Representation

1) List the different people/groups represented in the trailer (men/women/Americans etc.)
-French Men

-American Women

-American Men

-Teenagers

2) For each group you identify, decide whether the representation is a dominant or alternative portrayal. Explain why you think this.

Firstly, the white man represented in this trailer is a dominant representation as he is seen as the hero of the film saving those that need saving and being the main character. The teenagers are seen as weak and needing support which means it is a dominant representation. The antagonists being French is a dominant representation as the enemy in these type of films is usually not from somewhere abroad.
3) What stereotypes can you identify in the trailer? 

The stereotype I see in this trailer is the girls being the damsel in distress needing to be saved by the main character who is almost always a man
4) Why might the Taken trailer offend or alienate certain groups?

The trailer may highly offend females as they are always seen as being the weaker gender and needing to be saved by a man to which many females will not agree with and want a different approach instead of the same representation of their gender.
5) Why do mainstream film and television texts such as Taken so often use stereotypes?

These stereotypes are effective as they sell their movies well and these stereotypes are so broadly known across the world so people are more likely to want to watch something they know they'll at least understand well.