- Update LO3 Task 4
- LO3 Task 4 Video
Monday, 30 November 2015
Wednesday, 25 November 2015
LO4 Task 5 Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues
Impact and Effect
on the Audience
Welcome to LO4 Task 5 where we will learn about the impact and effect on the audience, sit back and enjoy the lesson! Were going to learn about some more theory, such as Theodore Adorno and Tessa Perkins and how they relate to Life of Pi, enjoy!
The Hypodermic Syringe theory proposed by (Theodore Adorno
1930) denotes that the media have a negative impact on the audience, that the
audience are affected by the negative messages and values they consume. The
theory presents the idea that the audience do not only watch the film but are
influenced by it. An active audience are more perspective than a passive
audience, they tend to question the issues rather than copy their behaviour. They
are able to filter out and adapt to content in the media, the theory about
active audiences was proposed by David Gauntlett. Passive audience links to
Theodore Adorno’s theory about the hypodermic syringe model, as passive
audiences are not able to filter anything out and are more likely to be
affected by the issues they see, and possibly even copy the them, they could
copy such themes as; violence, sexual content, impact in terms of role models
and representations and stereotypes. The violence presented in the film would
have a negative impact on the audience; especially the passive audience
wouldn’t be able to filter out the negative issues and likely to copy the
violence. The violence present in the film, is a fight for survival which is
understandable and less likely to be copied, but in the case of the start of
the film when the animals are fighting, it isn’t needed, there is no reason
behind it. Another negative impact of the film is at the very start when the
protagonist at a young age is shown disobeying their parents rules by getting
close to the dangerous tiger, this could influence a child to disobey their
parents. A positive impact of the film
links to Carl Rodgers theory of “Role models”, the role model being the
protagonist who is denoted as someone who never gives up throughout the most part of the film, even in the most
hopeless situations, this would inspire the audience in a positive way. Another example of a positive impact proposed in Life of Pi is; the relationship between the protagonist and tiger, being a very supportive relationship who help each other out, this could be a positive influence especially for the younger audience.
Representation
The theory proposed by (Stuart Hall 1980) talks about mediation, meaning that representations are made on purpose for the purpose of entertainment and most likely to present stereotypes. Because the characters are fictional and generally not based off true stories, the characters have to have specific personalities pre planned and are generally linked to a stereotype by association. This links to the next theory proposed by Tessa Perkins (1979) and her theory about stereotypes, her theory states that not all stereotypes are incorrect, some are in fact true and prove that stereotypes can have an element of truth in them. She states that even though some stereotypes can be challenged, they are based off some elements of truth. There is one positive stereotype in my film being that the protagonist and the rest of the characters from the first part of the film, all live in India and are seen as ‘Exotic’ to the audience, this is positive because they are sticking to their religion and beliefs, which can be seen as inspiring. Also another positive stereotype would be that the male protagonist is going out and is part of the action even in the most hopeless situation; this can be seen as inspiring and also can be seen as the protagonist being presented as a role model. But also a negative stereotype could be that the protagonist who is of a different ethnicity is ‘pitied’, not because of the colour of his skin, but because of his situation, linking to Tess’s theory that some stereotypes are not all false or challenged because of the reasoning behind the stereotype. There are some stereotypes that are challenged such as that people of different ethnicity are seen as ‘dangerous’ this stereotype is challenged in this film, the protagonist is considerate and caring towards others and poses no threat, apart from when his life is in danger. Also the danger presented by the protagonist is overshadowed by the danger that the tiger in the film presents, compared to the vicious animal, the protagonist poses no threat. All these theories about ethnicity were proposed by Alvarado (1987) who stated that ethnicity connotes ‘exotic, dangerous, humorous and pitied,’ Most of which are challenged in Life of Pi.
Legal
and Ethical
In terms of legal issues, copyright
infringement is the use of content that is protected by copyright law, this specifically applies to content that is used without permission and can have certain consequences such as
being fined and sued, depending on the severity of the infringement. This can be anything from infringing their right as the
granted copy holder to reproduce, distribute, display or perform protected work or to make edits. The film would need to get copyright for all the
songs and sound tracks in the film, a very popular song that was presented was
Paradise by Coldplay, this was not in fact present in the film but shown in the
trailer, this is to draw the audience in and raise awareness, they may not also
of added this into the film because it would cost a lot more. Paying for the
right to play a song in a film, even though it is only for a very short amount
of time it can be very expensive and you only have the right for that specific
use. Coldplay’s record label is called Parlophone; so that it is who 20th
century fox would have to pay for copyright permission for that specific use of
the content. However for the sound track, Mychael Danna appeared in all the
music and therefore their record label would need to be contacted for use of
this content even if it was specifically made for this film only. The record
label that would be contacted for Mychael Donna is Heart of Space records.
These companies and their songs would be referenced in the credits.
In terms of ethical issues, there
is only one type of offensive material being violence, this violence is the
fight for survival which is understandable, but it is done in a very
unnecessary way. The violence in the film has been used to assert their
dominance which can been seen as offensive. In terms of any of the other
offensive materials present in films such as sex, drugs and language, none of
these are present. Because this film is aimed towards teenagers and the younger
audience, it would not be suitable for that age range. In terms of the cultural
aspects of the film, due to the religion of the protagonist and his family and
cast, it wouldn’t make sense for the film to show drugs and alcohol, it would
banned for the sake of their religion. So in terms of offensive material, the
film doesn’t really focus on it because of the age rating being ‘PG’ and the
cultural aspects.
Regulatory Bodies
The BBFC stands for the British Board of Film
Classification; it is an independent and non-government body which classifies
movies. The certificates awarded to the films
depending on their themes and whether they contain offensive materials, ranges
from Universal to 18 meaning only suitable for adults. The BBFC rates Life of
Pi as a PG, the BBFC classify PG as parental guidance, it is rated this because
it would not contain themes that are inappropriate for a child, but can explore
challenging issues such as bullying, bereavement or racism. In terms of
language, there may be mild language but nothing too serious, in the case of
this film there isn’t any bad language. The age rating was never changed for
the film, but there was quite a lot of controversy surrounding the issue, on
online forums debates were going on from both sides debating whether the age
rating should have been rated higher because of the graphic violence and adult
themes. On online forums they have deemed the 12+ rating as correct. The
difference between Americas and the UK’s age rating system would suggest that
the age rating would change for the film, but there is no significant issues
that stand out that would change the age rating, so it stays the same for the
American rating system as well. The American age rating system is a voluntary
system and the majority are parents, which is a smart move as they have both
perspectives from the adult and child’s point of view.
ASA stands for the advertising standards authority; they
regulate advertisements across all medias in the UK, they set rules for the
different advertising platforms. In terms of the CAP codes for the poster,
there are certain ones which adhere to the rule set. The first which adheres to
the rule set is 02 Recognition of marketing communications, this states that
the advertising needs to be clearly on display as an advertisement and doesn’t
resemble anything realistic. In the posters the images are manipulated to look
non-realistic and the name of the film is clearly labelled, and also at the
bottom of the poster it states the details of the film including; the company
that produced the film, the actors and the website details. Another CAP code
which applies to the Life of Pi posters is 03 Misleading advertising which
means that the advertising must not be exaggerated or distorted in any way to
look any more appealing that it does. The Life of Pi poster abides by these
rules by only showing content from the film and not adding anything not in the
film. Any text used on the poster is simply opinion based upon the film; it
shouldn’t influence any false advertising.
Thank you for watching, this is the end of LO4 Task 5 and the end of the course! You have now completed the course, you should be very proud of yourself. But remember don't waste your new found knowledge! Goodbye from me!
Thank you for watching, this is the end of LO4 Task 5 and the end of the course! You have now completed the course, you should be very proud of yourself. But remember don't waste your new found knowledge! Goodbye from me!LO4 Task 5 Notes - Ethical, Legal and Regulatory Issues
Notes
- The impact our film has on the audience
- Legal issues the film has to address i.e. copyright permissions for sound tracks and music
- Age certificate - BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) and ASA (Advertising Standards Authority)
- Active/ Passive audiences
- Basic knowledge of representation - Men, women, sexuality etc.
- Legal and Ethical - Regulatory Bodies to your film and marketing
a.) the products impact and effect on the audience
Passive and Active Audience
Passive audience - Hypodermic Syringe Model (Theodore Adorno, 1930's) - media has a negative impact. Mass audience believe everything they see/hear. The media inject a passive audience with negative messages and values. Not only watch media products, but are affected and copy what they see. e.g. violence? sexual content? representation? impact/role models? - controversy. Mental stability and mind set of the audience specifically
Active audience - questions what they see, they are able to filter out and adapt to content in the media (David Gauntlett) They see it as a form of entertainment rather than something they would copy.
b.) relevant issues of representation
All representations are mediated (Stuwart Hall, 1980) Mediated - made on purpose
In media products, representations are set up and placed on purpose - stereotypes?
Stereotypes /countertypes (Tessa Perkins 1979) where a stereotype is challenged, not all are false, based on some element of truth. Are mainly negative, but some elements of truth, exaggerated and elaborated.
Women - Laura Mulvey 1975 - countertypes, in my film they are not seen as sexual objects.
Men - Earp and Katz 1999) - "Equation of masculinity with pathological control and violence"
Alvarado (1987) ethnicity 'exotic, dangerous, humorous and pitied.' - this stereotype correct, they speak with an accent, and dress to their religions and country's clothing. But 'pitied' is challenged, the stereotype is false or not shown in the film
All representations are mediated (Stuwart Hall, 1980) Mediated - made on purpose
In media products, representations are set up and placed on purpose - stereotypes?
Stereotypes /countertypes (Tessa Perkins 1979) where a stereotype is challenged, not all are false, based on some element of truth. Are mainly negative, but some elements of truth, exaggerated and elaborated.
Women - Laura Mulvey 1975 - countertypes, in my film they are not seen as sexual objects.
Men - Earp and Katz 1999) - "Equation of masculinity with pathological control and violence"
Alvarado (1987) ethnicity 'exotic, dangerous, humorous and pitied.' - this stereotype correct, they speak with an accent, and dress to their religions and country's clothing. But 'pitied' is challenged, the stereotype is false or not shown in the film
c.) relevant legal and/or ethical issues
Legal - copyright infringement - use content (soundtrack, music) without permission from creator
Consequences - fined, sued - Illegally downloaded
Ethical - Offensive material? Racism, use of language, drug use, sexual references
Sensationalism? Graphic, sensationalises violence and gore
Censored? Re-edit, parts removed, bleeping the swearing and blurring the sex scenes
Legal - copyright infringement - use content (soundtrack, music) without permission from creator
Consequences - fined, sued - Illegally downloaded
Ethical - Offensive material? Racism, use of language, drug use, sexual references
Sensationalism? Graphic, sensationalises violence and gore
Censored? Re-edit, parts removed, bleeping the swearing and blurring the sex scenes
d.) role of relevant regulatory bodies
BBFC and ASA
BBFC and ASA
Tuesday, 24 November 2015
LO3 Task 4 - Notes
Advertising and Promotion - Means marketing the film to create maximum awareness to a specific target audience
Advertising and Promotion
- Posters
- Social Networking
- Television adverts
- Radio
- In connection with other companies, they advertise for them
- Merchandise
- Word of mouth - relying on the hype
- Associated with a brand or company
- YouTube Adverts
- Newspaper and Magazine articles
- Interviews
When marketing a product, in this case a film specifically, there are many ways that it can be advertised and promoted including; posters, social networking, television and youtube adverts, radio broadcasts, with help from other companies (joint ventures), relying on the word of mouth of the public, newspaper and magazine articles and interviews.
Technological Convergence
David Gauntlett (2002) discussed the rise of the Web 2.0
This is the change in the internet being a static, one way form of communication to a two way interactive medium. The new Web 2.0 has become much more accessible to the audience and now is used as a platform to market products and connect socially. With the popularity of social media rising, now nearly everyone has a social media account, whether it is Facebook or Instagram. Due to the hype of the film it will be spread across all the social medias, whether they post a status about it or share the trailer, they are helping contribute to the marketing of your film. Also the audience can help by the word of mouth, they are helping by spreading the word to their friends and family, and they can tell their friends and family etc. even though it isn't as effective as other marketing techniques, it still contributes to the overall success of the film.
Tuesday, 17 November 2015
LO3 Task 4 - Distribution and Marketing
LO3 Task 4 –
Distribution Channels
The definition of distribution is split into two parts; the first being the media product being available to the audience and the second being the advertising and promotion so the audience is aware of the product. The more awareness the product receives the more revenue the company makes. The distribution of Life of Pi has been positively impacted by technological convergence, in the way that in the cinema, the production companies behind the films used to have to pay at least £100,000 to place their film in just one cinema, however recently due to the technological advance a hard drive is sent and linked up to the server, which supports all the projectors and only costs around £200. Also the ways in which the product is assessable to the audience has been made easier and allows for more awareness, meaning more revenue for the company, being 20th Century Fox.
Hey it’s me Bradley and I'm back
for more analysing media products! Today were going to talk about distribution
and advertising leading on from last episode being 'Audiences.' Enjoy this
episode and I'll be back for more in Task 5!
a.) Distribution Channels
The definition of distribution is split into two parts; the first being the media product being available to the audience and the second being the advertising and promotion so the audience is aware of the product. The more awareness the product receives the more revenue the company makes. The distribution of Life of Pi has been positively impacted by technological convergence, in the way that in the cinema, the production companies behind the films used to have to pay at least £100,000 to place their film in just one cinema, however recently due to the technological advance a hard drive is sent and linked up to the server, which supports all the projectors and only costs around £200. Also the ways in which the product is assessable to the audience has been made easier and allows for more awareness, meaning more revenue for the company, being 20th Century Fox.
There are many ways in which Life of Pi can be watched including; the cinema, illegally downloaded for websites
such as Isohunt and Demonoid, the Sky Store, from online streaming websites
such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, also from app stores such as iTunes on iOS
and Google Play on Android. These previously listed were digital medias, there
also can be analogue methods such as VHS tapes and film reels, but they were
too expensive and are not used anymore. As seen as Life of Pi is produced
by 21st Century Fox owns Sky, it would be cheaper and in their benefit to put
the film on the Sky store, that is a benefit of having subsidiaries working on
different platforms, and this is the advantage of a conglomerate. Sky being a
subsidiary of 21st century fox would help create synergy because
Life of Pi was showed on multiple platforms. Life of Pi is distributed over a
wide array of platforms, ranging from the cinema, to smart phones that are
multifunctional. Multifunctional technology is a benefit for the user; it
allows all the uses to be found in one place, it makes for an easier and
cheaper experience. From some of the viewing TV figures or revenue from Life of Pi being; worldwide box office profit being $607,987,022 and the total
domestic video sales being $47,457,084 denoting that more money was made
because of technological convergence, because it’s cheaper to distribute and
advertise. Because of the current technology it is much easier and cheaper for
their product to be distributed across all the platforms and also makes it easier and cheaper for the audience.
When marketing a product, in this case Life of Pi specifically,
there are many ways that it can be advertised and promoted including; posters,
social networking, television and YouTube adverts, radio broadcasts, with help
from other companies (joint ventures), relying on the word of mouth of the
public, newspaper and magazine articles and interviews. In terms of the joint ventures used to create Life of Pi, 20th Century Fox went into a joint venture with Ingenious Media, Haishang Films and RatPac-Dune Entertainment. The posters that would
be used to advertise Life of Pi would be on display at local cinemas, and up
around public areas such as bus shelters and shopping centres, this would help
to raise awareness of the film, especially the posters that are up on display
in the cinema. In terms of social networking that was used to raise awareness of Life of Pi, an example would be twitter,
leading up to the release about film they would be tweeting about the film and
the characters etc. another example would be Facebook where the trailer for the
film would be watched, shared and commented about so people can share their
opinion. On Facebook a page was made specifically for Life of Pi and its release, leading up to the release of Life of Pi, posts were made about the films release and even mentioned a competition to win a holiday to the destination shown in Life of Pi. Another example of how Life of Pi would be advertised would be online
reviews, sharing the film. This could be a positive and negative way of sharing
the film, as depending on the opinion of the critique, it could create good or
bad publicity for Life of Pi. But any publicity for the film is good, as even
though some reviews may be bad, it is raising awareness which is what the
producers of Life of Pi want. The review would increase the overall income of
Life of Pi, being from an audience member, it makes the review more authentic
and trustworthy, and it also proves the success of technological convergence
with audience participation. The trailer for Life of Pi would be posted to YouTube
where it can be watched, commented about, shared to other social media and
rated. This was a successful way of marketing Life of Pi as the trailer got over 10 million views, raising a lot of awareness. Online reviews could be posted to YouTube as well, raising awareness
even more and possibly encouraging people to watch Life of Pi if they haven’t
already. All these advertising techniques would be used to attract a mass /
international audience.
David Gauntlett (2002) discussed
the rise of the Web 2.0. This is the change in the internet being a static, one
way form of communication to a two way interactive medium. The new Web 2.0 has
become much more accessible to the audience and now is used as a platform to
market products and connects socially. With the popularity of social media
rising, now nearly everyone has a social media account, whether it is Facebook
or Instagram. Due to the hype of the Life of Pi it will be spread across all
the social medias, whether they post a status about it or share the trailer,
they are helping contribute to the marketing of Life of Pi. Also the
audience can help by the word of mouth, they are helping by spreading the word
to their friends and family, and they can tell their friends and family etc.
even though it isn't as effective as other marketing techniques, it still
contributes to the overall success of Life of Pi. With current gen consoles
becoming more and more popular, they are raising awareness of the things that
they can do. You can watch Life of Pi on the consoles, you can access social
media where you can converse about the film, you can access YouTube through the
console, and you can play games on the console. With technological convergence
you can access all these features in one place, meaning technological
convergence makes it cheaper and easier to access the film and everything along
with it. Technological convergence makes it easier and cheaper to access all
the different media platforms and access all the features from all the
different subsidiaries of 21st Century Fox and 20th
Century Fox.
That’s all for this time, hope you enjoyed learning about
advertising and marketing! Join me next time for Task 5 where we learn about
ethical, legal and regulatory bodies.
Monday, 9 November 2015
LO2 Task 3
- 00:42:13 - This is the part in the film, the enigma, this denotes the protagonist escaping the sinking ship, this scene connotes action and fast pace, which would appeal to the target audience being teenagers and young teenagers especially the main gender being male. This narrative stage connoting the disequilibrium/enigma, proposed by Todorov (1997) this also links to the men being dominant amongst the chaos and the females are not present in the chaos. This also links to John Berger's theory; "Men act, women appear" in this scene the male protagonist is acting amongst the chaos while women just appear in the scene.
- 00:55:00 - This is the part in the film that denotes the tiger for the first time, this would appeal to the target audience because it connotes that the tiger is viscous and dangerous, appealing to the thrill seeking aspect of the audience. Also essentially a new important character has been introduced adding to the story to grasp a better understanding. This would appeal to the male audience. This introduces a binary opposition, proposed by Claude Levis Strauss (1958) in this specific case the opposition is human and animals, this denotes the tiger obviously holding more power in this circumstances and presents an imminent threat also linking to Todorov Narrative structures, this being the equilibrium.
- 01:32:46 - This denotes the first time in the film when the protagonist really connects with the tiger, this heart throbbing scene would appeal the younger audience, male and female audience being roughly half and half, so it would appeal to the female side of the audience spectrum. This links to Todorov's theory of narrative structures, this scene being the disequilibrium is balanced and the enigma has been solved, it connotes the threat and danger that the tiger imposed onto the protagonist has been withheld.
- 00:01:34 - At the very start of the film, it denotes a variety of animals in a zoo, ranging from zebras to tigers, this would appeal to all audiences but specifically the younger audience who react to bright colours and animals. This would appeal to both the male and female audience. This links to Todorov's theory; narrative structures, connoting the scene being the equilibrium, an enigma hasn't been imposed yet.
- 00:08:29 - This scene denotes a class room scene full of young children which would instantly appeal to the younger audience, specifically boys because the children are all boys, also there was an embarrassing event where the protagonist is shown up, this is something that we can all relate to and would appeal to. This could connote Carl Rodgers theory. "Ideal Self" since the protagonist is so relatable, this could connote that audience sees him as an idol and wants to be him.
Friday, 6 November 2015
Audience Profile for Life of Pi
Imaginary Entity
Jake is 15 ,he is very interested in films and gaming, but also likes indulging in reading. If ever missing search the cinema.
He is a movie buff and will snort derisively to the 'Film Noobs', he wont even acknowledge them, he will never talk to them again. He is currently studying for his GCSE's but finds that it is a better use of his time to expand his ever growing knowledge of the film world. All he talks about are films, his friends are starting to hate him, he's so oblivious. His mother is starting to get worried.
He is a very individual person and likes to stand out, he thrives in being the one that everyone turns to in their time of need. He is a walking, talking, breathing entity of film, I wouldn't be surprised if he one day he spontaneously combusted and all that was left was an SD card containing the files that depicted his life. He only turns to the outside in dire circumstances, that's when you know something is wrong.
Demographic Summary
NRS Stands for the 'National Readership Survey' is a separate organisation specialising in demographic information. It uses headings to evaluate the lifestyle of the demographics
Lifestyle is the lives that the demographics live; hobbies and interests and jobs
Spending Power is the amount of disposable money the audience has, after bills and necessities how much money is left to spend on films and clothes e.g. also includes the income, high and low income, depends on the job and all the responsibility
Lifestyle is the lives that the demographics live; hobbies and interests and jobs
Spending Power is the amount of disposable money the audience has, after bills and necessities how much money is left to spend on films and clothes e.g. also includes the income, high and low income, depends on the job and all the responsibility
Wednesday, 4 November 2015
LO2 Task 3 - Audiences
Hello it’s
me Brad, I've returned for another episode sponsored by Education
Wise. You are now about to learn about Task 3, specifying in the audience side
of the production of films. You are going to learn that before the film is
produced it is thought through to appeal to their target audience.
John Hartley (1987) and Ien Ang
(1991) Theory
John
Hartley and Ien Ang suggested that producers create invisible fiction or
imaginary entities before creating a media product, this allows the producers
to visualise their specific target audience, this helps because they know what
to include in their film to appeal to their target audience and entice them to
watch the film.
Imaginary Entity
Jake is 15, he is very interested in films and
gaming, but also likes indulging in reading. He can always be found in the
cinema.
He is a
movie buff and will snort derisively to the 'Film Noobs', he won’t even
acknowledge them, and he will never talk to them again. He is currently
studying for his GCSE's but finds that it is a better use of his time to expand
his ever growing knowledge of the film world. All he talks about are films, his
friends are starting to hate him, and he’s so oblivious. His mother is starting
to get worried.
He is a
very individual person and likes to stand out; he thrives in being the one that
everyone turns to in their time of need. He is a walking, talking, breathing
entity of film, I wouldn't be surprised if he one day he spontaneously
combusted and all that was left was an SD card containing the files that depicted
his life. In his spare time he enjoys going to theme parks and out with his
friends. He also has an unhealthy obsession with Disney.
Jake is interested in sports such as swimming and martial arts, he says that they are practical and releases the stress from revising for his exams. He also enjoys his family holidays where they venture around the world and visit exotic locations.
Jake is interested in sports such as swimming and martial arts, he says that they are practical and releases the stress from revising for his exams. He also enjoys his family holidays where they venture around the world and visit exotic locations.
Gender
00:42:13
- This is the part in the film, the enigma, this denotes the protagonist
escaping the sinking ship, this scene connotes action and fast pace, which
would appeal to the target audience being teenagers and young teenagers
especially the main gender being male. This narrative stage connoting the
disequilibrium/enigma, proposed by Todorov (1997) this also links to the men
being dominant amongst the chaos and the females are not present in the chaos.
This also links to John Berger's theory; "Men act, women appear" in
this scene the male protagonist is acting amongst the chaos while women just
appear in the scene. This would influence the audience, as an enigma is
denoted, this may influence the audience to tackle any problems they may face
in their day to day lives, inspired by the protagonist and how he tackles
issues.
00:55:00
- This is the part in the film that denotes the tiger for the first time,
this would appeal to the target audience because it connotes that the
tiger is viscous and dangerous, appealing to the thrill seeking aspect of the
audience. Also essentially a new important character has been introduced adding
to the story to grasp a better understanding. This would appeal to the male
audience. This introduces a binary opposition, proposed by Claude Levis Strauss
(1958) in this specific case the opposition is human and animals, this
denotes the tiger obviously holding more power in this circumstances
and presents an imminent threat also linking to Todorov Narrative structures,
this being the equilibrium. This would influence the audience to become more
enthralled in the film, as the target audience would be interested in things
such as violent video games and violent television shows, they would become
desensitised to the violence and this would entertain them. This could
influence the audience’s hobbies and interests, influence their lifestyle.
01:32:46
- This denotes the first time in the film when the protagonist really connects
with the tiger, this heart throbbing scene would appeal to the female audience,
as seen as the split between male and female is roughly equal, it has been
presented to entertain the female audience. This links to Todorov's theory
of narrative structures, this scene being the disequilibrium is balanced and
the enigma has been solved, it connotes the threat and danger that
the tiger imposed onto the protagonist has been withheld. This would influence
the audience to connect with any issues or people they are too afraid to;
because the audience are mainly urban ventures they would deal with such things
as relationship problems and family problems. This would influence the audience
to be honest about their feelings and face any issues.
Towards
the start of the film, the protagonist is denoted speaking to his crush; this
would appeal to the male audience because they can empathise and really connect
with this issue. This may even influence the male side of the audience to do
the same thing, be more courageous and admit their feelings, this could also
inspire them to be more honest about their feelings in general and be a more
open person.
00:08:29
- This scene denotes a class room scene full of young children which would
instantly appeal to the younger audience, specifically boys because the
children are all boys, also there was an embarrassing event where the
protagonist is shown up, this is something that we can all relate to and would
appeal to. This could connote Carl Rodgers theory. "Ideal Self" since
the protagonist is so relatable, this could connote that audience sees him as
an idol and wants to be him. This scene also relates to age as well, as seen as
the protagonist is presented at all different ages and developments of his
life, presenting the theory of Carl Rodgers being the "Ideal Self"
theory, as the audience would look up to the protagonist as a role model and
learn from the decisions he has made throughout his life. This also could
influence to deal with their problems more directly and learn from their
mistakes more efficiently.
Age
00:37:22
- This scene denotes the protagonist walking out into the storm, this connotes
danger and chaos, also this could connote the disequilibrium introduced by
Todorov in terms of narrative structures. This would appeal to the younger
audience, the teenage audience, as the chaos and action would appeal to the
younger audience rather than the older. Because the younger audience (urban
ventures are more likely to be entertained by violence, this could influence
them to further their interests in violent video games and television shows.
00:02:03
- This scene denotes a variety of animals presented in a zoo, the wide range of
animals would appeal to the younger audience, the beautiful views, bright
colours and array of animals. This could connote peace and a nice engaging
story, which links to Todorov's theory being narrative structure, this stage
being the equilibrium; the problem has not presented itself yet. This could
influence the audience to further their interests in narrative driven and
compelling films.
00:28:53
- This scene denotes the male protagonist talking to his crush being female,
this could connote that he likes her and love and peace. This could appeal to
the teenagers because especially the girls are interested in a love story, it
would entice them to watch it. This could relate to This could also relate to
Claude Levis Strauss's theory being binary opposition, the opposition is gender,
but in this case the roles are juxtaposed and the female has the power because
she has something the male wants. As seen as the protagonist is talking to his
crush, this would appeal to the urban ventures because they can empathise with the
situation. This may influence the audience to be more honest about their
feelings and confront any issues regarding crushes, because this is a frequent
problem teenagers have. This would also relate to Laura Mulvey's theory of "The Male Gaze" because even though the women aren't dressed provocatively, this is because of the culture; they wouldn't allow women to be seen in such way.
00:31:50
- This scene denotes the protagonist getting ready to set off on a journey and
partake in a big change, this could connote confusion and mixed emotions. This
would relate to the younger audience as they go through a lot of change
throughout their lives, and will make this scene relatable towards them. This
could relate to Carl Rodgers theory; "Ideal self" in the idea that,
the audience will look up to the protagonist and really connect with him, as
they respect him and understand what he is going through. This could influence
the audience to be more courageous when it comes to partaking in their own
journeys and changes, relevant to teenagers, these changes would be career
ideas and choosing schools.
00:55:43
- This scene denotes the first time the audience see's the tiger, respectively
a very important addition to the story because the tiger symbolises the
protagonist, but the aspect that would appeal to the younger audience is the
threat and violence that is connoted by the tiger. This would be the
disequilibrium in the narrative structure put forward by Claude Levis Strauss,
because of the threat and chaos connoted by the tiger. This connoting the
protagonist facing his fears, could also influence the audience to do the same,
as the audience is urban ventures it would allow them to tackle the issues in
their lives such as relationships and career ambitions.
Lifestyle
NRS
Stands for the 'National Readership Survey' is a separate organisation
specialising in demographic information. It uses headings to evaluate the
lifestyle of the demographics. I have decided that my target audience for my
film in terms of the NRS are; settled suburban's, nest builders and urban
ventures.
The film
is for urban ventures, because of the violence and adult themes, it’s too grown
up for a child so its perfect for a teenager. It is classed as settled
suburban's and nest builders because at this age their parents buy things for
their child, so in this case the parents would be buying the film for their
family to watch. The lifestyle would be classed as urban ventures because; the
protagonist is a teenager for the most part of the film, this
would appeal to the audience because they can relate to the protagonist. As
we see the protagonist at every stage of his life, from young to old, the
audience is able to connect with him and see him as an "Ideal Self"
and are influenced by the choices he makes and how the audience can learn from
them.
As seen as this film is aimed at a mass or international audience, the film is mainstream and therefore would be very popular and would have a lot of hype associated with it, this would create spectacle. This would influence what the audience would socialise about and possibly even stimulate a conversation, because the audience are presented watching mainstream films they can be viewed as sociable people.
As seen as this film is aimed at a mass or international audience, the film is mainstream and therefore would be very popular and would have a lot of hype associated with it, this would create spectacle. This would influence what the audience would socialise about and possibly even stimulate a conversation, because the audience are presented watching mainstream films they can be viewed as sociable people.
With all
the technology present in the film appeals to the "Digital Natives"
which links to the target audience being urban ventures. The film contains a
lot of CGI to make the tiger appear, this creates verisimilitude. This also
links to the audience watching the film to escape their everyday lives and
indulge themselves in a fictional narrative. This theory was introduced by
Dennis McQuail called the "Uses and gratifications" and in
term of this example, its specifically called Escapism. This would link to
the genre of the film being fantasy, action and drama. This would imply that
the audience of this film would also be interested in other media products
associated with films including; Video games and TV shows, relating to
"Escapism." Also relating to the lifestyle of their audience, it
could imply that they travel a lot, as Life of Pi includes beautiful scenery,
the audience could spend their disposable incomes on holidays and travelling. Because the urban venture audiences are "Digital Natives" and because of the CGI and technology used in the film it would relate to their hobby of gaming, this would allow the audience to sympathise with the film and influence them to further their interests.
In terms
of Denis McQuail urban ventures could also be described as watching the film
for building their personal identity, as you see the protagonist at every stage
of his life and see him make mistakes and learn from them, it used to
teach the audience about morality and how to overcome issues. This could be
related to that at this age they are very impressionable and can be influenced
by all different things, since we see the protagonist at all different ages, he
can be seen as a role model. This links to Carl Rodgers theory of
"Ideal Self".
As seen as the audience is urban ventures they would be interested and influenced by their sports, such sports as swimming and martial arts are presented in the film, this would influence the audience to take further interest in these sports and be able to empathise with the protagonist. The swimming is seen when the protagonist is diving in the ocean to escape the tiger and martial arts are shown as self defence.
Also as seen as the audience are urban ventures ABC1 audience they would be able to relate to housing, as in the film a nice dethatched house is presented, the audiences parents would have highly paid jobs and would be able to afford such housing.
As seen as the audience is urban ventures they would be interested and influenced by their sports, such sports as swimming and martial arts are presented in the film, this would influence the audience to take further interest in these sports and be able to empathise with the protagonist. The swimming is seen when the protagonist is diving in the ocean to escape the tiger and martial arts are shown as self defence.
Also as seen as the audience are urban ventures ABC1 audience they would be able to relate to housing, as in the film a nice dethatched house is presented, the audiences parents would have highly paid jobs and would be able to afford such housing.
Spending Power
In terms
of the NRS social grade my audience can be classed as ABC1, with generally
quite a lot of disposable income to spend on hobbies and interests. In this
side of the spectrum, the families are generally middle to upper class. But since it is in fact the parents and not the teenagers that will have the highly paid jobs and therefore have the disposable income, that means that the urban venture audience for the film would come from an ABC1 family. Therefore settled suburban's being the adults would have highly paid jobs and would therefore have high disposable income, and urban ventures have little to non income as they are teenagers.
The fact
that the audience for this film is generally upper class with quite a lot of
disposable income to spend on things other than bills and the necessities,
could imply that they have the money to spend on merchandise to do with the
film, as seen as the film is very popular and mainstream, there are a lot of
products associated with the film. Some examples of merchandise associated with
the film include; t-shirts and tiger toys. This would relate to the spending
power of the audience as they have highly paid jobs they can afford these
items, and they are likely to also have children which they would buy these
products for. It would be the audiences parents that would be able to afford these items. Also the film could relate to their audiences interests, because their audience may be interested in and donate to wild life centres or zoos, this relates to the film because one of the protagonists of the film is a tiger.
Since the
audience for this film has generally quite highly paid jobs, with high pay and
a lot of responsibility, they could watch this film because of Denis McQuail's
(1972) theory of "Uses and Gratifications." Since these people
have high responsibility jobs, they will watch the film to take part in
escapism, to escape their everyday lives and indulge in the fictional narrative
and forget all their responsibility and enjoy the film. The film contains a lot
CGI which could signify that the film would be more expensive as more effort
and time has been put into it, the film has a higher budget than other non CGI
films. The ABC1 parents would be able to afford this higher priced film and
also have money left over for merchandise.
Life of Pi offers the
gratification building personal relationships, as the audience is ABC1 which
contains a lot of people of higher class and important roles within their jobs;
they are going to come into contact with a lot of important people. But before
they are to talk about business they need to create a relationship consisting
of common interests, this could be to do with; news, magazines and gossip
websites, but in this case it’s the film. This is used for talking points and
is used to create spectacle, specifically in this film being a very adventurous
and action packed film. Also as seen as the target audience is teenagers/urban
ventures. Also in terms of Denis McQuail's theory, the film offers the
gratification escapism, as it contains a lot of CGI, even though the film
creates verisimilitude; the film is that dense and indulging that it would
allow the audience to escape from their lives to indulge in the fictional
narrative of Life of Pi.
In terms of what else the
audience could buy influenced by their spending power, since they are an ABC1
audience they would have highly paid jobs and may enjoy relaxing by indulging
in reading, this would link to the book Life of Pi which inspired the film.
This related to the theory of escapism, proposed by Denis McQuail, it would
enhance the connection with the characters and story as well as prolonging the
experience for the audience. As well as being able to buy the book, because of
their highly paid jobs they would be able to afford going on holidays, but the
location would be influenced by the locations presented in the film because of
the beautiful views and culture. It would be the parents that have the highly paid jobs and would therefore would be able to afford such luxuries.
Because my audience is ABC1 they would be able to afford all the things associated with the film including; merchandise, posters, sound track and because they have a highly paid job and high income they would be able to afford the more expensive aspects, like a tour of the studio and a holiday to the destination of the film. This would link to the audience because they have highly paid jobs they can sympathise with the cast of the film, owning a zoo and therefore also having a high disposable income and high pay. Also the audience can relate to the housing of the cast, as the protagonist is seen as having a nice dethatched house, which relates to the ABC1 audience because they would be able to afford such housing. It would be the parents that are the ABC1 and would therefore be the ones buying the housing, not the teenagers. But the teenagers come from an ABC1 family and would therefore would be able to reek the benefits of this.
Because my audience is ABC1 they would be able to afford all the things associated with the film including; merchandise, posters, sound track and because they have a highly paid job and high income they would be able to afford the more expensive aspects, like a tour of the studio and a holiday to the destination of the film. This would link to the audience because they have highly paid jobs they can sympathise with the cast of the film, owning a zoo and therefore also having a high disposable income and high pay. Also the audience can relate to the housing of the cast, as the protagonist is seen as having a nice dethatched house, which relates to the ABC1 audience because they would be able to afford such housing. It would be the parents that are the ABC1 and would therefore be the ones buying the housing, not the teenagers. But the teenagers come from an ABC1 family and would therefore would be able to reek the benefits of this.
That is all for learning about
audiences! Join me next time for distribution channels!
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