Television industry - approach to Section A questions - Representation

Approaching a representation of people question - section A text

Starter task: Identify a key scene in each of the three main TV industry texts.

Happy Valley

 

_________________________________________________________________________

First Dates

__________________________________________________________________________

Always Sunny

 

______________________________________________________________

SECTION A: TEXT 
Answer one question from this section. 
You must refer to the three main texts you have studied in each answer.

A1. ‘Media representations of people are often simplistic.’

How true is this of the representations of people in your three main texts? [30]  

Task 1: 
List the main characters from the three TV texts:

Task 2:  

Why do you think representations need to be simplistic in some TV texts?

Why do you think representations are not so simplistic in TV texts?

Task 3:

Identify two characters in each of the three TV industry texts. 

Explain what their representation is and how they have been constructed using visual and technical codes.

Task 4:
Representations of men tend to focus on 

• Body image and physique
• Physical strength
• Sexual attractiveness and relationships with women
• Power and independence

Representations of women tend to focus on 

• Looks and appearance
• Sexuality (narratives are often centered around relationships)
• How patriarchal society expects them to behave

Find an example in each of your three texts of a male and a female character that present an alternative representation. Indicate how the characters have been constructed,