Representation

Roland Barthes Theory 

Roland Barthes suggested that narratives are broken in to five codes they are the hermeneutic code: The Hermeneutic Code refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the reader. The full truth is often avoided, refers to any element in a story that is not explained and, therefore, exists as an enigma for the reader, raising questions.  That demand explication. The semantic code, this code refers to connotation within the story that gives additional meaning over the basic denotative meaning of the word. The symbolic code: This is very similar to the Semantic Code, but acts at a wider level, organizing semantic meanings into broader and deeper sets of meaning. Proairetic code: The Proairetic code refers to plot events that imply further narrative action. For example, a story character confronts an adversary and the reader wonders what the resolution of this action will be. Suspense is created by action rather than by a reader's wish to have mysteries explained. The cultural code: This code refers to anything that is founded on some kind of canonical works that cannot be challenged and is assumed to be a foundation for truth. Typically this involves either science or religion. 

For our media coursework we were asked to create a 2min opening sequence for a thriller, my two minutes opening sequence is about a girl ‘Rebecca ‘who kidnaps Tom. At the beginning we see her running it seems as if she is being chased but in reality she is running to the place where she has kept tom meanwhile tom is locked up in this room and has managed to get Rebecca’s phone he attempts to call for help before Rebecca gets there. Roland Barthes theory can be applied to my 2 minute opening sequence, The Hermeneutic Code: this is when we see her running, the story here is not fully explained the audience just see a girl running and no one else it begins to create a mystery as they start wondering what is she running from. The semantic code:  This is. The cultural code:  the history of thrillers can be seen as the foundation of truth from my audience, this is because in many thrillers the female characters are often seen as the victims especially with this opening sequence because she looks worried and is running she looks like a victim, the audience would use the history of thrillers and perhaps find it difficult to challenge and believe that “Rebecca” is the victim in this. The Proairetic code: when Rebecca falls down this implies further narrative action because when she falls down she on the floor for a few seconds cause she hurts her leg, it implies further narrative action because the audience begin to believe that she is running away from something and whatever she’s running away from is about to catch up to her.

Laura Mulvey’s Theory  

Laura Mulvey theory ‘The Male Gaze’ suggest that women are represented as ‘objects’  in films, She also believed that in film audiences have to ‘view’ characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male.  According to Mulvey the male  audience look at women in certain erotic way,  the  ‘look’ could be ‘voyeuristic’ where women are viewed as virtuous and beautiful or ‘fetishistic’ women are viewed as excessively sexual beings.  Her theory on the male gaze was later developed in to different gazes. The female gaze, suggesting that women can also gain voyeuristic pleasure from looking at a subject, and that film techniques can sometimes be used to position the female audience to do so. The Spector gaze, this is the gaze of the viewer looking at the text. The inter-diegetic gaze, this is when one character in the text looks at another the character. The extra-diegetic gaze this is when a character in the text looks directly at the audience breaking the ‘Fourth Wall’. 

Laura Mulvey theory can be applied to my music video; the music video is a performance based video, with both male and female dancers. She suggested that the look could be voyeuristic or Fetishistic, our music video objectify the female dancers and gains the Fetishistic looks, they are seen as sexual beings. Throughout our music video we have exposed the female body, and used certain camera movement to exaggerate the female body, zooming in to thighs, stomach and all the booty shaking, causing the male audience to look at the women in the video in an erotic way supporting Laura Mulvey theory on the male gaze.  We also see the extra diegetic gaze this evident when the lyrics “Ladies get in line let me see your bestes wine”  are recited, the artist “Major Lazar” looks directly in to the camera as if he his reciting the lyrics to the audience breaking this imaginary “Fourth wall”.