Regional Identity Prezi

Gender Stereotypes Prezi

Class Stereotypes Prezi

Class and Status stereotypes

Class: a system of ordering society whereby people are divided into sets based on perceived social or economic status.

Status: relative social or professional position; standing.

The class system is divided into 3 different sectors, upper class, middle class and working class. Status is only divided into 2. High status and low status. 

Upper class: the social group that has the highest status in society

Middle class: the social group between the upper and working classes, including professional and business people and their families.

Working Class: the social group consisting of people who are employed for wages, especially in manual or industrial work.

High Status: a position of superior status

Low status: a position of inferior status; low in station or rank or fortune or estimation

Stereotypes of the Upper class

• Old money
• Educated top at university 
• Snobby
• Attend clubs 
• Classical music
• Dress in smart clothing- suits and dresses- formal wear
• Rich
• Owners of more than one big house
• Expensive taste

Stereotypes of the Middle class

• Business owners
• "White collar workers"
• Traditional, nuclear family
• Attend community activities 
• Go to church
• Educational in 'practical' fields 

Stereotypes of the Working class

• Low wage occupations
• Dependent on the states funds
• Live in rented housing
• School dropouts
• "Blue collar workers"
• Live in high crime areas
• Often in family turmoil

Stereotypes of those in High status

• Owners of businesses
• Live in expensive housing
• Rude, snobbish
• Think they have the ability to be superior to everyone else
• Hold power
• More important than those of lower status

Stereotypes of those in Low status

• Work for those in higher status
• Earn wages 
• Bossed around by those in high status
• Earn a significant amount less than those in higher status
• Live in much smaller housing
• Less capacity concerning intelligence
• Controlled by those of higher status

Eastenders clip analysis - Representation of age

Age: The amount of time a person has lived.

Initial thoughts:
This clip shows a range of age from a young teenager to an old man. The old man, Patrick is represented to be wise and talks in the whole clip about his past. The young are represented to be curious on Patricks past and at the end the young woman, Chelsea's phone rings showing the addition of and obsession with modern technology with the young. In image, the old man is represented old by also having hints of grey in his hair, whereas the other young people do not, automatically separating him from everyone else in the room age wise. The old man is also seen to be drinking whiskey unlike everyone else who is drinking champagne, this therefore represents those of older age can stomach more than the young, this again separates the ages. The young girl who is obviously is still in school, Libby, often comments with intellectual answers which is her showing off the amount she's learnt and trying to get more included as because she is young she is represented as knowing the least however in the midst of learning. The elderly are also represented to have wrinkles therefore being physically old, in comparison to the others in this clip who have fresh, smooth looking skin. When Chelsea takes an interest the mother (who is older) asks her how much she has had to drink. This represents the young to only care about fun and drinking instead of facts and intellectual things, in this case, Patricks historical story.

Camera Shots: 

A pan shot is first used, which shows the difference of age in an in-chronological order, however it begins on Patrick who is the oldest. This represents the elderly as a matter of importance, this could be due to many reasons, not in this case but possibly because they need more car. In this case it is because he is speaking and it is showing everyone listening which represents younger generations having respect for elders. (0.1 - 0.14)

A master shot is then used which shows the limit of action for the shot, which is presumably a family around a dinner table having a meal. This shot also shows all the people included in the scene and again shows the difference between ages. From this shot we can see that even though the table is circular, Patrick is at the head of the table which represents that again younger generations have respect and show this by letting him practically host the dinner and being the centre of attention.

A close up shot is used of Chelsea, showing her features in a better picture. We can see she has applied make up and has earrings in and therefore has made an attempt to look good for a family dinner. This represents the youth to be obsessed with their looks are at least take a lot of pride in them, however this also represents them as self centred in some respects.

There is also a close up shot of Patrick used again letting us see him in a better picture. We can see he has wrinkles and both grey hair and facial hair, which is quite stereotypical for an old person. This represents old people as looking physically old by the use of different colour hair, this is also reassuring that he is the oldest within the scene as compared to everyone else, nobody else has grey hair or even facial hair, which could represent old people as having maturity and the ability to grow facial hair due to their age and the fact that they are so passed puberty.

Sound:

A synchronous sound is made when Chelsea's phone rings right at the end, this is done by the gatekeepers of the show to draw the audiences attention to the phone and whose the phone is. This is a representation of age, creating an ideology that the youth are obsessed with technology, perhaps more so than their family as during a deep talk with her family Chelsea still answers the phone.

The record played playing Jamaican music in the background is diegetic because it is a sound that occurs naturally on screen, not only can we hear the music, but so can the character. This action represents people of an elderly age to be sentimental as Patrick has the record on whilst reminiscing about being a Jamaican in London with his family.

Mise-en-scene:

From this shot you can see the table and the family sitting around it. There is a variable within the drinks which are being consumed, whilst everyone else seems to be drinking champagne Patrick is drinking what looks to be whiskey. This represents age in the term that older aged people can handle their drink more and can drink harder drinks due to their experience, this is also a stereotypical drink for people of older ages, which is demonstrated in various programmes within the media. Also there is an overview of everyones appearance. There is a slight distinction in the ages hair colour, for example, Patrick the older man has grey in his hair. This is representing the elderly to have a visual difference in comparison to the youth, which is the grey hair. Also Patrick is wearing what would be deemed as smart clothing in this age, he is wearing a waist coat in a dress shirt. This is representing those of old age to not be caught in the time of fashion. However this idea is contradicted when Libby, the youngest is wearing big glasses which can be seen by some as a lack of fashion, which contradicts the idea of the elderly being represented as having not much knowledge on fashion.

This shot shows the contrast between a young woman going into adulthood (Chelsea) and an old man who is stereotypically painted as elderly (Patrick). The girl is wearing a bright, vibrant shirt whereas the old man is wearing a dark, subtle dress shirt. This represents that the young people possibly care about their appearance and strive to be noticed whereas the elderly are unbothered by the opinion of others and do not mind about going unnoticed, possibly because they have already past that point of their life. It is not very visible in this shot but at other parts we notice that Patrick has wrinkles in comparison to Chelsea's smooth, fresh skin, which is also touched up by make up. This is a stereotypical representation of age as the idea is represented that old people are visually old with physical altercations, whereas the youth are again obsessed with looking good and are visibly looking younger with very sleek skin. 

In conclusion, in this clip old age is represented with physical appearance (grey hair, facial hair, older/smarter fashion), speech (the dialogue when Patrick is explaining his past) and positioning of character (putting him at the head of table to convey respect). Youth is represented by association of technology (when Chelsea answers her phone at the end) and through physical appearance (the younger people to Patrick have smooth skin in comparison to his wrinkled, aged skin, plus Chelsea is wearing bright fashionable clothing). Overall, I think this clip was good representation of age because there are 4 different ages shown, elderly, middle age, a woman going into adulthood and a teenager. 

Media notes

The media works with two kinds of people, producers and consumers. The producers, also known as the transmitters, make the media. The consumers on the other hand, also known as the receivers, read the media. Media is known as media text even though it doesn't necessarily need text in it, media text is simply media products. Media text can range from posters, films, programs to adverts and much more.

There is a specific way in which media is transmitted and received. A transmitter (which can be printed, visual, audio,etc) creates a message that is encoded and then expresses that message. The receiver then receives the message and decodes it. However if it is in a different format you cannot decode it, also the receiver may decode it differently to how it was encoded. This theory was produced by Stuart Hall and is known as the basic communication model and is called the reception theory.

There are various different readings of messages which have been transmitted by the transmitter. These reading include:

• Preferred reading- The receiver has read (decoded) the message the way it was meant to be read (decoded)
• Oppositional reading- When the receiver deliberately has a different reading of a message. (e.g. believing the robbers are the good people in a police programme)
• Negotiated reading- When the receiver understands the message but because because the message doesn't relate to them they are not bothered for what the message is and don't bother decoding it. 
• Aberrant reading- When the receiver misreads the message, this could be due to the receiver being outside of the selected target audience.

There are 3 major models on how people consume media. The 3 models are:

• Hypodermic needle- Consumers are believed to be passive and are thought to believe every part of the media. The best fit for the hypodermic needle is advertising. (Take in everything just like a needle as we are injected with it). We are believed to not question or filter the media, we simply just accept it. In this theory the audience are thought to be manipulated by the creators of media text in the retrospect that media can change our behaviour and thoughts easily. This theory can create moral panics as we are believed to copy what we see. 
• 2 step flow- This model believes there are opinion leaders such as critics who have seen the media text prior to us and have created their own opinion on the media text on whether they believe it is is good or bad, as consumers we then choose which opinion leader to trust to base on whether we shall bother with a certain media text. In this theory the audience is thought to be active in choosing what opinion leader to follow, but then passive because we trust in what they say. This theory is believed to limit the power of the media which is also referred to as the limited effect paradigm. 
• Uses and gratifications- Believes we are active decision making consumers and we survey the media and make our own selection. We choose to consume only what we want to. This theory also believes people watch the media based on 4 different uses which was brought about by theorists Blulmer and Katz.Diversion- It allows people to relax and escape from their own life and they can get lost in whatever they watch on TV.Personal relationship- You can discuss with peers and family what you have watched and debate with each other if you have differing opinions or you can agree on what you both like, it can bring people together. Personal identity- You could compare your existence with what you see on TV and notice similarities or heavy differences between you and a person perhaps in your age group. This effect is believed to be quite dangerous, especially for influential people. Surveillance- You can see what it going on in the World e.g. the news. However, theorist Laswell believes the 4 functions of the media are surveillance, correlation, entertainment and cultural transmission. Blulmer and Katz theory is often the one used for the uses and gratifications theory though. 

We are only allowed to seen certain things due to age restrictions, or possibly something is too rude for content, the person who chooses what we are allowed to see is called a Gatekeeper. 

Semiology is the study of science and symbols. Two media terms which are associated with semiology are denotation and connotation. Denotation is an noticing the use of something and connotation is making an assumption about something due the use of the other thing. For example if there were scattered bottles in a house everywhere and there were two people having a class of win, by noticing this it would be a denotation. The connotation would then be assuming that they have drunk them all and are drunk themselves, however this could be incorrect as someone else could of drunk them before them, however we jump to this assumption. This theory was created by Roland Bartes.

Stuart Hall also created the theory of mode of address,which is the way that the media talks to us. This could range from formal to informal. For example, the news is a formal media text which has no room for negotiation and is thought to be authoritative because the news anchor always speaks straight to the camera.

How the representation of class is constructed in Shameless

Class:  people put into a social group based on having the same social, economic, or educational status.

Initial thoughts:
The programme seems to be based on living 'incorrectly' like taking drugs and drinking. The main character seems to be quite greasy and we assume he is an addict. There seems to be conflict within the family based on the children are disappointed with the father and are scared because they are losing their house. There is swearing within the clip showing that they are not bothered about what people think and could possibly have quite a bit of disrespect. We can tell they are on the lower end of society because they are moving into a caravan. I think this programme is about the constant struggle for a lower class family, therefore my analysis will be based on how lower class families stereo typically live and how the lower class stereo typically are portrayed.

Camera Shots: 

A medium long shot is used first, this is showing him from the knee's up, therefore illustrating what he is wearing. We see he has his coat hanging off his shoulder, a stain is down his top, and he has long hair, indicating he may not care about his appearance, which is stereo typically associated with the lower class.

A master shot is then used which displays what we can guess is the rest of the family. Within this shot we can see that there is a young girl with a baby, most definitely her baby as a result of a teen pregnancy which is known as an aspect of teen delinquency which is usually associated with lower class families as they are known as the underachievers.  (0:06)

A close up shot is used of the dads face which highlights his features. We see that his hair is long and greasy and that again he is not bothered about his appearance. From his dirty appearance we also assume that he was on a night out before that with the lower calls we would associate with drinking or drug taking, which could highlight the fact that he is most likely not a responsible father, which unfortunately is also stereo typically associated with lower class families.

An establishing shot is used when the caravan is being shown, which highlights what they were previously talking about, where they are next going to live. This establishes what the conversation is based on and tells the audience that answer to one of the characters previous questions. This is used for a form of context in how class is represented, as it is cheap and budget compared to a house, showing that the people within this clip are clearly lower class. (2:06)

Sound

Non diegetic music is used at the very beginning possibly for mood music, the music sounds like something you would use in a film when someone is lost, as we know this man is most likely home, we don't assume he is lost, but we assume he is confused, possibly of how he got home as the lower class are typically known as drunks.

Speech is used as a sound technically, informing us of what they are saying. From the speech in this clip we learn that yes the dad is a drunk and a drug taker, he hasn't been a specifically good father, and the plans for the family are to move. We then learn later on in the clip that the family is moving into a caravan, showing that they don't have a lot of money and therefore are a lower class family.

An example of synchronous sound is used within the clip as we hear the bay murmur as it is drinking from the bottle and we carry on to see the baby, which is a child of the young girl who can only be known as the mother to the bay, bringing me back to the previous point of teen delinquency and how it is often associated with lower class families.

We hear asynchronous sound around when we hear the dog barking which sounds from not inside the house so we know they don't own a dog. From this noise we also know that they don't live somewhere fancy secluded from everyone else, we assume that they most likely live on an estate just how the lower class do.

Mise-en-scene

In the room which we see throughout the beginning we witness their living state. There are alcoholic bottles everywhere, and the place is a mess, we can assume through this that there is likely to be no wife to the father to clean this up, making this a single parent family. The whole place is cluttered telling us that they don't care about their living state which is usually associated with the lower class as the upper class are stereo typically known for being tidy as they always have people round their house or they have a maid/butler that will do it for them.

We also see that the majority of people in the clip are in tracksuits which is associated with the lower class again not caring about their appearance. Teenagers that dress like this are stereo typically known as chavs and are teased for being of the lower class usually, the upper class would never be known for wearing tracksuits as it is not formal enough. However my point could be argued because they are inside on a morning, we know it is a morning as one of the boys are still in their boxers, the teen mum is in a dressing gown and the baby is receiving its morning feed.

Overall this is a clip full of very stereotypical views of how the lower class is represented, which is as messy, dirty, uncaring, delinquents, scraping by and lazy. I think this clip however conveyed how society views the lower class very well.

Stereotypes used in this clip: 

• Drug takers- This is succeeded as the girl laughs when saying about the E's her father has taken, making it a lighthearted subject which clearly doesn't overly matter.
• Unemployed- This is challenged as we do not see if any of them have a job or not, however we assume that they don't as they are all just sitting about, chilling.
• Drinkers- This is succeeded as all over their living arrangements, bottles and cans are placed everywhere and are empty on the majority, leading to the connotation that they have been drunk. 
• Bad attitude- This is succeeded as the teenagers are constantly swearing and arguing with their dad in this clip, which stereo-typically wouldn't be seen with the upper class, they would not challenge their elders. 
• Teen pregnancy- This is challenged as we see a teenager holding a baby, and make the connotation that the baby is hers, however the baby could be her brother, or she could be babysitting for a friend. However this is what we think has been encoded, and that is the way we decode it. 
• Council estate living arrangement- This is succeeded as we see that the house isn't in solitude and the house doesn't have a garden as such or any real room, it is just side by side with other houses. 
• Tv as the main source of entertainment- This is succeeded as towards the end of the clip you see the sky dish hanging outside their house, showing what their main priority is to spend their money on.