How are different social groups represented in the sequence you have analysed? What role does the use of media language, signs and signifiers have in constructing and presenting these representations as real? 500 words
The police station scene with hopper and Joyce focuses on hoppers poor attitude and Joyce’s strong maternal worries.
When hopper walks into his office the camera pans down to a worried Joyce which aids her conformity to a stereotypical helpless woman. Hopper appears to be looking down upon her as if he has power over her. The use of these camera angles is to show the situation through hoppers eyes.
The stereotype is broken when Joyce begins to question hoppers authority instead of letting him deal with the situation. The camera is now level with both characters and flicks between them to show the struggle of conflict between them both.
The use of the camera giving both characters equal screen time and angles towards the end of the scene also hints at hoppers inevitable character development from his initial lazy, unbothered façade.
In the wood’s scene, Hopper conforms to unfair male expectations as he hides his pain from the loss of his family (which we find out later in the scene). He pretends to be unbothered by the absence of his family as he talks dryly about the made-up situation. The teacher however breaks this stereotype of a typical emotionless strong male by juxtaposing Hoppers character in a way that portrays his as sensitive and overly caring for a male during the 80s.
The scene is barely lit, save flashlights held by the other characters. The darkness surrounding the chief highlights his sadness, joined by the loneliness of being in such a remote setting however the large amount of light coming from the flashlights used to light the scene portray the support and ability Hopper has to change and subvert his unfair stereotypical male character once again.
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