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THE RETURNED: REPRESENTATION - Coggle Diagram
THE RETURNED: REPRESENTATION
HOW REPRESENTATIONS ARE CONSTRUCTED THROUGH SELECTION AND COMBINATION
TECHNICAL CODES: camera shots, angles, movements and editing combine to construct representations and to position audiences in a relation to those representations
AUDIO CODES: diegetic and non-diegetic sound including a soundtrack, mood music and dialogue contribute to the construction of representations
ICONOGRAPHY: clothing, props and settings, particularly in relation to the cultural context, contribute to the construction of representations and will have been a key consideration of the producers in creating the characters and their roles
THE WAY IN WHICH REPRESENTATIONS MAKE CLAIMS ABOUT REALISM
one of the aims is to make the audience feel that the representations constructed are accurate, plausible and true to life. is regardless of whether the story is seemingly unbelievable and outside the experience of the audience (like The Returned)
– aim is to suspend the disbelief of the audience
this is achieved through surface realism - the choice of sets, locations, costumes and props contribute to an accurate representation.
another way is through generic verisimilitude - the codes and conventions of the genre are adhered to and fulfil audience expectations, as a result the audience will believe what they see
where representations are seen to be influenced by cultural and social circumstances ( e.g. the way gender and issues are represented) this contributes to the construction of realism.
– the representations of gender in The Returned and the allegorical reference to the contemporary issue of migrants in france
HOW REPRESENTATIONS MAY INVOKE DISCOOURSES AND IDEOLOGIES AND POSITION AUDIENCES
representations carry ideological significance and reflect the rime in which the product was made. the Returned - positions the audience to look at social groups and issues in different ways, reflecting cultural shifts
– e.g. this episode invokes discourse around 'the unknown' and how this who are perceived as 'other' are treated in a culture - with fear and trepidation
the way in which representations are constructed in TR means that French audiences who have personal experience of the migrant issue are more likely to take this reading from the programme
The Returned - the way in which the representations are constructed positions audiences
– e.g Claire's representations as the maternal figure positions audiences to empathise with her reaction to the return of Camille
– the construction of Victor as the innocent young child positions audiences to sympathise with his enigmatic situation and Julie's initial response to him
REPRESENTATIONS OF GENDER: WOMEN/FEMININITY
range of female characters in the episode presenting different representations of women, and they are central to the narrative
– the female charcters are represented generally as passive and emotional.
– they perform roles related to nurturing and domesticity, in the early scenes, Sandrine announces her pregnancy, thanks Pierre and heralds it as away of healing the past
Claire and Julie are both represented as carers - Claire welcomes Camille's return without questioning the unbelievability of the event, whilst Julie tends to the basic needs of the unknown child Victor, feeding him and letting him stay the night
Adele is first seen by Simon in a wedding dress, representing her more traditional female role. She is also seen to be emotional and hysterical after assuming that she has seen the ghost of Simon.
technical codes contribute tp the construction of representation (e.g the close-ups of Claire reinforce her passive representatio, the intra-diegetic gaze between her and Jerome or Pierre show that she looks to others for help and explanation
– in the meeting, the camera repeatedly cuts to Pierre as the leader of the group, the women look up to him
Camille, the focus of the episode, goes some way to breaking the passive female stereotype. She is seen as active and resourceful in escaping from the valley, and determined in her need to return home
Lucy is constructed as an object of the male gaze
– her clothing, gesture and the technical codes construct this representation and the fact she is trapped in a menial job, in a subservient relationship with an older man whom she relies on for money. However she does have some control over Jerome as he pays for her in a spiritual role to communicate with the dead Camille
Lena is constructed as a stereotypical rebellious teenager who has regular confrontations with her parents. her representation is constructed through her code of casual clothing, her truculent behaviour and expressions. she is sexual, if not overtly sexualised.
– the shots of her in the bar reinforce this representation, particularly in her conversation with Simon.
– However, she is also vulnerable, as she is happy to take him to a remote part of the village
REPRESENTATIONS OF GENDER:
MEN/MASCULINITY
some of the men (e.g Pierre) are represented as dominant, rational and in control within the community
– it is Pierre that Claire turns to initially after the return of Camille and he questions Camille about what she can remember, taking control of the situation
Jerome challenges this typical masculine representation as more emotional and unable to cope with his loss and grief.
in the meeting he is seated on the outside and questions the 'ugliness' of the memorial to the dead. the fact he believes that Lucy can communicate with Camille reinforces his vulnerability
In the framing of the shot when Camille comes outside to join them in the storm, he can't look at her
similarly, Simon is represented as 'other' and an outsider. other than the bar, he remains outside looking into the life he once had
THEORETICAL APPROACHES: REPRESENTATION - STUART HALL
hall - stereotyping tends to occur where there are inequalities of power, as subordinate or excluded groups are constructed as different or 'other'
the notion that the powerful elite groups (white MC males) control the media and create a 'norm' which reflects themselves.
representations of other groups are then constructed in terms of their difference to this - 'otherness'
representations of the undead in binary op to the living - created an allegory of the migration of Syrians in Europe (mainly France) and invokes a discourse around global migration
– Gobert is making a political point about a humanitarian crisis
undead are not human, therefore are 'other', and are feared by the living in the same way that the French people feared the impact of migration on their communities.
Returned - the community is established in the beginning as the equilibrium that will inevitably be disrupted
– the undead are further reinforced as 'other' by linking them to unnatural events (receding of the dam waters)
THEORETICAL APPROACHES: FEMINSIT THEORY - BELL HOOKS + VAN ZOONEN
BELL HOOKS
feminism is a struggle to end sexist/patriarchal oppression and the ideology of domination
men are seen to be in dominant positions in TR - they display the character traits associated with masculinity; they are on the whole rational, efficient, unemotional
– Pierre is the one who attempts to rationalise the situation and talk to Camille
Clare is represented in a domestic role - she is maternal and a nurturer, she turns to the men in her life (J+P) for help. her maternal instinct is dominant and overrides any rational questioning of the return of Camille.
Julie is a nurse and therefore in a role as a carer and repsonds maternally to Victor, welcomes him in
Lucy is a clear victim of patriarchal oppression; she is on display for the gratification of men and is used by men
VAN ZOONEN
– gender is constructed through discourse, and that its meaning varies according to cultural and historical context
– idea that the display of women's bodies as objects to be looked at is a core element of western patriarchal culture
the discourse around d constructions of gender in TR requires the audience to consider how culturally there has been little change in the roles of men and women which function as binary opposites. the women are associated with domesticity, nurturing and appealing to mea. they are emotional and less active in the narrative.
men are active, make the decisions and are rational, reinforcing the patriarchal diegesis.
men are constructed more through the intradiegetic gaze - Pierre is looked up to by the others with respect as a leader
Lucy is sexualised and is an object of visual pleasure for both the audience and the male characters. her role is passive and she is the one being looked at as an object of the male gaze (Mulvey) - it is Lucy who at the end is murderfed by a man and seen as disposable