Examples of Disability in the Media

Examples of Disability in the Media 

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Silver linings Playbook is about Pat Solantano (Bradley Cooper) after spending four years in a mental institution sparks a relationship with a widow called Tiffany (Jennifer Lawerence) as they both try to put there lives back together.

Silver Linings uses mise-en-scene (M.E.S) to demonstrate disability/mental illness with the performances by Bradley Cooper as he lacks social skills and is very blunt and cold with his dialogue and tone with other characters and his relationships with characters like his father (Robert De Niro) being shown as judging his illness conveying him as an outsider. His positioning with other characters also paints him as isolated and as a victim to his disorder as he distances himself from characters. The editing and cinematography to demonstrate gis constant mood change as it quick cuts down the scenes in a montage sequence as he changes from anger to being calm clearly outlining his constant mood swings caused by his disability. The camera in the trailer often uses tracking and panning shots that follows Pat as he moves in the scene showing the constant journey his characters on as he is constantly moving through obstacles to get a handle on this disability. The natural lighting in scenes also gives a realistic tone to the trailer making it relatable making us route and sympathise with the character Pat as we go on this journey with him through his struggle making the clip joyful/positive.
This journey of self-improvement is a clear following way disabled people in the media are presented as heroic/inspirational especially in films, for example, Benny and Joon (1993) as characters overcome these disadvantages in life due to there disabilities. This is also shown due to the sound in the trailer with its use of non-diegetic narration from other scenes by talking about how you have to "think positive" and find the "silver lining" linking to the inspirational meaning behind the movie title and depiction of disability along with the upbeat Non-diegetic music "Lost in my mind" By The Head and The Heart (2011) which talks about "moving forward" along with the obvious link with the character Pat as he is "lost in his own mind" due to his illness.

Magazine Cover 

While the silver linings playbook trailer used techniques like sound and cinematography to show a heroic depiction of disability this magazine while it shows the young girl as inspirational due to her smile despite her disability she is more scene in the viewer's eye.
The costume uses young vibrant colours which highlight her youth and innocence this conveys her as victim in the readers/audiences view children as victims/helpless as they cannot physically fend for themselves so seeing this innocent helpless individual with a disability really makes the audience pity her/feel bad about her illness possible encouraging viewership out of empathy/sympathy for her.
This magazine also uses structure to highlight her into the frame with the bank background and the coastlines and mast head never overlapping with her picture drawing focus towards her and her disability again painting her as a victim with the high key lighting again painting her as innocent/delicate as she stands alone on the front cover.