Representation - Underdog Textual Analysis Flashcards
Technical code of a mid shot & Visual code of clothing
The representation of ethnicity can be seen as positive due to the inclusion of cultural iconography (the clothing of the headdress).
Clothing - The street dancer and the young women in hijabs dressed in conventional prom dresses carry cultural connotations.Overall this creates a positive and inclusive representation of different ethnicities and religions which are usually underrepresented in the mainstream media or misrepresented in a negative stereotypical way.
(Link to Theory of Representation)
Long shot of the group, Visual code of Expression & Visual code of Gesture
Long shot - The audience can see the group consisting of a variety of mixed genders and ethnicities dancing and singing along together demonstrating solidarity and unity. This reinforces the positive representations of race, ethnicity and gender that the audience has already witnessed as the group sing and dance together in harmony.
Positive expressions - create an upbeat feeling and an engagement with the audience, further highlighting the idea of triumph over adversity and redefining the idea of ‘underdog’.
Gesture - Overall, it demonstrates a variety of positive representations of race, ethnicity and gender through the VC of Gesture when everyone dances happily together.
(Link to Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Theory)
Technical code of low angle, close up & Visual code of gesture of the hands rising up
Gesture - The hands rising up is demonstrated as a visual representation of the lyrics “rise up” which is the non diegetic sound at that point. Connotes aspiration and ambition. It serves to simplify the lyrics and to position the audience to engage with issues that are presented in the emotionally-charged music video.
Overall, it is an inspirational message for the marginalised groups (such as single mothers and Afro-Americans) who are positively represented in the video.
(Link to bell hook’s Feminist Theory)
