Audience Theories

Hypodermic Syringe Theory:

The hypodermic syringe theory is the idea that the media injects the audience with what they want people to think. This can include ideology.

The Frankfurt School developed concerns about the power of modern mass media.

Male Gaze

In films the lead character tends to be male and the female is just there for something for the male to 'win'. His actions become surrogate for our own part in the narrative. We psychologically align ourselves with his point of view. He is the ideal ego.

The male leads romantic interest is objectified. As the male lead desires to be with the female lead, the audience desire the female lead also.

Laura Mulvey 1975:

Feminist arguement to make political use of conventional Hollywood film. Film places women as subordinate, inactive and limits them to narrow and two dimensional roles. The audience are asked to take a male point of spectatorship in most cinema.

Scopophilia and Voyeurism

Freud and Lacan say that we construct our indentities by looking at ourselves and at eachother. As children, we get pleasure from looking at other peoples bodies. This is Scopophilia.
The first time we fully see ourselves in a mirror, is the first time we understand ourselves as people.
We enjoy the voyeurism of going to the cinema as it allows us to look at other people without being seen ourselves.

Theory of Propp

Propp said that all films follow the same narrative structure and that all the characters have a purpose to the film. Propp's theory of narrative involved 8 different types of characters:



The Villian - Against the hero. Causes trouble.

The Donor - Prepares the hero or gives them a magical object to help them defeat the villian.

The Helper - Helps the hero in his quest.

The Princess (The Prize) - The hero should be with her but cannot because of unfair evil, usually because of the villian. The Hero marries the princess when he has defeated the villian.

Princesses Father - Gives the Hero his task. Rewards him by letting him marry his daughter.

The Dispatcher - Sends the Hero on his quest.

The Hero - Saves the day. Marries the princess, does the task for the Princesses Father.

The False Hero - Takes credit for what the Hero does and/or tries to marry the Princess.

Semiotics

Roland Barthes argued that verbal language is just one way to communicate.
Other ways to communicate include:
Hairstyle
Clothing
Body Language
Make-up

Language is constructed by people to produce meanings within their culture. Only when we name objects and events that they are given meaning.

Denotation -> Connotation

Denote:

Deconstruction of any media texts begins with a detailed description of what is empirically present (visually and audibly) or what is denoted on the page/screen.

Connote:

After the initial description, you can move on to assessing what is connoted by the signs.

There are three parts to every sign:

Signifier: Physical form of the sign. Eg. Written word or traffic light.

Signified: The concept or idea the signifier produces. Eg. Red light- you know to stop.

Referent: The real thing. Not the signal or the idea but the real, individual thing. Eg. An actual rose.

Examples:

Signifier: Red Rose.

Signified: Love, death.

Signifier: Leather Jacket.

Signified: Biker. Tough guy.

Semiotics emphasises that our perception of reality is shaped by the words and signs that we use and how we interpret the words and signs of others.

Signifiers are denoted. What is signified is connoted.

The connotations of the signs create the meaning.

To approach signifiers you have to realise there are objective ones (ones that are put there intentionally to give you clues how to feel or react) and subjective ones (not intentionally put there but something that reminds an individual of something in their life or memories from the past).

Ideology

Selena Gomez is from the Disney Channel programme, 'Wizards of Waverly Place'. She is known as a Disney Teen as most of the TV programmes and films she has been in are Disney. This shows the ideology for Selena is a "good girl" image. People see her as innocent and you wouldn't expect her to be in horror films or films with a certificate over 12. People expect her to be in nice, happy family movies. When people see her they think "butter wouldn't melt" because of her cute, good image.