Post Five. Audience Theory and My Short Film

Getting text to the audience. There are different theory's of how the producer gets the audience interested in there film with is called...
Effects Model- Looking at the relationship between text and audience.

Here are five theory's to show how its done, which have been developed over the years.

Hypodermic Needle Theory 1920's
Messages go straight from the producer to the audience. (Passive)

2 Step Flow 1940's
Message from the producer to the 3rd party to the audience. (Passive)
-Effects choices/ opinions of the audience
-Word or mouth
-Environment for film/ TV

Uses and Gratifications 1960's
Trying to reflect what the audience wants/ needs- What they get from the text. (Active)

Screen Theory 1970's
Semotics: -Study of sighs To create the preferred meaning
Structuralism- Study of formal structures they position the audience

Reception Theory 1980's- Stuart Hall
Encoding: What producers want the message to be. (Putting codes and conventions together)
Decoding: Breaking apart from codes and conventions to show what we want.

The established message between the media and audience in a negative way

'When something goes wrong the media get the blame'
For example the Jamie Bulgier case where two boys beat a young boy in a very similar way to a film. So it was criticised for part of the reason for this incident to occur. However there was in fact no factual information proving either of the two boys had even watch the film, was just an assumption. Video games are also another example as there have been incidences where people have tried to copy or impersonate one they have become so addicted to.

This leads to the question whether audiences are Passive or Active

Passive= a negative theory with issues of moral panic. Linked with the theory's where the text is planted through someone/thing to get to the audience.

Active= The full control of the audience.

However to what extent are we actually in control...

We can only see and listen to what is presented to us.

• Watershed, where certain programmes can be seen in certain time slots.
• BBFC. British Board of Film Classification.
• Pegi Ratings with computer games. Certifying how old a person should be to play a game.
• Ofcom who regulate TV, radio shows etc. (E.g. Big Brother and racism).
• Self regulating
• Parents
  

Although these factors restrain audiences to some extent, in the modern day there are many ways of getting around certain rules, such as allowing older people to get films of a higher rating for a child to young to purchase it themselves. Also people are much more relaxed about what they can do, in many cases ignoring the rule. For instance children with TVs in there room have the opportunity to watch what they want, when they want. Meaning that audience control is visible.

Key Words- How the audience read certain texts...

Preferred reading/ Dominant Hegemonic Position- The audience agrees with the preferred meanings.

Oppositional Hegemonic Position- The audience understands the preferred meaning but disagrees, based on their own believes and values.

Negotiated Hegemonic Position- The audience oppose or adapt the preferred meaning.

Aberrant decoding- The audience reads the text in a completely different way to the producer. (Usually after the event).

Moral Panic- When something goes wrong the Media is to blame.

Mode of address- Relying on the medium and genre.

Although some people disagree with the effects model, David Gauntlett for example.

These are his views on why the effects model is un-trustworthy.

1. The effects model tackles social problems 'backwards'.

-It does not think of the background information, plus stereotypes. For example just because you have a bad life doesn't always turn you violent. Also with desensitisation, e.g. showing dead bodies on the news, which would never have occurred in the past.

2. The effects model treats children as inadequate.

-Outlines that anyone under 18 is passive to any media text, which is disagreeable because some people wouldn't class a 16 year old as a child for example. It also stops the effect model from working.

3. Assumptions within the effects model are characterised by barely concealed conservative ideology.

- Saying civilised messages and meanings we are associated with. For example 'Everybody agrees that it's bad to view violence before 9pm'. Although does not take into account that may not be the view from everyone.

4. The effects model inadequately defines it's own objects of study.

-Meaning that is doesn't define itself very well, and in fact does not look at the good as well as the bad.

5. The effects model is often based on artificial elements and assumptions with studies.

-It is only based on opinion and assumption rather than fact. Plus the audience reaction is interpreted, therefore may not be 100% correct, especially as people react differently.

6. The effects model often based on studies with misapplied methodology.

-The way they do the research is not always thorougher as it does not look at all different angles, plus on occasion can contradict previous information they have already discovered.

7. The effects model is selective in it's criticism of media depiction of violence.

- The news shows violence as apart of day to day life that occurs around the world and is not criticised because they believe people should know what is happening. So why do they think that violence that appears in your average TV show is more likely to be copied. In which case why sensor it because people have easy access to it anyway.

8. The effects model assumes superiority to the masses.

-Everybody has a sense that anti social behaviour comes from the texts, but usually cannot see it within themselves. Therefore counteracts the theory.

9. The effects model makes no attempt to understand meanings of the media.

-Critics don't always look deep enough into the messages portrayed and can interpret texts in the wrong way. Therefore wiping out the underlining meaning.

10. The effects model is not grounded in theory.

-Simple actions are glamorised plus it only looks at the outcome rather than why it happened.

He is basically outlining that the effects model has not come to any factually proven results and is based on interpretation and assumption.

Analysis of Short Films for possible Audience Receptions

Does God Play Football

The 10 minute short films fallows the life of Tommy- a boy growing up without a father, so he prays for one which is delivered in the shape of the new local Catholic priest. Where we then get the impression from the mother he is actually, his real father.

The meaning is about how he fills in the emotional gaps in his life and explores spirituality through a child's eyes, yet blurs the line between fantasy and reality. This is the director- Mike Walker's opinion. However when I watched the piece I saw how the mothers life as a single parent has shaped the negative view the village have upon her, plus the instability of her sonlonging for a father and linking him to being God. I would say this piece is oppositional hegemonic position as you could get the message the producer is putting forward to you, that he uses God as a father figure but is clever in the writing as his father does end up being a member of the church, but at the same time could generate your own understanding. The obsession for football Tommy portrays could be seen as a simple underlying story, however it seems more of a religion to him, showing with negotiated hegemonic positioning. The positive reviews from a number of different age groups, show that the short film was a hit for the whole family with one comment titled, 'If only all short films could be like this'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zix3n-p_ubc

On a Life's Edge

The award winning short film conveys two men who are sent to rescue a woman poised on the edge of her 14th story balcony about to jump. But it soon becomes apparent that their intentions are far from straightforward. They appear like police men but in fact act like angels re-living people deaths until they enter the light.

The short film is very controversial throughout with a number of different twists and uses of the hegemonic theory. It makes you believe two different meanings of what the film is about, with the police then the angels. Although some people may believe it is morally wrong because it lightheartedly shows the death of a woman, and the men acting like what they do is a normal thing- oppositional hegemonic position. It is more likely to be classed as dominant hegemonic position as the audience know that the producers are putting forward the message not to hold on to past experiences and move on when you must. The film won two awards and was nominated for four showing it to be a popular choice, especially with adults as it may become to confusing for children to understand its purpose.

About A Girl

This nine minute short film focuses on the life of a 13 year old girl longing to be a pop star, who narrates her life throughout the film. Although she tells story's of her ordinary teenage life there seems to be an underlining, uncomfortable message of sadness as she speaks with such confidence. Among her light-hearted tales we come to a strange twist at the end where she throws a plastic bag into the canal, which we later see has a dead baby inside.

About A Girl is a very different approach of a short film from the others I have studied. It like many others shows the gritty reality that life can be, with hidden elements, secrets and messed up events. Whilst watching this film I immediately identified it as a documentary at the beginning with the title written on screen with a type writer effect and sound. The first image of the girl is a silhouette and she is singing and dancing, giving me the message she is a happy, innocent girl trying to per sure a dream. I believe the writer wanted to give you this positive view of her before identifying who she was and what goes on in the her life. This also gave me a very different idea about what the film was going to be about as I thought it to be positive and showing her to have a happy life, yet I was mistaken.

When the audience first identify the girl she begins talking immediately and we see that she seems very grown up for her age with swearing and speaking slightly commonly. As the film continues we start to see that when she begins to show emotion she shuts herself off and that when she is about to say something bad, which usually links to her father, it is shown by cutting to this scene. I believe the the writer wanted to show that she is very good at hiding things and can mask away the truth. This is later shown at the very end where the baby falls out of the bag she throws into the canal. This is a real shocker for the audience as you definitely do not see it coming. This is when the message is truly unveiled.

The first time I watched the piece I did not see the unhappiness this girl portrays and did not understand why she committed such an act because she seemed so positive in the way she spoke, this is because the story she tells is mixed with positive aspects of her life like pop idols and ice cream, which contradicts the gritty everyday experience she faces with family trouble and poverty, blocking out the true meaning. Although when watching it the second time came to my attention that she is very unsettled and disturbed by her experiences which make her so secretive and hidden. From my first understanding I thought the film could be oppositional hegemonic position as I did not see the need of putting the dead baby at the end. This is until I realised the true meaning. So although people may misread the message first time, the piece is still dominant hegemonic position as you do agree with the preferred meaning that she can hide anything from her mother as she has to go through life very independently, which means she can also hide elements of her life.

The films one the award for: BAFTA award for Best Short Film in 2001, Edinburgh film festival for Best Short Film, the TCM Classic Shorts prize at the London Film Festival- which is to invest and support new talent and take a role in nurturing classics of the future. Also the Jury Prize at the Raindance Film Festival. This proves it to be a very popular short film across the country with many people, plus shows the impact the actress Ashley Thewlis creates, and that it should be a well remembered short film in the future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL2z8Qzn1dc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/About_a_Girl_(film
http://www.festivalfocus.org/festival_view.php?uid=1311

My View

I heave learnt that the media is very good at manipulating an audience to get what they want, although this is not always a bad thing. The effects model, as Gauntlett says may only really be based on what people think, yet it is a good starting point to outline the relationship between the text and an audience and get you to think about how much control you actually have over the media. Although we feel we have a lot of control, we do not have as much as we think in that we can only watch what they produce and how they persecute it to us. Also with 'encoding' as they set the codes and conventions we must follow, though as an audience you do not realise. Whilst analysing those short films I came to the conclusion that films with a powerful meaning usually do better, and people enjoy the ones which contain an unexpected twist at the end. Whether it be positive, like the boy finding his real father, or negative with the girl carrying a dead baby in a plastic bag without anyone realising. Also that where you advertise your film is very important as you should target it to a specific audience related to the festival you show it at so they receive the best impression.