audience introductions - modes of address

7/27/2019 Audience Introductions - Modes of Address

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AUDIENCE


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Audience VERY important concept

All texts are made with an audience in mind

Producers make money out of that audience (not always)

IMPORTANT to understand what

happens when an audience meets amedia text


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Audiences are examined in 2 ways within

media studies

1. How the media industry uses audience

- As evidence of the success of a product (ratings, box officesales, etc.)

- To predict and target the market for a media texts or product,perhaps through the use of advertising to increase sales orlaunch new product.

2. The study of audience theories

- To analyze the effects of the media on a specific audienceand wider society

- To understand the relationship between the audience and themedia.


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Are YOU an audience member?

In groups.

List the different audiences you are part of on a regular

basis? TV programme, radio, websites, video games

Pick one

How much do you know about the audience for thesestexts (size, age, gender, etc.?)


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The process of construction includes:

Style and content

Use of codes and

conventions

Genre

Narrative

etc.

A view of the

worldThat a target

audience can relate

too, often conveyed

by representation.


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Also they position the audience WHY?

Assumptions

Texts make

assumptions about

the lifestyles and

interests of theaudience

Discourse

Each text has aset of ideas that

shape the way in

which weunderstand the

world


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Comment on the Mode of Address of this

magazine cover:

Who is it addressing?

How do you know this?

What are the visual clues?


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Typical

powerful

male

stereotype

Bold red text

Direct, imperative

Direct address

Suggestion of sexual

orientation

Connotes

Stereotypical

male 'predator'

Use of Super-lative


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Write a Preferred Reading of the ideal

purchaser for 'Men's Health'.


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Men's Health Preferred Reading

Powerful, straight men who care about

their physique but overtly fussy about

'looks'. Demand rather than ask,

confrontational rather than subtle. Theyneed results quickly and are prepared to

work hard to get them, the same applies in

terms of money go getters. Prepared to consider what they eat as

well.

The aim is to look good for women.


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Modes of address can be defined as the

ways in which relations between

addresser and addressee are constructed

in a text. In order to communicate, aproducer of any text must make some

assumptions about an intended audience;

reflections of such assumptions may bediscerned in the text (advertisements offer

particularly clear examples of this).


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So write down an answer to the following:

What assumptions are being made aboutthe audiences for these magazines?


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VISUAL AND

TECHNICAL CODES

TARGET AUDIENCEMode of addressCompare and contrast the modes of address in the 2 magcovers

Assumptions

Discourse

Style and content

representation


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Audience research

Does it have an audience?

If the anwers is NO there is no point going any further.

Serious business (time and money)ascertaining if there is

anyone out there whod be interested in their idea

So what things might be producers be interested inknowing about an audience?


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Demographics

Income bracket/ status

AgeGender

Race/ Ethnicity

Location


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One common way of describing audiences is to

use a letter code to show their income bracket:

A Top management, bankers, lawyers, doctors and

other highly salaried professionals

B Middle management, teachers, many 'creatives' eg

graphic designers etc

C1 Office supervisors, junior managers, nurses,

specialist clerical staff etc

C2 Skilled workers, tradespersons (white collar)

D Semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers (bluecollar)

E Unemployed, students, pensioners, casual workers


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audience introductions - modes of address

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