Audience Pleasures

The battle of the christmas battles

1) What audience gratifications / pleasures are offered by the John Lewis brand? Consider all three adverts from 2014-2016. How are they similar in the pleasures they offer? How are they different?

Diversion: escape from everyday problems and routine - entertainment.

Personal Relationships: using the media for emotional and other interaction (e.g. developing affection for characters in TV)

Personal Identity: finding ourselves reflected in texts or learning behaviour and values from the media. Reality TV or documentary (Educating Yorkshire) are good examples.

Surveillance: Information useful for living (e.g. Weather, traffic news, holiday bargains etc.

In the John Lewis advertisements the audience pleasure that is offered is personal identity. This is because in the small period of time you can identify with the concept of the advertisement. The similarities of each advertisement is that it shows someone loving or showing someone/something that they care. Which is the main focus of the ad. Especially at this time of the year where we are going to want to be with the people we love so it provokes that emotion in the audience ad gets the to think about their loved ones. Each video is different in the sense that the story line changes each time. The first advertisement is based around two people then its about a person and an animal and then the last is focused on the animals. It is interesting to see how the story line plays out which could be a way of showing diversion in the advertisement especially since each advertisement is unique in its own way like how in the first ad the man is on the moon or in the second one where the penguin is a pet to the young boy, which isn't something you wouldn't usually see but the fact that its being showed in a common setting, it almost feel realistic.

1) Which do you think is the most appealing and why? Try to use some of our audience theory in your answer. 

I think that the advertisement that is the most appealing is the M&S advert with Mrs Clause rushing out to give the present because you don't generally see ads that have Mrs clause as the main focus which can be a way of creating diversion.

2) Are there any audience pleasures that two or more of the adverts have in common? Choose two examples to illustrate your point. 

The two adverts that share personal relationship are the coming home for christmas advert and the Sainsbury advert. This is because they both have the idea of being there for your family and their presence being a gift on its own.

3) Choose a different advert and identify the target audience for the advert. Answer in terms of demography and psychography. What tells you this?

I think the Aldi advertisement appeals to a younger generation and the older since the entire ad is presented as a cartoon however the main ideas of it - the food - target the older generation who are going to buy it. I think the psychography appeals more towards the mainstreamers since they are more likely to value money and go for the family brands which is what Aldi may try to present their products as.

4) Why do you think Christmas adverts, in particular, often use emotive language and narratives to appeal to a wide audience?

It appeals to a wider audience because at that time of the year the general feeling is love for one another and the main focus of the festivity is to show people that you care so in order to match with the atmosphere. The advertisements wood have to show a similar approach in what they are trying to display.

5) Choose an advert with a narrative and, just for fun, apply one of our narrative theories to it. Why does a narrative have a place in an advert? 

Aldi
In this an advertisement it shows that there are some enigma codes in whether the carrot will make it in time to see Santa. throughout the ad there are small action codes like when he scrapes his back on the grater and almost caught on fire when the candle falls. Another enigma code is what happens after the little carrot falls a sleep which is later answered when the audience sees that Santa used him to help the reindeer go faster.

Audience

Effects theory

Read Media Factsheet 030 - Media and Audiences -The Effects Debate and answer the following questions:

1) Complete the questions in the first activity box (beginning with 'Do you play violent games? Are you violent in real life?')

• I have seen some violent films and played violent games but i don't watch/play it regularly. I like to think i am not violent to that extent because i know the limits. i wouldn't hurt anyone unintentionally but if i was angry i have been known to break things.
• Not all the time. Advertisements don't always affect what i decide to buy but it helps me decide if one product is better than another.
• Not that i can remember

2) What are the four categories for different effects theories?


• Direct Effect Theories
• Diffusion Theories
• Indirect Effect Theories
• The Pluralist Approach

3) What are the examples provided for the hypodermic needle theory - where media texts have been blamed for certain events? 

• if someone watches violence, they will become violent or accept violence

4) What was the 1999 Columbine massacre? You may need to research this online in addition to the information on the factsheet.

• School shooting - 20 April
• 2 senior student 
• Murdered 12 students, 1 teacher
• Injured - 24 additional people

5) What are the reasons listed on the factsheet to possibly explain the Columbine High School massacre?

• Marilyn Manson
• Teenagers who felt like they didn't fit in and were left out
• hopelessness - high unemployment, economic disadvantage
• General desensitisation
• Ease of access to firearms and acceptance of gun ownership

6) What does Gerbner's Cultivation theory suggest?

• This theory suggest that its not about how the media effects our behaviour but how it effects our attitude to certain things. Its part of our socialisation and repeated exposure to certain things in the media makes it seem more normal to the audience.

7) How does this front page of the Daily Mail (from this week - Wednesday 16 November) link to Cultivation theory? The Mail Online version of the story is here.

This links to the theory because over time we as an audience have been socialised to think that the younger generation are always on some kind of technology. Also that women that are older want to look younger.


8) What does the factsheet suggest about action films and the values and ideologies that are reinforced with regards to violence?

• Violence for a ‘good’ reason is acceptable.
• Violence for a ‘bad’ reason must be punished.

9) What criticisms of direct effect theories are suggested in the factsheet?

• The theory is too simplistic
• Doesn't consider the many other factors that can affect an audience's behaviour 
• Very little evidence to support the theory

10) Why might the 1970s sitcom Love Thy Neighbour be considered so controversial today? What does this tell us about Reception theory and how audiences create meanings?

• People's thought process and mindset have changed a lot since then so what was funny back then may not be seen as funny now especially since things are more equal than it was back then and the types of things the show included were quite racist and offensive. Therefore may spark up tension.


11) What examples are provided for Hall's theory of preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings?

• Preferred - an acceptance of the intended meaning
• Negotiated - a broad acceptance of the intended meaning but with
some personal modification
• Oppositional - an understanding of the intended meaning but a rejection
of it in favour of one created by the individual

12) Which audience theory do you think is most convincing? Why? It is important that you develop critical autonomy in judging the arguments for and against different theories and form your own opinion on these issues.

For me the audience theory that is most convincing to me is the indirect effect theories. This is because i believe that nowadays the audience have some control over what they are affected by. Certain topics may affect them more than another because of their personal experiences with it. For example their religious beliefs may effect their values and therefore interpret and accept certain information differently to someone of a different religion.

Audience Theory

Hypodermic needle model

1) Read this Mail Online article about the effects of videogames. How does this article link to the hypodermic needle model?

This article links to the hypodermic needle model because it is telling the audience that violent games increases aggressive behaviour and to emphasize that point they conducted a small experiment. This makes it seem like the information that is being injected in the audience's mind sound more real and factual. which influences the audience to think a certain way and become convinced that what they are being told is true.

2) How does coverage of the Talk Talk hacking case link to the hypodermic needle model? Why might someone criticise this front page? 

This news coverage is linked to the hypodermic needle model because it is telling the audience that the cause of negative behaviour is due to violent video games. This front page can be criticised because hacking has no relation to violent video games because hacking isn't violence. It is more of an intellectual skill than a showcase of aggressive behavior. Playing violent video games doesn't give you the ability to hack either. 

Two-step flow model

1) Summarise the two-step flow model. In your opinion, is the two-step flow theory still relevant today?

The two step flow model is information in mass media that opinion leaders use to influence a certain audience based on social factors. I think that this is still relevant today as the media has grown to become larger and more people are able to share their opinion online. Due to that, people are able to come together to agree on one thing.

2) How does this YouTube blogger fit into the two-step flow model?

This blogger would fit the Two-step flow model because he is an opinion leader on the games he plays. Many people follow him maybe because they either want to see what he thinks or they agree with what he has to say and therefore subscribe to him.

3) How does this Telegraph article on influential tweeters fit the two-step flow model?

This Telegraph article links to the theory because it is directly telling us that there are some people who are influential on twitter based on their follower count. The more followers you have, the more influential you are seen and ranked. 

4) Read this BBC profile of Jamal Edwards. How does Jamal Edwards link to the two-step flow model?

This news article on Jamal Edwards links to the theory because he is seen as an influential leader to those of working/middle class to come together as he influences them to get to the top and not give up on what they want to achieve.

Uses and Gratifications theory

1) For each of the four categories, write about one media text that fits that particular audience use or pleasure. Make sure you explain WHY it fits the category and use images or clips to illustrate your points.

Diversion

Science Fiction films

Eg- Avengers

Films of this genre are usually set in very recognisable location which gives it a more realistic feel but the basis of the film is something that wouldn't happen in real life but makes it seem like it could. which gives the audience a sense of escapism.

Personal relationships

Tv Shows
Eg- The walking Dead, Arrow, Friends
Shows like these help build a relationship with the audience and a certain characters over a long period of time compared to movies. So when a character dies in a show it affects the audience more as they may have seen that character grow throughout the seasons, a recent example could be in the walking dead.  

Personal identity

Personal Identity: finding ourselves reflected in texts or learning behaviour and values from the media. Reality TV or documentary (Educating Yorkshire) are good examples.

X Factor

This would link with personal identity because i showcases people who are similar to us because they are people who live around us and may have similar experiences to us and want to become a singer which could inspire the audience to sing if they enjoy it. Also the fact that this show looks for talent all over the country could make it more enjoyable for the audience as they, at one point, get to see people from their area try to make it. which helps with identification.

Surveillance

BBC news

The BBC fits the surveillance category as it shows information such as recent local news and world news etc. Which is relevant for the daily lives of people, also, it helps keep the audiences informed of what is going on around them and in the world which is the main factor of surveillance.

MIGRAIN index

1) Media consumption audit
2) Language and Genre: Reading an image - advert analyses
3) Institution: major media institution research, presentation and feedback/LR
4) Institution: brand values
5) Narrative: narrative theory YouTube clip analysis
6) Genre: Factsheet questions and Chandler genre analysis task
7) Audience: psychographics
8) Audience: audience theory blog tasks/questions
9) Audience: Effects theory - factsheet and questions
10) Audience Pleasures: The battle of the Christmas adverts
11) Representation: clip analysis - dominant and alternative representations
12) Representation theory: 500 word analysis on blog
13) Representation: Photoshop collages - dominant and alternative representations
14) Ideology: BBC QT analysis and binary opposition
15) Ideology: Media Magazine reading and notes

psychographics

Learner Response

Succeeders - Jasmit, Muna

WWW

• Interesting names!
• House and uni works, lawyers too
• lifestyles works too - good examples
• Work focused aspect is very good


EBI
• Social media is interesting - linkedIn?
• Agreed on BBC News but not homes under the hammer!

audience

Psychographic profiling

Succeeders

Strong goal orientation, confidence, work ethic, organisation ... support status quo, stability. Brand choice based on reward, prestige - the very best . Also attracted to 'caring' and protective brands ... stress relief. (Top management)

Structure

Who you are working with: Jasmit

Introduce your example couple that represents your group:

1) Make up their names:

- Selwen,  M  - 
- Abhainn,  F - 
2) Where do they work/study?



3) What do they do in their spare time?

They like to focus on getting as much of there work done. making sure that they have some kind of organised structure to their day. hey know what they need to do in order to reach their goals. they may often take small holidays here and there to places like italy, greece maybe even dubai. They have hobbies such as a certain sport or art that they like to spend doing in their free time.


Media Consumption

Print: What newspapers/magazines does your group read (if any)? Is this on paper or tablet? 

- Times
- Scholarly Journals
- High brow magazines- Newsletters

Broadcast: What TV programmes/channels do your group watch? Radio stations? TV package – Freeview or Sky? Films?

- the news - bbc. - updates on local news, political news
- homes under the hammer, rip off britain etc
- sky broadband

E-Media: What technology do they own? What websites do they visit (if any)?

- Most likely to have facebook maybe twitter and instagram.
- Usually used for business purposes however also for personal use but not highly active.

Narrative blog task

In this clip you can see that there are many action codes which would be obvious for an action movie. An example of this could be when towards the beginning of the clip Hawkeye who is one of the protagonist in the film aiming and arrow at Loki who is the antagonist. From this it shows that they are both on opposites sides and that someone will be getting hurt. This also allows the audience to form enigma codes as they would want to know if they will win the battle, if Loki gets killed or stopped. This film is a linear narrative, in this extract you can see that the battle is part of the disequilibrium. The protagonists are all trying to resolve the situation and stop the antagonist from destroying everything and if they succeed then it will lead to a formation of the new equilibrium. In this film there is not one central protagonist but a team working together. The antagonist was made clear from Hawkeye shooting an arrow at Loki and Hulk smashing him on the floor in the stark penthouse. The audience also get to see a helper who suggests a way of stopping the aliens from entering earth.





In this extract their are no action codes being suggested however there are many possible enigma codes that could be asked from the audience for example who is going to win the election? one is also asked at the end of the extract. The equilibrium in this is not obvious but its the fact that Obama is still president until the election how ever what seems to be the disequilibrium is that the two candidates running for president are not favoured by most of the population of the country. The new equilibrium has not been confirmed however that would probably depend on what the results are after the election. Using Propps character theory it isn't clear who the protagonist is but from the clip it seems as though both the candidates are presented in a negative way which could imply that they are the antagonists. 





The majority of this trailer includes action codes. This is obvious from the use of guns in most of the shots. The guns makes it clear that there will be a lot of shoot outs and that someone might get hurt in the process. there are enigma codes of whether or not they will get the chip or not. This builds up the excitement for the audience and makes them want to watch the film even more. The equilibrium in this trailer is when the first bump into each other after high school. The disequilibrium is when Bob tells Calvin that he is in the CIA because after that a lot of bad things happens and they are on the run. In this clip you can make out that the protagonist is Bob and Calvin who are trying to stop information from getting leaked and the antagonist are the people who are after them and trying to capture them.

Brand Values

Summary

100 words - 10 words - 1 word

Primark

Taking the Dyer lines of appeal theory into account, Primark would be seen as a company that appeals to families as they would be seen as a company that has a large variety of clothing and other materials that are cheap and easily accessible things. Happy families would be their main focus as they have many different types of clothing for different age groups and this would appeal to them as they would find it easier to shop in one place to get the items they need. 

Primark is a brand that satisfy their customers needs

Creative

Tesco

Tesco are successful at portraying their brand as a family friendly local store available with the things that the customer needs. According to the Dyer lines of appeal they like to showcase a lot of childhood memories as they would create nostalgia for the customers who would come there when they were younger. This would make the brand seem more appealing to the customers as they may feel more inclined to want to go there.

Variety

Google

Google is worldwide known brand that are very successful in putting forth their innovative ideas. Google is a great platform as it has access to a wide spread of data, which is good for those with successful careers as its a way for them to further improve their own companies and to be easily recognised through the search engines. They could also be linked with Elite people or experts as well known people can use this platform to gain popularity and also share their knowledge.

A company that is worldwide and vast

Knowledge

British Airways

There are many of Dyer's lines of appeal that can be associated with this brand, Rich, luxurious lifestyle. This is because the people who usually fly with them are businesswomen and men and they expect high quality form the airline. Also, beautiful women this is because of the air hostess are normally women that are pretty and wear the conventional red lipstick that is seen worn by almost all air hostess. Glamorous places, as it is an airline they will be making sure that they can take their customers to the most well known destinations.

high standards and expectations 

International

Snapchat

Snapchat appeals to the younger generations and is one of the most popular social networking site/app now a days. A dyer's lines of appeal that could be linked to this could be applied to this company is self importance and pride. Since the majority of snapchats users are teenagers on people in their 20s and the app requires you to take 10 second videos/pictures. This gives way to the users to be self absorbed in themselves when posting however it gives them the freedom to send funny and silly snaps to friends using the filters which appeals to the target audience.

fin and creative and informative for the users

Community

Learner Response

Institution presentation : BBC

• The hangman was a nice idea but perhaps needed to be more challenging - public service broadcasting perhaps!

• History timeline is comprehensive but too much text on the slide and you basically read it to us.

• political bias - fascinating point  but you didn't go into any detail! i'd also like to see your opinion - do you think the are balanced?

• No BBC mission statement yet - surely you cant miss that out - inform educate and entertain

• you mentioned licence fee towards the end but only very briefly - surely this is the most important part of the presentation ?

• So many other things that could have been added - notable BBC shows, controversies, recent events.

• This feels like the research was rushed (perhaps due to having to catch up with media work) but you certainly need to produce more at A Level than this.

WWW:  Made some good points

EBI:  Go into more detail about certain points that were important to know about for this particular institution. 
Be more creative with your presentation - less writing
Mention recent news or scandals - talk more about political bias.

Reading and image

Rebook Advert

From what is shown on this advert is a medium close up of 50 cents face placed next to an image of finger prints. From the image you can tell it is about success and wearing this brand you can achieve higher heights in life. The color of this advert is in black and white this could be used to emphasize the life of the customers as not colorful and bright.
The lighting used is top lighting, this is used to make the actor or main character look more glamorous however the picture doesn't look glamorous and more mysterious and as if he is coming out of the shadows which is emphasized by the fact that it is low-key lighting. However, the oppositional meaning that the company may not want to openly show the customers could be that those who buy Rebook are typically black criminals/the rebellious type. Hence the association and the image of the finger prints which when someone sees it automatically thinks criminal records.

Ugly Truth Advert

This is a smoking advert that shows that smoking affects how you look. This is a close up of the woman's face, this helps to see the details of the woman's face. There is color in the image however the part of where there is smoke looks dull which could highlight the fact that this is what smoking does to a persons face. What i can infer from this picture is that smoking makes u look old and takes away the beauty of being young. the oppositional meaning to this could be that being old is seen as ugly and frowned upon and that smoking makes you look older more quickly. The lighting used is high-key lighting. despite the dark background i think this is high-key lighting because the woman looks very natural and there aren't any harsh shadows.

Welcome To Media!

1) Why did you choose AS Media Studies?


I chose as media because i enjoyed studying it as a GCSE and i felt as if it was different to what i was used to doing so it was a new challenge to take up. I ended up doing well after many difficulties throughout the year and now i feel more confident in the subject and more willing to do my absolute best.

2) Did you take GCSE Media Studies (either here at Greenford or a different school)?

Yes

3) If you answered yes to Q2, what grade did you achieve in GCSE Media? What coursework tasks did you complete? What would you say your strengths and weaknesses were in GCSE Media?

-In GCSE media i achieved an A grade.
-For coursework i had to create a magazine cover, a movie poster and a music video.

-I think my strengths in media would be being able to use key conventions in my creative work. however i did struggle when it came to writing about the key conventions but i believe i improved as the year went by.

4) What grade do you hope to achieve in A Level Media?


I hope to achieve a similar grade to what i got in GCSE and maybe even higher.

5) What are your current thoughts about your next steps after A Levels - university, apprenticeship, work?

I'm currently thinking about taking a gap year. this is because i want to immerse myself in different things such as voluntary work, travelling and hopefully work part time and gain as much experience i can. Then i plan to go to university.

6) What do you think the biggest media story of 2016 has been and why?

I think the biggest media story of 2016 was the EU Referendum. Personally i am not a politics fan but the news of Britain leaving the EU was unavoidable. It was the only thing on the news and everyone was talking about it.

7) What media sources do you use to find out about news and current affairs? 

My main media source to find out about the news and current affairs is my phone and social media where a lot of what happens in the world is easily accessible

8) What was the last film you watched?

the last film i watched was Thor

9) What is your favourite ever TV series?

I've recently watched friends and now i understand why people enjoy it a lot because its amazing!

10) How many hours do you spend online in an average day? Is this too little, too much or about right? Why?

The average amount i think i would spend would be about 9 hours per day. This is definitely too much time because if you take out the time i spend in school,sleeping,eating etc. That would be around 13 hours and that is most of my day.