Thursday 23 March 2017

A2 Media project - audience responses

Throughout your upcoming Media Studies exam, you will be expected to discuss not only how producers target and manipulate their audiences, but also how audiences respond to and use media texts.

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!)


  • How important is the industry to your selected industry? Refer to your chosen texts in your answer.
  • How effectively is your selected industry regulated? Refer to your chosen texts in your answer.
  • How successful have your chosen texts been for their industry?
  • ‘Most media texts target a range of different audiences.’ How true is this for your chosen texts?
  • How have your chosen texts been constructed to appeal to their audiences?
  • To what extent have your chosen texts been affected by regulation issues?
  • With reference to your selected industry, explore the ways in which your chosen texts are marketed and/or promoted.
  • What different pleasures do your chosen texts offer audiences?
  • Explore the different ways in which audiences and/or users respond to your chosen texts.
  • To what extent is the success of your chosen texts dependent on stars and/or celebrities?
  • With reference to your selected industry, explore how far your chosen texts are global.
  • Explore how your chosen texts use digital technology in their marketing.
  • Assess the main advantages of the internet for your three main texts.
  • With reference to your three main texts, discuss the key features of their distribution.
  • Explore the different ways your three main texts attract their audiences.
  • How global is the appeal of your three main texts?
  • Discuss the audience appeal of your three main texts.
  • Explore the impact of regulation on your three main texts.
  • How effectively were your three main texts marketed?
  • ‘The main function of a media text is to entertain its audience.’ How true is this for your three main texts?
  • To what extent are stars and/or celebrities important to the promotion of your three main texts? 
  • Explore the different ways your three main texts target their audiences. 
  • Explore the different ways audiences interact with your three main texts. 
  • ‘Distribution is the key to success.’ How far do you agree? Refer to your three main texts in your answer.
  • What do texts offer audiences? Refer to your three main texts in your answer.
  • How do your three main texts use digital technology?
  • How do your three main texts position audiences?
  • To what extent are your three main texts global?
  • Explore the use of digital technologies in your selected industry. Refer to your three main texts. 
  • How is your chosen industry regulated? Refer to your three main texts. 
  • To what extent do your three main texts appeal to different audiences? 
  • ‘A global audience is important to media industries.’ Discuss this statement with reference to your three main texts.
  • Discuss the marketing strategies used by your selected industry. Refer to your three main texts. 
  • How important are high production values to your three main texts? 
  • Explore the different ways audiences respond to your three main texts. 
  • To what extent do your three main texts target a mainstream audience? 
  • Explore the different audience appeal of your three main texts. 
  • Discuss the importance of social media in the marketing and promotion of your three main texts. 
  • To what extent do your three main texts target a global audience? 
  • How important are digital technologies to the success of your three main texts?