Audience Profile

 

 

 

Audience Theories

 

 

The Uses and Gratifications Model

 

 

This theory suggests that the audience are active when consuming a text, film, or television program. The audience use the media for their own pleasure, for example, diversion, escapism or for information.

 

And because the audience is in control of their experience with media, they are able to use it for relaxation, emotional satisfaction, and help with issues of personal and social identity.

 

 

 

Reception Theory

 

 

This theory considers how texts are encoded with deeper moral meanings, and how they are understood by the audience. Audiences will either understand the deeper meaning/message, or they will misunderstand or reject the idea. The audiences view is described as either:

• Dominant- where an audience understands the meaning and generally agrees with it
• Negotiated- where an audience neither agrees, nor disagrees with meaning, or holds no interest
• Oppositional- where an audience understands the meaning, but rejects it, maybe because of cultural, political or ideological views they hold

 

 

 

Learning Comment:

 

I have learnt more about how media effects an audience, and how it can be interpreted by them, from the audience theories. So, I should take this into account when making my film opening sequence, to make sure the audience don't misunderstand it. I'm glad that we have clearly established our target audience, because it means we are able to direct our film opening sequence towards them, through things such as costume, age, the actors dialect and location.