1. PR2: Audience Theory and Debates
‘Fight Club’ is a 1999 film directed by David Flinch based on the novel of the same name- it stars
both Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. It follows the story of an everyday man as he struggles to fit in
with society, feeling detached from everything around him. We’re presented with the idea that we
live within a world where men are losing their sense of masculinity; being a man means nothing
more than living a consumerist life. The film depicts their anger at the medias feminisation of men
and the loss of their true identity and traditional male characteristics and symbols. Our narrator
comes to form a fight club with Tyler Durden in order to rediscover themselves and their true values.
The producers of ‘Fight Club’ originally requested from the BBFC that the film be classified as an 18,
however after much debate the classification was denied due to its subject matter. They came to the
decision that in order for the film to air, cuts of around 7 seconds needed to be made in two scenes.
Having watched the film even after the cuts were made, it’s of no surprise as to why the request was
denied. I’ll be talking about why I believe the classification was rejected, before moving on as to why
the BBFC actually denied the request.
Violence plays a major part within the movie; it’s almost presented as a celebratory factor in order
for them to regain their masculinity. They’ve gone against the law and given themselves the license
to fight and commit crime without facing any consequences. To me this acts as a promotion of
brutality; the film appears to be making it seem commendable, therefore signifying to audiences
that it’s ok. One of the acts of violence we see within the film which is also the basis for the entire
movie is bare-knuckle fighting; it could have the ability to both encourage and persuade audiences
to participate in it whether it’s between friends, or worse, with strangers. There is a potential for it
to increase crime rates whilst also negatively advertising the use of fighting as an anger outlet. The
movie was released just shortly after the Columbine High School Massacre meaning there was also
fear-as there still is now- that it would increase copycat behaviour.
Although not obviously apparent at the beginning of movie, terrorism is actually quite a central
theme within the movie; our protagonist and the rest of project mayhem/fight club are blaming the
corporations for their consumerist lives and leaving them identity-less. These themes alone has the
ability to encourage audiences to take on or further develop upon this view; at one point within the
film we’re even shown how to produce a soap bomb. Whilst this may appear harmless, there’ still
the possibility of small terrorist groups or even individuals creating them, therefore causing harm.
There’s a certain sense of rebellion within fight club which can be based on to the audience.
Suicide and depression at one point or another is an underlying cause within Fight Club; I very much
so believe that the issue has been glamorised. Although it is a very sensitive issue, it wasn’t dealt
with tactfully within the movie; you could argue that it’s spurring someone who’s vulnerable into
committing the act. It’s promoting the idea that suicide isn’t a big issue and that if all goes’ to fail
you’ll just pick up and move on.
The first thing that became apparent to the BBFC was the films ‘strong, and sometimes bloody,
violence.’ The film caused a lot of controversy and was therefore watched by everyone within the
BBFC including the director. Fight Club initially provoked a lot of opinions, the majority of examiners

2. found the film both ‘stylish and challenging’ and believed that it was suitable for viewing by an 18
year old, however there were concerns that it did not meet the BBFC guidelines due to the
glamorisation of violence. Although the film did not condone fighting- as is made clear from the
conclusion of the narrative- it was decided that two the ending of two scenes need to be cut in
which they promote sadistic pleasure.
A theory dating back to the 1920’s known as the Hypodermic Needle Model can easily be applied to
the movie in order to get an understanding of the worries that were faced by both the BBFC before
the film was cut and aired and by the general public after its release.
The Hypodermic Needle Model aims to explain how we as an audience react to mass media. The
theory states that the messages perceived within media have the ability to influence audiences
when passively consumed, therefore causing a behavioural change and encouraging them to act
upon it. What we have to remember is that this theory was developed in era when the government
had just discovered the power of propaganda and its way of swaying people’s opinions- this is the
same principle the theory follows.
The theory aims to provide reasoning behind people’s action after viewing a piece of media by
placing responsibility on the messages consumed within the text. An example of the theory can be
found within the following quote.
Upon the release of the film Alexander Walker- a veteran critic for the London evening standard-took
a very right winged view on the movie. He stated that the film was "a toxic experience ... an
inadmissible assault on personal decency ... and on society itself. It resurrects the Führer principle. It
promotes pain and suffering as the virtues of the strongest. It tramples every democratic decency
underfoot.” Due to his already existent political views, it affected the way he perceived the film- he
had a strong belief that if you were to watch the movie you would act upon what you had seen since
it was a promotion of everything negative within the world. Alexander Walker believed that the film
was promoting the same principles as Nazism and therefore inflicting fascism and going against
everything we have been trying to work against.
Sometimes people seek out a piece of media as a way of satisfying a specific need; this is known as
the uses and gratification theory. Bulmer and Katz stated that individuals may choose a piece of
media for the following reasons:
Diversion: to escape from everyday problems/real time
Personal Relationship: using media text for emotional or other interaction
Personal Identity: finding yourself reflected in texts/ learning behavioural values
Surveillance: information which could be useful for living
In 2005 under the new BBFC guidelines an uncut version of fight club become available; ‘The new
BBFC Guidelines established the principle that adults should be free to choose their own
entertainment, within the law, and it was considered that there was nothing in Fight Club that was in
breach of UK law, or felt to be harmful.’

3. This statement fits in perfectly with the theory; when seeking out a piece of media text we’re doing
it in order to satisfy a need. At the age of 18 you’re considered to be an adult, therefore you should
have the ability to pick and choose what you believe to be suitable and know what your own needs
are. You should know what you believe to be harmful and should have the capability to make your
own decisions without anyone telling you. This is now possible for anyone over 18 who wishes to
watch an uncut version of fight club.
Due to the circumstances, I did not actively seek out to watch fight club, therefore it was not used as
a diversion; I wasn’t purposely searching for a way out of my everyday life. Although I did not use
the text to gain a personal relationship in order to build a companionship or feel a part of a group I
can understand why some people may do so. I personally believe that certain aspects of the film are
a lot more relatable to males, therefore a personal relationship is more easily formed between men
who in some way feel the way our protagonist does- maybe they feel lost within their own life for
some reason and the film gives them the reassurance that there are others who feel the same way.
Fight club allowed me to discover my own personal identity and values; having watched the film I
now know that I’m against everything the film promotes and presents. Although I agree with some
aspects of the loss of the male culture, I completely disagree with the methods used. However that’s
not to say I didn’t enjoy the movie; I know right from wrong so therefore know that everything I saw
within the film is simply a form of entertainment. I personally believe the hypodermic needle model
can only be applied if the individual has an underlying problem- someone doesn’t act out simply
because of something they saw within a film.
Diversion: engaging narrative plot, relation to actors, getting away from your own troubles.
Personal Relationship: men within film are re-discovering there identity- we can relate to this, in
that as teens we’re still trying to find our own identity.
Personal Identity: finding our own place within the world, discovering yourself.
Surveillance: wanting to be Tyler Durden- even after 15 years, people find a way of modernising the
character.
Juno (2007)
Juno is a 2007 Canadian-American comedy directed by Jason Reitman; it stars both Ellen Page and
Michael Cera as lead characters. The film follows the story of 16 year old Juno as she faces the
consequences of an unplanned pregnancy and the pressures that come with it whilst also trying to
maintain normality within her own life.
Typically the media conveys teenage pregnancy as thoughtless behaviour on the mother’s part and
is both judgemental and sometimes disapproving of the topic; conventional depictions show the
mothers as lazy, unambitious teens whose lives are heading for disaster. However the writers of
Juno took a different direction; our protagonist takes a very atypical approach to the pregnancy and

4. does not see it as an outright disaster, it’s merely an obstacle within her life. The movie challenges
the conventional representations of teenage pregnancy that we’ve become accustomed too.
British sociologist Stuart Hall advocated the reception theory; he believes that how we react to a
movie is dependent on our age, ethnicity, gender and social class. The theory allows for an
understanding of media texts, which in turn leads to an understanding of how audiences perceive
the text. An important factor to remember is that when a piece of media is created there is no deep-rooted
meaning; meaning is created by the audience themselves. According to Stuart Hall the
Textual factors help define an audiences response whilst contextual factors shape each of our
responses individually; rather than focusing on the film alone, we’re aware of other elements such
as our preconceived notions, political beliefs, social and historical past, our own identities and the
circumstances in which we’re watching the film.
Whilst the reception theory is a really important element, the contextual factors are what really
shape us. If you were to make two teens of the same age but opposite social class watch the film,
however one pregnant and the other not there responses to the film would be somewhat different;
this is because they have completely different preconceived notions and identities- they’re relating
to Juno in completely unalike manners because of their personal circumstances. This applies to all
contextual components. A teenage male on other hand would have a completely different view on
the text because of both his age- reception theory- and the contextual factors surrounding him. This
applies to everyone whether you’re a teen, pensioner, adult, black or white, right winged, left
winged, pregnant or not.
Once all the factors have been taken into account, theorists can then determine whether viewers
have a preferred, negotiated or oppositional reading of the text. When having a preferred reading
you’re able to meet the producer’s intentions- you can engage at the same level. A negotiated
reading means you can agree with some of the representations and themes but not all. Whilst an
oppositional reading means you disagree with all elements and representations within the movie.
For example the pregnant teen will most like have a preferred reading simply because she is of the
same age and has a preconceived notion of teenage motherhood meaning she can relate to the
movie and engage with the producers intentions. However a female teen born within a high class
society may have an oppositional reading simply because she was raised to believe that it’s
politically incorrect- this taking both the reception theory and contextual factors into account.
The producers of Juno originally requested that the film be granted a PG rating, however due to the
‘strong language, moderate sex references and brief sight of a gory scene’ the classification was
denied.
When examiners at the BBFC were viewing the film it was important for them to discuss the tone of
the movie, its likely appeal to audiences, and the way in which the producers of the movie
approached the theme of teenage pregnancy in order for them to give it a fair and accurate rating.
The use of strong language within Juno was considered to be ‘infrequent’ and although it was
neither offensive nor directed at anyone personally it is not permitted within a PG film; therefore
producers would either have had to edit it out or allow for a higher rating.

5. Mild and moderate comical sexual references are used frequently throughout the film- we see Juno
and her friends referring to ‘boners’ and ‘condoms’ throughout the most part of the movie.
Although the BBFC agreed that in no sense was the film educational it was decided that the sexual
references were not derogatory; they felt that it reflected what most teenage adolescents were
already familiar with. However sexual references are not allowed within PG movies, so this also
affected the rise in classification.
During one scene we see a sexual action being implied and although this is not authorised within a
PG, is was decided that it was modest enough to be allowed within its finalised rating since it
coincided with the BBFC’s guidelines.
The BBFC stated that ‘Juno has an exuberant and ironic tone, and is both playfully and tender in its
mature theme’ therefore it was granted a 12A. After having made this decision, the BBFC received
criticism in that the film may be promoting teenage pregnancy- something which the media is
usually censorious of- however they stuck by there decision stating that it presented the themes
fairly and realistically without sugar-coating or frowning upon the matter.
Having watched the film I believe to have taken a negotiated reading; this is based on elements of
my life that have affected my response. The film is a fair and somewhat positive depiction of
teenage pregnancy and unlike most movies it challenges conventional methods and puts a new lease
of light on to the matter in a mature and sensitive way.
Although I’m not able to relate to the consequences of Juno’s actions, due to the similarity in age
and particularly my gender I’m able to associate with both the topic and protagonist; pregnancy is a
worry that stereotypically most teens are faced with, therefore I’m able to meet the producers
intentions. Having been brought up with the preconception that pregnancy at a young age can be a
damaging factor on your life I’d never thought about the other options that are out there for
mothers- such as adoption- therefore this has given the theme of the movie a somewhat better and
deeper understanding for me. I agree with the positive elements of pregnancy the movie is
promoting-such as providing another family with a child.
However this preconception of teenage pregnancy that I’ve become accustomed too has also taught
me that parents are often very disapproving of there daughter or son if the incident is too occur,
therefore I disagree with Juno’s representation of the parents reaction. Personally I believed it to be
non-realistic and slightly comical, consequently giving this particular issue an impractical viewpoint.
Living within a society were teenage pregnancy is the norm and quite often accepted rather than
seen as politically incorrect greatly impacted my response to the film; it wasn’t something I viewed
to be shocking or abnormal having seen it happen with in my own school, therefore I was able to
identify with Juno’s circumstances and the issues she faced during her everyday life both in her
relationship and at high school.
After having watched the film, I surveyed a small number of people who had recently watched the
film in order to find out what sort of reading they gained and whether they agreed with the films
classification. The following questions were asked:
 How old are?
 Are you male or female?

6.  Did you enjoy the movie Juno?
 Do you agree with the 12A rating given to Juno?
 Do you have a preferred, negotiated or oppositional reading to the film?
 Is the film a fair depiction of teenage pregnancy?
Everyone I surveyed were students within the same class, therefore the age range was only between
17-18; this immediately told me that the result would be somewhat similar if not exactly the same as
my own response to the movie. We all share the same social background which indicates we have
the same political views on the theme of the movie.
From the results I gathered, people both enjoyed the movie and agreed with the 12A rating- they
stated that whilst not all elements may have been suitable for a PG classification it was mild enough
to be watched by people of a young age, the aspects of the movie spoken about where things that
most young teens are already familiar with in this day and age.
The reading of the movie was split 50/50 between both negotiated and preferred; those who had
chosen negotiated simple selected it because they did not agree with the ‘relationship’ that was
being built between the protagonist and adoptive father and due to the parents response to the
pregnancy. They did not view it to be believable and felt that it was taken a little too light-hearted.
All other aspects of the movie were agreed upon; I believe this to be because we’ve all grown up
within an area were teenage pregnancy isn’t a rare occurrence, therefore there’s the ability to have
a certain sense of regard for the protagonist.