digital media sectors & audiences

Kmccabe2014 @mediaradarguru

BTEC Level 2: DIGITAL MEDIA SECTORS & AUDIENCES

Glossary of Terms

Term Meaning Example or Explanation Sectors

Different industries of the Media which produce different forms of Media texts

Film Sector, Television, Print Publishing etc.

Synergy The co-‐promotion of a media text by two or more texts/companies

Despicable Me & Pharrell Williams ‘Happy’ co promoting each other

Cross-‐media A text which has a presence across media sectors Hobbit Film, PC Game, Fan Magazine,

Original Soundtrack, Mobile app. Analogue

Media products which are usually in a physical form

Print newspaper, Old Video cassettes, Vinyl records, old television broadcasts

Digital Media products which are in a digital/virtual form Digital photographs, Websites,

Online/streamed television, downloads etc.

Platform The means by which a media product distributed to audiences

Text A media product Heat magazine, Eastenders, CoD, Trailer for

Hobbit, Ed Sheeran Music Video etc. Multi-‐media product A product which includes several media

technologies Youtube video containing sound, moving image, text etc.

Process: Pre-‐production

Production Post-‐Production Distribution &

Exhibition

The planning stage Creating and producing the text Editing and finishing the product Giving the product to others to sell Showing audiences the product

Scripting, Sketching, brainstorming Filming, recording, coding, photographing Adding sound, CGI, Titles, Anchorage Making available for download Screening in cinema, Broadcast on TV

Devices Tools/technology used to access media Smartphone, Laptop, PC, Tablet, Game

Console, Digital Radio etc. Technological Convergence

The coming together of different media technology in a single device/media text

Laptop to access messages, internet, DVD etc. Youtube to access Moving Image/ Music on Internet

Impact of Digital Technology: Immediacy

Convenience Portability

Connectivity Personalisation

Interactivity

Speed, instant messaging, local & global Free content on internet, on-‐demand Hand held devices, flexible, always connected Globally connected, digital groups, social network Avatars, backgrounds, fonts, playlists etc. Game-‐play, user-‐generated content, red button tv, following links etc.

Twitter for breaking news Web content of magazine, Netflix for Film IPhone, iPad, Fans Forums and Blogs, Internet groups Facebook profile pic, cover photo etc, Youtube, Minecraft, BBC1 red button

Individual Audiences Solo Enjoyment

Engages with the digital media alone Privacy, control, convenience

Gamer, web browsing, On Demand

Group Audiences – Collective Enjoyment

Shares the media experience with others Interaction, competition, belonging

Cinema, instant messenger, gamer


Primary Audience The target audience the media text was created for

Males aged 18yrs + playing Call of Duty

Secondary Audience The unexpected or additional audience Teenagers watching children’s movies

Despicable Me, Frozen Passive Audience

Audience who do not interact with the media in any way – producing content, commenting etc.

Television viewing, Print magazines, Film etc

Active Audience Audience who do interact with the media through contribution, viewing control, comment

Youtube comment, Web browsing,

Active audience Theory

Uses & Gratifications Theory -‐ A theory that argues that audiences actively use media for 4 main different purposes – information, interaction, identity, entertainment Disadvantage We do not always know why we consume media We may not always have choice over the media we consume

News programmes – information I’m a Celebrity – Entertainment Who wants… millionaire – interaction Facebook -‐ identity

Passive Audience Theory

Hypodermic Needle Theory -‐ A theory that argues that audiences passively absorb media and accept the content. Disadvantage Theory suggests audience have no power or control Only some people respond to what they see/hear

Playing violent games makes you become more violent

Learn the difference between Active Audience/Passive Audience & Active/ Passive Audience Theory: eg. A Passive audience (watching Eastenders) can be analysed using Active Audience Theory (Uses and Gratifications – people use the text to be entertained)

onsumer generated Content

Content which the audience produce by themselves Advantage: cheap, original, instant, access to events Disadvantage: Lower quality, truthful?, opinion led

Blogs, Facebook, youtube etc.

Regulatory Bodies BBFC ASA PEGI

OFCOM

Organisations who control & censor media content British Board of Film Classification Advertising Standards Authority Pan European Games Information Office for Communications

Age ratings eg. 15, 18 Advert complaints Age Ratings eg. 3+ Television & Radio Complaints

Primary Research Primary Research

methods

Research which you carry out yourself The tools you use to carry out primary research

Questionnaire, Interview, Focus Group

Secondary Research Secondary Research

methods

Research which has been collected & carried out by someone else. The tools used to carry out this research

Web searches, library research

Qualitative research Research and data which gives information about people’s feelings and emotions

What kind of films do you like watching? Horror

Quantitative research

Research and data which gives information about number, facts and statistics

How many times do you go to the cinema per month? 2


Objective Questions or research which has no bias and is open to any conclusions

Rate this advert out of 5

Subjective Questions or research which has a bias and tries to promote a particular opinion

What do you like about my advert?

Valid & reliable Research which is a ‘Fair’ test – which has asked a good number of people, using the right tools etc

Asking people who are not just your friends, asking questions which are not subjective etc.

Audience profiling Purpose of Audience

Profiling

Gathering information about the age, gender, occupation of the audience To successfully aim your product at the audience

Females aged 14-‐16

Consumer behaviour The habits of the audience in terms of genre preference, platform preference etc.

‘I like to watch action film’ ‘I usually watch on my laptop’

Codes/Signs Elements that are used to create meaning for audiences

Dark lighting, scary music, sound effects etc. create suspense & horror

Denotation The literal meaning of a code/sign An apple is a piece of fruit

Connotation The suggested or symbolic meaning of a code/sign

An apple symbolises health and well being

Colour Perhaps the most symbolic code used to target audiences & create (stereotypical) meaning

Pastels – girls, nature Neons -‐ fun, older teenage, energy etc.

Mise-‐en-‐scene Everything in the frame of a shot: The location, the organisation of elements within the shot, the lighting, props, clothing, weather etc.

Romantic comedy scene: bright lighting, professional clothes, city background, medium shits etc.

Framing/Shot Size The organisation of the shot and how close or far away the camera is

Extreme close-‐up, close-‐up for emotion, wide shot for establishing the scene etc.

Angle The position of the camera in terms of height, balance

High angle, low, birds eye, titled etc

Lighting Use of lighting and lighting effects to communicate meaning

Low – mysterious/ tense, Natural – warm/bright,

Editing The way the production material has been put together to create meaning for the audience

Long slow editing to build tension in horror films, quick cut edits (shots lasting 1-‐2 seconds) to show energy, chaos, frantic events at moments when bad things are happening

Sound Diegetic sound –within the action Non-‐diegetic sound – added on to the action

The radio in the background, a cough Soundtrack, voiceover, sound effects

Representation The way a person or group is presented to the audience – includes stereotypes & exaggerations of characters: how media shows a group rather than how they actually are. People are represented through their clothes, body language, colours used, facial expression etc

Girls – like pink, like make-‐up, feminine Teenagers – hoodies, asbo, gangs Rock – black, grungy, scruffy, anarchy Businessman – smart, competitive, Women – beautiful, slim,

Genre A ‘group’ of media texts which are of a similar type or category

Horror, rom com, action, pop, indie, reality tv, soap, news etc

Narrative

Narrative structure

The organisation of the story presented to the audience Equilibrium, Disequilibrium, New Equilibrium

Happy beginning, problem occurs, problem solved for a happy ending. Images can show a stage of the narrative structure – Advert can show happy ‘girl’ after buying product – new equilibrium: problem solved by buying product.

digital media sectors & audiences

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