Lo6 - Theories.

• GENRE THEORY.

Patrick Philips (1996) - genre offers commutable reassurance

Barry Keith (1995) - all genres have subgenera

Brandson and Stafford (1999) - genres help minimise risk and predict expenditure.

Rick Altman (1999) - Emotional Pleasures, Visceral pleases, Intellectual pleasures.

David Bordwell (1998) - any theme may appear in any genre.

• NARRATIVE.

Pam Cook (1985) - enigma resolution (a solved problem) and narrative closure (when we have a definite ending).

Tzvetam Todorov (1997) - equilibrium, disrupted to make disequilibrium, action took against the disruption, state of new equilibrium.

Levi-Strauss (1958) - binary opposition, good vs evil.

• REPRESENTATION. 

Laura Mulvay (1975) - Male Gaze

Stuart Hall (1995), Alvarado (1985) - Western / White cultures continue to mis represent ethnic minorities as in the media due to underlying media due to underlying racist tendencies.

Earp & Katz (1999) - Men are often represented as having tenancies of pathological control over violence

• EFFECTS IN MEDIA. 

Chris Ferguson (2012) showed no long term link over three years regarding violent video games having an impact on those that play them.

George Gerbner and Larry Gross (1979) - Culitivation Theory.

This theory examines the long term effects of television. "The more time people spend watching TV, the more time the more likely they are to believe that they are to believe social reality aligns with reality portrayed on television."

Craig Anderson (2007) that high exposure to fact - paced violent games can lead to changes in brain function when processing violent images , including dampening of emotional responses to violencee. One of the high risk factors

Stanley Cohen (1972)  - Moral panic (when things are believed to be a threat to society such as folk devils)

Hall, (1980) - All representations are mediated

Perkins (1979) - There is a use of stereotypes / counter types, but not all stereotypes are negative. 

Turton (2014) - hooligans, trouble causers, black and Asian boys. 

Lloyd (1995) - girls as double deviant - trouble causers but shouldn't be because they are women. 

Essay 2.

I think regulation issues mostly occur in interactive sectors (gaming) as they include products such as Fortnite and GTA5, which are both seen as controversial and have previously caused moral panics. The target audience for the game ‘Fortnite’ is of teenagers aged 12+ due it it’s PEGI 12 rating, contrasting from ‘GTA5’ as this game targets a more adult audience due to its PEGI 18 rating. However, despite the games targeting two completely different audiences, the codes and conventions they share are very similar, resulting in people typically disregarding age ratings since most games are revolved around shooting opponents and therefore 12’s, 15’s and 18’s are deemed acceptable for anyone 12+ to play as a majority of these games are seen as ‘the same’ in a lot of peoples eyes.

Craig Anderson (2007) said that paced violent games can lead to changes in brain function when processing violent images, including dampening of emotional responses to violence such as the media products Fortnite and GTA5. Firstly, this theory is proven to be true (to an extent) due to the fact that a teenager went on a shooting rampage, influenced by GTA5. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/09/18/do-games-like-grand-theft-auto-v-cause-real-world-violence/#d14690b32418) However, this teenager was mentally ill and extremely angry, therefore it’s hard to determine whether this shooting happened due to his mental state or purely to the fact that the game desensitized him to aggressive behavior. Regardless, regulatory guidelines may be responsible for these copy-cat behaviors seen in young teenagers. Since, although young teens can’t buy PEGI 18 games in store, they’re still able go online to buy them there instead. Therefore, lying about your age is something many young teenagers / children do as it’s uncommon to get ID’d over the internet, it’s also extremely easy to confirm that you’re 18 when you’re not. This commonly takes place with games that are rated PEGI 18, since, if you have these games you are deemed as ‘cool’ and ‘popular’ to society, which is very important to teenagers as school revolves around these statuses. This is lack of age confirmation over the internet is a huge regulatory issue within the gaming sector of media products as it may be contributing to the desensitization of violence and aggressive copy-cat behaviors seen in teenagers.

Another regulatory issue regarding this Anderson's theory is that, although more explicit and graphic content is seen in games rated PEGI 18, games such as Fortnite (which is a 12) still include elements such as guns and death. Depending on the child / teenager, I think this type of behavior could still desensitize children from aggressive behavior and even death, as games like Fortnite are extremely popular and addictive to kids, therefore if the game is played everyday (which it typically is), slowly, over a period of time, impressionable children may associate this behavior with being acceptable to portray in reality, as the game that glorifies death and violence is a part of their everyday life. Overall, I think that PEGI 12 games can hold regulatory issues, since death and murder is featured within some PEGI 12 games, 12 year olds are still children and may be very impressionable and therefore I think the fact that although most PEGI 12 games (which include violence) are clearly unrealistic due to animation, it still may desensitize children and influence aggressive behavior, due to them still learning about what is wrong and right within the world.

The third regulatory issue that could potentially be a problem is the design of the content description graphics. For example, each graphic is supposed to inform parents on the content in which is in the game to let them decide whether it is suitable for their child. However, these graphics represent each subject matter in an edgy, visually appealing way due to the black and white contrast between them. Therefore, if anything, children who aren't old enough to play PEGI 18 games may find these graphics appealing and therefore may want the game due to it seeming like it includes 'cool' content. Which is an issue as the purpose of PEGI is to disregard young people from playing games that aren't suitable for them. Therefore, having images that represent controversial subject matters in a visually appealing way may be an issue as if anyone children are the most likely to be appealed to this sort of graphic, especially due to their want to have knowledge on these subject matters. Consequently, if the child gets the game that isn't suitable for them, this could again lead to desensitization as children are more impressionable and likely to be influenced by bad behavior.

I think other regulatory issues that may proove Anderson's theory to be true is that, some PEGI 18 games are created with some of the most realistic graphics, sometimes you feel like you're watching a real life video. This is completely fine and amazing to experience when the game doesn't include elements that are seen as morally wrong or controversial, however with PEGI 18 games this is not usually the case. For example, 'GTA5' is one of the most controversial games due do its inclusiveness of elements that are against the law such as murder, robbery, drug abuse and so on. As the realistic visuals connote to impressionable children that these activities are acceptable to portray in real life, due to the fact that the main character who you play is seen as an ideal self, therefore making the player potentially want to copy what they're doing to live the same lifestyle as them. However, most games don't show the consequences of illegal actions and so therefore games like this have ruined lives as people get caught for things such as robbery and end up in jail. Secondly, games such as 'Battlefield' have been seen as having regulatory issues due to the fact that the game is based on war, and many believe this is morally wrong as war is a sensitive subject due to loss of family members and it happening all over the world, a lot of people have the opinion that 'war is not a game', which is a phrase that has been used in campaigns against insensitive games based on war. Lastly PEGI 18 games typically include folk devils such as stereotypical black youth and hoodie culture, these stereotypes are portrayed in a negative way which could have a psychological impact on the individual playing the game. In other words prejudiced or discriminatory acts and behavior towards race, gender or religion. And therefore I think that PEGI should potentially re-think what they deem acceptable to have in games, as issues such as war and misrepresentation are going to be seen as controversial or morally wrong by society the majority of the time, creating moral panics and desensitization to important subject matters within reality. 

Lo6 - Key terms.

Conglomerate - A  large company who has subsidiaries.

Subsidiary - An company owned by a conglomerate.

Independent - A company that funds it's own media and isn't owned by anyone.

Joint Venture - When two companies collaborate to create a product.

Vertical Integration - How a product is distributed and consumed.

PamCo - Do most audience research.

Horizontal integration - When the product is advertised through subsidiaries.

Synergy - When something is advertised across multiple different platforms.

Public service company - Funded by the public, e.g. TV licence.

Production process - In-between pre and post-production as the product is actually being made.

RAJAR - Radio Audience Joint Research.

BARB - Broadcasters Audience Research Board

Below the line advertising - used by more independent / local companies.

Above the line advertising - typically used by larger nation wide companies.

Web 2.0 - interactive web

Demographic profile - an written up profile of a stereotypical average member of your target audience based on their hobbies, interests and lifestyle.

Technological convergence - when two technologies are combined into one modern device.

Genre - the theme.

Representation - how people / places are represented in the media via elements such as mise-en-scene.

Narrative - the storyline.

Connotation - what something implies.

Mass audience -  A large target audience.

Niche audience - A small, more local target audience.

Moral panic - when the media is biased towards something such as folk devils / an outrage is caused.

Copycat violence - When people mimic aggressive behavior they see in the media.

Passive audience - when the audience aren't that interested or interactive with the product

Desensitization - When people are numb to sympathy or seeing violence.

Mean world syndrome - when people believe that crime and violent acts are happening very often due to lots of negative media.

Folk devil - Stereotypes that are seen to cause moral panics.

Media effects - the effects of the media on the world / it's audience.

Uses and gratifications - audience pleasures.

Media regulation - regulators such as ASA.

Censorship - Similar to regulation

Hypodermic syringe - when a passive audience automatically believes what the media fees them

BBFC / PEGI ratings mindmap.

Essay.

The media product I have chosen to analyse is the trailer for the famous film, ‘Jaws’. Jaws came out on the 26^th of December, 1975. The film was of the horror genre when it was first released. However, due to drastic changes in film SFX and technologies, the film has been now determined a drama / mystery, due to it’s more unrealistic visuals. The target audience for Jaws is mass. Since the film was released in the summer of 1975, most people had time off work – especially children and teenagers. Therefore, the film targeted a primary audience of teenagers, as they typically had the most time to watch the film. This target audience is also reinforced by the ‘15’ BBFC rating as it insinuates that anyone over the age of 15 can watch it. However, since the trailer of jaws includes adult actors who are seen as ideal selves and partners, ‘Jaws’ also attracts an older male and female audience. Lastly, due to the fact that famous Hollywood actors such as Roy Schneider are featured within the trailer, the film appealed to a secondary worldwide audience of men and women of various different ages, as Roy was very popular within society at this time. I think the film Jaws mostly had a negative rather than positive impact on viewers; the film greatly increased phobias of sharks and water, as it misrepresented sharks as terrorizing to create a bigger sense of threat and horror within the film.

George Gerbner and Larry Gross 1979 came up with the 'Cultivation Theory.' in 1979, this theory examines the long term effects of television. "The more time people spend watching TV, the more time the more likely they are to believe that they are to believe social reality aligns with reality portrayed on television.". I think this this theory is proven to be true regarding the film 'Jaws' due to facts found in articles online. For example, in the 'New York Posts' article (https://nypost.com/2015/06/18/why-jaws-terrifies-even-phobia-experts/), A man talks about how 'Jaws' caused him to change basic daily activities such as showering and taking a bath: “I thought there was open water in the bathtub,” he says. To avoid a drain-based shark attack, he’d take showers by standing on the edge of the tub. 

These phobias came from the fact that the film  misrepresented Great Whites as evil, portrayed via scenes where children are attacked on the beach in shallow water, as although this concept is very unrealistic, impressionable children and adults didn't know any better other than to believe it was true.  


Due to ‘Jaws’ clearly having an impact on how viewers felt mentally towards sharks, violent copycat behaviors were demonstrated all over the world by people who had witnessed graphic, aggressive  scene within the film. Such as the scene where Jaws the shark gets killed. In this scene Roy Schneider is on a boat with his friends in an attempt to shoot Jaws, after multiple tries they manage to get a tank of gas into the sharks mouth which they proceed to shoot, to which the shark blows up. 

 In 2007, Craig Anderson came up with a theory based on the fact that paced, violent media products can lead to changes in the brain function when processing violent images, including dampening of emotional response to violence. Which is known as desensitization. Meaning people are more likely to copy these violent behaviors as they’re used to seeing them and therefore don’t feel empathy towards suffering. This theory was shown to be true regarding the film ‘Jaws’ via articles found online. Since the movie was based on hunting ‘Jaws the shark’ down, viewers were subliminally told that it’s okay to demonstrait these violent behaviors in reality. Therefore, people started intentionally killing sharks due to the film misrepresenting great whites as evil. Reinforced in Gizmodo’s Article (https://gizmodo.com/40-years-of-bad-science-how-jaws-got-everything-wrong-1712384448) which reads  "Jaws even caused people to intentionally kill sharks by the thousands in a misguided belief that they were protecting themselves. It's not just misinformed fishermen who kill sharks to try and make people safer. Governments, most famously the government of Western Australia over the last two years, have tried the same nonsense. Dr. Neff calls this "the Jaws effect.", 

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Lo6 - active audiences.

THEORIES

• Gauntlett (1995)- We are able to filer and adapt to content in the media  

• Mcquail (1972) -We have uses and gratifications theory people use the media for their own purposes. Provides a more positive outlook on the media on the effects of media. 

• Hall (1980) – encoding / decoding model. 

Preferenced reading -  the audience accept the most ‘transparent’ meaning following the dominant viewpoint / ideology / story

Negotiated reading - partially agrees with meaning,  makes their own models. 

Oppositional reading - meaning understood but don’t agree and think opposite. 

USES AND GRATIFICATION. 

• Escapism
• Personal identity  
• Person relationships 
• Information. 

 KEY WORDS 

Encode– to put in.
Decode– to understand. 

DIOR ADVERT.

Ideal self-models – The model within this advert: Marian Coltard is 48 years old and very attractive, therefore she will be seen as an ideal self to people who are of a similar age, encouraging them to buy the product as they will want to be like her. 

Serif font- has flicks that create the effect of the text looking ‘hand written’ and exclusive, therefore producers use it to market products that are expensive and exclusive such as jewellery, which usually have a target people within the ABC1 social grade due to this social grade typically earing the highest disposable income. Secondly, serif font typically appeals to women due to the fact that we associate the handwritten wringing with elements such as diaries, which typically consist of things such as gossip, reflecting feminity due to traditional female stereotypes. Therefore this font helps target the 25-50 year old middle class 

‘Neutral’ colours – Bright bold florescent colours are stereotypically used to market products aimed at children or people within the C2DE social grade, therefore due to the contrast between the colours denoted within this advert and floresent colours helps connote that the target audience for this product is opposite, meaning its aimed at people within the ABC1 social grade. 

Costumes ‘ – The costumes consist of a suit and tie which connotes that these models are within the ABC1 social grade as these outfits are typically fairly expensive, connoting they have a high disposable income to spend on luxuries like this. Therefore reinforcing the fact that the advert is aimed at an ABC1 target audience due to the fact that the advert will be relatable and reflective of their lifestyle, making it more appealing and relevant to them. 

Lo6 - Media effects summary so far.

Theory -  Chris Ferguson (2012) showed no long term link over three years regarding violent video games having an impact on those that play them.

Theory -  George Gerbner and Larry Gross (1979) - Culitivation Theory.

This theory examines the long term effects of television. "The more time people spend watching TV, the more time the more likely they are to believe that they are to believe social reality aligns with reality portrayed on television."

Theory - Craig Anderson (2007) that high exposure to fact - paced violent games can lead to changes in brain function when processing violent images , including dampening of emotional responses to violencee. One of the high risk factors?

Desensitisation - when people aren't affected or empathetic towards violence they see on the media.

Mean world syndrome - people believe that there is more crime happening that there actually is due
to negative / violent elements within TV programmes / on the media.

Moral panics - when a group of people panic / have something to say about something they see in the media. 

Media bias - when writers are bias towards certain groups of people and portray them in a negative light within the media.

Folk devil - the thing that is causing moral panic in the press. e.g. GTA 5.

Copy cat behaviour - when people copy behaviour they see on the media.