Media Studies Portfolio: December 2018

The way male athletes are represented in media is negative. Typically, male athletes are represented as stupid, loud womanizing partiers. This negative portrayal affects their image by creating stereotypes for people to characterize them by in real life, which in this case would be as stupid, loud womanizers. Jocks also are repeatedly represented as wearing athletic gear and jerseys most of the time through costume design. Male athletes in real-life though do not tend to fit this over-generalized, exaggerated representation, as is the case for most representation in media, it is not good nor is it fair.

The stereotype for male athletes can be broken down into sub categories by what sport they play. Different sports have different stereotypes. For example, Lacrosse players are thought to be "fratty" and cocky while football players are viewed as more aggressive and dumb based off of representation in media. The show "Blue Mountain State" perpetuated this negative representation heavily through the portrayal of the college student male athletes. In the show, the football players are focused primarily on partying, drinking, having sex, and playing football. In the few episodes that lacrosse players are shown they have the costume design of what a snobby rich boy would wear and the “flow” of hair that “lax bros”set as the ideal hairstyle. Both of the male athlete sub-groups though are negatively portrayed, which is unfair to the large percentage of male student athletes that do not fit into the stereotype set by the representation of the media.

A more specific example of a stereotypical jock in film is Steve Stifler in “American Pie.”Throughout the film, Stifler inappropriately hits on women, makes several raunchy jokes, is extremely cocky, and acts like a total jerk overall. This representation of male athletes is extremely harmful to their image, making others have negative early judgement about them. In order to change this representation in media, I would challenge the characteristic of the male athlete not being as intellectually invested as they are invested in their sport, showing that they can be just as focused in both. Sadly, the womanizing aspect of the representation has proven to have truth in it through the many cases of rape male college athletes have been put on trial for in real-life, so, I would retain it. I’d also retain the aforementioned representative costume design of jerseys and athletic gear.

1. Genre: Psychological Thrillers

2. Genre conventions – content: A psychological thriller is a sub-genre of thrillers, which integrates drama, mystery, and, of course, horror genre elements. Usually, in these films, the main character must battle with internal conflict, battling his or her own mind. Psychological thrillers tend to feature the main character as someone that becomes increasingly unstable as the movie's plot progresses. The main character struggles with issues such as identity and what's really real and what's not. The mind games intensify and increase in frequency until the main character either breaks through and comes out on top, or is consumed by it, leading to his, or her, demise.

3. Genre conventions – production techniques:

Psychological thrillers utilize a wide array of production techniques to achieve the desired look and feel to the film. Low level lighting creates shadows to generate feelings of suspense and sadness. Quick edits enhance the feeling of shock and with the suspense continuously present. The non-diegetic sounds create an eerie feeling of suspense. Diegetic sounds offer crucial dialog. Flashbacks are utilized to give context as to why the characters are the way they are. Dark neutral monochromatic colors are utilized. Finally, close-up shots are used to show the characters reaction and emotion, which are absolutely essential for this genre.

4. Film/magazine sample #1: Shutter Island

The film “Shutter Island,” directed by Martin Scorsese, is a prime example of a psychological thriller. The film utilizes the usual techniques used for the sub-genre which draws from the genres action, mystery, drama, and, of course, thriller. For example, in “Shutter Island,” low-level lighting, with its many shadows, is heavily used throughout, creating a feeling of sadness and mystery. The non-diegetic sounds heard through the film makes the viewer feel a part of the madness, matching the rising thrill and increasing tension. Camera

In terms of content, the protagonist, Teddy Daniels, struggles with internal conflict. As he digs deeper into the traumatizing case of his wife’s murder, his mental state is revealed to be deteriorating. This becomes more and more apparent as the film progresses, but he fights it and pushes forward until it is revealed in the end that he was really fighting himself and his repressed memory of the death of his wife.

5. Film/magazine sample #2: Fight Club

Psychological thrillers focus on the theme of identity, and in “Fight Club,” directed by David Fincher, the main character starts off as unhappy and unsure of what his meaning in life is and by the end of the film he develops into his true identity. The low-key lighting in this film adds to the gloomy atmosphere that the main character views the world in. This film utilizes diegetic sounds of internal dialog by the main character to provide necessary context, and this also reinforces the psychological thriller genre convention of internal conflict since most of the dialog is the main character talking to himself. Close-ups are used to show the characters’ facial expressions, which reveal how they feel when reacting to what is happening or to what was said. In “Fight Club,” the main character’s facial expressions are important to pay attention to as his emotions shift throughout the movie as he struggles with his mind’s issues induced by his insomnia, which he only gets relief from and sleep by crying or fighting.

6. List of 5-7 other film/magazine examples within the genre:

Inception