Discuss the ways in which audiences are positioned with reference to your chosen texts
Opposed to previous beliefs about audiences both produces and theorists are able to agree audiences are complex, have a variety of needs, views and ways of using a media text. Audience positioning is a powerful tool used by produces two manipulate and construct their ideologies. The texts I've chosen to study or Westworld (season one episode one) a 2016 American sci-fi thriller, The Jeremy Kyle show (Thursday 15th of March) a British tabloid talk show and Blue Planet II (episode 1)modern nature documentary.
Throughout the opening scene of Westworld the audience and positioned in an ending and enigmatic and conventional and unexpected hybrid genre. This is firstly constructed with a long shot of a shadowy figure with conventional paradigms of a Sci-fi genre, shown through the fluorescent blues and technological mise-en-scene. The audience is firstly positioned with the narrator of this scene, Bernard, due to the direct mode of address constantly being used in phrases like “Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality?”. This is thought provoking for audiences and creates further enigmas associated with the genre of thistle the This is also reinforced through a transgressive close up shot of a fly walking across Dolores’ eye which cause audience to question their own reality.
The text then shifts to a different genre in which Dolores is reintroduced, through a high angle shot of her in bed, in a contrasting Western setting with iconography belonging to a period drama. The genre is not the only shift as the mode of address is now positioning the audience with the protagonist, Dolores, due to her answering the questions. Within this world the audience is lead to believe in a different ideology as they have been positioned with a different character. Throughout the opening scene of Westworld the producer is able to position the audience in an enigmatic story using a switch in protagonists and genres.
The Jeremy Kyle Show is able to position audiences with Kyle himself as he as been portrayed as relatable. When he introduces the guests he says “look at this my friends” his relaxed lexis and mode of address positions the audience with him. This is also present through the multiple tracking shots and Kyle’s ability to conduct the audience. There are also constant low angle shots of Kyle sitting down which also cause the audience to see the show through his perspective. His status as a celebrity and upper working class is also noticeable through this scene as between him and the guests there are clear binary oppositions in both costume and lexis. Due to the producers representation of Kyle being better than the guests and the audience be ping constantly positioned with him it causes the audience to believe the guests are comical entertainment.
This is reinforce through the soap opera paradigms of disposable entertainment portraying the guests as not really reality but objects of human derision. This is evident through the close up shots of the in show audience reactions towards the guest, for example when Kyle shows the grainy home video footage of a dog licking his owners face, the reactions are often negative and of disgust. This is a signpost of how at home audiences should feel and react. Due to the producers being able to portray the guests as comical and Kyle and relatable the audience are constantly positioned with Kyle in this scene.
Producers are also able to position audiences through making a constructed text which has been heavily influenced by their own ideologies. This is present in Blue Planet II as the producer has used anthropomorphisation in order to make the audiences feel affection towards the walrus mother. This is also reinforced through Attenborough’s sympathetic lexis towards the walrus mother, like when he said “what's a mother to do?”. Again the producer has been able to position the audience with the mother walrus using a classical string score throughout. The lexis, non diegetic music and anthropomorphisation causes the audience to take a preferred reading to relate and side with the mother walrus.
The producer is also able to construct the walrus as the protagonist through close up shots of the herd, which positions the audience as one of them struggling to find space on the melting ice caps. This is further emphasised through the reoccurring suspenseful non diegetic sting music. The final sequence in this narrative is a high angle slow zoom out shot focusing on the victorious mother walrus, creating an emotive atmosphere leaving the audience positioned with the single mother. Throughout the whole scene in Blue Planet II the audience are constantly following the producers ideologies and are positioned with the mother walrus.
In conclusion I believe in media texts audiences are positioned through the producers constructed text and lead to believe their ideologies. In Westworld the producer it's the audience to be positioned in an enigmatic narrative which is successfully done through the shift in protagonist and genres. In The Jeremy Kyle Show the producer is also successful as they are able to position the audience with Kyle and take entertainment form the guests. Finally in Blue Planet II the producer wants the audience to be positioned with the mother walrus which again is successfully done, by using different shot types and suspenseful music.
Thanks Ellie for this excellent response. In order to improve, I strongly suggest exploring why the producer uses such explicit positioning techniques. By and large, we can argue that the producer utilises their own ideologies to manipulate the hegemonic values of the audience. This can be done for a number of different reasons.