Audiences and Institutions

1) Do you agree with Stuart's point regarding self-determination of audiences?
Stuart's point is that it has grown increasingly clear that audiences are in fact capable of high degree self-determination in the nature of he responses that they have made to the products offered to them. When considering this from my own point of view, I would agree with Stuart's point due to myself having my own self-determination when contemplating films. From the BFI website it is clear that the audience sometimes go and see films depending on their social economic background, known as either being in the AB or DE social grading category. This therefore shows that individuals are able to self-determine in the nature of their response to a film, categorising themselves as either wealthy or not so. Also, with thanks to sites such as Rotten Tomatoes or social networking sites such as Facebook, Youtube and Twitter, these audiences are able to post their own personal views of films online showing that they are able to self-determine an interpretation of a film.

2) Hall's idea about audience positioning identifies three ways that audiences can respond to texts.
Preferred: A preferred or dominant reading is where the audience interprets the text "as closely to the way in which the producer of the text is presented". In my 'Les Miserables' case study this can be seen on the website. Upon of which, the movie is not just advertised but instead the Les Miserables broadway. This allows the audience to view the film as the producers wanted by selling Les Mis through multiple media aspects.
Negotiated: A negotiated reading is when the audience goes through some type of negotiation with themselves to allow them to accepted the way in which the text is presented. This is seen in my own case stude of the film 'SkyFall' due to the audience possibly disagreeing with the violent themes present but enabling themselves to adjust their views, allowing them to get the most out of their viewing.
Oppositional: An oppositional or resistant reading is where the reader of the text finds themselves in conflict with the text itself due to their beliefs or experiences. Personally, amongst my case studies I dont think an oppositional reading can be seen. An example of this although, might be within a soap opera where a women may be having an affair with a man. This is adultery and therefore will conflict with individuals views on the subject.

3) Audiences can respond to texts in a variety of ways. Gender, situated culture and cultural experiences can all affect how we consume a text. 
a) How can your gender affect how you respond to a text?
Essentially, the fact that I am a female can alter how I respond to a text rapidly. Tradition and stereotypes mean that women are often perceived as being more emotive towards certain themes and topics such as death and narratives involving children and being in favours to genres such a romance. When considering these stereotypes, females may be more emotive towards a film rather than a male who is experiencing the same film at the same time and place. Conversely, it can also mean that a film that is gender biased towards males (where females are irrelevantly sexualised), would evoke a more annoyed, jealous and angry response from women because they feel that women should fit into the stereotypical mould that society has built for them.
b) Why would  you choose to go to a cinema (situated culture) as opposed to watching a film at home?
A cinema can offer an experience to a viewer such as an event or a trip out. This is appealing to many audience members because it means they are able to get out of their house and do something different rather than witnessing a film from their own home entertainment system. It has been said that the atmosphere in an auditorium full of people who are experiencing the same emotions during a film, is enough to make people choose to go to a cinema. Despite an advance in technology meaning that people are able to get the 'cinema feel' at home with surround sound and wide screen TVs, the event-feeling isn't felt because they know that they're in their own home. What's more, it can often be cheaper for an individual or group of people to view a film in the cinema than pay for all the DVD equipment and DVDs at home, especially that of Blue Ray discs.

c) Can you think of a text where you gained 'cultural knowledge' which shaped your expectations? Was that part of the reason why you chose and enjoyed that text?
One text that I gained 'cultural knowledge' from is 'The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas'. This allowed me to witness the culture in Nazi Germany during WWII and allowed me to perceive the country as it were like at the time. 

4) How do converged websites apply to Gauntlett's idea of a 'pick and mix' audience?
A 'pick and mix' audience is where the audiences use the text by ignoring some aspects and choosing the aspects that suit them at the time. Each time the audience play or search on the internet they might 'pick and mix' a different menu which is aided by the flexibility of the various formats to do this.

5) To what extent do you believe in the effects model and the uses and gratifications model?
The uses and gratifications model assumes an active audience and emphasises what the audience does with media texts as opposed to what the media does to the audience. Blumler and Katz disagreed with the earlier theories which placed the audience as a passive, easily influenced mass - this is why this theory suggests individuals and social groups use the texts in different ways (no longer making them a passive receiver).
Personally, I believe this model is correct to an extent. It is clear that different groups and individuals will respond to media texts in differing ways due to their set or individual beliefs and ideals. However, I do believe that the majority of the audience are easily influenced because advancing distribution and promotion techniques allow the film to be instantly publicised to the world through the use of converging media. Similarly, in the film itself it is easier to influence the audience due to aspects such as the cultural, gender, age (etc.) references.

6) McQuail believes audiences use texts for 4 different reasons. Can you identify these features in the marketing materials from your case studies?
Entertainment and diversion : as a form of escape from the pressures of everyday life. An example of this from the marketing materials in my case study of 'SkyFall' would be the games section on the website. It would enable the audience to download the game through PlayStation, Xbox and PC opening the opportunity up to a wide range of audiences. Being based on the film, this allows the audience to put themselves as a character within the movie to relieve tension and escape from the pressures of everyday life.
Personal Relationships: identification with characters and being able to discuss media texts with others. My case study of 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2' would be an example of this. The characters art section of the website allows the audience to identify themselves with the characters through visuals and information about each individual character.
Personal Identity: the ability to compare your life with that of characters and situations presented in media texts. Again, I believe this would link to the case study on 'SkyFall' because the audience members are able to place themselves in the shoes of relevant characters through playing the game.
Information/Education: to find out and learn what is going on in the world. I think my case study of 'Les Miserables' presents this because the film informs the audience of the culture background throughout the period of the French Revolution, the time in which this film is set. This gives the audience hirostoric knowledge, educating individuals.

7) What is audience fragmentation? How has it changed the composition of audiences and the texts that are available to them? Has the internet influenced this in any way?
Audience fragmentation is the term used to describe the ways in which people engage with media and it shows how the idea of audience in the digital era is changing. The ways that convergence, user-created content and social networking have transformed the audience. The composition of the audience is the demographic (age, gender, education level, ect) characteristics and geographic location of the audience members. So audience fragmentation has changed the composition of audiences by allowing all sorts of people to engage with media through convergence, user-created content and social networking. This is all due to the development of technology and the advance in social networking usage. It has changed the texts that are available to the audience because they are able to view a lot more films digitally (through satellite TV, online streaming and downloads) Hence why texts are more readily available nowadays than they used to be. The internet has influenced this by producing rolling entertainment and gossip sites that 'break up' the potential audience group.

8) What is 'push' and 'pull' media? How has the internet shaped audience behaviour in relation to 'pull' media?
'Push' media is where producers push films at the audience, who then receive and consume them passively. Oppositely, 'pull' media is where the audience decide what they want to do with the media and access it in ways that suit them. In relation to 'pull' media, the internet has shaped the audience behaviour massively. When big companies like Google and News Corporation purchased DIY media institutions, the sites became more 'corporate' and illegally posted material was removed from sites like Youtube and MySpace. So, illegally downloaded and pirated films have been largely removed from the internet which has shaped the audience to a better behaviour in terms of not breaking the copyright laws.