Representation Of Disability In TV Drama

There are many different stereotypes of the disabled in TV drama. Paul Hunt conducted a study in 1991, and he found that the most common stereotypes of the disabled are:

• The disabled person as pitiable or pathetic
• An object of curiosity or violence
• Sinister or evil
• The super cripple 
• As atmosphere
• Laughable
• His/her own worst enemy
• As a burden 
• As non-sexual
• Unable to participate in daily life 

In this clip the firs representation of the disabled character is 'laughable'. The other character is discussing his feeling towards another girl and the disabled character is responding with immature gestures and remarks. Firstly, he says "I think you fancy her" which is something that you would expect from a young child, supporting the idea that his character is represented as laughable. He then gestures by raising his eyebrows which is another sign of his immaturity. The other character laughs at this which supports the representation of his 'laughable' character. He then goes on to mention the girl that he "fancies". Again, this is an immature term to use and we would expect different wording from someone else. Next, he says "we have done kissing". Firstly, this isn't proper English, and we see an example of him not being able to support a sophisticated conversation. Secondly, this is another example of his immaturity. From someone his age we would expect him to talk about about his girlfriend with more respect an maturity. When the disabled character admits he was punched by his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend, we are introduced with a new representation of his character; pitiable. This representation is continued as we see the disabled character ask "What's sex like?". We already know he is seeing someone and so we feel sorry for him because we now know he hasn't had sex with her yet. We do not know why this is but we do know that it is because of his girlfriend, we know this because he is curious about sex so we can assume that he desires to experience it. This is a good example of the disabled being represented as 'non-sexual'. The other character shows pity towards the disabled character because he tells him that he is being nosy, but he also laughs; showing the disabled character that he doesn't mean anything sinister by it. If this remark was made by an able-bodied character then he would've acted differently, maybe by telling him to mind his own business or by getting angry.




In this clip, we see the disabled character become angry that his brother is patronising him by pretending everything is okay, when really, he feels anger towards his "incurable disease". This is an example of the representation of the disabled being his/her own worst enemy. It is also an example of the disabled being shown to not be able to participate in everyday life. This is shown because he is unable to perform a simple task such as shopping without becoming angry. Later on in the clip, we see the disabled character having to be helped to the toilet. This combines multiple representations of the disabled: not being able to participate in everyday, pitiable or pathetic, laughable and the super cripple. He is unable to perform basic tasks as he is being helped to the toilet, he is pitiable and pathetic because he has lost his dignity, and he is laughable because he is being shown as embarrassing and awkward. The pathetic representation is continued when the disabled character admits he needs to hire a carer. This must be a hugely embarrassing thing for him to admit to and would make him feel ashamed. He then goes on to admit that "this disease is winning"; which bring empathy from the audience plus the usual pity and embarrassment.

In my opinion, the disabled are shown in a negative light within television drama's and they tend to stick the the representations and stereotypes audiences have become accustom to seeing on TV.

Representation Of Disability In 'The Inbetweeners'

The clip is funny because any social taboo that people know they should not find funny is just tackled head on in this programme. If this happened in real life then the group of lads would be expected to apologise straight away and they certainly wouldn't be expected to laugh. Another reason why it is funny is because the situation is so, so awkward that the viewer would never want it happening to them. People enjoy seeing others put in the situations of their worst nightmares and the result is inevitably laughter.
The disabled girl is represented as laughable, pitiable and pathetic. These are some of the most common representations of the disabled in TV dramas. She is seen with her carer by her side which indicates her vulnerability to the viewers and also that she can't be responsible for herself.
Will is the 'butt' of the joke because he is the one who has just thrown a 'frisbee' at the disabled girl. We laugh at him because he has just been put in an awkward and horrible situation that we would not like to be in ourselves, the fact he had no intention of doing so makes it even funnier.
Different aspects of the media has meant that as a society we have been 'drip fed' the notion that we should pity the disabled. The representation of them on television and the things we sometimes read in the newspapers mean that our opinion and stereotype of the disabled has been decided for us through our unconscious. And so, our reaction is to laugh.

We may know that it is wrong to laugh at incidents such as this but because we know that others watching at home will be laughing then we convince ourselves that it is acceptable on this occasion; which is the same for all the things we witness throughout this television series.

Gender Stereotypes In TV Drama

The usual stereotype of a man in television is that they posses all of the power. Typically, they are the ones who take on the bad guy and save the day. Audiences expect them to be both physically and mentally strong and disregard females as they will usually work with the male but in a less powerful position. They are expected to be responsible for the female characters and be able to protect them if need be. 

An example would be DI Chandler from the television drama 'Whitechapel'. DI Chandler is an example of both aspects of this stereotype as he is able to lead his team in violent and often disturbing cases. Although, throughout the drama we see his obsessive compulsive disorder become too much for him to handle. 

The general trend in TV dramas is men should be both attractive and physically strong. Men are seen as a symbol for women for protection, safety and comfort. Men are there to make all the harsh decisions and to stand brave and upright in difficult situations. A perfect example would be Tommy Shelby from 'Peaky Blinders'. Tommy is notorious for being able to make the call in an instant when there is a lot on the line, usually the right one too. He conforms with the first stereotype of possessing great power as he is the head of the family business which is a success on both sides of the law. He also holds great physical strength which is displayed in the show through his numerous violent altercations with his adversaries.  His character also goes along with the second stereotype of the protection of women by always protecting and safeguarding his aunt Polly. Tommy holds great respect and affection for his aunt and sees her as a mother figure due to her having to raise him and his two brothers because of the sudden death of her sister. This means Tommy always takes steps to ensure Polly isn't caught in the crossfire caused by his actions. 

Women are also stereotyped within TV dramas. One and audience can expect to see is the stereotype that female characters are of less intelligence to that of the male characters. This stereotype is often represented when a character is always the last to figure things out or catch on to what is happening in a scene. An audience may well see a male character having to guide this person through a storyline or refrain from telling them too much to avoid confusion in the character. 

Another stereotype of women could be that of the 'housewife'. This is the stereotype that the mother of the family should stay at home all day cooking and cleaning whilst the father is out at work earning the money. An example could be Maxine from 'Hollyoaks'. Maxine's character lives up to the stereotype and stay at home whilst her husband is out at work. 

Specification Research - The Avengers

The technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange New formats of advertising and marketing films have been introduced and developed in recent years. Films are no longer solely advertised in cinemas prior to other films and displayed on huge billboards in city centres. Films can now be seen, heard, smelt you name it. It is unclear how much money was made available to market ‘Avengers Assemble’ but the blanket marketing meant that the advertising was almost impossible to escape. They displayed trailers in multiple train stations all over the world as well as bust stations and airports. The huge advancement in smart phones meant that fans could download an app which allowed them to view exclusive content like downloadable posters, teasers and behind the scenes footage. The app was also given exclusive advertisement within other applications which meant people would see it as they were playing something else. This shows again that the marketing campaign that was undertaken left nothing to chance of whether people would see it or not.

 The different versions or exchanges of films that are now available to see would have impacted the movies success greatly. The film was able to be viewed in both 2D and 3D; this would impact the film’s distribution and marketing in several ways. For example, some may only want to go and see the film in 3D, and so making this available to the public means that the audience for the film will increase. Making the film in both versions means the capacity of the marketing campaign can increase. Separate trailers and posters can be created to advertise both 2D and 3D which means the size of the marketing is much larger. Doing this enables the film to appeal to a wider audience and be able to be seen by more and more people. The film was distributed in both digital versions, via the iTunes store and also on DVD. The DVD was available in a standard edition, a Blu-ray edition and a director’s cut edition. All these mean they can charge higher prices for the more detailed versions which increase profits. Fans of the Marvel series would be interested in the director’s cut because this would mean they’re able to get a glimpse behind the scenes and see the work that went into the production of the film and the effort made to please the hard-core fans. The Blu-ray edition would appeal most to those with a high end TV and speaker set who would enjoy getting a cinema-like experience from the comfort of their own sofa. The digital version of the film would be useful to those fans that use their smartphone regularly and want to have the film on demand quickly and easily.

The Blu-ray edition was available to pre-order via Amazon and those who did so received and 3x3 metre poster of the film. A soundtrack distributed for the film and was available via Amazon, HMV, WH Smiths, Tesco and Zavvi. The makers of ‘Avengers Assemble’ saw the opportunity to sell this to those fans who wanted a full and in-depth experience of the film. Finally, a ten-disc six-movie collection of the full ‘Avengers’ series was available to purchase. This included all of the phase one films such as: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America. This is the ultimate piece of merchandise for an ‘Avengers’ fan as they would have on-demand access to all of the films. Its value was increased as production of these was stopped and the availability of this collection became difficult.

 Having supervised the visual effects on Iron Man 2, Janek Sirrs was well suited for the Avengers. Along with producer Susan Pickett, the visual effects supervisor oversaw the filming of approximately 2,200 shots completed by several vendors. These included ILM, Weta Digital, Scanline VFX, Hydraulx, Fuel VFX, Evil Eye Pictures, Luma Pictures, Cantina Creative, Trixter, Modus FX, Whiskytree, Digital Domain and New Deal Studios with titles by Method Design. The film was an enormous effort in bringing together existing elements of the Marvel universe seen in various incarnations of recent superhero films. The visual effects supervisors and crew were able to discuss what they liked and disliked about the special effects from previous marvel films and talk about what they wanted to use in the upcoming movie. This meant they were able to deliver on the promise of the “greatest special effects a Marvel audience has seen”.

Representation Of Gender In 'Luther'

Luther
The stereotype of gender is countered in the TV drama: Luther. In the very first episode, we see a rugged, rough and tumble detective chief inspector.. John Luther. Our first impressions of this man is that he is a

violent, weak man who struggles to control his emotions. Which we see throughout the series with his numerous outburst of rage. Although, the audience recognises he is someone of significant purpose as he is a high-ranking police officer.

In the pilot episode, Luther is called to the scene of a double murder. The prime suspect is the daughter of the two victims; Alice Morgan. At first we believe she is a vulnerable, fragile young woman; distraught at the recent events. Conforming with the stereotype of gender within TV drama's. She can barely answer Luther's questions whilst being interviewed because she is that upset. Although, John manages to figure out that she is the person responsible and is determined to prove she committed the crime. What follows throughout the three series of 'Luther' is truly remarkable. The audience begin to realise that Alice is a well educated, genius psychopath who only murdered her parents in order to reinforce her arrogant ego that she is too brilliant to be caught out. In the following episodes John realises that he has truly met his match and that their is no possible way he will ever be able to prove that Alice murdered her parents. Alice begins to torment John knowing that she is in the clear.
Throughout 'Luther' Alice and John have various altercations where it is apparent that the two secretly appreciate each other's brilliance. The most intriguing of these regular altercations between the two characters is a scene following the murder of Alice's parents. Alice torments John by holding up the ashes of her dog and saying "It was only a dog, seems unduly pitiless to me". At the time; John is unaware that the weapon Alice used in the murder of her parents is hidden in the ashes of her dog. Of course Alice knows this, and personally satisfying to be so arrogant and audacious as to show Luther the ashes as if to show how close she can let him but still maintain her genius in order to not get caught. In this scene we also see the great lengths Alice has gone to in order to find out all the information she needs to destroy Luther. She knows about his previous 'dodgy' cases and brings up his failing marriage. Within this scene we also see the first signs of the huge sexual tension between the both of them. Jon walks in close to Alice and she asks him "did you come here for sex?", I believe this stem from the fact that they appreciate their respective brilliance so much that they are obsessed and driven by one another. Alice also uses the description of a black whole as a metaphor of how she intends to "Suck John in and crush him into nothing more than a speck of dust". This scene confirms to Alice that she has John wrapped round her little finger.

 Another clear showing of the power Alice possesses due to her astonishing mind is at the end of the first series. John, Alice, Ian and Mark are all at a train station where they have cornered Ian. Alice is pointing a sawn-off shotgun and is asking the other to vote on whether she should kill Ian. The fact that she is so cold as to leave the decision on ending a life down to a vote really does display her evil. This suggests that murdering someone isn't a big task for Alice and that you may as well have a bit of fun whilst doing it. She knows that this will torture Ian because he realises that he isn't in control of his own life. Alice is true to her word and shoots Ian in the chest at point blank range without hesitation; staring him straight in the eyes.
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The TV drama 'Luther' counters the normal stereotype that in TV and film men possess all the power. This is clearly represented thorough out all three series of 'Luther' because Alice Morgan is an integral part in all the decisions that have an impact on the story of the drama. Every single act of Alice has impact on the lives of the other characters, mainly John. These impact are not always immediate and are not always apparent to the audience.
The conformity the stereotype is also apparent within 'Luther'. This is shown most clearly to the audience when John is leading investigations and is making big decisions which effect other people's lives, whether that be victims or his own colleagues. One of the strong characteristics of DCI John Luther is that he isn't afraid to make critical decisions; whether they have a consequent effect on a stranger or even loved ones he is prepared to do so. John's power is truly apparent towards the end of the third series because he has managed to amaze Alice so much that she has developed feelings for John and has begun to appreciate that he is a true match for her. In the same scene where Alice shoots Ian; Luther is stood over Ian strangling him, tormenting him by asking him to tell John what it feels like being on the brink of death and not being able to do anything about it.
In conclusion, I believe that the fact that the director has chosen to go against the usual stereotype of gender we witness in TV and film is refreshing to see and plays a big part in the success of the TV drama 'Luther'.