is being robbed, verbally abused and threatened by Combo and his gang. This representation highlights the social divisions in England at the time and again draws back on the political conflict in the film.

Men/Masculinity:

Masculinity is very important in the film as many of the male characters want to appear strong and have high masculinity, which could explain Combo’s violent outbursts. The role of a father is critical in the film as it explains Shauns behaviour without the film, after loosing his father in the war he spends the rest of the film trying to make his dad proud which eventually leads him to join Combo’s gang, as well as him becoming a father figure for Shaun after Woody.

Women:

There is little feminism in the film as the female character’s are only really shown in reference to their partner, and when they are on screen. In this scene Lol is walking away after Combo has confessed his love for her and she rejects him as she is with Woody. Shaun’s mother is presented as strong after being widowed and raising Shaun alone, but other than that the other female characters provide nothing else to the storyline aside from being a wife or girlfriend.

Place

The mise en scene is well used in the film to create a strong image of a run-down lower-class northern town in England. Montages of real clips of England are used that show drugs, abandoned places, fights, social housing and graffiti add a sense of desolation and a town that is far from its best. The setting explains why gangs form as there is little to do and highlights the boredom felt by many young people at the time.

Trainspotting representation

Addicts:

In Trainspotting, addicts are portrayed desperate for drugs and they are all very strong addictions, they are very clear and a prominent addition to their characters, seen in the graphic scenes of heroin use and overdose. In this scene Renton has lost his drugs down the toilet and so he has dived in afterwards. This highlights Renton’s dependence on drugs and his willingness to do anything to have them. The tranquil music in this scene adds to the representation of addicts and how the drugs bring a relaxation to them to create a clearer, more hyper realistic view to the audience of addiction.

Scottish people:

In the film, many of the Scottish people are presented to often dislike being Scottish, they are rarely proud of their culture. In this scene Tommy drags the rest of the friend group on a walk in the Scottish highlands, a common stereotype of the county and known for its beautiful scenery. However, Renton and the friends are unimpressed and say it’s “shite being Scottish” before leaving to return to the city and go back on heroin. In addition, this scene also highlights the characters priority of drugs and how they come above everything else, even their culture and country.

Women:

There is little female representation in transporting, they are only on screen when it is related to their partner, or having a one night stand. Women are presented to be empowered and sexually active such as when Renton and Dianne meet at a club and their one night stand becomes a casual, on/off relationship. Dianne’s representation can be quite shocking for the audience as she is portrayed to be almost promiscuous despite being a schoolgirl.

Young people:

Age is prominently represented as many of the characters are young adults, but the most clear representation of age is Allison’s and Sick boy’s baby that passes away due to the neglect caused by drugs leading to Sick boy’s addiction swiftly increasing. Age and authority do not co ordinate in the film often as the younger characters are mostly free-willed apart from when Renton is locked in his room by his parents after his overdose.

representation

all aspects of film form including narrative contribution to the representations of cultures and societies’ (gender, ethnicity, and age ) including the ideological nature of those representations

ideology – a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

performance

  • age
  • ethnicity
  • body language
  • costume
  • facial expressions

stereotype

a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing e.g. all black people are criminals

countertype

an opposite of the stereotypes that are already in place. it opposes stereotypes e.g. a black president instead of a white president

Sarah Conner example

Sarah was a stereotypical American waitress in he first terminator movie. She is shown to be weak and incapable of doing her job since she spills the coffee on the man and when she arrives late she isn’t phased or bothered by it.

in the follow up movie, she breaks away from the female stereotypes and becomes a countertype. During this time and becomes a heroin, she is shown holding a gun and she looks to be skilled with it, she’s also has muscles and is no longer the weak woman she was in the first movie.

Trainspotting Representation

1 who is doing the representation?

Renton and his group

2 who is being represented?

Renton and his friends represent a clique friend group who have issues and do drugs. drug addicts are being represented and so are people with mental issues

3 what social groups are omitted from the representation

people who are of colour and diverse women

4 what message about particular social groups are being conveyed

The message was that drugs are a life changing choice and once you get caught up in social groups with people who drugs you are bound to fail e.g. tommy ends up dead due to his friends co orison into heroin

5 which characters or social groups have power within the representation

Mother superior had the most power since he provided them with drugs. The parents in the movie also had power since they were the adults and created rules.

6 do the characters adhere to or challenge stereotypes

I believe that they do challenge societies stereotypes of drug addicts since they are white men in a white base country. The character of Renton also came from a functioning family with two parents which goes against the ‘people who do drugs came from a broken home’.

7 are the characters typical of films in that genre

The genre of Trainspotting is a dark comedy and I believe that the characters do fit the the genre since they are young adult men.

8 what do representations tell audiences about society at the time the movie was made

It shows us how society viewed different groups of people e.g. woman weren’t seen often in the movie other than Diane who was only displayed as a woman used for Renton’s benefits. There was also little to no people of colour in the movie which showed how they weren’t expected to be in movies at the time and where an afterthought.