Representation of Ethnicity in Media
Ethnicity is presented in many different ways in media today. In this post, i will be looking at the way how ethnicity are presented in 2 different movie trailers. Both will be and different viewpoints and will give an insight to how media presents ethnicity.
In the trailer for "Get Out", they present the lead of the film as very trusting and gullible. This is shown in the scene where although his friend warned him about another black male disappearing from that area, he was still keen to stay as he trusted his girlfriend dearly. This makes the audience feel as if the main black lead is easy to gain the trust of which could be a trait that leads to problems. The trailer has close ups very often, especially on the lead. They normally use the close ups to build suspense and to submerge the audience into the product. They also use iconography effectively. They show off certain objects as having more meaning than they show, such as the phone when the lead took a picture of another black man there, and the keys as being the desperate only way out of the house and make a run for it before anything happens to him.
The girlfriend is presented as kind at first, then as cunning and evil. This is shown in the beginning of the trailer where she seems to be in love with the lead, and wants to take him to visit her parents in a rural area. This kind image is the put in jeopardy as she allows her family to trap and attempt to kidnap the lead. This makes the audience feel as if she had a plan to lure him in and kidnap him, backed up by the fact that the family didn't know he was black which looks to be the reason why he was lured there, to be a slave to the family. With the evidence provided in the trailer, i can tell that ethnicity is presented in terms of the whites being cunning and evil while the blacks are gullible.
The girlfriend is presented as kind at first, then as cunning and evil. This is shown in the beginning of the trailer where she seems to be in love with the lead, and wants to take him to visit her parents in a rural area. This kind image is the put in jeopardy as she allows her family to trap and attempt to kidnap the lead. This makes the audience feel as if she had a plan to lure him in and kidnap him, backed up by the fact that the family didn't know he was black which looks to be the reason why he was lured there, to be a slave to the family. With the evidence provided in the trailer, i can tell that ethnicity is presented in terms of the whites being cunning and evil while the blacks are gullible.
In this trailer for "Django Unchained", they present the lead of the film as a cold blooded merciless man out for vengeance. this is in complete contrast to Get Out. The main lead is given the title of bounty hunter, where he hunts down plantation owners for big amounts of money and for revenge after what he personally had to go through. He does this also in an attempt to find his wife. This makes the audience feel as if the main black lead is always in control and knows exactly what he is doing. He will go as far as he needs to in an attempt to achieve his goal and will kill anyone who stands in his way. The white plantation owners are presented are inconsiderate slave owner who do not care for anyone but themselves, having very capitalist views. This makes the audience feel as if the plantation owners are weak and must use others to get ahead in life. With the evidence provided in the trailer, i can tell that ethnicity is presented in terms of most blacks being slaves with whites being cowards who use them to do their dirty work, with an exception for Django, who is more powerful and dangerous than any plantation owner could wish to be.
