1) Do you agree with Stewart's point regarding self-determination of audiences? Consider your own media consumption habits and the research you conducted regarding UK cinema audiences using the BFI Statistical Yearbook.
Stewart's point is that 'it has grown increasingly clear that audiences are in fact capable of high degree self-determination in the nature of the responses that they make to the products offered to them'. When considering my own media consumption habits, I would say that I agree with his point regarding self-determination of audiences. It's clear that the audience sometimes go and see films based on their socio-economic background (as found when I researched the BFI Statistical Yearbook); therefore conveying that the audience are able to self-determine in the nature of their response to the film because they are categorising themselves unknowingly as either a wealthy person or not. What's more, their response can be posted on social networking sites (such as Facebook, Twitter or Youtube) or film review sites (Rotten Tomatoes etc). This indicates that they are capable of self-determination because they have interpreted the film with their own views and beliefs and even possibly put themselves into the scenarios that the characters are facing.
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 for each case study.
Preferred:
A preferred or dominant reading is where the audience interprets the text "as closely to the way in which the producer of the text intended". In my Wreck-It Ralph case study this can be seen in the "games" section. Essentially, by the young audience member playing the games on the film's website, they are viewing the media in a way that the producer would have wanted.
Negotiated:
A negotiated reading is where "the audience goes through some sort of negotiation with themselves to allow them to accept the way in which the text is presented". This would be evident in my Skyfall case study because the audience may not agree with the violent themes but they can adjust their viewpoint to get the most out of their viewing.
Oppositional:
An oppositional or resistant reading is where "the user of the text finds themselves in conflict with the text itself due to their beliefs or experiences. Although none of my case studies fit this reading, an example in a soap opera would be where a woman is having an affair with a man. This is adultery and would encourage a resistant reading in a person whose beliefs and culture don't accept adultery.
3) Audiences can respond to texts in a variety of ways. Gender, situated culture and cultural experiences can all affect how we consume a text. Think about your case studies and your own personal media consumption habits.
a) How can your gender affect how you respond to a text?
Essentially, the fact that I am a female can alter how I respond to a text rapidly. Tradition and stereotypes mean that women are often perceived as being more emotive towards certain themes and topics such as death and narratives involving children. In light of this, they may find a sad text to be more sad because they are a female than a male - who is experiencing the film at the same time and place. Conversely, it can also mean that a film that is gender biased towards males (where females are irrelevantly sexualised), would evoke a more annoyed, jealous and angry response from women because they feel that women should fit into the stereotypical mould that society has built for them.
b) Why would you choose to go to a cinema (situated culture) as opposed to watching a film at home?
A cinema can offer an experience to a viewer - like an event or a trip out. This is appealing to many audience members because it means they are able to get out of their house and do something. It has been said that the atmosphere in an auditorium full of people who are experiencing the same emotions during a film (laughing, crying, being scared), is enough to make people choose to go to a cinema. Despite an advance in technology meaning that people are able to get the 'cinema feel' at home with surround sound and wide screen TVs, the event-feeling isn't felt because they know that they're in their own home. What's more, it can often be cheaper for an individual or group of people to view a film in the cinema than pay for all the DVD equipment and DVDs at home.
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?
One text that I gained 'cultural knowledge' from is Slumdog Millionaire. It shaped how I perceived the slums in Mumbai through the main character's life events. I believe this was part of the reason why I chose and enjoyed the text because I was able to learn something while I was being entertained.
4) How do converged websites apply to Gauntlett's idea of a 'pick and mix' audience?
A 'pick and mix' audience is where the audiences use the text by ignoring some aspects and choosing the aspects that suit them at the time. Each time the audience play or search on the internet they might 'pick and mix' a different menu which is aided by the flexibility of the various formats to do this.
5) To what extent do you believe in the effects model and the uses and gratifications model?
The uses and gratifications model assumes an active audience and emphasises what the audience does with media texts as opposed to what the media does to the audience. Blumler and Katz disagreed with the earlier theories which placed the audience as a passive, easily influenced mass - this is why this theory suggests individuals and social groups use the texts in different ways (no longer making them a passive receiver).
Personally, I believe this model is correct in some ways but has faults. Clearly, different groups and individuals will respond to media texts in different ways because of their certain beliefs and ideals. However, I do believe that the majority of the audience are easily influenced because advancing distribution and promotion techniques allow the film to be instantly publicised to the world. Similarly, in the film itself it is easier to influence the audience due to the cultural, gender, age (etc.) that exist today.
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 - as a form of escape from the pressures of everyday life. An example of
this from the marketing materials in my case study of Wreck-It Ralph would be the games section on
the website. It would enable the audience to play the game (either before or after watching the film)
and relieve tension and escape from the pressures of everyday life.
- Personal Relationships - identification with characters and being able to discuss media texts with
others. My case study of The Perks of Being a Wallflower would be an example of this; the
characters part of the website allows the audience to identify with the characters and are able to
discuss the film with other people.
- Personal Identity - the ability to compare your life with that of characters and situations presented in
media texts. Again, I believe this would link to the case study on The Perks of Being a Wallflower because the audience members are able to compare their life to the characters and the situations that
they are in.
- Information/Education - to find out and learn what is going on in the world. I don't think any of my
case studies' marketing materials particularly demonstrates this feature very well because I didn't
research materials with a very 'cultural' background. However, it could be said that Sherlock Holmes
fits into this category because his character has a very British, iconic background.
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 is the term used to describe the ways in which people engage with media and it shows how the idea of audience in the digital era is changing. The ways that convergence, user-created content and social networking have transformed the audience. The composition of the audience is the demographic (age, gender, education level, ect) characteristics and geographic location of the audience members. So audience fragmentation has changed the composition of audiences by allowing all sorts of people to engage with media through convergence, user-created content and social networking. This is all due to the development of technology and the advance in social networking usage. It has changed the texts that are available to the audience because they are able to view a lot more films digitally (through satellite TV, online streaming and downloads) - hence texts are more readily available nowadays than they used to be. The internet has influenced this by producing rolling entertainment and gossip sites that 'break up' the potential audience group.
8) What is 'push' and 'pull' media? How has the internet shaped audience behaviour in relation to 'pull' media?
'Push' media is where producers push films at the audience, who then receive and consume them passively. Oppositely, 'pull' media is where the audience decide what they want to do with the media and access it in ways that suit them. In relation to 'pull' media, the internet has shaped the audience behaviour massively. When big companies like Google and News Corporation purchased DIY media institutions, the sites became more 'corporate' and illegally posted material was removed from sites like Youtube and MySpace. So, illegally downloaded and pirated films have been largely removed from the internet which has shaped the audience to a better behaviour in terms of not breaking the copyright laws.
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