Unit 1 - Media Products and Audiences

Psychographics is a way of profiling audience members based on personal beliefs, values, interests and lifestyles.  Below gives you a comparison between this and demographics.

Founded by the major players in the UK television and advertising industry, BARB is responsible for delivering the UK’s television audience ratings. Since our formation in 1981, broadcasters, agencies and advertisers have collaborated in the governance of BARB as we fulfil three important purposes. Our viewing figures support decisions that are made in the making and distribution of television programmes. Our data inform the ongoing conversation about how broadcasters operate in the public interest and by prevailing legislation. Advertisers, agencies and broadcasters use our data to support the planning and buying of advertising campaigns and to assess the brand and sales outcomes of these campaigns. BARB’s research focuses on the following questions: Who is watching and who are they watching with? What are they watching? When are they watching? Which screen are they watching on? How did the content get to the screen? We deliver a 360° Audience View across linear channels and bro...

When we talk about a  mainstream  audience, we usually refer to the audience of a product with mass appeal and a large audience, such as blockbuster films,  etc. When we talk about a  niche  audience, we usually refer to a media product with  a   small/specific audience .    A magazine for something like model railways would be for a niche audience. Niche:

Representation of age, largely quite typical: state of business performed by adults, represented as mature, intelligent, authoritative, powerful. Shuri, teenage character: stereotypical in her somewhat emotional outburst (the stereotype of a reckless, spirited teenager) but also counter-typical in being involved in the scene and contributing to critical state discussion (part of representation in the winder film as highly intelligent). Some older leaders, seated - represented as less physically strong but represented typical.  Wakanda representation: Powerful Responsibility Independent  Proud Honourable Cautious  Highly developed Some typical African elements Alvardo stereotypes exotic - appealing blend of African cultural aesthetics. Killmonger - 'other' compared to the Wakandans, differing attitudes - can't understand/agree with their view.  Hateful/vengeful/resentful Violent  - in the way that he speaks Accent - American Wants power King in charge - the stere...

Manuel Alvarado’s theory of representation of ethnicity in the media (1987) identifies four main categories: Dangerous – plays on the fear of otherness (e.g. terrorist, threatening immigrant, a gang member. Exotic – plays on the appeal of otherness (e.g. wealthy foreign royalty, attractive jungle/desert ‘native’ etc) Pitied, the victim – partly because often the only time many foreign countries appear in our media is when they are suffering some disaster. It may also give a sense of superiority to the ‘other’. Humorous - encouraging us to laugh at representations of ethnicity. Earlier examples of this were often racist humour; more recent ones tend to present and subvert stereotypical terms of race and encourage us to recognise and laugh at stereotypes. Family guy has them all, Dangerous, Exotic, Pitied, Humourous.  

Misrepresentation of ethnicity is common. Theorist Stuart Hall argued that representations often focus on ‘otherness’, for example, emphasising difference or foreignness. Problematic:  Positive: Problematic:  Positive: Problematic:

 I n feminist theory, the male gaze is the act of depicting women and the world in the visual arts and in literature from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents and represents women as sexual objects for the pleasure of the heterosexual male viewer. Example of Male Gaze:

 Tessa Perkins's five assumptions: 1. Stereotypes are not always negative. (Women have natural mothering instinct) Stereotypes aren't always negative. When stereotypes are made although they may have multiple stereotypes, negative stereotypes are often dominant. 2. They are not always about minority groups or the less powerful,  People make the assumption that stereotypes are aimed at the lower class however this isn't always the case as the upper class can have stereotypes placed upon them. 3. They can be held about one's own group,  People can be part of a group which is collectively stereotyped. Within that group, although they share the same ideologies and values, individuals are then stereotyped based on our assumptions. 4. They are not rigid or unchanging,  It is tough to change a stereotype once it has been assigned to a person as it is not always based on a singular factor but many which as a collective create a stereotype. 5. They are not always false,...

Representation is how things are portrayed in the media. Groups of people (Social groups, determined by many factors, like gender, ethnicity and age) Issues (Specific topics, such as climate change, knife crime, drug abuse, and the economy.) Events (Things that happen, such as an election, royal wedding, flood or terrorist attack.) We can credit this idea, that different media products produce differing representations, to Stuart Hall, who wrote an entire book entitled Representation . So, Fox News and right-wing media represent Trump positively, while The New York Times and left-wing media represent him negatively. The same can be applied based on age, race, gender, etc. A lack of diversity among media producers tends to result in under-representation or misrepresentation of other social groups – women, the disabled, ethnic minorities, and people below or older than working age. The media industries are increasingly diverse and thus tend to represent a broader range of social groups i...

A tight community of protagonists  isolation contrast editing urban and deserted locations survival focus on the head to kill a zombie low lighting/low lit  Usually suburban setting well-lit and natural group of characters - often seemingly different for comedic purposes Exaggeration for humourous purposes Verbal comedy Physical comedy The use of camerawork is all level showing that the zombie is not more potent than the others, the camera angles are smooth and sharp showing the most interesting times in line with the music background.  The use of fast editing helps the flow of the characters with the music, with low lightning making the sense of horror and fear, along with the use of blood. The film 'Shaun of the Dead is a hybrid zombie horror and comedy film.  In the 'Don't Stop Me Now scene we see many of the genre conventions played out through all the micro-features we expect in filmmaking.  One convention is the use of lighting, with darkness being used to...

 Genres develop over time.  The change is split into stages:  Classical -  original piece developing the initial codes  Experimental – moving beyond the expectations from classic and introducing new, but logical elements.  Parody – Using comedic elements to change the tone, these were often used in the most unexpected places  Hybrid – fusing with other genres (In Order)

Neale believes that films of a type (genre, like romance or horror) should include features that are similar, so the audience knows it is a horror film or romance, but also include features that are different, to keep an audience interested.   Audiences like genres because: Allows them to make informed choices Allows them to understand a text more readily Offers familiarity and comfort Producers like genre because: Guarantees a degree of success Easier to target an audience Provides a toolbox for them to experiment with IT is like any other horror film but is based on a scary clown that lives in the depths, scaring a group of kids trying to live a normal life. The repetition is based on horror and how the clown is scaring/killing them, the difference being it does not follow the normal genre of horror and the story is played out differently.

The genre offers audiences ‘a set of pleasures’, such as: Emotional pleasures – does the text make the audience happy, sad, nostalgic, etc? Visceral pleasures – ‘gut’ responses, such as excitement, fear, and laughter. Intellectual puzzles – Does the text make the audience think? If you think about a genre such as horror, this will offer audiences the visceral pleasure of both excitement and fear, whereas crime or thrillers may offer an intellectual puzzle.     - Emotional  - Visceral pleasures - Intellectual puzzles

  "Using a media product you have studied, explain how one of the production techniques (either camerawork, sound or mise-en-scene) is used to support the narrative of the product" Non-dietetic introduces the scene, which is full of repetitive musical phrases that mirror the nature of Tamme's repetitive work, doing the same wrestling show repeatedly. Following the use of pleonastic sound, tablets and bottles, noises are emphasised in post-production, drawing attention to them as Tamme's coping mechanism. Next, the use of the sound bridge, the wrestler screams over scenes with Tamme getting ready this suggests that the riots also link to Tamme's plan. Finally, a diegetic sneeze cuts the music followed by Tamme swearing, emphasising the pain and letting the audience know she's seriously injured her back with the sneeze.

Todorov: Equilibrium: Tamme's daily routine of wrestling. Disruption: (Has already taken place) - back pain. Recognition: (has already taken place and is shown in the first shot) - knows she's in pain. Attempt To Repair: Self-medicating with wine and painkillers. New Equilibrium: injured back, following gradual deterioration and a sneeze. Definition: The straight cut — One of the most fundamental transitions to get to the next shot in the same scene. It's simply a transition from one shot to another, with no effects. Jump cut - An edit to a sequential shot that makes the action appear to leap forward in time. After the amount, the subject may appear in a different position or attitude, or the camera position may be slightly different. Four Editing Techniques Used: Montage Matched Cuts Jump Cuts Straight Cuts Camera Angles Pan down to close up - focuses on Tamme's face - establishes her as the main character (at least for this episode) Static code up on tablets a...