This document discusses various media theories related to audiences and their consumption of media messages. It defines passive consumption as when audiences accept media messages without influencing production. The hypodermic needle model assumes audiences will immediately believe anything they are told by media. Active consumption involves audiences engaging with and discussing media messages. The uses and gratifications theory focuses on what audiences do with media rather than what media does to people. Reception theory examines how audiences receive and interpret encoded messages from producers in various ways. Spectatorship refers to watching without participation, and frameworks for interpretation consider how audiences from different backgrounds may interpret media differently.

1. Audiences & Products
Charles Stick

2. Task 1

3. Passive Consumption
• Detailed Definition
• Passive consumption is when the audience doesn’t interact with the media
message but accepts it. They do not influence the production. This is what media
outlets want to achieve when making a film as they want the audience to
passively accept what they have made and believe it. To get the audience into
this state the story has to be believable, it doesn’t have to be super realistic as
that would be boring, just enough to make the audience passively accept it.

4. Hypodermic Needle Model
• Definition
• The hypodermic needle model is when the audience is told something that could be true or not and immediately believes it.
• Strengths
• Media companies can use the hypodermic needle model to manipulate specific audiences knowing that their audience wouldn’t
go out of their way to check the media companies information, this is done a lot in news papers and online mobile apps.
• Weaknesses
• This model is used online on multiple news sites and mobile apps, it can be used in bad ways to miss interpret people and to
create fake news which can cause damage to people or places.
• Example
• In 1938 a War Of the Worlds radio broadcast made people think earth was being invaded by aliens when it was actually an
American radio drama anthology which was playing a distress signal at the time, people would tune in when the signal was being
played thinking it was real.

5. Active Consumption
• Detailed Definition
• Active consumption is when the audience will engage and discuss media
messages that comes across to them and sometimes questions the media
messages through life experiences. Other may interpenetrate the message in a
different way or questions it, by doing this the audience won’t be as suggestible
to tell them what to think. Different TV shows like to get politicians and
journalists on the show to discuss world wide issues and domestic issues, the
audience who ask the questions are more active due to the deep discussions they
have with the panel than people sitting at home. However people at home can
interact with Twitter with the panellists and create debates, so home viewers
become less suggestible and more active as they can get involved in debates.

6. Uses and Gratifications Theory
• Definition
• Uses and Gratifications Theory is a popular approach to understanding mass communication. The
theory places more focus on the consumer, or audience, instead of the actual message itself by
asking “what people do with media” rather than “what media does to people”. It assumes that
members of the audience are not passive but take an active role in interpreting and integrating
media into their own lives. The theory also holds that audiences are responsible for choosing
media to meet their needs.
• Strengths: This model allows us to identify the needs in our lives and fulfil in many different ways.
• Weaknesses: I don’t think there are any weaknesses to this model
• Example: The Internet allows us to identify more products and people, due to search engines like
Google we can search for anything which enables the audience to come closer to their favourite
artists or role models. Music has benefited because of websites like YouTube enabling us to watch
any music video we choose. YouTube, ITunes, 4oD etc. are just a few of the numerous websites
that give us an opportunity to be entertained whenever we please.

7. Reception Theory
• Detailed Definition
• Reception Theory is how the audience receive and interpret messages
and values from producers. Encoding is when the producer of the
media product fill that product with a message that they want to get
out to the people which is then decoded, meaning the consumer of
the media (audience) decodes the message from the media producer.
Different audience members will receive and interpret these
messages in different ways which can be altered from what the media
contains for example, the message could be controversial and some
audience members may disagree with what is being decoded by the
majority so they will reject the preferred reading and create their own
meaning (Oppositional reading).

8. Reception Theory
• Choose an image (poster, screenshot from a film, photograph
etc) and provide:
• A potential encoded message
• The producers message is that the poster shows horror and that the man
is going to kill the women and that she is going to defend herself using the
weapon. From the mouth and facial expressions, the man looks like a
psychopath and the women is terrified.
• A potential decoded message
• The poster creates a horror feel just from the facial expressions, the
weapon in the bottom right brings a feel of death and that the man in the
picture is going to kill the women.

9. Reception Theory
• Choose an image (poster, screenshot from a film, photograph etc)
and provide:
• Preferred reading
• This poster claims the film is “The Greatest Horror Movie
Ever Made”, back in the 1980 before watching the film, since
there weren’t many horror movies back then many people
would have accepted the fact that it claimed it was the best
horror movie ever made. In 2018 it’s considered one of the
most iconic horror movies ever made.
• Negotiated reading
• This reading relates back to 1980s the most as some people
might have partly accepted this message but many will have
rejected before watching the film.
• Oppositional reading
• After watching this film many audience members will reject this film
if they disagrees with how Stanley cubic makes his films.

10. Spectatorship
• Detailed Definition
Spectatorship is the act of watching something without taking part. There are different reasons for spectatorship. Social self,
this is when you make similar conclusions to others about a certain thing you are watching. Cultural self, this is when you
focus on particular inner-textual references and relate them to other films. Private self, this is when you as a person makes a
personal connection to films through memories for example, as a kid I grew up watching Harry Potter with my brother, we
always referred back to specific scenes in the films relating them to memories or real life experiences, this involves a feel of
escapism from reality. Lastly desiring self, this is when you are consciously and unconsciously going to see films through
sexual (you get some form of pleasure out of it).
• Example
• Fifty shades of grey is a good example of desiring self, people go to see the film because of it’s contents and might have
even read the book before knowing what will happen. They may do this to fill their sexual desire or through
consciously/unconsciously watching it for pleasure.

11. Framework for Interpretation
• List 2 very different frameworks for interpretation;
1
• Age: 18
• Gender: Male
• Social status/Class: Lower Class
• Ethnicity: White
• Sexuality: Straight
• Education: Has GCSE’s
2
• Age: 58
• Gender: Female
• Social status/Class: Upper Class
• Ethnicity: White
• Sexuality: Straight
• Education: Has O’levels

12. Framework for Interpretation
• Discuss how each may react to a film of your choice based on their framework
• STATE THE FILM HERE “The Revenant”
1 2
Framework 1 will have a very
different life style too 2. The reaction
too “The Revenant” will be far
different than most peoples. They
may watch this film and see it as any
other movie or they will be drawn in
by it’s spectacular cinematography
and breath taking acting. They might
be inspired by the film to take a
similar path the actors or directors
have been or want to visit places
similar to shown in the film.
Framework 2 is an upper class elderly adult
the reaction to the film will be different as
this person has lived longer and may have
travelled to locations like where the film was
shot. I think the women will react in a very
understanding way, and will look deeper
into the history of the film and what events
took place at the time. They will generally
compare the movie to others they have
scene to decide whether it’s good or not.

13. Task 2

14. Case Study
• Select a genre (or film franchise) that you like and provide some
contextual background information.
• What is the genre/franchise, what are the key films, who are the key
directors/actors/studios/etc, how successful/unsuccessful was it, how
was it critically received, when were the films made, etc.
• Go over as many slides as necessary

15. Harry Potter (Case Study)
• Harry potter is a, fantasy fiction, drama, young adult fiction, mystery thriller and bildungsroman (a
genre that focuses on psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth adulthood, in
which character change is extremely important). There are 2 Key films in the franchise which bring up
the main events which setup the next films. The first film “Harry Potter and the philosophers stone”
is the beginning of the franchise and begins the whole journey for the 3 main characters. The second
key film is the last film “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” which is where everything the
audience have been waiting for happens. The key directors are Chris Columbus and David Yates, this
is because they both created the key films of the franchise but also the most films as both Mike
Newell and Alfonso Cuaron only created one film each. 1492 Pictures an American film production
company and Heyday Films a British film studio are the only production companies used to create the
whole franchise. The films were distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The whole franchise itself is
based on “Harry Potter” the books wrote by J. K. Rowling. The films were all made in the 20th century,
2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011. All of the “Harry Potter” films budgets
combined costs a total of £1.2 billion with a total box office of £7.7 billion.

16. Task 3

17. Your Interaction with Media
• Talk about why you like that film/genre and your relationship with it and
how audiences have responded to it, you cover the following:
• How audience engagement relates to the key theories you have outlined in section 1
• Outline and investigate all the different ways in which you and the wider audience
might respond and interact with the film (we’ve covered this at length with the
screenings for Star Wars related material).
1. Active spectatorship, fandom and preferred readings (how do audiences make
active responses to your genre)
2. Frameworks of interpretation, intertextuality and media literacy (consider the
effects of the film on other films/tv/etc and the way this is done, i.e. parody,
pastiche, homage, etc.)
3. Social networking, conditions of reception and pre- and post- viewing experience
(how the audience interacts and responds as part of a community)
• Go over as many slides as necessary

18. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Whilst watching this film passive consumption takes place as the audience are always
passively accepting all the messages given off by the film. This is due to the previous
films building up a fan base that doesn’t question which ways the directors decides to
take the films. They also believe that the next films will be just as good through the
pattern of this being true from previous.
• Uses and Gratification theory and spectatorship are a big aspect when it comes to
watching Harry Potter films in general. Spectatorship in “Half-Blood Prince” is very
common with the following of “Draco Malfoy” throughout the franchise, in this particular
film the audience feel emotionally attached to him as he’s forced to suffer in different
ways. This is somewhat desiring as many people don’t experience these feelings in reality
and find that watching films similar to this fulfil that feeling. Uses and Gratification
theory comes into play at the end of the film when the audience get a huge thriller of
emotions and feelings. This is very entertaining to watch and can be replayed as many
times as you want if you own a copy. This is similar to a large majority of films.