LO6 Regulation and media effects (PASSIVE/ACTIVE AUDIENCE THEORY)

- This question is worth 20 marks.

- I will spend at least 40 minutes on this question.

- Question 9 or 10. 

- I have to debate, Passive and Active audiences (positive and negative impacts).

- 10 marks is a Level 2 basic. 

- 16-20 marks is level 4.

- Unlike Q6, this will be a quote. We have to argue for and against. 

My example MUST be recent. 

Reasons for complaining about Nicole Scherzinger on the X-Factor (2019):

1- Effects on children

2- Pre-Watershed (7pm Saturday)

3- Choice of mine en scene

4- Choice of gestures was revealing and provocative.

Negative: promiscuous behaviour of a female, young children may mimic gestures and costumes, they may see her as an ideal self (Carl Rogers 1980).  It also reinforces Mulvey's theory of women as an object for men. It also promotes unrealistic beauty standards for women and could be damaging to a young impressionable audience.

Positive: An example of a post-feminist woman, using her image to be dominant and make money. It's female empowerment; it's inclusive in showing variety of women controlling the stage. 

PASSIVE AUDIENCE THEORY

Adorno/Packard (1979)

Hypodermic syringe- media has a negative impact. In 1940-50s the mass media were perceived as an extreme influence. This is patronizing as it perceives the audience as very impressionable mindless sheep. 

Craig Anderson (2007)

We are overexposed to violent content and have become desensitised to it. The danger is that we will not react accordingly to violence in real life scenario. Focus on mise en scene, violence, gestures, props. Is this violence emphasized by incidental music. However, Chris Ferguson (2012) agrees but there is no long-term link. 

Gerbner & Gross (1979)- Cultivation theory

We believe what we see in TV and film. The more we watch the more blurred the line between fiction and reality becomes. The media cultivate these messages that aren't real. 

In terms of violence this is called 'mean world syndrome'. The more people are told by news and TV that the world is violent the more likely they are to believe it. 

Cohen (1972)- Moral Panic

The media is very good at feeding into social issues and social worries. When the 'mass media' demonize groups, people or products that they believe become a threat to society, values and interests. E.g. abortion laws in America, beauty standard etc. 

Butler 1993- representation of gay people. They are stereotypical.  

ACTIVE AUDIENCE THEORY

Gauntlett (1995)

As an active audience member we are able to filter and adapt our media content. We can separate the good from the bad, we are intelligent enough to know not to copy everything we see on screen. Where in my product can an active audience member filter and adapt what they see on screen? In House Of The Dragon, the active audience can recognise that slicing someones head in half because they oppose you is morally incorrect as the explicit violence is within a fantasy realm.  

McQuail (1972)

We use media to fulfil different uses. There are 4; 

1) Surveillance- learning about the world, where in my product is awareness raised?

2) Escapism- using media products to escape reality, Dragons and fantasy world.

3) Personal Identity- (linked to Rogers 1980 ideal self/partner), antiheroine Rhaenyra overcomes misogyny: progressive and post feminist.

4) Social interaction- audiences build relationships with people talking about media products. Gives advice or receive advice. Audiences could talk about practical effects and CGI.  

Rick Altman (1999)

Genres offers pleasures.

Visceral- violence of the world

Emotional- 

Intellectual-

Stuart Hall (1980)

Encoding/decoding model.

Preferred reading- what does the producer want you to understand. audience accept the most transparent meaning following the dominant viewpoint/ideology/story: Injustice of women within society and hierarchy and how women are mistreated by the world. 

Negotiated reading- partially agree with meaning but make their own opinions

Oppositional reading- understand what the product is about but you don't agree with it at all.

BBFC Age Rating of 'House Of The Dragon'

BBFC (British board of film classification)- The UK age rating for my product House Of The Dragon fluctuates between episodes. Episode 1 and 4 are rated 18, whilst episodes 2, 3, 5-10 are rated 15. These ratings are accurate as explicit violence, gore and sex and nudity are shown on screen in the episodes rated 18. An example of this is when the Queen is giving birth and receiving a non consensual emergency C-section whilst she is still awake. The scene is bloody and distressing and results in the death of the mother and child. Whereas the episodes rated 15 feature a reduction of gore, sex and nudity. 

LO3: Representation Theory

 Representation Theory 

1) Gender representations- stereotypical/challenged

2) Ethnicities 

3) Character types: damsel, antagonist, heroic protagonist, underdog/accidental hero.

4) Class status: rich vs poor

5) Locations

6) Zeitgeist: spirit of the times. 

Representation theory: how we are re-presented (i.e. over and over again) People + places.

Ideal self/ideal partner: Carl Rogers 1980 -"Is about how characters are mediated (didn't happen by accident, set up on purpose) as a role model or attractive to appeal to an audience."

Exam Questions 

6*- Analyse how the production techniques are used to create meaning in a media production have studied. (12)

6*- Analyse the concept of 'representation' in a media product you have studied. (12) 

6* Halfway through the paper. Second question I should answer.

(12) Second biggest question in the exam. I should take 20 minutes on this question. 

Analyse Giving examples and explaining the meaning in you chosen product.- Effect on the audience and why. 

production techniques my examples. Mine en scene, camerawork, editing, sound. I should talk about multiple (3) to show I understand different micro elements/media language/production techniques. 

create meaning Buzz words: connotes(what it implies)/denotes(what you see and hear), enigma, verisimilitude, tension, empathy, spectacle. 

representation 

KEY THEORY 1: Tim O'Sullivan et al. (1998)

For representation two work, there has to be a shared recognition (audience can recognise the character type) of people and places. All representations therefore have ideologies behind them (ideologies are a set of ideas which produces a partial and selective view of reality e.g. religion, evil being punished).

Themes: society doesn't stop to help people, don't let the 'shadows' of your life define you, overcoming odds, good vs evil, finding support in the ones you love, love. 

Good vs evil: mise en scene in the climax is used with the costumes of the underdog and antagonist. The HP wears blue which connotes calm and serenity in the storm, whereas the antagonist is wearing a red suit which connotes evil chaos and danger. 

Finding support in the ones you love: In the scenes where both protagonists are together, slow and calming incidental music plays to connote how 'at peace' the characters are when they are together in an otherwise hectic world. It connotes the theme of love being able to overcome evil and how it is best to find support in the ones you love and trust. 

KEY THEORY 2: Richard Dyer (1983)

Audiences would question the representations they see in media texts. What does the representation imply? Is it typical of the world or deviant? Is it stereotypical or atypical?

Cassie is a strong black female side protagonist. This is shown in the dialogue she has with the central antagonist in the climactic moment of the movie. Even when being threatened she stands up for the underdog character and threatens the (shot reverse shot and dialogue)

KEY THEORY 3: Laura Mulvey (1975) 

Male gaze. Women are objectified in media texts and passive objects. Audiences are positioned to view the women from the point of view the women from the point of view of a heterosexual male. 

Cassie challenges the idea of the male gaze- her gestures in miss en scene and the way she dresses and acts is post feminism. It shows how she is strong and independent and doesn't exist to serve men or constantly looks for validation form male characters. 

KEY THEORY 5: Stuart Hall (1995), Alvarado (1987)

Western/white cultures continue to misrepresent ethnic minorities as in the media due to underlying racist tendencies.  e.g. non-white as 'the other', evil, barbaric, pitied, humoured. 

'the other'- challenged by having Cassie dominate the scene and be a stark juxtaposition of the shy, introverted white underdog Luke. However she also conforms to the stereotype by having much less screen time than Luke. 

Evil- challenged by having Cassie be the 

KEY THEORY 6: Earp and Katz (1999)

Men have a pathological need for control and violence. 

The two central characters Luke and Daniel heavily juxtapose one another. Antagonist is violent loud and confident, who eventually fights the protagonist for power over his own body. This is contrasted by the underdog protagonist being shy and introverted.

Mise en scene: angry man uses a sword: connotes brutality.

We live in a society that is post feminist. Cassie is resourceful and uses a box cutter to fend for herself. 

LO3: Sound

 Sound: 

OVERVIEW- As with the other micro elements/ media language, sound creates ALOT of meaning: especially EMOTION from the audience. Sound helps the audience feel a certain way /EMOTION. 

Common emotions from sound:

-Fear

-Empathy

-Enigma (suspense)

-Sorrow/pain

-Tension

- Creates Spectacle (excitement)

Two categories of sound: 

DIEGETIC (natural sounds of the diegesis) it is heard by the characters and the audience.

An example of diegetic sound is dialogue; what characters say and how they say it. This is important to emphasizing their character: "I am the abyss" "you may as well cut your own head off"

Another example of diegetic sound is 'sound effects'. These are single sounds that are heard to create verisimilitude (realism). Revving of a car engine, beeping of horns and screeching of tires create a sense of urgency and tension. 

These can also include diegetic voice overs (character within the world giving the voice over).

Another example is a sound bridge: Music/dialogue that starts in one scene and carries on into another scene. 

NON-DIEGETIC is sound that only the audience can hear. It is added during editing.

This is often used to emphasise the action on screen. Non-diegetic sound is often music, where pace and tempo play an important role in the scene (how loud and fast the music is). The faster and more beats in a song has a physical effect on the audience and increases heartrate. Car chase: very fast paced music, loud up tempo to reflect the car chase. It connotes urgency and adrenaline of the scene. 

Examples of non-diegetic sounds are soundtracks (music/lyrics), incidental music (music without words. PACE, TEMPO, PITCH) and sting (very high-pitched single sound, usually starts at the beginning or end of an enigma). 

KTA 6 Camerawork analysis.

 Camerawork Analysis- ‘Daniel Isn’t Real’  .

Shot types: 

Close up: 

Close ups are usually used to show significant detail or character emotions. In this close up, its denoted use is to show the protagonists’ fear. It connotes that our protagonist is at a very low point and signifies to the audience that we are at the stereotypical disequilibrium of the movie and are coming close to the third and final act. The shot also lingers uncomfortably close to the character's face for a few seconds. This makes the audience feel the discomfort and terror of the protagonist and makes us fear what will happen next.  

 

Long shot: 

 
Long shots help to show off the environment and location to the audience. In this shot we see our protagonist wandering uncomfortably at the end of the corridor. The denoted meaning of the shot is to show that our protagonist is in a strange new environment that he doesn’t understand, but the connoted meaning is that our protagonist isn't marching through the hallway and guiding us (the audience) through the fear but instead is scared to continue and wants to head back. This challenges the audience's idea of a heroic protagonist and instead presents us with a much more realistic, relatable character and makes the audience want to see him overcome his fear and succeed. This shot also helps to unnerve the audience and creates tension and suspense as we can't see what is behind us/down the branching paths of the corridor. 

 

 

 

Angles: 

Low angle: 

 

The denoted meaning of this low angle is to show that the antagonist looks down onto the audience and protagonist. The low angle of the antagonist connotes the power and dominance they still yield at the resolution of the movie, this isn't stereotypical for a resolution and makes the audience question who won the final battle between the protagonist and antagonist.  

 

Canted angle: 

 

After losing the final fight between him and the antagonist of the movie Daniel, Luke falls onto the edge of the building and laughs. The canted angle used in this shot disorients the audience and captures how Luke must feel dangling upside down off a building. The angle also connotes the uneasy feeling of being so close to death and how odd it is that Luke is seemingly happy during this moment. The use of the high angle in this shot also helps to connote the imbalance of power of the protagonist at the end of the movie. It challenges how the audience is supposed to be feeling and the stereotypes that the protagonist is supposed to succeed. 
 

 

Movements: 

Panning shot: 

The panning shot moving from left to right whilst the protagonist charges at the antagonist creates a sense of movement and action during the final battle, making it more intense and exciting for the audience to watch. The camera centering and following Luke in this scene as he charges at the antagonist (who he has always tried to hide from) connotes the journey his character has been on and how he has grown as a person which creates further excitement for the audience. This is stereotypical for the resolution of the movie where the protagonist is able to stand up to the antagonist, it is what the audience want and expect to see in the resolution of a horror film. 

 

Tracking shot: 

 

After finding the dead body of his therapist, Luke walks through his house as the camera follows closely behind him in a tracking shot. This makes the audience feel as though they are right in the scene with Luke and helps to build tension and suspense after an already tense scene, especially as something is seen lurking in the shadows of the house. The camera following Luke connotes his fear as he walks through his house, not knowing what could be around the corner. The use of this long, tense scene after an already previously tense scene builds up more and more suspense, creating the feeling of terror that is stereotypical of horror movies and what the audience expects and wants to see in the movie.