Area Of Representation Exam

Hi guys,
Today blog is about Area's of Representation through the use of TV Drama.

Age
Depending on the type of program it will appeal to different people and age groups. Different people and there age groups are represented are represented in TV drama's because this increases the potential target audience. Different ages represent different types of people. In a programme designed for a younger audience you expect to see activities made for the younger audience for example relationships, drugs, drinking, 'partying' whereas in a older based program you might see things like doing a job, having a family e.t.c. A younger audience is might be expected to be naive, energetic and over confident where as an older target audience you would expect a more civil and polite attitude. An example of a counter type of representation would be the program Skins where the Adults are just as bad as the kids through there behaviour and the way they present themselves. 

Sexuality
A stereotypical gay character is where the character is always interested in fashion and is often camp. An audience expectation of males are where the male has a camp attitude.  A stereotypical image of a lesbian is that one person in the couple will be butch, short hair with a mainly attitude and while there will be someone who is very feminine who is interested in fashion. Certain types of programmes show these stereotypical attitudes in there scripts and this shows the discrimination that type of society experience is common.

Disability and Ability
Disability and ability can be shown in many ways in the media. In the recent Paralympics there was less media coverage than the main Olympics. This meant, that the Paralympics  constant breaks during the sporting events compared with the main Olympics which were uninterrupted. This shows that Disability and Ability can be portrayed in both positive and negative ways in the media. 

Social Class 
Social class is represented in TV in different ways. In certain TV programmes such as Downton Abbey show off types of people who are high up in society compared to programmes such as Misfits or Shameless which portray negative images through the way that the people in the programme act and are presented.

Gender
In lots of TV drama's for example Eastenders women can be presented as rich, snobby and even cleaning houses which is a type of stereotype. This is a contrast to men who are usually presented as tough, loud and even violent. An example of a female character from Eastenders would be Dot Cotton as she is like a gran to everyone on the show. This is through the way she is presented through her relationship with other characters.

Thank you for reading.