Media Studies can often be seen as a tug of war between the producer and the audience.
On the one hand, the producer will use every technique in the book to anchor the target audience in to a specific set of readings. This can be accomplished through cinematography, editing, soundtrack... in fact any element listed on the textual analysis toolkit.
However, we know that audiences are sophisticated, and will engage with media texts in a variety of different ways. Audiences can negotiate and reject the dominant reading of the text, using it instead for social interaction, something to make fun of, or even a cautionary tale about society. In short, as Gauntlet attests, audiences can pick and mix the parts of a text they are more interested in and ignore or despise the rest.
For this week long task, you will be looking at the different ways audiences use, take pleasure from or interpret media texts. You will also be looking at how producers target and/or position their intended audiences.
Your research and notes for this project will be submitted on your first lesson back after the Easter holiday. There is no word limit, upper or lower for this project. However, it is expected that you will complete 4 1/2 hours of work on this project.
The work shall primarily be assessed through verbal presentation, either one-to-one with your teacher, or in small groups. However, the more notes you write, the more accomplished your case studies will be.
One week project: exploring audience
Target audiences
Select one of the TV shows we have studied in class.
Who is the target audience for this text?
Create a pen portrait of the target audience for this text. This needs to be very specific.
Remember, every text has a specific target audience, even if there are multiple intended secondary audiences.
age
gender
lifestyle
favourite book/film/game
something they like to do at the weekend
where they go on holiday/who with
three things in their pocket or bag
worries
job
best friend
favourite item of clothing
most loved/hated thing
spending power
Appeal
Being as specific as possible, make a list of everything that could possibly appeal to any potential audience of the three tv programmes. Don't just stick with the obvious choices like personal identification and sexual gratification, but also consider the use of technology, the negative emotions elicited and the use of positioning.
Negotiation
1 - Think back to the target audience you have identified for each text. Now outline the dominant ideology. What exactly is the producer attempting to communicate to the audience? What is the message of the show?
2 - For both of the texts, describe the preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings. Use examples to back this up.
Wider reading
Use Google to read up on and answer the following questions. Hopefully, you will find yourself looking at a range of articles. Don't feel you have to stick with these questions. A wide range of contextual knowledge is absolutely essential for the MS4 exam, and we strongly recommend you complete several hours of wider reading each week.
How are nature documentaries made?
What are ten things that are wrong with the effects model?
Why is everyone in Made in Chelsea white?
How can we categorise audiences?
How can gay audiences respond to True Detective?
Preparing for the mock
You have an audience mock coming up the first week back after the Easter holiday.Select one of the following questions by spinning your cursor around and seeing where it lands. Now, you have to have a go at planning this question!
Underline the key terms, and plan out a detailed answer using either the three TV shows you have studied, or the three films (just a quick point here: you can't 'mix & match' films, TV shows and musical artists in one question. Each question has to be about one specific industry!)