Audience Effects Theory

Passive Audience:

A passive audience is an audience that takes in any information fed to them by the media and they don't think to question it.

Active Audience:

An active audience is an audience that listens to the media but is able to question it and formulate their own opinion on the topic. 

Hypodermic Needle Theory:

The hypodermic needle theory is the suggestion that audiences are always passive and are pretty much injected with what the producer intended to get across. Everyone believes the same thing about the media product/text meaning there is no individuality. In the 1930s it was said that the media was this influential. 

Information/Surveillance
Weather App:
This app allows us to know whether or not we need to wear a coat, bring an umbrella or to leave these things at home as it tells us how hot/cold it is and if it's raining/sunny. This is possible thanks to the surveillance that satellites are carrying out which allows for accurate predictions that help to fend off against any weather. 

Identity
Clannad After Story (Anime):
This anime allows the audience to relate to the characters as it is quite realistic going into the struggles of being a single parent after losing your wife and then losing your child. I think that people who have experienced these kind of hardships would be able to relate to the pain felt by the main character. Not only this but having to work a lot in order to have enough money to pay rent and buy food is also difficult and a common problem in today's society.


Diversion/Entertainment
Kyoukai no Kanata/Beyond the Boundary (Anime):
This anime gives the audience some escapism as the story itself is so far off from real life that it completely distracts you and drives you away from reality. Not only that but the interesting plot and storyline is quite engaging in itself causing the audience to remain entertained. The fact that one of the protagonists is able to draw a sword with her blood is hard to believe because first of all losing so much blood would cause you to feel faint or even die and so even being able to swing the sword to fight is unimaginable especially since it reverts back to normal again. 

Relationships
Naruto/Naruto Shippuden (Anime):
This anime allows the audience to form a strong relationship with the characters as it is a long running show that has 720 episodes, not including movies and so watching the characters grow and develop creates a strong bond with them. Due to this, if something bad were ever to happen to these characters the audience would be greatly affected by this due to the relationship that they have with each other. Thanks to this long-running anime the sequel, Boruto, has many viewers just for the sake of seeing the characters from the original Naruto.


Blue Planet Analysis
Vicarious Pleasure:
Diversion/Entertainment:
Information/Surveillance:
This Blue Planet video includes vicarious pleasures as through the cameras we, the audience, are able to be apart of the undersea world and experiencing the life of undersea creatures. This allows the audience to feel excitement as they see a world not usually seen from a human's perspective. The use of diversion provides the audience with some escapism as they are taken away from reality and are instead invited to a completely different world. Additionally, the use of surveillance teaches the audience new things about certain sea creatures and the sea itself, causing them to become more knowledgeable and well-informed. 

Reception Theory

Preferred Reading:

Preferred Reading is how the producer of the product/text intended for it to be interpreted as to the audience or the main point that the producer wanted to get across to the audience.

Oppositional Reading:

Oppositional Reading is how the audience interprets the product/text which is not what the producer intended to get across. In other words it is when the point of a product/text is misinterpreted/misunderstood by the audience usually due to their own ideologies.

How does the Harry Brown trailer position the audience to respond to the teenage characters in the film?

The Harry Brown trailer positions the audience to respond to the teenage characters in the film as though they are aggressive, violent, a threat to society, dangerous and needing to be taught a lesson. This creates fear in the minds of the audience which will most likely cause them to feel relieved to see them being disciplined.

Why might young people reject this reading and construct an oppositional reading of the trailer?

The oppositional reading for the Harry Brown trailer is that young people are violent, aggressive and dangerous which isn't the case at all. This shows that young people are being unfairly portrayed which will most likely offend young people as they are being shown in a bad light. This suggests that older people are portrayed as the ones that carry out justice and are innocent. I think that young people would reject this reading because they are trying to be shown in a negative way which is causing the public/society to be afraid of them. Despite the fact that there are a lot of young people that are trying their bests to prove themselves and yet things like this are almost rejecting them which is why they would also rejecting this reading as well
.

Write a 200 word analysis of the McDonald's advert using preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings.

Preferred Reading:

The preferred reading that the producer of this advert was intended to get across was that the new (at the time) McDonald's Big Mac was an amazing 'sandwich' that would not only fill you up but also satisfy your taste buds. A burger such as this would look very appealing to an audience, especially to Explorers as they are always wanting to try new things. I also think that the producer was trying to get across to people that work a lot and might not have time to eat that something like this would be perfect as it's filling and easy to eat or carry around thanks to takeaways.

Negotiated Reading:

The negotiated reading of this advert is that the burger is in fact filling and tastes delicious although it is unhealthy and we shouldn't consider it as a meal. The burger itself is quite large in size and so although it may look like a meal it certainly isn't something your body should be intaking on a daily basis. To this audience I think that they can understand that McDonald's is just trying to advertise their product to possible customers but by making the burger seem as though it is good enough to eat on it's own and can be classified as a meal is wrong. 

Oppositional Reading:

The oppositonal reading of this advert that the producer did not intend to get across is the fact that by telling the audience that it is a meal and disguised as a 'sandwich' causes them to believe that it is in fact a healthy option which isn't the case. Usually, when we hear the word sandwich we associate it with healthy things that aren't very fatty whereas this is actually a burger which can be classified as a sandwich but in this case is used to make it seem healthier than it actually is. Also, calling it a meal makes it seem as though it is alright to have on a regular basis and can be considered as your lunch/dinner which won't be good for the body. I think that the audience would be angry at this as advertising something with so many calories as a good thing is sure to increase the number of obese people in the country even more than it is. I also think that to some audiences it would be insultive as there are many fighting for healthy eating and trying to ban foods like these and so it is almost rejecting their efforts. Vegetarians would also feel attended due to the fact that seeing a burger advertised in such a delicious looking way may tempt them and would end up in upsetting them as they are not able to eat it.

Find your own advertisement and write a 200 word analysis using preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings.

My phone shows me which trains are deleayed.
I am f***ed

Preferred Reading:

The preferred reading of this advert is to allow the humour of the advert to reach the audience making it more likely for them to install the app. I think that by using this kind of joke it creates a better relationship with the audience and the company most likely making the audience smile and causing them to spread the word to their own friends helping with publicity. I also think that it allows us to see the kind of situations that the app would be useful for and so it might appeal to audiences that use trains as a way of transport. 

Negotiated Reading:

The negotiated reading of this advert is that the audience understands the humour the producer was trying to get across but went a bit too far. I think that seeing the advert might make them laugh but not make them approve of the actual word used within the advert. Despite this, I think that the audience would be able to tell that the company didn't intend to target those with religious beliefs but rather just be funny. The thing that causes it to be misunderstood is the language used.

Oppositional Reading:

The oppositional reading of this advert is that the audience doesn't find the advert humorous and only offensive due to the language used. I think that some audiences would think that the use of such language was not relevant and was just unnecessary as it is not really advertising the app itself but is instead going a bit off topic. I also believe that the audience would think that not enough was said about the app itself or it's purpose and so the likeliness of you downloading it is very low. Additionally, to religious people such as Christians where swearing is considered as a sin which means that the advert itself goes against their religion.

GCSE Media Assessment Learner Response - Autumn 1: October

Mark

Total: 20

Grade: 6

WWW:

This is a brilliant start in Media - well done! The first 8 questions are close to perfection and show that you have learned and revised the key terminology. Now we need to add the depth and sophistication to open up the 7-9 grades we definitely need to be aiming for!

EBI:

Very simple: Q9. For the high-mark questions you need to develop extended paragraphs that use examples from Media products to illustrate your points. For an 8 mark question, you want a minimum of two well-developed paragraphs. 

Mark Achieved for each Question

Q1: 1/1

Q2: 1/1

Q3: 2/2

Q4: 2/2

Q5: 2/2

Q6: 2/3

Q7: 2/2

Q8: 4/4

Q9: 4/8

Q6: 2/3

I think that I did not achieve full marks on this question because I didn't mention enough of the conventions that I could see on the film poster. In addition I used the wrong terminology by saying 'slogan' instead of 'tagline'. 

Q9: 4/8

I think that I did not achieve full marks on this question because I did not write enough due to running out of time. I also didn't think about referring to other Media products in my answer which I think cost me a lot of marks that I could have had.

Wrong Terminology
Tagline rather than slogan on question 6.

Slogan: a short and striking or memorable phrase used in advertising.

Tagline: a catchphrase or slogan, especially as used in advertising, or the punchline of a joke.

Stronger Question

One of my stronger questions was question 8. I feel like I was able to go into great detail about the effect of the camera shot and was able to name what shot it was quite easily. I also knew exactly how to structure and commit my ideas to paper making it easier to answer the question and achieve the higher marks. 

Weaker Question

One of my weaker questions was question 9, due to running out of time and using the ideas I had in the first paragraph I was unable to write the extensive paragraphs I needed for a higher mark. In addition, it never occurred to me that I should include other Media products such as the WaterAid advert in front of me in my answer.

Question 9 Redraft

Why do charities use pictures of children in their advertising?

I think that producers for charities use children in their advertising in order to make the consumer feel sorry for the child. This is because seeing a child at such a young age struggling and not being able to do anything about it will make them empathise with the child. In addition, people believe that we should protect and look after children so seeing a child in need would make you, the consumer want to help them desperately. An example of this is in an actual Media product is the WaterAid advert a case where a picture of a child is utilised. In the advert the was a child looking at the camera in a place that looks quite dry and lacking in resources such as water. The fact that the child is looking at the camera with such a serious face causes the audience to feel as though the child is beckoning people to help him. I think that the producers planned this in order to raise more money for the charities and receive more help from more people. I also think that the effect of having a child by themself in such a desert area shows how vulnerable they are.

To add to this, I think that the image is quite recognisable to the audience as the location and common issue in that location is easy to link together due to the fact that lack of water is not unusual in such a dry place. Also, another effect of using a child in the image allows the audience to associate the child with innocence and cause them to feel sympathy for the child and what will be in store for them in the future. Not only this but those who have children themselves

Orange Shot-by-Shot Analysis

!!SPOILERS ABOUT THE ANIME ORANGE AHEAD!!

Orange - Kakeru's Death Original World Line

Credit to Telecom Animation Film

Shot 1 - Medium Shot (Debatably a Long Shot)

Why is it a Medium Shot (MS)?

Head is visible 

Feet cannot be seen

Waist can be seen

In this opening Medium Shot we can clearly see that there is only one character (Kakeru) and he appears to have dropped something that seems to be a cellphone. Based on the way the room looks, I would say that it is either his room or his Mother's room whom has already passed on. The fact that he is looking through packed boxes in a closet suggests that he is perhaps looking back on past memories of his or his Mother's. Also, seeing that the particular object that fell was a cellphone draws the audiences attention to the object and allows us to infer that this cellphone will have some significance later on in the scene.  

Shot 2 - Medium Close Up (Debatably a Medium Shot)

Why is it a Medium Close Up (MCU)?

Head is visible

The waist can be seen

The top of the shoulders are visible

In this Medium Close Up Shot we can see Kakeru's reaction to the fact that his Mother had actually written a response to his message when he said he wouldn't go to the hospital, it was just that she never sent it. The shock on his face, is most likely because he must have previously thought that she never read the message and if she did she probably ignored him. We can also see how eager he is to read what it says, shown by how close he puts the phone to his face with his head down and his use of two hands. This not only interests the audience but also causes them to want to discover the words Kakeru's Mother couldn't say and why she didn't send them.

Shot 3 - Close Up (CU)

Why is it a Close Up (CU)?

Characters face can be seen

Top of the shoulders can be seen

A little bit of background can be seen

In this close up shot we can see that Kakeru has now finally come to the realisation that his Mother wasn't selfish, everything she did was for his sake. Judging by the look in his eyes and the fact that he is crying we can tell that he is feeling some regret about how he treated his Mother and why he wasn't able to understand that all the things she did were for him. This causes the audience to feel sympathy towards Kakeru as he sometimes treated his Mother as an annoyance even on the last day of her life and so he never actually had the chance to apologise to her even upon finding the truth.

Camera Angle 1 - High Angle 

This High Camera Angle allows us to see that when Kakeru was younger and his Mother was still alive they were still having their fair share of hardships. The camera angle makes them look small and weak which greatly supports the fact that Kakeru's father was abusive as they weren't strong enough to physically fight back. In addition we can see that as Kakeru was so young he was not fully aware of the situation, this most likely caused him to believe that his Mother was the 'antagonist' and his Father was the 'victim'. The fact that he is holding on to his Mother like that suggests that he might want something, in this situation we can assume that this was for his Mother not to divorce his Father who he loved.

Camera Angle 2 - Low Angle

This Low Camera Angle shows how Kakeru has changed over the years, rather than clinging to his Mother looking vulnerable he looks stronger and much more capable. The fact that he is looking down at his Mother shows that at that time he no longer respects her anymore/has lost faith in her. Despite this the look on his face says differently, this probably that although he keeps up this act of hating her and seeing her as an annoyance he still has a little hope in her. In truth, Kakeru knows the way he is treating her is wrong but he is also unable to forgive her because at the time he did not know the reality of the situation. I think that the audience is able to tell that in Kakeru's heart he always believed in his Mother and will always regret the way he treated her and the words he was unable to say. 

Analyse the camera movement at two key points in the clip and write about why the director chose to use that camera movement.

Camera Movement 1

Over-the-Shoulder Shot

At this point of the clip, the camera movement is quite slow, this is to allow the audience to have a longer time to process what actually happened that caused Kakeru's Mother to be so controlling of him. Had the scene have been too short, a large number of questions would have been left answered which is another reason why the slow camera movement worked very well for this point of the scene. It was easier to understand with slower shots and a normal paced speaking narrator.


Camera Movement 2

Extreme Close Up

From the point where Kakeru leaves his home, the speed of which the camera movement passed increased considerably from before. This is to show the rate at which he wants to 'repent for what he's done'. Another effect that it has is that the audience will also be feeling the tension rise and hoping that he's saved somehow which unfortunately isn't the case. The change of the camera movement from slow to fast also lets the audience know the heaviness of this situation. 

Minority Report Shot-by-Shot Analysis

Shot 1 - Medium Close Up (MCU)

Why is it a Medium Close Up (MCU)?

Top of shoulders are visible

Waist is not visible

Head is visible

This Medium Close Up (MCU) allows us to see a few of the people that are chasing the main character which gives the audience a rough idea of what he's up against. Although we can't see all of the characters it is clear to see that the protagonist is outnumbered which causes the audience to lose hope and assume that he will be caught which will surprise them for what's to come. In the shot we can see that all the actors in this scene are wearing the same thing so we can infer that this is a uniform that they are most likely wearing for work. Their hats are quite similar to those we would see being worn by members of the army, this shows us that their jobs could have something to do with hostility. In addition the way they are positioned in this shot makes it seem as though the man at the front is the leader of them as the rest are just standing behind him and don't seem to play any important part in this scene. The fact that there are quite a number of them might make the audience feel intimidated.

Shot 2 - Establishing Shot (ES)

Why is it an Establishing Shot (ES)?

Can tell the characters position
Can't see the facial expressions of the characters
Can clearly see the setting

This Establishing Shot (ES) allows us to become familiar with the setting of which this scene is currently taking place. The current location appears to be quite deserted apart from the characters in the shot, this might be because they don't want to show what they're doing to the public and would rather carry out their task in private. The use of the car in the shot could imply that this scene might include someone trying to run/get away and will probably successfully due so as a car is very fast, this could be symbolism of some sort. Also, it looks as though one of the characters in the shot are running, this suggests some kind of action that might be developing in the scene.

Shot 3 - Close Up (CU)

Why is it a Close Up (CU)?

Can see the characters face

The whole top of the shoulders can be seen

A little bit of background can be seen

This Close Up (CU) allows us to clearly see the face of the character in the shot and understand what he's feeling/what is going through his head. Looking at his eyes, I can tell he is looking at someone and is most likely considering whether or not he is about to do something, most likely to be run away. His mouth seems to be making a smirk which supports the point that he might be planning to run and is probably confident that if he does so he will get away. In addition, the shadow covering the other side of his face could possibly suggest he's either turning into a bad guy or he's about to make a bad decision.

Why does the pace of the editing change in this sequence and what is the effect on the audience?

The pace of editing changes in this sequence to clearly show the contrast between the somewhat calm beginning compared to the large amount of action towards the end of the clip. This causes the audience to almost feel the change in the scene along with the editing and so it flows well and looks much better to the audience. This is because if we were to be watching an action filled scene with slow editing, it would be boring and lose the excitement that you'd to feel.

A Reminder of Camera Shots and Angles

Camera Shots:

Establishing Shot (ES)/Wide Shot (WS):
Shows you where the scene is going to be set, characters appear to be small but you can tell their position.

Long Shot (LS):
Shows the character from head to toe and can see a bit of background.

Medium Shot (MS):
Shows the character from head to waist.

Medium Close Up (MCU):
Shows the character from head to the top of their shoulders.

Over the Shoulder (OTS):
Usually used to show 2 characters speaking. The back of the head of on character is seen near the corner and on the opposite is the other character so it feels as though you are there.

Close Up (CU):
Shows the face of the character

Extreme Close Up:
Focuses on one key feature very closely for example a zoom on the eye.

Camera Angles:
(As seen on official Media blog)


High Angle:

Makes subject look small and weak.

Low Angle: 

Makes subject look big and powerful.

Unusual Perspective:

Can be used to surprise the audience or show danger (e.g. looking down off a cliff)

Note: Sometimes the image might not be accurate and so it could be for example in between a medium shot and a medium close up. If you pick either one in an exam you won't get it wrong so long as you explain your reasoning behind your selection. Make sure to memorise these. 

Camerawork: Photo Storyboard

Establishing Shot (ES):

(Wide Shot)

This shot gives the audience an idea of the setting and where this storyboard will take place, in this case it is the fire escape stairs of a school. This also suggests that the characters within this storyboard are either students or teachers.


Over-the-shoulder (OTS):

This shot introduces the characters to the audience and suggests the relationship between the 2 characters. In this shot we can see that the characters are having a conversation between them, by the hand gestures we can infer that this could be an argument or they are trying to explain something in order to settle something.


Medium Shot (MS):

This shot shows that this discussion/argument is being continued and has now shifted to a different location - by the edge of the fire escape which could suggest danger. The 'X' above them also suggests that their opinions are clashing and that there is no understanding between them hence the circle in the middle.


Long Shot (LS): 

This shot shows that the interactions between these 2 characters has escalated and one of them is now carrying out the act of pushing the other off the fire escape. The sudden shift in the atmosphere would most likely cause the reader to feel some kind of shock.


Close-Up (CU):

This shot makes it clear to the audience that this character did not survive the fall and that he was pushed off rather than jumping off himself.


Extreme Close-Up (XCU):

This shot just further confirms the fact that this character was killed and fills the audience with fear and shock.


Medium Close-Up (MCU):

The fact that the character's clothes aren't straight also suggests he is dead as usually you would fix this. In addition, another characters foot can be seen in the image, this creates tension for the audience as we don't know who this character is and what they will do upon stealing the body.


Unusual Perspective: 

This camera angle allows us to see both of the characters from above to allow us, the audience to clearly see what is currently happening. Here we can see that the boy actor is dead and the girl is now coming to terms with what she has done.


High Angle: 

This camera angle makes it seem as though he is weak which represents the fact that he is dead.


Low Angle: 

This camera angle gives us greater understanding of what is happening within this scene.