Uses and gratifications theory posits that people actively seek out media to fulfill certain needs. Rather than focusing on how media affects people, UGT examines why and how people consume media. It takes an audience-centered approach to understand mass communication and what motivates people's media use. Romantic comedies aim to provide viewers with an idealized view of relationships that allows them to escape reality, while horror films elicit physical and psychological reactions from audiences by confronting fears and testing their courage. Filmmakers can manipulate sounds and music to influence the emotions and tension felt by viewers based on the genre.

1. Uses and gratifications
by Chloe Norris

2. The Theory
"Uses and gratifications theory (UGT) is an approach
to understanding why and how people actively seek out
specific media to satisfy specific needs. UGT is an
audience-centered approach to understanding mass
communication.Diverging from other media effect
theories that question "what does media do to people?",
UGT focuses on "what do people do with media?"

3. The different genres it
effects Rom-com
Emotional- this certain genre create a alternate reality for the audience as it gives them a romanticised or idolised view of
the characters lives. For example it may make them aware of an identification with a protagonist/love interest, creating an
attraction for a certain character which could either fall into normality or obsession depending on the audience. Films with
this certain genre can also offer a world of escape, a perfect world that couldn’t be true but still a world to dream about.
Physical- Rom-coms are a way to show we can change for the good and are optimistic about human nature and the world,
it can make us feel a certain emotion: laughter, crying, tension, nervous, anything that causes a physical reaction from us
towards the film.
Zombie
This genre can cause the most reaction from the audience whether it is physical or psychological the increase of
tension, increased heart rate, sweating and a questioning of what the audience would do if they were in the actors
situation, there are certain steps the audience follow when watching a horror film in order to watch it.
1) identification with the hero
2) confronting repressed fears for the audience whether it is a fear or phobia and violent situations
3) catharsis- letting the audience release negative emotion
4) voyeurism- seeing things that cannot be unseen, forbidden notions
5) testing your masculinity and conforming to feminine ideals (hiding in your boyfriends arms and screaming)

4. What could you do
If you are creating a film no matter what genre it is you have a choice
as to what you want the audience to feel, whether it is physically or
emotionally. One helpful tip is the sound that is used even if it is
dialogue.
If the audio is loud and high pitched with drawing silence in-between
the characters answers this creates tension for the audience. But if
the actors were speaking normally this would bare no reaction from
the audience.
If you are creating a horror you would use an eery back ground music
with heavy breathing from the actor maybe even a beating heart that
would slowly increase towards a climatic moment, maybe even adding
a drum. However if you are making a Rom-com you would use a slow
lyrical sound with uplifting beat that would increase at the moment the
actors kiss or a moment of finality.