Representation Blog Task

1) List the different people/groups represented in the trailer (men/women/Americans etc.)

• Representation of women
• Representation of men

2) For each group, decide whether the representation is a dominant or alternative portrayal.

Bradley Cooper joins a dancing competition and alternative portrayal - challenges traditional pov of male role. Jennifer Lawrence's character speaks inappropriately at dinner in trailer - challenges traditional version of typical, ideal, sympathetic woman (shown by blonde 'sister' character), but conforms to traditional male gaze otherwise, which is a dominant portrayal. 

3) What stereotypes can you identify in the trailer?

• Jenifer Lawrence a white female a recent Oscar winner - known for Hunger Games (teen audience - another book adaptation) - is blonde in that movie but hair dyed black for this movie
• Her costume is black (black 'sexy ' visual indicators also mark out her depressed state - widow- mourning - depression linked to casual sex. The audience invited to view her sexual encounters voyeuristically and also as comedy through quick, off beat edits in trailer. 
• Association of depression/mental illness-casual sex - tradition of portraying depression as a sex fantasy? Suspect morality of doing this? Conflicts with constructions of reality in mise-en-scene in this trailer.
• Romance constructed throughout trailer.
• Triumph depicted in trailer - both protagonists dressed in white and are then cheered on by community- promise of fulfilment of generic promise of romantic comedy.

•  Use of a token black background character, a stereotypical representation of people of colour.
• Use of a typical foreign (European?) therapist

• Bradley Cooper a white male also nominated, is shown to be bi-polar and body obsessed- running in black bin bag to sweat more etc.
• Conforms to traditional pov -He is positioned as central holder of the gaze
• Conflicts in the film are often caused by male anger and aggression and the film/trailer shows this style of hyper masculine conflict resolution isn't working.
•  Sex role stereotyping via the representation of the parents- mother more caring but father is not but through the movie starts to slowly accept son.