MIGRAIN: Representation

1) List the different people/groups represented in the trailer.

• Men

• Women

• Americans

• Europeans

2) For each group you identify, decide whether the representation is a dominant or alternative portrayal. Explain why you think this.

• Men- dominant. The main character is a male. He is also the hero that is shown with a strong and determined character. These are usually the traits that people think of when a male is the focus.

• Women- dominant. There are rarely any shots of women in the trailer. The only ones that do include women show them to either be crying or wearing revealing clothing (accept the few happy moments in the beginning). This reinforces the stereotype that women are weak and inferior to men. 

• Americans- dominant. Americans in the trailer are shown to be civilised and the ones with good morals. America is also portrayed as a beautiful, crime-free country. 

• Europeans- dominant. Europeans are portrayed as being the exact opposite of Americans. They kidnap the hero's daughter in order to sell her in to the sex trade. A majority of the movie is set in Paris, which is depicted as being a dangerous place.

3) What stereotypes can you identify in the trailer? 
As mentioned above, males are represented as being strong which reinforces their stereotype. While women are seen as being weak, hopeless and inferior.

4) Why might the Taken trailer offend or alienate certain groups?
The taken trailer may offend Europeans. This is because they are represented as being the villains and their city is portrayed as a threatening and unsafe place. This is not an accurate representation of the city or the people from that city.

5) Why do mainstream film and television texts such as Taken so often use stereotypes?
Media messages have to be communicated quickly. Using stereotypes means that this can easily be accomplished. Presenting an audience with a representation that they already associate with a character means that they don't have to spend time wondering who the character is and what their role is in the film/TV show.