"rep·re·sen·ta·tion -- (rpr-zn-tshn, -zn-)
n.
n.
The description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way."
Representation in Film & Television
Representation is used in all forms of media especially within film and television shows. It is used to appeal to different audiences without only appealing to one certain audience. By representing one character in a certain way, the character and what they do immediately appeals to a certain audience.
Examples of representation in Film:
Kidulthood: Kidulthood is a film that follows a group of teenagers aged between 15-17 over the space of 48 hours. Immediately the fact that it revolves on the life's of teenagers already means that it will appeal more to teenagers around that age. From the promotional poster it shows both males and females meaning it doesn't appeal to only one gender. The bleak setting of the poster also looks similar to a housing estate or block of flats which indirectly appeals people living in similar settings. The type of clothing worn by the cast (hoods, trainers, hats) and also the brand names of the clothing appeal to a more urban/hip-hop/grime audience as these are dominantly worn by people who fall in this group. The soundtrack also reinforces it's appeal to the urban/hip-hop/grime audience as a lot of songs and instrumentals used within the film fall within the UK hip-hop/ garage genre. The colloquial language also appeals to a younger, more urban audiences as alot of the language used is colloquial terms used within those social groups.
Kidulthood: Kidulthood is a film that follows a group of teenagers aged between 15-17 over the space of 48 hours. Immediately the fact that it revolves on the life's of teenagers already means that it will appeal more to teenagers around that age. From the promotional poster it shows both males and females meaning it doesn't appeal to only one gender. The bleak setting of the poster also looks similar to a housing estate or block of flats which indirectly appeals people living in similar settings. The type of clothing worn by the cast (hoods, trainers, hats) and also the brand names of the clothing appeal to a more urban/hip-hop/grime audience as these are dominantly worn by people who fall in this group. The soundtrack also reinforces it's appeal to the urban/hip-hop/grime audience as a lot of songs and instrumentals used within the film fall within the UK hip-hop/ garage genre. The colloquial language also appeals to a younger, more urban audiences as alot of the language used is colloquial terms used within those social groups. 
Mean Girls: Mean Girls is a film that follows a teen girl's experiences after moving from the African outback to an American high school. The poster is a pinky/purple which immediately appeals to females. All of the writing is written in mostly pink and purple as well which reinforces its appeal to females. The audience can see from looking at the poster that the girl on the left is separated from the other three girls and the fact that she is larger shows that she is obviously the main character. Her stance and the way she is looking back at the other three shows that she is cautious and maybe intimidated by them. This gives the impression that she is a bit fragile and vulnerable. This appeals to 'normal' girls especially as she is dressed as in a less provocative way than the other girls. It looks like it would appeal to mostly teenagers due to the age of the girls on the poster.
As shown in both the examples above, representation in the film and on the advertising has made the film more appealing to the target audience simply by using devices such as clothing, setting and colour. Representation makes it alot easier for film makers to get across to their intended audiences by simply attempting to connect to them, it also helps alot if the audience feel as if they can empathize with the characters.
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