Audience theory questions
- Do you agree with Stewart's point regarding self determination of audiences?
Furthermore I have found that I seem to enjoy films that according to the BFI statistical yearbook would appeal more to certain social groups such as the Kings speech which may appeal more to the AB audience and also Johnny English reborn which has more of an appeal to DE audiences . This may evidence how I am to respond well to a film without any particular outside influences. However I do find that I disagree with his point in some ways for example upon learning that Johnny English is considered a DE film I find that it has almost lost its appeal to me; the thinking behind this is that unfortunately DE may be considered as "simple" and the people who watch them reflect this idea hence my response to Johnny English which used to be very positive has been altered. Furthermore I have found that through my past viewing experiences my response to a film or television may sometimes be constructed by film critics and journalists. For instance say if a film generally receives bad reviews and I were to watch it, I would find myself entering the cinema with the intention of responding to it in a negative way. I believe that Stewart point ignores the influence of people on ones self determined response to a media product offered to them. Stewarts point claims that audiences are far from being turned into "zombies" however I feel that this may be an exaggeration as audience may feel that they must respond to a media text in a certain way due to the people around them such as friends and family or due to word of mouth.
2.Hall's idea about audience positioning identifies three ways that audiences can respond to texts using your three case studies, identify a preferred, negotiated and oppositional reading and explain your reasons ?
Oppositional - A Good Day to Die Hard
Oppositional reading refers to the user of the text finding themselves in conflict with the text itself due their beliefs or experiences. One may suggest the film A Good Day to Die Hard may have such a response by a feminist viewer evidenced by its trailer. In the very first opening sequence one can see a woman drive in on a motorcycle and dress down in her underwear, this may have been implemented to appeal to the male viewer however this sort of imagery can be considered as objectifying women and may encourage a resistant reading to a feminist viewer.
Negotiated - Warm Bodies and skyfall
This refers to audiences going through a negotiation to allow them to accept the way in which the text is presented. One may suggest the the films skyfall and warm bodies may have such a response as warm bodies is a romance film however the protagonist is a zombie something that is usually depicted as evil; the viewer my struggle to adjust to this change and may have to adjust their idea of zombies to enjoy the film. The same can be said for skyfall to the classic James bond viewer. Bond has been typically depicted as this clean and smooth type of agent however in the film skyfall he is depicted as more of a violent and flawed character. Viewers who have seen previous bond films may have some trouble coming to terms with this change as the character has been around for a long period and this sudden switch of character may cause some to alter their viewpoint to get the most out of their viewing experience.
Preferred- Skyfall
This is when the audience interprets the text as closely to the way in which the producer of the text intended to. One may argue that skyfall may also fall into this category since the film features many elements and moments that are reminiscent of older james bond films such as fancy cars and locations, therefore audiences that have past James bond experience may find little to challenge
3.Audiences respond to texts in many ways. Gender, situated culture and cultural experiences can all affect how we consume a text.
A) How can your gender affect how you respond to a text?
Gender can affect how you respond text via stereotypes and upbringing i.e being a male viewer myself it is considered that I should respond well to texts that feature themes such as action and good vs evil and the damsel in distress; themes that are generally marketeted towards the male viewer and I find this is the case as I find myself consuming texts such as action films such as Die hard and comic books which rely on these themes to drive narritive. I feel this is the due to sterotypes and upbringing, in our society males are stereotyped as tough whereas women are stereotyped as being more in tuned with their emotions; because of this I've been trained from birth to fit in with this ideal with the texts that were read to me at a young age generally depicting a man or prince saving the day and "gets the girl" therefore I am more inclined to enjoy texts that use this archetype as it was essentially the only text I was exposed to. This may affect other male viewers in the similar way as male viewer have been trained from birth by this idea that the male gender is the tough hero via old texts such as fairy tales and other media texts such as many action and thriller texts which normally features male protagonists. This "social training" has the effect of causing male viewers to consume and respond to them well more action texts whereas the female viewer who due to stereotypes has been brought up to be more emotional may disapprove of the violence seen in action and thriller films and respond much more in a positive light to such texts such a romance as said genre deals with more emotional themes which they have been "trained" to understand as good and norm. The same can be said for the male viewer they may disapprove to the emotional themes of romance text as being emotional may "get in the way of this tough manly man" ideal.
B) Why would you choose to go to a cinema (situated culture) as opposed to watching a film at home?
One may feel more inclined to watch a film in the cinema rather than consuming a film at home because of how cinema going has become more like an event to be shared with others rather than by ourselves, this may link in with the uses and gratification theory presented by Katz and Blumler, more specifically the idea that audiences consume text for social interaction and integration. We as an audience want to gain a sense of belonging and are constantly seeking a basis for social interaction and this is what cinema going offers as we are around many viewers who are all interested in consuming the same film. Not only this but watching film in cinemas enable us to connect with our family and friends as we have sort of conversation starter that we can relate to i.e "what did you think of the film".
C) Can you think of a text where you gained 'cultural knowledge' which shaped your expectations? Was that part of the reason why you chose and enjoyed that text?
Texts that I believe I gained cultural knowledge from was the film City of God and the video game Max Payne 3 as they have shaped my views of Brazil by depicting favela's and neighborhoods and crimes that may or may occur in Brazil. From these texts I am able to establish a generalised view of life in Brazil this is more specifically aimed at City of God since it is loosely based on real events. However this factor werent exactly the reasons why I enjoyed and chose the texts since I believe I chose and enjoyed these texts due to word of mouth.
4) How do converged websites apply to Gauntlett's idea of a 'pick and mix' audience?
Gaunlett's idea states that a pick and mix audience use a a web page and pick some aspects of them and choose the aspects that suit it at that time and ignore other aspects of said text. The next time they explore the webpage they may pick and mix a different menu which is aided by the various formats to do this. This idea links in with converged site as audiences an explore these sites and pick their preferred type of media to consume.
5) To what extent do you believe in the effects model and the uses and gratifications model?
The uses and gratification model assumes and active audience rather than passive and emphasises what audiences do with media texts rather than what the media does to audiences.Katz and Blumler disagreed with earlier theories which placed the audience as a passive mass who could be influenced and would act upon messages communicated by the media. The theory also suggests that individuals and social groups use texts in different ways and the audience is no longer viewed as passive reciever. I agree with this theory in some ways as we as viewers react and respond to texts depending on our upbringing and environment, however can be said that audience can be easily influenced by the media i.e a lot of media conglomerates that own large shares in the media are western and can influence those who do not share these western ideals to conform to this idea via the mass amount of depictions of the western lifestyle as the only lifestyle.
6) McQuail believes audiences use texts
for 4 different reasons. Can you identify these features in the
marketing materials from your case studies?
Entertainment and diversion- The film A Good Day to Die Hard would fit in this category as evidenced by its over the top action seen in its trailer. Audiences are more inclined to relax and allow themselves to get immersed in the action of the film and escape from their pressures and problems.
Personal Relationships - The film warm bodies may fit in this category as evidenced by the comment by a user on YouTube "finally a zombie film to show your girlfriends LOL". This may evidence how this consumed by audiences as date film furthermore the films trailer features many elements and themes that would be considered as appealing to the male demographic such as action but also features elements of romance which may be more appealing to the female demographic. This may also reinforce the idea that this film is the perfect date film and would fall in the personal relationships category as it caters to both genders thus bringing them together.
Personal Identity - The film skyfall may fall into this category since James bond serves as a role model for male viewers with his dangerous and exciting life depicted via skyfalls sponsorship of products such as Ashton martin cars a product that not only connotes how exciting bond is but also emphasises his masculinity. Male audience members may compare there life with Bonds and seek out this exciting life.
Information/Education - None of the films I have done a case study on my fit into this category completely however Skyfall and Die Hard may fit in this category since they depict a range of exotic locations such as russia and may allow the viewer to gain some cultural knowledge.
7) What is audience fragmentation? How has
it changed the composition of audiences and the texts that are
available to them? Has the internet influenced this in any way?
Audience fragmentation refers to the ways in which audiences engage with media, and how the idea of audience is in the digital era is changing. The ways in which media convergence, user generated content and social networking have changed the audience are often thought about in terms of audience fragmentation. The composition of audiences has been influenced by new technological developments such as the internet and social networking sites and content sharing allowing audiences to engage and interact with each other much more conveniently. Furthermore the development technological advancements has caused the structure of audiences to break up and form much more smaller and niche audiences due to the amount of content avaliabe to viewers nowadays with developments such as on demand viewing and downloads.
8)What is 'push' and 'pull' media? How has the internet shaped audience behaviour in relation to 'pull' media?
Push Media - Producers push films at us and we receive and consume them passively.
Pull Media - Whereby we decided what we want to do with the media and access it in ways that suit us
When large media companies such as Google and News corp bought "DIY" media institutions like Youtube and Myspace, the relaxed approach to copyright immediately ceased with the sites becoming more visibly corperate by removing illegally posted material on YouTube and myspace via the Gracenote software. This has shaped audiences to become smarter with the content they upload not uploading copyrighted content or including in their videos to make sure they are not removed, however it is also known this has also caused audiences to be much more "creative" with their piracy or uploads for example uploading mirrored videos.
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