The document provides instructions for a media studies task involving the analysis of a media text using audience theory. Students are asked to choose a film, TV program, newspaper, website or music video. They then must apply Uses and Gratifications Theory and Encoding/Decoding Theory to analyze the text. For their analysis, students must discuss the narrative, technical codes, iconography, setting, and characters of the text and relate each element to the two audience theories.

1. A2 Media Studies: Critical Perspectives in Media
Task 1
Complete your work on Audience Theory
Task 2
Choose one media text. This can be either a film, TV programme, newspaper, web page or
music video.
Apply both of the following audience theories to the text:
Uses and gratifications theory (Blumler& Katz)
• Diversion - escape from everyday problems and routine.
• Personal Relationships - using the media for emotional and other interaction, eg;
substituting soap operas for family life
• Personal Identity - finding yourself reflected in texts, learning behaviour and values from
texts
• Surveillance - Information which could be useful for living eg; weather reports, financial
news, holiday bargains
Encoding and Decoding (Hall)
Encoding................ the text is encoded by the producer
Decoding................ and decoded by the audience
3 different readings can then be decoded by the audience
Preferred
Negotiated
Oppositional
Remember to use Lacey’s repertoire of elements in your analysis. This means you will comment
upon the following 5 areas:
Narrative /Technical Codes/Iconography/Setting/Character
Complete the box below…..

2. Text/ Genre/Production Company/Director Uses and Encoding and
Gratifications Decoding
Narrative: Linear/Non
Liner/Fragmented/Elliptical etc….
Technical codes: camera/Sound/Mise en
Scene/Editing/Design and layout etc….
Iconography: props, symbolic codes, location,
stereotypes
Setting:camera use, editing, lighting,
diegetic/non diegetic sound, sfx, mise en scene
Character:representations, stereotypes,
behaviour, body language, specific actors/stars
Now complete a written piece on the above
1. INTRO: Briefly describe your chosen text and briefly explain Uses and Gratifications Theory
(Blumler& Katz) and Encoding and Decoding (Hall)
2. Narrative: Identify the narrative style and apply audience theory
3. Technical codes: Identify technical codes and apply audience theory
4. Iconography: Identify any iconography and apply audience theory
5. Setting Identifysetting and apply audience theory
6. Character Identify character and apply audience theory
EXAMPLE: Cabin In The Woods
When analysing the TECHNICAL CODES of this text, you will identify the genre of horror
POINT: In terms of technical codes, the text has clear conventions of horror. It also has
conventions of Sci-Fi, therefore the film is a HYBRID of two genres.
EXAMPLE: the producer of the text has ENCODED (HALL) clear horror conventions, eg: mise
en scene: The cabin/blood/gore/low key lighting but also ENCODED clear Sci-Fi conventions:
The clean laboratory with scientists, high tech equipment and high key lighting.
EXPLANATION: Whereby the audience may choose to watch the text for purposes of
DIVERSION (Blumler& Katz) to escape from reality by enjoying the genre conventions of the
horror movie, they are however challenged and may develop an OPPOSITIONAL reading of
the text, (HALL) as there are also conventions of Science Fiction. The HYBRID nature of the
movie may therefore encourage the audience to be positioned in an oppositional manner.

3. However some members of the audience may enjoy the challenge of the hybrid genre in the
text and develop a NEGOTIATED reading of text. This is the PREFERRED position that the
producer of the text wishes to achieve, as the text means to challenge conventional
perceptions of what constitutes a traditional and very generic horror film. This may increase
the chances of the text being regarded as original and groundbreaking and therefore
increase the chances of the film becoming successful.
500-800 words
Deadline 18/1/13