Representation Homework: Noel Gallagher

This first clip is taken from the GQ awards where Noel has won. In this Gallagher represents himself as outspoken and down to earth at the same time, also it shows Gallagher as being proud of his heritage and roots. His outspokenness is shown through the way he openly criticises the Tory party and in particular the foreign secretary William Hague. As well as this, Gallagher represents himself as being proud of his heritage as shown through him criticising the Tory Party and his northern accent. The north of England are associated with a dislike of the Tory Government so by Noel openly criticising the Tories and having a strong northern accent there is a signification of Gallagher being proud of his northern roots and as well as being outspoken this signifies that he is not afraid to publicly embrace and show these roots. When Noel talks about 'George Clooney' and how he was really looking forward to seeing him, this signifies that Gallagher is also proud of his working class roots as well as his geographical ones and this also shows him as being down to earth. The fact that a big celebrity such as Noel Gallagher is represented as star struck signifies that he still sees himself as a normal down to earth man not a fame hungry celebrity. Also, the fact that he is phased by a wealthy man such as Clooney shows his working class background as the working class are traditionally known as not being wealthy.

The encoders of this text, The Guardian, have represented Gallagher in a way that adheres to this outspoken yet down to earth representation of Noel Gallagher. Also, they have represented him as an icon for northern left wing people. The camera shot used is a slightly high angle medium shot and this used to signify Gallagher's status as the audience are positioned in a position to look up to Gallagher as he is speaking. Also the medium shot exposes how he is wearing his suit. Gallagher is depicted in a way that shows his suit and jewellery however Gallagher is wearing his suit in a scruffy manner which signifies his rebellion to sophistication, something that is associated with the London based Tory party, making him look an icon to the Guardian's left wing readers. The Guardian also bleep out Gallagher's use of expletives in this video further signifying his outspokenness. The fact that Gallagher wears his suit in a scruffy manner also signifies his down to earthiness as not only does this represent him as rebellious to sophistication, it could also represent him as being alien to it, and being more inclined to the hands on tendencies of the north.

The Guardian's target audience would be expected to take the preferred reading to this and to see Noel Gallagher as a left wing, working class icon. The representation presented to them by the encoders of this text shows Noel as being anti Tory and rebellious, which is something the target audience would accept. This representation shows Noel as being something the working class audience of the guardian could relate to in many ways because of the down to earth image.

We live in a society today were there is a division between the north and south of England, all be it more so in the north, and this representation of Noel Gallagher does this. Also, the idea of being outspoken or even speaking for what you believe in and having your own say is an ideology held by todays society and this representation of Noel Gallagher.

The next text is a Plugged magazine cover in which Gallagher represents himself as being wise but also very unapproachable in a way. Noel is making direct eye contact with audience and has a very stern facial expression, representing himself as being typically masculine as this signifies him being not afraid of anyone, in this case anyone who may look at the plugged cover. also, Noel has his eyebrow raised suggesting he is wise or clever as it gives him a judgemental look. The fact that he is looking stern makes him seem rebellious and angry, something typically associated with rock stars.

The encoders of this text, in this case the plugged magazine editors and producers, have represented Gallagher in a similar way however there representations have significations of elite and individual concerning Noel Gallagher. The copy used anchors the image of Noel in a way that adds to his wise and judgemental representation. The typography used gives the copy a techno, futuristic like font and when this is juxtaposed with the obvious aging in the image of Noel this represents and anchors the image of Noel as being a veteran of the music business as well as being modern and up to date. The colour of the copy for Noel's headline is also different to the other colours, Noel's is red where as the others are black and not only does this indicate that the story on Gallagher is the main cover story, it also has connotations of Noel being and individual and an elite person compared to the other big named band featured in this issue of Plugged, 'The Red Hot Chilli Peppers' for example. The loan words used in the main copy about Gallagher 'Avant L'heure' also add a sense of elitism and sophistication to his representation.

The audience of Plugged would be expected to take the preferred reading to this as they would be expected to respect big artists in not only todays music industry but the veterans and the greats of the past, Gallagher being one of these, and due to his great musical feats with Oasis in the nineties the audience would be expected to see him as an elite and individual. As well as this, the audience would be expected to appreciate the rock star image and representation of Gallagher as Plugged features a lot of rock bands and the audience would be used to seeing this.

The society that we live in today would be objective to this text as music is usually assigned to a generation, punk in the seventies for example. So by celebrating an all be it great but old artist from the nineties non the less, society would dictate this as wrong and negatively different. We also live in a society where celebrity is accompanied with angry and defiant connotations, typically rock star celebrities, so by Noel being represented in this typically masculine and challenging way society would most likely deem this generic.

This next text is Oasis' first television debut on a television show called the word. In this Gallagher is, in my opinion, represented quite negatively. Firstly, his stance when singing is quite laid back and relaxed and this represents him as being arrogant as making a television debut is important but he doesn't seem to take this seriously. Also, Gallagher looks spaced out, as if under the influence of drugs. This is shown through his laid back relaxed stance and through his eyes being half opened and his lazy facial expression. Gallagher is rather young in this text and is represented as a young rebel in a way as he goes against the grain by recording the performance on a hand held video camera. This is unusual because essentially he is video recording a video recording, being rebellious and turning the whole situation on its head.

The encoders of this text, the producers and editors of The Word, have represented Noel Gallagher in this text as a leader of a sleazy, rebellious teenage era. The people around Noel in this text are shot at close up range exposing certain things, there scantily clad clothes for example or there sensual dancing with one another. The stage that Gallagher is singing on is very abstract and bright, also signifying drug use as it resembles the rave scene of the eighties when a lot of drugs started to be taken by teenagers. The camera work is fast paced and frantic resembling and signifying the franticness and unruliness of the teenage era and more importantly Noel Gallagher of this time.

The target audience of The Word would be expected to take the preferred reading to this as anyone tuning in to watch Noel Gallagher would be a fan of him and this era and image that he is representative of. The drug taking aspect that is connoted may not be part of all the audiences' lives but it is an aspect of the music they listened to, with Oasis and Noel Gallagher at the head of this.

The society we live in today would be of mixed opinions on this representation of Noel Gallagher. The elder generation would see him as a menace and a thug of some sort. They would also see him as a bad influence and someone they would not want their kids to be associated with. The other side of the coin would be the younger generation though and they would see Gallagher as a symbol of their individuality and of their time.

This last text is an interview between Noel Gallagher and an ex Manchester City football player, Mario Balotelli. In this text Gallagher is represented as a simple fan of Manchester City instead of a celebrity or a star. Also, he is represented as a mature, and wise person. In this text Gallagher asks mature and sensible questions to a footballer who is known for being the exact opposite of that. By asking questions such as 'how big a part did Mancini lay in you coming here?' and by saying things like 'It's an honour to meet you' Gallagher represents himself as sensible and mature, Also, Gallagher offers Mario some friendly advice about his wild antics representing him as a friendly father figure.

The encoders of this text, the media department at Manchester City FC, have chosen to represent Gallagher as again a friendly, humble person. The fact that Mario and Noel are both sitting on the couch looking very relaxed. signifies this informal 'curled up' on the sofa image, representing Gallagher as a friendly family man rather than a rock star. Also, the encoders of this text have chosen to represent Gallagher as an intellectual as Gallagher also narrates a lot of football knowledge to Balotelli as well as asking him questions, representing him as a passionate man and using football as his source of this passion.

The target audience of this text would be expected to take the preferred reading of this text as they would be happy to see a famous player for their club but a famous fan of their club in Noel Gallagher. Also, the in depth detail that Mario and Noel go into would give them depth that they wouldn't get else where thus making the audience accept the representation of Noel Gallagher that he is one of them as he seeks the knowledge that they also seek.

The society we live in today, especially the northern one as man city is a northern club, would accept this representation of Noel Gallagher as it shows him as a typical Northern man who is fascinated with football. This representation is common and is actually used as a stereotype of men from the north particularly men from Liverpool, another northern city.