Pr2 Audience response

Aarran TinsleyUnit 6Pr2 Audience Responses

PR2: Audience ResponsesPR2: Audience Responses

In this article I am going to explain different types of audience theory and how to apply them when understanding how media audiences respond to media products.

Uses & Gratifications TheoryResearchers Blumler and Katz published this theory in 1974 as people will use the text for a certain list of purposes or use as gratification. Diversion Which makes the the viewer escape from their everyday problems so if someone feels like there problems have gone away whilst watching certain media products. This is how the audience feels, like they are away from there problems and everyday life. This is how audience use a media text to recover from a day at work. Personal RelationshipsAudience will find media codes or a product that relates to there own lives. As they find happiness within media as something within that has an aspect to their lives. the audience will see something they have done in the codes and texts. Personal identity

Is when the viewer will find themselves within the text and learn their values and impact on their behavior. Do something because of what they have seen within the media. As the action will be personalized to every individual watching and seeing.

SurveillanceAudiences will spot something they like or enjoy EG music from film and will go out and buy products from that band or will follow a director and look at screen plays from that person.

Encoding and Decoding Model (Hall)This theory is encoded by the makers of the product it is then decoded by the viewer who is watching. As Stuart Hall says the sender doesn't set the meaning for the media text so every viewing is different as it all depends on different factors. Hall theory of encoding and decoding can then have extended into reception theory as Hall says that all theses factors can influence an individual view on a media product. Age as people's opinion changes as they get older as some people will see media codes from another point of view. As they get old due to the times they grow up in their views can stay within the period they developed. As the world changes their view point stays the same. Also other factors can influence us such as having a family and having responsibilities. Gender Men and women will have different views as they will talk about different matters with their friends so all this depends on the person so there reading can be mixed. But mostly different. Social background People opinion is different depending on how much money they earn and where they live. Because what is going on in their areas and the people they talk too. Plus, the places they visit and dine and place they work at. Cultural background

Aarran TinsleyUnit 6Pr2 Audience ResponsesDepending where somebody comes from and which peer groups they are from. If they are part of a certain religion as people have a different views and will judge media text based on these views.

Political views what political party they support and what the viewer stands for example if they have conservative views or have a strong connection with a party. Circumstances of exhibition The way somebody has been told to view film was a reason or might not know a lot about what they are about to view.

Halls insist that all of the above factors can influence a reading of the text so the viewer can have a wide variety of views on one media text. As producer can see all kinds of reactions. As there is a relationship between both the text and audiences. All of this can impact if somebody has a reading preferred, negotiated, oppositional.

PreferredThe way the producer wants you to see the media text and watch the film. Pay the money and buy the DVD. Liked whole set up and the work the director has done. NegotiatedAudiences enjoyed the media but did not fully agree with the message that was being put across. OppositionalThe audiences didn’t like the media and contemplate the codes and messages being spread from viewing the media product that has been made. The Hypodermic ModelThis audience theory dates from the 1920s as it out of date for modern times the theory imposes that that people react to codes in media the same that violent films will make people want to be to commit a violent act. So it suggests that the viewer will view the media text and will not challenge the producer message that he has set. This was the first time that someone showed how the viewer reacted to mass media. The problem with this model is there is nothing to challenge the data that everyone will think the same. So the senders have control of all the reactions. As the theory doesn't take into account somebodies age or personality or age into account. This takes what messages the media text is sending and assumed that everyone will take the information the same. Fight Club The director of Fight Club is David Fincher who was born August 28, 1962 October 15, 1999 was the release date in the United States. Fight Club was distributor by 20th Century Fox who are based in Century City, Los Angeles. It was given an 18 by the BBFC. There was an uncut version of the film put on a DVD which was banned from cinema. The film is about depressed man who suffers from insomnia. Meets a soap sales man and finds himself in an old abandoned house. Setting up a fight club where men are fed up of there image. The film has many different plot twist as the viewer is working out what is going on at different times of the film.

Aarran TinsleyUnit 6Pr2 Audience ResponsesAlexander WalkerThe initial response to the Fight Club was a very oppositional as a famous film critic from the London evening standard called Alexander Walker had watch the Fight Club he found that the film "a toxic experience ... an inadmissible assault on personal decency ... and on society itself. It resurrects the Führer principle. It promotes pain and suffering as the virtues of the strongest. It tramples every democratic decency underfoot." He mentioned that the film was totally barbaric that it should be banned right away. This could have been because of the critics age as he was 69 so he felt it wasn’t to his values. This could have also been due to his Political views as he had and very conservative views. As Halls states in his theory theses factors can impact someone views on a film. As he is using the Hypodermic Model which says the reading and codes from the media text will make younger people go out and have a fight club and commit violet acts to each other as the Hypodermic Model says that people will not challenge and do as the media. This is a how Alexander Walker thinks of Fight Club. He also stated that it can bring up something called the Fuhrer principle which was very strong use of words because the definition on this is The Fuhrer Principle was a very simple concept. Rudolf Hess probably best summarizes the Führer Principle when he said in a public speech: “Hitler is Germany and Germany is Hitler. That wicked acts can happen because of Fight Club. BBFCAs for BBFC the there was a very mixed view on Fight Club as some had some oppositional and some Negotiated views from the BBFC film critics due to the worry about men setting up their bare knuckle fight clubs so they made the uncut version classified due to the bloody violence. Some say that it was ok at 18 but the final decision was due to BBFC guidelines at the time Fight Club passed as an 18 with BBFC saying that "both of which, it was felt, focused on the pleasures of beating the faces of helpless victims to a bloody mess". As seven to six seconds was cut from each from two scenes. At the time I think Fight Club uncut was not given an 18 in 1999 due to Bloody strong violence and the way the film showed men brutally beating each other senseless. As it can give men the wrong idea of fighting and they think it may be a good thing. As the fighting has sounds to with the fighting in the USA it was given a R uncut due to the different cultures to the UK. Changes to the BBFC IN 2005.After 6 years the BBFC decided to change their guidelines changed which says "New BBFC Guidelines established the principle that adults should be free to choose their own entertainment, within the law, and it was considered that there was nothing in Fight Club that was in breach of UK law, or felt to be harmful". This means that it is up to the person watching the media product if they wish to see it as long that it does not break UK law it is up the viewer what they want to see. As for the reaction the BBFC they say in the UK there no clear indication that Fight Clubs was made because of the film but in the USA there was reports in the press. Which shows BBFC was right to cut the film in 1999 as it was an unknown what would happen in 1999. But there was no strong evidence to back this up in the USA.


Fight Club surveyIn question one I asks if the age of the audiences doing the survey was 10 people was 16-24 and one person was 45-54 as Hall's theory this could impact the views on fight club as I have people who have seen the film as it has been out for 20 years. Plus, one person who was the right age for the film at the time who might have different views on Fight Club. Due to their Cultural background as the way we live and think is different to when Fight Club come out in 1999 as young people now are connected and have a very different views.

In question two I have asked the gender of the people watching from my Survey only 30 percent out of 11 people was female and 8 percent was male. As from Halls theory this can change the overall outcome of mine as Fight Club was mainly a male film. As the media texts that come of it are more aimed at men than women as it's all about men and fighting and standing up to men turning feminist by caring how they look rather than being manly. This could link into Encoding and Decoding Model (Hall) as they get there reading from gender and their social backgrounds. Plus, Uses & Gratifications Theory as if somebody dose a combat sport they can have a personal relationship to the film as they enjoy fighting parts. This question can link into as 16-24 males watching might give a different reading. They are the generation linking in most due to there image.


In question three I have asked where did you first hear about fight club and the response I have got was 9 members say world of mouth as it is such a famous film. So, this can link into Encoding and Decoding Model (Hall) under Circumstances of exhibition, as many people have talked about fight club by praising Fight Club, so it may influence audience think that they can change my view on the film. How they intake the media text. They know that the film is judge good therefore have a high hype and expectation of the media texts. The 1 person who had found out via social media would have been due to their uses and the other found out on TV so this could have been view on ITV

In question four I have asked did you know about the film before viewing in class?10 people of my survey said yes and only 1 person said no this would link into Encoding and Decoding Model (Hall) as Circumstances of exhibition as like in question three which is they have been sold the hype and will preconceive expiration of Fight club as it been most list for the finest film ever. As for the 10 members they will have a different idea and will going into experience unknown of what the film is about.


In question Five I have asked Rate the film on a scale of 1-10 1 meaning you didn't like Fight Club 10 meaning you liked Fight Club a lot.From this answer got a very mixed response as 2 out of 11 have said a 4 which would mean they have an oppositional which means these two people didn’t like the producer and director message that has been sent out in the media codes. 1 person had said a 5 as this is in the middle and the low rating could have been due to the Circumstances of exhibition as this was within class and was not the audience choose to view Fight Club. Also the gender is factor as in the individual sector the females rated Fight Club a low score with an oppositional reading. Meanwhile the males who took that took the survey give Fight Club a 7 with 2 people giving the film a 7 and two an 8 which would be a Negotiated reading as the audience enjoy the movie but did not like other texts Fight Club had given off. For the rating of 9 and 10 this would be a Preferred reading as they really liked the film and will agree with the codes within. As all this will link into halls Encoding and Decoding Model (Hall). This would also have connection to the Hypodermic Model as people who scored film a 10 as they like the film and like the messages from Fight Club. As they rate all aspects.


In question six I have asked What is your judgement of the brutality in the Film?The response I have got is a mostly a view as out of 11 individuals 9 have said that I feel that just right for the context and matters as they the audience think it should have been there but from other the answers they made out that it can be too much at times. One person said that It was right to be there in terms of context, but I didn't like it. This is a negotiated as they liked the film but the fighting was too much at times. Then other 1 person had said I feel there was too much. This an oppositional reading as they did not like the brutally. As they don’t like the texts that come from the film. Feel offended by the brutally.

In question seven I have asked What did you like about film or dislike?In this question I found that the audience had a mostly negotiated view as a small number of the individuals said that they enjoyed the plot twist but not the amount of bone crushing combat. The narrative and visual style was strong and an element I really enjoyed. I also enjoyed the performances of the 3 main characters. The violence was excessive in parts. As from this response the audience as from this opinion is mostly negotiated due to the film brutally. Others had a very oppositional view on Fight club because of the confusing and one member of audience even said that it made the film was boring. I originate that all females who took my survey said they didn’t like this has backed what I have said in question two.


In question eight I have asked What type of reading did you get from Fight Club? Out of 11 audience members I establish that 5 said they had a preferred reading as they I agree with the film's political subtext and how men are looked upon this relative to the Uses & Gratifications Theory as they will link how they feel in real life Personal identity as how they are looked option and how men have changes in life. The audience will seek relation if they like or do a combat sport and like the combat fragments of Fight Club. Three have thought they like the story but did not like which made them change their view from Preferred to Negotiated due to the powerful messages as some of audience found the combat to be too much in parts. As in halls theory this could be down to somebody social background. Then the spectators who choose oppositional as they didn’t like the fighting parts and the story and even so far to say Fight club was boring. Another reason why a person does not like the fighting is due to personal experience of seeing violence between parents or suffering violence in a relationship.


In question nine I have asked Did you feel that the film Diverted you in anyway?Eight audience members out of a 11 have picked yes as they have explained that was hooked in part of the film and enjoyed the performances of the 3 main characters, as well as the narrative and visual style. This states that they have forgot their problems for the two hours Fight Club is on for the 2 hours by linking to the Uses & Gratifications Theory which tells producer what uses individuals have on media products. Other 3 have said no they have not.

In question 10 I have asked Were there any elements of the film that you might use for surveillance? In my responsive I establish that 7 found elements that they could use for surveillance as they used the dust brothers and looked up the director and the screen play and some of his other work as they acquired records and from the bands who was in Fight Club and went to see other movies by the director so they have used the media product for their own use this what’s is called Uses & Gratifications Theory. The other 4 members said no they might not be an admirer of the music.


Education

Pr2 Audience response