Representation essay

Representation is the way that the media changes or interprets different meanings about the world that we live in. This way they construct their own beliefs through film and high important directors pass their own message on through the films they create. There are many different theories when it comes to representation and this essay will explain them. 

Firstly, Berger is a theorist that suggested that within the media, men act and women appear and that women watch themselves being watched. This idea comes from the fact that he suggests that if we class someone as male or female then we are doing so on a biological basis. However, in the media if someone is seen as more masculine it is due to their social construction which means the way they act, talk and look. This coincides with my trailer as the slutty character within the trailer is always being watched by the other men in the film. This supports the theory in the way that she watches herself being watched by the other men. However, my trailer also subverts this as there is a final girl who is more masculine than all the men and fights off the killers. This is a subversion due to the fact that she does not watch herself being looked at and doesn't just appear, but instead she fights back. 

Secondly, Laura Mulvey suggest the theory of the male gaze in which the woman's body on TV is displayed through the eyes of a man in a way that makes it pleasurable for a man to watch on TV. This gaze controls the woman and makes her an object for the male to view at his own erotic pleasure. This theory is supported by my film trailer as many slashers films are the ones that create this gaze over the women, for example in the film psycho the gaze can be seen when the camera moves up and down her body in the shower. This also relates to my movie as the slut character will be portrayed very sexually due to the fact that it is her nature within the role therefore the gaze will be very prominent.

Moreover, Clovers theory of the final girl who is the last female within a movie that usually survives due to her more masculine features and her inability to take part in sex, drugs or alcohol consumption. Clover says that the final girl usually has a unisex name, doesn't partake in drugs and is a virgin. This theory is supported within my film trailer as it is a slasher and I do have a final girl who conquers the antagonists. This shows that even in the modern horror movies today that there is a still a final girl character as it is a classic feature of a horror movie. 

Charles Derry is another theorists who is known for three main topics which are haunting and demonic possession, apocalypse and the human monster. He says that haunting and demonic possession play on the fear of the unknown and use religion to back it up to be more realistic and scary. The character that usually gets possessed is a young girl and they are always entered, he says that this could be seen as trying to scare young children about puberty or taking control of the weaker sex. He says that the apocalypse is where a large amount of inhuman creatures come together to take over the world and kill humans, whether it be animals or a virus or aliens. The fact that these animals rise up against humans is not usually for a specific reason but does have the subtext that there is ecological inequality or it is resembling a rebellion of some sort. The human monster comes from psychopaths such as deranged killers in the film psycho or scream. However some can be born with no morals what so ever and some can be born into a society that forces them to be evil. This last point coincides with my trailer due to the fact that the killers come from a deranged background therefore kill off all of my characters for that reason. 

Finally, Dobbs suggested that there are hardly any women behind the camera and that within horror the women that get remembered most are the 'scream queens' who are always attractive on screen. She suggests that there is some feminism within horror due tot he fact that it appeals widely more to a male audience even though it could appeal to both just as much due tot he fact that it is a way of being scared without being in any real danger. Even though there are problems with the final girl trope, it is not hard to feel victorious about the fact that the final girl always wins and that there are so many films with the final girl around.