Section A: Question 1 B:Theoretical Evaluation of

Production

Audience:

Audience:

Critical Perspectives Exam

Critical Perspectives Exam

Question 1(B) requires candidates to select ONE PRODUCTION & evaluate it in relation to a media concept.

You will focus on your TRAILER ONLY.

The list of concepts to which questions will relate is as follows:

• Genre • Narrative • Representation

• Audience * • Media Language

In the exam, questions will be set using one of these concepts.

Film:Film: Media Concepts

Media Concepts

TASK: ANSWER FIVE QUESTIONS

• What was your project?

• Who was your target audience?

• What is horror?

• Why do audiences consume horror films?

• What was the meaning of your trailer?

• How Media affects audiences has been one of the biggest debates in Media Studies. Every opinion & debated issue can be discussed as an audience theory. We can’t prove these theories, but decide on a viewpoint & back up what we believe through research.

• There are two viewpoints you must discuss:• Mass Audience Theory (Passive)

The media are dangerous as they could influence a lot of people to do dangerous things. Mass audience theorists talk as if everyone reacts the same way to texts. People are often experiencing the media alone- no-one is there to contextualise what they are seeing.

• Active Audience TheoryThe idea that we, as individuals, can interpret media texts in different ways. Media texts are polysemic (meaning - open to interpretations). These theories try to look at the reasons why audience members might respond differently to media texts.

AudienceAudience

AUDIENCEQUOTES – Include one/two in your

answer• “Audiences interpret texts very differently. The ‘Dominant Reading’ where they

accept the preferred reading, the ‘Negotiated Reading’ where they question the reading, and the ‘Oppositional Reading’ where they reject it” – Stuart Hall.

• “In the online age, it is getting harder to conceive a media audience as a stable, identifiable group or temporary collective” – Julian McDougall.

• “Institutions are obliged to not only speak about an audience, but crucially talk to one as well. They need not only to represent audiences, but to enter into a relation with them” – John Hartley.

• “Moral panic is a mass response to a group, a person or an attitude that becomes defined as a threat to society. New media often create and/or enforce moral panic in the public” – Stanley Cohen.

THE EFFECTS MODEL/HYPODERMIC

• THE EFFECTS MODEL• The consumption of media texts has an effect or influence upon the audience• It is normally considered that this effect is negative• Audiences are passive and powerless to prevent the influence• The power lies with the message of the text

• THE HYPODERMIC MODEL • Here, the messages in texts are injected into the audience by powerful, syringe-like, media• The audience is powerless to resist, therefore, the media works like a drug and the audience is

drugged, addicted, doped or duped.

• The Effects Model is still the dominant theory used by politicians, some parts of the media and some religious organisations in attributing violence to the consumption of media texts.

Key examples sited as causing or being contributory factors are:1.The film Child’s Play 3 in the murder of James Bulger in 19932.The game Manhunt in the murder of Stefan Pakeerah in 2004 by his friend Warren LeBlanc3.The film A Clockwork Orange (1971) in a number of rapes and violent attacks4.The film Severance (2006) in the murder of Simon Everitt

TASK: APPLY TO YOUR TRAILER

• What is wrong with the hypodermic syringe theory?• Can you apply it to your

trailer?

RESEARCH ACTIVITY:

TASK: Research the following ACTIVE theories relating to theMedia Effects Debate – Feedback.

• Reception Theory• Cultivation Theory

• Uses & Gratification Theory• Copycat Theory

• Desensitisation Theory• Catharsis

• Suspension of Disbelief

Reception TheoryIn the 80’s, Stuart Hall developed an active theory titled ‘encoding & decoding model’, that analysed therelationship between producer & audience.

• The text is coded by the producer and decoded by the audience. • Stuart Hall identified three types of audience readings (or decoding) of the text:

1. Dominant or preferredWhere the audience decodes the message as the producer wants them to do and broadly agrees with itE.g. Watching a political speech and agreeing with it

2. NegotiatedWhere the audience accepts, rejects or refines elements of the text in light of previously held viewsE.g. Neither agreeing or disagreeing with the political speech or being disinterested

3. OppositionalWhere the dominant meaning is recognised but rejected for cultural, political or ideological reasonsE.g. Total rejection of the political speech and active opposition.

Dominant or preferred

ProducerEncodes NegotiatedMeaning

Oppositional

Message Audience Decodes1. APPLY THIS THEORY TO

HORROR2. APPLY THIS THEORY TO

YOUR TRAILER

CultivationTheory

Definition: The theory focuses more on how the media affects peoples attitudes ratherthan actions. Over exposure to films/television shows can blur an audiences sense of realitythe real world: George Gerbner

The theory, developed by George Gerbner, claims that “Persistent long term exposure to televisioncontent has minimal but measurable effects on the perceptual worlds of audience members”.

By comparing the attitudes of heavy, moderate, and light media users, Gerbner found that heavymedia users had an attitudinal misconception called mean world syndrome. Overestimating howmuch violence actually occurs in their communities and the rest of the world, especially whencompared to less media users ‘realistic’ world.

The more exposure to TV over time, TV will eventually "cultivate" viewers perception of reality. The theory assumes that the audience is passive in nature, therefore the media has a big influence ontheir ideas and life choices and that eventually our views of the world will come to resemble that ofThe medias. People's choices and values will mainstream.

TASK: APPLY IT!

• What would be some key points to make in terms of the horror genre?• Can you apply it to your trailer?

CultivationTheory

Uses & Gratification Theory

Definition: “Uses and Gratification model/theory suggests that people use the media and its manytexts, to their advantage and in order to meet their individual needs. – Denis McQuail (1972)

Cognitive Needs (Surveillance): People access the media (newspaper, magazines, TV, internet, etc.) to acquire specific information. They want to gain more knowledge, on a certain event or topic.

Affective needs (Personal Identity): People use the media to satisfy their emotional needs. In most cases, television is the best form of media to please affective needs. We find ourselves relating to the people on TV. We sympathize when something bad happens to them or we celebrate their victories with them.

Personal Integrative Needs (Relationships): Media such adverts on TV fulfil our self esteem. People will change their lifestyle to be cool as according to the media and advertising help them do this.

Social Integrative Needs (Relationships): Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter satisfy social integrative needs. These sites let you know what their peers are up too, relationship statuses etc.

Tension Free Needs (Diversions/Escapism): People may use tension free needs as an outlet. The media can help a person escape and relieve tension. A person can relax while consuming their favourite song/show/film etc.

With expanding new forms of media, a study by Blulmer & Katz (1974) stated that audience consumption was based on

highly active audience choices & personal preferences. Individuals have different uses for texts, & instead of

mindless entertainment, we all expect to get something from it (gratification).

Opposite of the Effects Modelas the audience is active

The audience uses the text & isNOT used by it.

The audience uses the text forits own gratification/pleasure

Here, power lies with theaudience NOT the producers

This theory emphasises howand why audiences use a text.

Audience is free to reject, use orplay with media as they see fit.

TASK: APPLY IT!

• What would be some key points to make in terms of the horror genre?• Can you apply it to your

trailer?

Uses & Gratification Theory

Desensitisation

THEORIST: Psychologist ‘Mary Cover Jones’

Definition: The desensitisation theory believes that the more violence viewers are exposed to in themedia over a period of time, the less sensitive we become to it. The violence no longer seems tobother them or bothers them less than it did before.

The theory continues on from the copycat theory, it is a behavioural state and people may experiencedesensitisation after being exposed to so much violence in the media, it may not have a strongemotional impact on them anymore in the media world.

The issue is that this desensitisation may occur when something violent happens in real life, theviewer can become immune to the general shock of these action, making them too comfortable andpossible able to perform these acts as they are no longer affect emotional by them anymore.

1973 – The Exorcist1974 – Texas Chainsaw Massacre

2010 & 2011 – Human Centipede 1 & 2Banned films that are now available due to social change, this is known as

‘RATINGS CREEP’.

TASK: APPLY IT!

• What would be some key points to make in terms of the horror genre?• Can you apply it to your trailer?

Desensitisation

Copycat Theory

Definition: Audiences will copy what they see in a media text. It refers to the how the mediacan influence and affect the audiences behaviour and how they think.

Strengths:The influence of this theory is how it psychologically prays off the fears and concerns of parents aswell as many independent commissions and engages their parents to more actively monitor the Media that they use. This not only covers movies, but also video games, especially with underage gaming on the rise, with games such as GTA & COD being predominantly played by young people.Weaknesses: The main weakness is the opinion of the people regulating their children, as the preconception ofdanger varies from person to person, so one person's horror movie is another's comedy. Additionally,while short term effects of the media are easily monitored, the long term are not so easily monitored,and therefore the theory cannot be proven correct.Examples:The most notable example as discussed earlier is the Jamie Bulger murder case (Blamed on Child Play 3). Additionally there are multiple cases of children with short tempers due to constant exposureTo competitive and mature gaming and films.

TASK: APPLY IT!

• What would be some key points to make in terms of the horror genre?• Can you apply it to your trailer?

Copycat Theory

Catharsis Theory

Definition: Catharsis is an emotional effect experienced by people who use the media to purge or cleanse negative emotions,such as fear or anger.

Is Viewing Violence Cathartic? The large amount of violence in the mass media is often justified by the concept of catharsis. The word catharsis comes from theGreek word ‘Katharsis’, which literally translated means ”a cleansing or purging." The first recorded mention of catharsis

occurredmore than one thousand years ago, in the work Poetics by Aristotle.

Aristotle: Aristotle taught that viewing tragic plays gave people emotional release (Katharsis) from negative feelings such as pity, fear, andanger. By watching the characters in the play experience tragic events, the negative feelings of the viewer were presumablypurged and cleansed. This emotional cleansing was believed to be beneficial to both the individual and society._________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• As a result, watching aggressive media output, it is proposed, does not make viewers more aggressive; quite the contrary – since the vicarious aggression experienced through the media purges the viewer of aggression, the result of watching violence is less aggression.

• Catharsis (meaning purification) theory, implies that the execution of an aggressive action under certain conditions diminishes the aggressive drive and therefore reduces the likelihood of further aggressive actions.

• The crucial point in catharsis theory is that the observed aggressive action does not necessarily need to be executed in reality. It can instead take place in the actor's fantasy or in the media (symbolic catharsis).

TASK: APPLY IT!

• What would be some key points to make in terms of the horror genre?• Can you apply it to your trailer?

Catharsis Theory

Suspension of Disbelief

• In the world of fiction you are often required to believe a premise you would never accept in the real world (story /events which you would not believe even if in the news).

• In order to enjoy such stories, the audience engages in a phenomenon known as "suspension of disbelief". A semi-conscious decision in which you put aside your disbelief & accept the premise as ‘real’.

• The initial premise can be quite outrageous as long as the story maintains consistency within that premise. – Star Trek universe = impossible in the real world, but the films work consistently within their own

universe, so the story is believable.

• Genre determines believability. An action hero can perform super-human feats, but not in a Rom-com (audience confusion/disbelief)

• Some stories purposely push suspension of disbelief to the limit.– The Indiana Jones movies are a good example, where the audience expects to find the improbable

antics amusing.

• With human actions/emotions, people must act & interact in believable ways. If interactions do require SOD, the normal rules of consistency apply. Audiences are unforgiving if text is unbelievable.

TASK: APPLY IT!

• What would be some key points to make in terms of the horror genre?• Can you apply it to your trailer?

Suspension of Disbelief

Now you have looked at Audience Theory, consider how you might apply it to your own work.

Using your Teaser trailer & an existing real media product (that you have based your product on) ask yourself the following questions:

Relate Audience Theory to your Product

Relate Audience Theory to your Product

1.Who is your Target Audience?

2.Why might they choose to watch your product? (i.e. what elements of your teaser trailer would appeal to them?) reflect on Blulmer & Katz’s Gratification model.

3.Are your audience active or passive viewers? (why do you think that?)

4.As producer what codes constructed (and how –technical elements) for the audience to decode?

1. The Interpretive ModelGives some examples of how the active audience can react to a text.We can:

• ignore the message;• react positively to the message;• reinterpret the message;• forget the message.

SPARE ACTIVESPARE ACTIVE AudienceAudience

2. Structured Interpretation ModelTries to explain why active audiences react differently.

• age;• gender;• social class;• race;• education + aspirations

3. The Two Step flowAccepts the Media do not exist in a vacuum & other factors alter behaviour. We can modify our behaviour as a mixed result of text & conversation.

• Step One- we first watch a media text.

• Step Two- we talk about it with others.

4. Two Step Theory Paul Lazarsfeld (1940) suggested

media did not flow directly into the audience’s mind unmediated but could be filtered and interpreted depending on social factors, background, experiences etc.

Formula: Audience consume information direct from media – audience mediate ideas and thoughts expressed by opinion leaders – are therefore influenced not by a direct process, but by a two step flow.

AUDIENCE – FINALISE AN ANSWER

PARAGRAPH 1: INTRODUCTIONWhat was your project? - Who was your target audience? - What is horror? –

Why do audiences consume horror films? - What was the meaning of your trailer?

PARAGRAPH 2: AUDIENCE TYPESDiscuss the different types of audience theory (active and passive)

– Bring in the Hypodermic Needle/Syringe theory

PARAGRAPH 3: DESENSITISATION

• What is the theory?• Who is the theorist?• Apply it to the content of your

trailer?• Back it up with an existing film

text.

PARAGRAPH 4: USES & GRATIFICATION

• What is the theory?• Who is the theorist?• Apply one option to your trailer?• Back it up with an existing film

text.

PARAGRAPH 5: CONCLUSIONAudience Expectations – The future?

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