Representation Essay

Representation speaks of the description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way; an in this case, the ways in which the media portrays particular groups, communities, experiences, ideas, or topics from a particular ideological or value perspective. In terms of film, there is always a deeper meaning and subtext about what is presented to us on the cinema screen. The genre of horror could be seen as hegemonic and also patriarchal, as males dominate this genre. For my horror trailer, titled “The Flesh Eaters”, I’ll include the theories of representation (discussed in this essay) to give my film trailer as a whole a deeper meaning. Laura Mulvey’s theory was based on the “male gaze”, constructed from the idea that most cinema viewings are dominated by a large male audience, and by displaying the female body on the screen, it attracts the male eye; highlighting the fact that female characters are shown on screen for the sexual and erotic pleasure of men, controlling women, and making them an object of the gaze. However, feminists have divided this theory into 3 sections: how men look at women, how women look at themselves and how women look at women. Mulvey’s theory can be seen in the horror trailer of Tucker and Dale vs Evil, where the female character that is shown repeatedly in the trailer is attractive, and she’s sexualised through mise-en-scene, as she’s shown wearing provocative clothing; very short shorts and a crop top, which reveals her assets, attracting the ‘male gaze’. The concept of the male gaze can also be seen through camera angles in Tucker and Dale vs Evil, for example, a medium-long range shot of the blonde female getting blood squirted all over her, whilst in her skimpy attire, which also carries sexual connotations. This theory can be applied to my film trailer, although it won’t be to this extent, as my trailer will consist of close up shots, and also panning shots of the female protagonists, when trying on Halloween costumes (Charlize, Elena and Jenny). Carol J. Clover came up with the Final Girl theory, in which the surviving girl battles the antagonist. The Final Girl is the “virginal good girl”, she also has a masculine name and has some male characteristics, and is also presented to be intelligent and resourceful in comparison to those around her and those that eventually becomes one of the many victims, which is why she survives in the end. However, this could be portrayed as a patriarchal ideology, as females are being portrayed as “not woman”, and at the same time “not man”, women do not have their own identity in the genre of horror. This concept can be found in my film trailer, although it falls into the subgenre of zombie horror. Charlize is the final girl that will be seen in my horror trailer. Her name is the feminisation of the male name, Charles; this shows the theory of how women are seen as “not woman” and yet “not man”, showing the patriarchal ideology. However, postfeminists will see this as Charlize being liberated from men, seeing as she’s the final girl, and has feminised her name, breaking free from the chain that the patriarchal society has bound her in, which is a unique selling point for the film, as zombie horror tends to not have a final girl, and the fact that the name of the final girl has the feminised version of a male name shows that The Flesh Eaters is bringing something new to the zombie horror table. Sarah Dobbs introduced the theory of "Scream Queens", in which women are celebrated for their looks and not for their brains, talent and intelligence, and also seen as very easily expendable victims. However, she also says that they can be seen as protagonists and also main characters. Dobbs goes on to say that female protagonists are rare, and complex and interesting female characters are even more rarer. In the production of The Flesh Eaters, "scream queens" are portrayed, when Elena is being eaten by zombies. The Flesh Eaters contradicts Dobbs' theory, as the lead character is a female, and she doesn't come across to the viewer as a "scream queen". This showcases women in an impenetrable way, as the final girl (Charlize) is a smart individual, and isnt lacking in the brains department. Post feminists would say that this shows women being liberated and are now fighting back/against male views - also counting as a unique selling point of our film. Kim Paffenroth suggested that zombies can be metaphors for diseases, issues and plagues that reside within our culture as a whole; further implying that zombie films have a deeper meaning than meets the eye. Zombie films could be metaphors of consumerism in society, like in Dawn of The Dead, in which zombies were shown in the supermarket/shopping malls, implying and highlighting the fact that maybe the human race is subject to consumerism, that we continue to buy more and more things to fulfil our needs, but our needs are never really met, so we buy even more and the cycle continues; making zombies look like capitalists, as they consume more and more flesh, whether they are full or not. Paffenroth's theory applies to our film trailer, as the zombies could be a metaphor for capitalism and consumerism. This is because the origins of how people became zombies in the first place was because they bought fast food (McDonalds) in which there was a virus, which ultimately turned the humans into zombies; showcasing that people in e the real world know that buying fast food on a daily basis is bad for their health, but they give into capitalism and buy it anyway, turning them into simpleminded creatures. The zombies in The Flesh Eaters could also be seen as metaphors for gang culture within the UK, as the zombies look the same and dress the same, and also travel in packs, terrorising the rest of society.