Page - 50 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 01/01

50 | Mia lövheim www.jrfm.eu 2015, 1/1, 45–56 MeDiaTiseD reliGiON aND GeNDer in the following, i will provide a brief analysis of two examples of commercial videos that draw on religious symbols and settings. i will use a basic form of narrative analy- sis18 and discuss how the events, conventions and characters depicted in the videos can be analysed starting from the approach to mediatisation outlined above. My par- ticular focus in the analysis of the videos will be on issues of gender. if mediatisation can be seen as a process enhancing changes in not only social interaction but also the meaning of, for example, religious narratives and symbols occurring in society and culture, then my question is in what way these videos mirror attributes and roles traditionally associated with men and women within religious institutions or offer an alternative to these. i understand a feminist media analysis19 to be concerned, first, with problematising stereotypical views of gender in media texts and cultures, sec- ondly, with highlighting and critically analysing social, cultural and religious structures that assign women and men different positions, value, and agency and, finally, with looking for signs of alternative representations and empowerment in the represen- tations and practices studied. it is, however, important to note that in this analysis of commercial videos we are dealing with media texts but not with their reception. Thus, my analysis will concern the level of representations of religion and gender in the videos and possible changes or ambiguities in these that can be attributed to the process of mediatisation. (RE)MAKING A DIFFERENCE: THE VIDEOS Of the three commercial videos selected for this journal issue, I will focus on the video presenting the organisation Catholics Come home20 and on the advertisement for Coca Cola.21 The first of these videos, Catholics Come Home, is a presentation of Catholics across the world practising their religion, or conducting various forms of outreach work as doctors, teachers, volunteer workers and scientists, or living a hap- py, nuclear family life. Images and the voice-over in conjunction present the Catho- lic Church as connected to tradition, family values, and as a safe haven in an unruly world. The second video on Coca Cola features a short scene where a young man is getting dressed on a sunny beach while being watched by a young woman walking by and sipping a can of Coca Cola light. The videos are further described in the introduc- tion to this special issue. Using Hjarvard’s categorisation of various forms of mediatised religion discussed above, the video promoting the Catholic organisation can be categorised as an ex- 18 hodkinson 2013, 70. 19 Gill 2007. 20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX7YXj7MltEProgram [accessed 07 June 2015]. 21 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6my9ZNxUL8 [accessed 07 June 2015].