Kick Ass Essay

Kickass Essay

Coursework Schedule

G321 AS Course Work Schedule 2010-2011

Representation of Ethnicity.

Stereotypes in the Media.


Stereotypes of white people;

• Law abiding?
• Drink alcohol- Wine/Beer.
• Class Structure- Upper, Middle, Working.
• Stressed/Uptight.
• Trailer Trash/Hillbillies/White Trash.
• Educated.
• More Academic.
• Eloquent.
• Nerdy.
• Stiff (upper lip)
• Often play stupid characters.
• Often play the villain.
• Bitchy.
• Size zero.
• Different hair colours.
• Dry/Sarcastic sense of humour.

Stereotypes of Black people;

• Big booty.
• Gangsters/rappers.
• Crime.
• Can't swim.
• Well hung.
• Black guy always dies.
• Relaxed/ Laid back.
• Power hungry.
• Cooler than white people.
• Muscular.
• Big lips.
• Big Noses.
• Colour 'black' is always mentioned when reported on the news.
• Loud.
• Friendly.
• Bubbly.
• Attitude.
• Swagger.
• Speak in slang/lingo.
• Black men don't make good fathers.
• More focused on religion.
• Gospel.
• Big families.
• Small house.
• Unusual names. 

Representation of Age- Presentation

Representations of age

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Notes on stereotypes of Age.

Young - (0-25) 
Includes children, teenagers and young adults.
Some stereotypes of the young can include;

• Gangs
• Crime
• Parties/Clubbing.
• Lazy.
• Rude
• Modern
• Loud/noisy
• Drugs
• Sexual
• Immature
• Rely on parents
• Teenage pregnancy
• Moody
• Argumentative

Some sub cultures of young people ; 

• Chavs
• Emos
• Goths
• Townies
• Geeks
• Grebs

The media often focuses on the negatives of the young rather than the positives, this is because young people are seen by the media to be easy targets.


Old- (60-65+) 
This can depend on the profession that the person does as a footballer aged 40 is classed as old whereas, a Politician that is 40 may be seen as 'young' - and may be seen to lack seriousness or experience (or both)
Some stereotypes of the old are;

• Grumpy
• Awkward
• Stubborn
• Smell
• Dependant
• Moany
• Traditional
• Narrow Minded
• Hard of hearing
• Hunchbacked
• Anti-youth
• Racist
• Prefer things how they used to be.
• Set in their ways
• Sleep all the time
• Hobbies
• Lonely
• Have their own little community
• Wrinkly. 

Let The Right One In

Let the Right One In

Disbility - Dr. House.

Dr. House

Representation- Disability

Some Views people may have of disabled people;

• Depends on the type of disability.
• They are Brave.
• People with disabilities should have equal opportunities.
• Some people feel awkward when around them.
• Have sympathy for them but don't want to patronise them. 
• Rely on other people a lot.
• Some people may try and avoid people with disabilities.
• They are easier to poke fun at rather than empathise with.
• Some people with a disability embrace it and others make you well aware of it.
• They might be bitter about their disability.
• Most disabled people can't help being that way.
• When seeing people in wheelchairs, you don't know where to look.
• Most people tend to be more comfortable around physically disabled people rather than someone that is mentally disabled.
• You don't know how to behave/act around disabled people.

Some Celebrities with Disabilities;

• Stephen Hawking- Wheelchair, motor neurone.
• Heather Mills- one leg
• Gordon Brown- One eye
• Stevie Wonder- Blind
• Verne Troyer- Dwarf.
• Mohammed Ali - Parkinson's Disease.
• Michael J Fox- Parkinson's Disease.
• Gary Coleman- Dwarf.
• Albert Einstein- Autism.
• Leonardo Davinci-Autism.
• Ian Dury- Polio.
• Mozart- Deaf.

Characters in Film-

• Rainman- Dustin Hoffman.
• Forest Gump - Tom Hanks.
• My Left Foot- Daniel Day Lewis.
• I Am Sam- Sean Penn.
• Born on the 4th July- Tom Cruise.
• Waterboy- Adam Sandler.
• The Ringer- Johnny Knoxville.
• The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button- Brad Pitt.
• Unbreakable- Samuel L.Jackson.
• I Robot- Will Smith.
• Million Dollar Baby- Hillary Swank.
• Avatar- Sam Worthington.

Facial Expressions

Marjorie Ferguson

• chocolate box - half or full-smile, lips together or slightly parted, teeth barely visible, full or three-quarter face to camera.
• invitational - emphasis on the eyes, mouth shut or with only a hint of a smile, head to one side or looking back to camera
• super smiler - full face, wide open toothy smile, head thrust forward or chin thrown back, hair often wind-blown
• romantic or sexual - a fourth and more general classification devised to include male and female ‘two-somes, or the dreamy, heavy-lidded, unsmiling big-heads, or the overtly sensual or sexual

Trevor Millum

• seductive - similar to the cool/level look in many respects - the eyes are less wide, perhaps shaded, the expression is less reserved but still self-sufficient and confident; milder versions may include a slight smile
• carefree - nymphlike, active, healthy, gay, vibrant, outdoor girl; long unrestrained outward-flowing hair, more outward-going than the above, often smiling or grinning
• practical - concentrating, engaged on the business in hand, mouth closed, eyes object-directed, sometimes a slight frown; hair often short or tied back
• comic - deliberately ridiculous, exaggerated, acting the fool, pulling faces for the benefit of a real or imaginary audience, sometimes close to a sort of archness
• catalogue - a neutral look as of a dummy, artificial, waxlike; features may be in any position, but most likely to be with eyes open wide and a smile, but the look remains vacant and empty; personality has been removed.

We picked the video 'Forget You' by Cee Lo Green because we thought about the variety of facial expressions it may have in it. Some of these included:

• chocolate box - the young boy looks at the girl for the first time and slighty smiles as she smiles back
• inviting - the young girl who looks back at the boy and smiles invitingly at him while talking to her mum
• inviting - the three backing singers introduce the video by inviting the viewers into the restaurant by smiling
• super smiler - the three backing singers smile widely while singing along in the restaurant
• carefree - the young girl sits looking around like she is not bothered still smiling and grinning.

Representations - Eva Mendes and Freddie Ljungberg

Freddie Ljungberg

Look- Looking at the camera, intense, inviting, intra diegetic, suggestive.

Face- Engaging audience, powerful, strong/ chiselled jawline, high cheekbones, looks determined. 

Lips- Pouting, shiny, feminine.

Stubble- Masculine, manly, rugged.

Bar- could be at the gym?, has a good grip on the bar.

Background colour- Red= sexual, hot, romantic, link to arsenal, danger, heat.

Abs- Toned.

Tattoo- in a 'sexual place', of an animal, shows he can take pain, rebellious?

Pubic area- shaven, tan lines, clean, appeals to women.

Underwear- Tight.

Hand- Placed in a suggestive place, in a fist, aggressive.

Body- Toned, muscular, sweaty, could have worked out or been in the shower, post coital.

Bicep- Tensed.

Necklace- Feminine, fashion, personal or religious, sensitive.

This advert is aimed at men as they want men to buy the underwear but it appeals to men, women and homosexuals.

Eva Mendes

Look- Tired, Distracted, Middle Distance, knows she looks good?, doesn't care.

Hair- Wet, messy, long, not styled, post coital, feminine, could have been sunbathing or in the shower.

Legs- Long, toned, open (invitational?)

Stance- Dominant, powerful, confident, arms on hips, standing her ground, strong arms, on her tip toes to make her legs look longer.

Arms- On her hips, Strong.

Body- Perfect, slim, fantastic legs, tiny waist, confident.

Lingerie- suggestive, all black.

Shoes/Feet- Wearing heels gives the illusion of longer legs.

Representations- The Gaze

The gaze is a technical term used in film theory in the 1970's to refer to the ways viewers look at images of people in any visual medium . Feminists refer to the male gaze to the way men look at women.

Forms of Gaze-

• Spectators Gaze.
• Intra-diegetic Gaze.
• The direct address to the viewer (extra-diegetic gaze)
• The look of the camera.
• The gaze of the bystander.
• The gaze of an audience within a text.

There is also something called 'The Fourth Wall' this is when an actor looks straight into the camera and makes talks/ makes a gesture to involve the audience. This shatters the illusion that it is real.

Direction of Gaze-

• Attention directed towards others.
• Attention directed towards an object.
• Attention directed to oneself.
• Attention directed towards the reader/camera.
• Attention directed towards middle distance.

Laura Mulvey - Key Theorist.

• Laura Mulvey wrote a book called ' Visual pleasure and narrative cinema' in 1975.
• She believed that Females are passive and Males are active.
• She also wrote that she thought women are the image and men are the 'bearer of the look'.
• Talked about Voyeuristic and Fetishistic looks.

Criticisms of Theory-

• Has failed to account for the female spectator.
• Hasn't considered about gay men.
• Since 1980 increasing display and sexualisation of the male body in TV, cinema and advertising.

Categorising  Facial Expressions-

Women-     

• Chocolate Box.
• Invitational.
• Super-smiler.
• Romantic or Sexual.

Marjorie Ferguson (1980) 

Men -

• Carefree.
• Practical.
• Seductive.
• Comic.
• Catalogue.

Trevor Millum (1975)

Shameless- Regional identity and sexuality.

As a class we discussed the stereotypes of sexuality.


Straight- Insensitive, drinks beer, unhealthy, loves boobs, reads lads magazines, metrosexual (looks after their appearance)
Gay-  Camp, mincing walk, limp wristed, muscular, loud, flamboyant. 


We then went on to share our ideas on the stereotypes of regional identity;


North- Poor,butch/masculine, more old fashioned, accents, farms and countryside, uneducated, drinkers, gravy, fighting, manual labour jobs, high crime rate and naturally witty. 
South- Camp/feminine, busier lifestyle, more up-to-date, the 'Essex' stereotype, boats, wealthy, high disposable income, tourists.




We then started watching season 1 episode 1 of Shameless, as it starts it is being narrated by Frank Gallagher ( the dad of the family) he then introduces the rest of his family Lip, Ian, Fiona, Carl, Debbie and his youngest Liam. 
Lip and his brother are very different when it comes to their sexuality. Lip comes across as a typical straight teenager, he is interested in girls and has a very cheeky attitude towards people- this is typical of a teenager. In this episode it shows Lip having a sexual encounter with a girl which is normal of a teenager and  backs up the thoughts that he is straight.
We then get introduced to Ian, Lip's brother he is the opposite of Lip, coming across to be very quiet and shy this is not stereotypical of a gay person as they are usually more loud and flamboyant. while hiding something behind some drawers Lip finds Ian's stash of porn, when he opens it he finds that it is of men rather than women, confirming to Lip that Ian is gay. When Lip confronts Ian about what he has found Ian starts crying, this is stereotypically what someone that is gay would do. 
In the next scene we get introduced to Fiona, the eldest of Frank Gallagher's children. Right from the start of the scene it is clear that Fiona is also straight. When you see he clubbing with her friend she is  enjoying herself and flirting with lots of men. In this episode we see Fiona having a sexual encounter with a man called Steve. Steve is also straight but comes across to be metrosexual as it is obvious he takes pride and time on his appearance, this is shown as he is dressed smartly in a suit and shirt. 


The next thing we focused on was regional identity. The whole of the Gallagher family are northerners whereas Steve is a southerner. in the programme Steve seems to stand out as he is the only character from the south. The Gallagher family are struggling for money, naturally witty, are big drinkers and have strong northern accents, these are all stereotypical attributes of  northerners. Whereas, Steve seems to be a stereotypical southerner, he has a lot of money and looks like he has a lot of disposable income to spend on going out and buying clothes to make himself look presentable, Steve's accent makes him sound more upper class that the Gallagher family, making him stand out even more from them.  


The Mise en Scene used in this episode is a stereotypical council estate set in Manchester called 'The Chatsworth Estate' this automatically gives you the impression that the Gallagher family are struggling for money and live in a poor area up north. The area is covered in spay paint and graffiti giving the impression that the estate is quite rough, and it typically may be safer in the south rather than the north. When Steve and Fiona are kissing in the kitchen there is the tweeting of birds in the background, this is used to set the atmosphere.  Intertextuality is also used at the start when you see Debbie holding a rolling pin and knife in each hand, this is taken from the film 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' .

You will find that TV dramas all have the following ingredients:

Characters – even particular kinds of characters: eg, at its most simple, ‘good’ and ‘bad’ characters.

Stories – they all tell stories, whether those stories involve adventure, crime or romance and they often, but not always, end happily.

The stories are told against familiar backdrops: – eg, homes, police stations and offices (for crime dramas), hospitals (for medical dramas) – most of which are created in studios. However, most dramas also use outside locations to create particular effects.

Camerawork – particular kinds of shots are used: eg, sequences involving establishing shots followed by mid-shots of characters, shot/reverse shots to show character interaction and, in particular,close-ups to show the characters’ emotions.

Stories use dialogue to tell the stories. Occasionally, monologues are built in (as voiceovers, a character telling a story).

Music is used to punctuate the action, create effects (suspense, tension) and underline emotional moments.

Particular subgenres tend to have items which make them immediately identifiable – police cars, blue lights, operating theatres and scalpels, triage/reception areas in hospitals. Icons of the genre, they symbolise the (sub)genre.

Rushmore- Is Max Fischer a stereotypical teenager?

The film Rushmore, directed by Wez Anderson has a montage scene at the start of the film, using this montage we were asked; Is Max Fischer a stereotypical teenager? My answer to this is no, Max is not a stereotypical teenager.

At the start of the montage you see Max opening a school journal, on the front cover of the journal are bee's. These bees could represent one of a few things, the first thing that the bees could represent is for the fact that Max 'flies' around from one activity to another or that he may be as 'busy as a bee' from doing all the activities at school that he does. The bees could also represent Max thinking that he is 'the bee's knees' from participating in so many activities and being the editor/founder/chairman of all of the clubs. 

The first club that we see Max is a member of is 'The Yankee Review' and he is also the publisher of it, him being the publisher shows that he is the most important member of the club and that he likes to be in charge. In the shot Max is dressed much more formally than the other students, with him wearing a blazer and chinos. As they are walking through school you see him in the middle with some students walking behind him this shows that he likes being the leader and see's himself to be more important than everyone else. This goes against what a typical teenager would be like as many teenagers hate wearing uniform and are usually dressed more scruffy.

It then goes on to show that Max is the president of the French club, it shows him again, sitting right in the centre of the shot and wearing a beret this shows that he likes to be the centre of attention and also takes the way he dresses for each club seriously.

When it shows Max in the model United Nations club he is siting in the middle of the shot again and wearing the suitable costume for that activity, in this case him wearing another hat. In the model United Nations Max chose to be Russia which is one of the most powerful countries in the world, this backs up the idea that he likes to be in control and feel important or better than everyone else, it also shows Max sitting up very straight whereas usually teenagers tend to slouch and sit back.

Max is also the vice president of the stamp and coin club, this would not generally be a stereotypical pastime for a teenager as it tends to be something that someone of an older age would do. You can tell Max has been involved with this club for a long time as he a very big collection of stamps and coins.

The next shot shows that Max is the debating team captain, this again being an important role within the club. Although Max isn’t in the centre of this shot he still stands out from what he is wearing. All of the other students are wearing bow ties whereas Max is wearing a normal tie and his blazer, this could show that he likes to have individuality from everyone else or that he likes wearing his school uniform. A stereotypical teenager would never usually intend to stand out as most teenagers make the effort to fit in, also teenagers typically don’t like wearing school uniform and do as much as then can to get around wearing it.

When it shows Max as the lacrosse team manager he is still wearing his school uniform, instead of watching the lacrosse game like the other 'Jocks' he is concentrating on tidying up showing no interest in the game. While doing this the 'Jocks' don’t even notice him and act almost as if he isn’t even there. Usually a stereotypical teenager would be watching the lacrosse game instead of trying to tidy up the equipment.

Max is the president of the calligraphy club; from this shot i get the impression that he may be the only member in the club as there is no-one else around. A typical teenager wouldn’t join and be president of a club that only had one member. Max is the president of the club again showing how he likes to be important and in control.

The rest of the clubs that Max is in such as; The astronomy society founder, Fencing team captain, track and field, choir master,  bombardment society founder etc. He plays a main role in each of these clubs that he is a part of  showing that he must have a lot of time on his hands to organise all of the activities he does. Some of these clubs that he is involved in are not even the typical sort of clubs that would be at a stereotypical school such as him being the 2nd choir master and a member of the beekeepers club. Most of the kids that go to these clubs are younger than him which backs up my view of him being an outcast and not having any friends. With him being around younger kids reinforces that he likes to be in control and the leader.

The Song used during the montage is Making Time by the Creation, this song links very well to Max as it has lyrics in it such as "acting the fool".

Binary Opposites Powerpoint

Binary opposites

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American Beauty

As the Film starts it introduces you to the main character in the film Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) as he introduces himself it shows a stereotypical American neighbourhood, with the white picket fences and bright flowers. At the start when Lester speaks his voice sounds confident, but as the scene goes on you can tell that his voice becomes more monotone and boring. Lester gives the impression that he has given up and has a very cynical view to life, his body language shows him to be defeatist which gives you the impression that he is slowly fading away.

Lester's relationship with his wife and daughter seem to be very distant, from the scene it shows Lester being treated like the child in the family this is shown when he is the one always late for work when typically in other films the teenage daughter would be the most likely one to be running late in the morning, Lester also sits in the back seat of the car while his daughter and wife sit in the front, when normally the younger in the family sits in the back of the car. As Lester leaves their stereotypical suburban house he accidentally drops the contents of his briefcase onto the driveway, as he does this Lester's wife looks at him with a face of disgust and disappointment from this you can tell that their relationship is almost non existent and that they have a mutual dislike of each other. After dropping his briefcase Lester says "both my wife and daughter think I'm a gigantic loser, and they are right"  which enforces the impression of Lester Burnham conveys in the opening of the film.

Throughout the film there is a colour scheme the colours used are; red, blue and white all of these colours represent the American flag. The other colours in the film seem to be dull whereas, the bright red roses stand out against the dull background this is the same with the house that is painted a sky blue colour.

After watching this you get the sense that Lester is trapped, trapped in his boring materialistic life with no way out. the film plays on him being 'trapped' when it shows his wife outside talking to the neighbours and he is inside the house staring out of the window looking at them, this looks like the window is acting as a barrier 'trapping' him inside his own house. When Lester is sitting in the car on the way to work you see him staring out of the window up to the bright blue sky and it looks as if the glass is trapping him from escaping his monotonous day-to-day routine.

Representation - The Man

My first impression of this man was that he looked very scruffy and gave me the idea that he could be a tramp or homeless. His patched up clothes and untucked shirt also made me think he could be a beggar wearing all the clothes that he owns. This man is standing very confidently in quite an authoritive  position- with his hand on his hip, yet the people around him don't seem to notice him. 

The man is also smoking which made me think that he isn't health conscious and maybe has quite a relaxed attitude towards his life.