Theorists Flashcards
Steve Neale
- repetition -difference -borrow -industry
Genre theory
Genre is dominated by repetition but also marked by difference.
Genre can change, develop, and vary as they borrow from and overlap one another
Genres exist within specific economic, institutional and industrial contexts
Roland Barthes
-signs -connotations -ideology
Texts communicate their meaning thru a process of signification
denotation - common sense meaning
connotation - meanings associated with or suggested by the sign
status of myth
Levi Strauss
-binary oppositions -ideology
texts can be best understood through examination of their underlying structure.
meaning is dependent upon and produced through pairs of binary oppositions
The way binary oppositions are resolved can have ideological significance
Tzvetan Todorov
-three act -structure -ideology
All narratives share a basic structure that involves a movement from one state of equilibrium to another
characters go from equilibrium to disequilibrium
The way in which narratives are resolved can have particular ideological significance
Jean Baudrillard
-simulation -simaulcra -hyper reality
The boundaries verse the ‘real’ world and the world of the media have collapsed and it is no longer possible to distinguish between reality and simulation
In a postmodern age of simulacra we are immersed in a world of images which no longer refer to anything ‘real’
Media images come to seem more ‘real’ than the reality they supposedly represent (hyper reality)
Stuart Hall
-signs -stereotypes -power
Stereotyping is a form of representation that reduced people to a few stereotypes or simplistic traits
David Hesmondhalgh
-profit/risk -different industries -radicle internet
Nerjw companies try to minimise risk and maximise audiences through vertical and horizontal integration and by formatting their cultural products (e.d through the use of stars genres and serials)
The largest companies of conglomerates now operate
curran and seaton
-ownership -creativity -logic
run by a small number of companies (oligopoly) primarily driven by the logic of profit and power
media concentration generally inhibits quality creativity and variety
diverse patterns of ownership lead to more creative and adventurous media products
livingstone and lunt
-regulation -struggle -traditional media
- there is an underlying struggle in the uk to protect citizens from seeing harmful content without their consent and furthering the interests of the consumer.
- the increasing power of media corporations with the rise of media technologies and transformations in the production, distribution and marketing of digital media, have placed traditional approaches to media regulation at risk
gauntlett
-tools -range -straightforward
the media provides us with tools to construct our identity
in the past, media used to provide us with straightforward representations of male and female identities (binary)
we now have a diverse range of stars and celebrities, from which we can pick and mix ideas from
van zoonen
-discourse -objectification -social change
gender is constructed through discourse, its meaning changes through different historical and cultural contexts
display of women’s bodies as objects to be looked at and men’s bodies an spectacles is core feature of western patriarchy
media can contribute to social change by representing women in non traditional roles
Laura Mulvey
-gaze -fragment - passive
audiences are positioned to identify with and look through the eyes of a heterosexual male.
pleasure in looking has been split between active male and passive female.
women are represented as objects with their appearance coded for strong visual erotic impact.
womens bodies are often fetishised through fragmented close-ups
bell hooks
- intersectionality -colourism -domination
-lighter skinned women are considered more desirable and fit better with western ideology of beauty
feminism is a political commitment rather than a lifestyle choice, to end patriarchal oppression
race class and sex decide the extent to which individuals are exploited or oppressed.
How do texts communicate their meanings according to Roland Barthes?
Through signification
Barthes argues that the audience does what to understand different texts
Decode the signs
What does semiotics mean?
The study of how meaning is created and communicated thru signs
Signs can function at what 2 levels?
Connotation and denotation
What two factors can influence the way an audience interprets an image?
Culture and context
What does status of myth mean?
Constructed meanings can become self evident achieving status of myth thru neutralisation so a symbol can have meaning even though it is socially constructed and is just an object
what are the strengths of Gerbner’s cultivation theory?
it highlights the influences that media can have on audiences.
How do texts communicate their meanings according to Roland Barthes?
Through signification
Barthes argues that the audience does what to understand different texts
Decode the signs
What does semiotics mean?
The study of how meaning is created and communicated thru signs
