Breaking Bad
Below is my practice representation essay which I wrote strictly under 45mins:
Reflection: This time I managed to include all of the necessary observations, however, occasionally I forgot to link the points to the main statement and analyse in greater detail.
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ReplyDeleteHi Priscilla
ReplyDeleteOverall Score: 42/50
Terminology: 8/10
Analysis/ Argument: 16/20
Examples: 18/20
Really great effort trying to keep your sentences concise, to the point and packed with examples and terminology. Well done!
My only note, which you identified in retrospect is to start thinking about representation in broader context to be able to also link your examples throughout to your main point. You say in the beginning who is represented (man) but you don't give a very clear description of what sort of representation we're given (using terms like stereotypes etc). You could have said something like;
"In this clip from the TV crime drama, Breaking Bad, we see males represented as multi-dimensional while the female checkout operators and patrons in the checkout queue seem to be one-dimensional, almost robotic, not aware of what is going on. The clip represents males as confrontational, above the law (as they seem to be involved in some very shady, illegal activity) and territorial (seen by the dialogue, 'stay out of my patch'. The stereotypical representation of youth as reckless, stupid, not taking pride in their appearance is reinforced with the youth in this clip. We get the sense overall that these men are not answering to anyone in society, society seems to be oblivious to their dark activity and within this male dynamic there is a definite hierarchy of who is more powerful and experienced."
Just some thoughts on making it slightly more in-depth to show you really understand the concept of representation. Also, sneaking in things like Laura Mulvey's male gaze for if you're talking about the way it's done from a man's perspective, maybe if women in the scene are just eye candy, the accomplice or just there to be pretty (not in this case, but potentially in another clip). Or maybe Stuart Hall's reception theory, throwing in a line about that in relation to representation and stereotypes in culture and how we read the media actively decoding messages we're given etc.