AS Communication Studies Presentation

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19/06/2008                Brett Halsey

Communication Studies Coursework: Presentation Portfolio

Investigation Essay

I have chosen to investigate gender stereotypes in the media, with the significant breakthrough of Angelina Jolie’s starring role in Tomb Raider. I believe that, generally, females are rarely shown equally (or superior) to men, within the film industry. I will focus on how this traditional concept has been reversed, and analyse the different communication techniques accompanying this.

        After examining the promotional poster used to advertise the film, it became apparent that the lead character, Lara Croft, is portrayed as a strong, assertive and powerful female. This is evident from the body language and facial expressions which are used; she has an open, yet challenging body posture, accompanied by a distant gaze; ignorant of all those admiring her beauty. This communication text can be viewed as entropic, as it is high in new information; the sort society has rarely seen before.

        The poster used to promote the second film, ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider The Cradle of Life’, is similar in many respects as it features Lara Croft as the main character. However, this time a semantic communication barrier is present. That is, the audience is prevented from knowing the full title of the film, as the action heroine is masking it from view. The preferred reading is that the audience will recognise the action figure, and all that she represents, from the huge success of the previous film, as well as the infamous video games.

        After performing a content analysis of the film ‘Tomb Raider: Lara Croft’, it became evident that Angelina was the only visible female character, who featured in more than one scene. This emphasises the extreme oppression faced by women due to overwhelming patriarchy, and the loneliness accompanied by this struggle for survival. (Even the robotic machine featured in the film is appropriately named ‘Simon’.) Ironically however, Angelina still meets the ‘male gaze’; “she was generally praised for her physical performance”¹, whilst reversing almost every other gender stereotype in existence. For example, the housewife

image is completely eliminated when a microwave meal explodes directly in front of her.

        Lara Croft is constantly portrayed as superior to all males. Whether this be verbally, physically, mockingly, or indeed by simply raising one eyebrow. The only character who does stand a chance against her is her father, stressing patriarchy even further.

        As the only female in the film, she is shown to be highly resourceful, extremely intelligent, selfless, sexy, willful and manipulative. Whereas the males tend to be: greedy, selfish, inconsiderate or fulfill the stereotype of a ‘geek’, (who is still inferior to the ‘lady’ Lara Croft).

        It has been noted the film ties in with the ‘girl power’ image, as it allows women to feel strong and powerful about themselves: “rather than being the object of desire who inspires the hero to action, Lara Croft is the hero, driving the story forward on her own”.²

         The action heroine Lara Croft clearly demonstrates how traditional concepts, associated with gender, can be almost completely abolished, despite the fundamental flaw of ‘to-be-looked-at-ness’.³ This is evident from her body language and communication skills, as well as her martial arts maneuvers and general levels of wit and cunning. Although the film can be viewed as quite ‘tongue-in-cheek’, an attempt is still made to tackle the social problems faced by ‘femininity’ in modern society.

Word Count: 549

¹ Quote taken from:

² Ideological influence of ‘girl power’ and representations of gender today: Gauntlett D. (2002) Gender, Media and Identity An introduction, Oxfordshire: Routledge.

³Laura Mulvey and the ‘male gaze’, taken from: Gauntlett D. (2002) Gender, Media and Identity An introduction, Oxfordshire: Routledge

Preparation Essay

There are a great number of factors which need to be taken into consideration whilst preparing for my presentation. For instance, it is important to ensure that no communication barriers occur, whether they be mechanical, psychological, organisational or semantic.

        It is important to consider the needs of my audience, i.e. their age, level of understanding and, to a certain extent, their attention span. As they will be fellow students of communication studies, I will be able to adopt an informative register, touching on potentially confusing terminology, such as paralanguage and verbal and non-verbal communication.

I aim to hold and maintain everyone’s attention by making lots of eye contact, using lively and animated body language, proposing thought-provoking questions to the audience, as well as including a short video clip. I will use varied paralanguage and facial expressions to match the auditory content of my presentation, in an attempt to engage the audience on every level.

        I am fully aware of the concept ‘non-verbal leakages’. This is often associated with body language, though it is not only to do with physical appearance. Issues involved often include: proximity, posture, paralanguage, eye contact, gestures and dress code. I will try to minimise any ‘leakages’ which might occur, revealing my nervous disposition. Instead, I aim to use more ‘positive’/open body movements, suggesting confidence, authority and control.

I would like to impose a positive, professional feel about my presentation. This will be enhanced by a formal dress code, enabling me to further step into the role of a teacher or other confident spokesperson. This links in with the ideas proposed by Erving Goffman; that humans are capable of ‘impression management’ (Gauntlett 2002:104). That is, adjusting their facial expressions, body language, posture and/or clothing to suit a particular situation. ‘He suggests that we are all social actors’², and that we adopt certain social identities, in order to play various roles successfully.

Join now!

I have decided to create a slideshow using Microsoft PowerPoint as part of the main framework for my presentation. This means I can use interactive media in an attempt to ‘liven up’ my presentation, as well as providing a visual stimulus for the audience. My slideshow will consist of brief bullet points, containing ideas of what I wish to talk about. In effect, these will serve as cue cards so I know exactly what I am talking about and in the correct order. Additionally, my slideshow will contain several images and animations, as well as a ...

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