Representations of Offenders in Violent Film Trailers

• In Event: Crime Portrayals in Popular Media

Abstract

Films and their trailers are not just media products, but cultural creations. These representations of criminals and offending behavior reflect both creativity in the writing process and the dominant ideology of the culture (Melossi, 2000; Rafter, 2006). Representations of offenses and offenders can shape who we fear and who we think is "safe" from offending (Madriz, 1997). The current study includes over 600 violent film trailers and compares the representations of offenders over time and across genre categorizations in terms of both personal characteristics (approximate age, sex and race) and in terms of characteristics of offender behavior (e.g., are offenders shown as having mood swings or planning their offending?) and more neutral or pro-social behaviors (e.g., cultural refinement, intelligence, being likable).

Author

• Colleen Kadleck, University of Nebraska