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1. Audience Theory

2. Firstly
• Sorry I’m not in today, but I’ll see you all on
Thursday.
• Bring all work from today to Thursdays lesson
including your Narrative essay with feedback.

3. Box Office Mojo
http://boxofficemojo.com/intl/uk/yearly/
Visit this website and identify the 3 highest grossing films so far
for 2014.
Apply Social Grade, Uses and Gratification – and if you have seen
Lego Movie consider how you could apply Hypodermic Needle.
A paragraph for each top grossing film with its gross and release
date included.
If you are unsure what any of these films are about go to IMDB.

4. Key questions
• What is audience theory?
• Who are the key theorists?
• What are the key terms?
• How does this help with your section a: 1b?

5. Today's menu
• Box Office
• Peer assessment
• Audience theory – active
• Mind map

6. English and Maths
• Maths – handling data
• English – communication, reading, writing,
listening and research

7. Peer assess & Self assess
• Using the mark scheme and SPaG book mark you already
have, assess either on your own or in pairs.
• But first read through your own work and give yourself a
Level, but do not write it on your essay (keep it secret).
• Essays to be passed on to another student (not the person
you are sitting with).
• Give a Level and feedback, identify spelling, punctuation
and grammar errors.
• Give this work back.
• Read through the feedback and write down the Level you
thought it was, and whether you agree with the feedback
or not.

8. Level 4 (21–25 marks)
Candidates demonstrate a clear understanding of representation
and
relevant media theory and can relate concepts articulately to the
production outcome, describing specific elements in relation to
theoretical ideas about how media texts are constructed as
narratives. Candidates offer a range of specific, relevant,
interesting and clear examples of how their product can be
understood in relation to relevant theories of narrative. The use of
conceptual language is excellent.
Complex issues have been expressed clearly and fluently using a
style of writing appropriate to the complex subject matter.
Sentences and paragraphs, consistently relevant, have been well
structured, using appropriate technical terminology. There may be
few, if any, errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Level 3 (16–20 marks)
Candidates demonstrate the ability to relate their own creative
outcomes to some ideas about representation drawn from relevant
media theory. Some relevant and convincing examples from the
production are offered and these are handled proficiently. The
answer makes proficient use of relevant conceptual language.
Straightforward ideas have been expressed with some clarity and
fluency. Arguments are generally relevant, though may stray from
the point of the question. There will be some errors of spelling,
punctuation and grammar but these are unlikely to be intrusive or
obscure meaning.
Level 2 (10–15 marks)
Candidates offer a mainly descriptive, basic
account of how their production can be
understood in the basic theoretical context of
representation. A narrow range of examples are
described, of which some are relevant. The
answer makes basic use of relevant conceptual
terms Candidates will need to choose one
production from either Foundation Portfolio or
Advanced Portfolio.
Level 1 (0–9 marks)
Candidates at this level attempt to relate the
production to the
basic concept of narrative, with limited clarity.
The account may
be incomplete or be only partly convincing. Very
few, if any,
examples are offered from the chosen
production. The answer
offers minimal use of relevant basic conceptual
terms.
Some simple ideas have been expressed. There
will be some
errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar
which will be
noticeable and intrusive. Writing may also lack
legibility.

9. The active audience
This is the dominant (most accepted) model.
• ‘Two step’ model (Katz & Lazarsfeld; 1940s)
– They concluded the media alone wasn’t that
influential in affecting an audience’s attitudes, but
was part of a larger system of situated culture.
– The audience often received the media’s message
through ‘opinion leaders’ – individuals who pay
close attention to the media and filter information
to family and friends, so people receive the
message without consuming the text.

10. Question
• How long ago was 1940?
• Does this make this study irrelevant?

11. Uses & Gratifications Theory -
reminder
• Term coined by Blumler and Katz in the 1970s.
• It suggests the audience uses the media to
fulfil needs and motivations:
– Diversion.
– Personal Relationships & Social Interaction.
– Personal Identity.
– Surveillance.

12. Diversion
• Entertainment
• Relaxation
• Something to do

13. Personal Relationships & Social
Interaction
• Audiences can become involved in the social
lives of people presented in media texts
through interviews, and gossip.
• Audiences can observe a range of
relationships with others and understand the
dynamics involved.
• Audiences can learn empathy.

14. Personal Identity
• Audiences can identify with characters
represented in the media.
• Audiences can make comparisons between
characters and their own behaviour.

15. Surveillance
• The media provides information and
education, helping the audience to stay
informed and know what’s happening in the
world.

16. • Uses and Gratifications theory argues that the
audience uses the media to fulfil needs – is it
possible that sometimes those needs have
been created by the media in the first place?
• Is the model affected by developments in new
technology? Do we need to add to the list of
Uses and Gratifications?

17. Research Task
• Reception Theory – summary, theorist and
year
• What does encode and decode mean?
• Research the different types of readings this
theorist identified Dominant reading,
Negotiated reading and Oppositional reading.
• Try and apply this this theory to your work.

18. Reception Theory
• Encoding and Decoding – Stuart Hall (1970s)
– Texts are encoded with meaning (semiotics!).
– Different audiences respond (decode) in different
ways.
– Both encoded and decoded meaning will be
understood in the context of the social and
cultural background of the producer and
audience.

19. Evaluating encoding & decoding
(consider)
• Is there one single message in a text which has
been deliberately encoded by producers?
• Would all audiences agree on the intended
meaning?
• How do we know if we have found the
preferred meaning?
• If there isn’t a single preferred meaning, does
that mean there is a range of oppositional
readings? Ooh!

20. Outdated?
• These models were constructed 30 years ago.
• The available mainstream media was:
– Terrestrial TV: 4 free to air channels
– Analogue radio: BBC and commercial stations
– Press and magazines
– Film: cinemas and home video
– Home video games consoles

21. Modern Media
• Make a list which reflects the
available media today.
• How do these changes in technology
and introduction of new media forms
affect the relationship between the
audience and the media?
• Consider...

22. • Reception:
– Where and who do you receive media texts?
– Are there times when you receive more than one
media text simultaneously?
– What are the different platforms (eg computer,
mobile phone) you use to receive media?

23. • Existing audience models:
– Does the increased range of media forms affect
the theory of encoding and decoding?
– Does the emphasis on interactive technology
make the audience more or less likely to be active
or passive?
– Do new media technologies provide alternative
uses and gratifications?

24. 'Effects' debate and moral panics
• Tales from the Crypt - 1955 Children and
Young Persons (harmful Publications) Act
• Panics about effects traced to the 18th
Century
• (Tax duty on newspapers and made it so only
the rich could buy newspapers)
• Can this be applied to your work?

25. Moral Panics
• Cohen - Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1972)
• A mass response to a group, a person or an
attitude that becomes defined as a threat
• (Naming and shaming paedophiles, legislation
to control dangerous dogs)
• Can this be applied to your work?

26. Gender preferences - Research
• Gray (1992) Video Playtime: The Gendering of a
Leisure Technology
• Geraghty (1991) Women and Soap Opera: A
Study of Prime Time Soaps analyses the critical
role of women characters in the families and
communities of soaps and suggests that the
utopian possibilities of soaps can be used not just
to maintain the status quo, but to promote
change and influence attitudes and prejudices.
• Can this be applied to your work?

27. Mind map
• Map all theory covered to date, ALL.
• Work in pairs to completed this