A2 Media, Television Industry - Audience Homework

Section 1

• Identify the main targeted audience of Madmen
• Madmen is targeted at a niche audience, this is apparent through various audeience targeting techniques it uses.
• Identify one way in which the text has been encoded to appeal to that type of audience
• One way in which the text has been encoded to target its specific audience its use use of high cinematography and rich stylistic values.
• Justfiy how that point/technique/convention would gratify your previously identified type of audience
• The use of sophisticated cinematography and rich stylistic value would gratify  a niche audience by appealing to their high brow taste and provide aesthetic appreciation.
• Describe a narrative sequence where this point/technique/convention is present
• One sequence in which we see the high cinematography is when we see Don talking to his wife in his bedroom, which is styled in the way a 1960's bedroom would be with, with period specific decor and examples of the fashion which popular in the 60's.

Section 2

• Does Lost target a passive audience?
• Lost targets a passive audience through various techinques such as a non-linear narrative, use of a score, and its frequent use of enigma codes.
• Identify how Lost is encoded to gratify a passive audience
• Lost is encoded to  gratify a passive audience by its inclusion of a non linear storyline, gratifying a passive audience and allowing for an easy decoding.
• Justify one point/technique/convention that would force Mad Men's audience to decode the text actively in order to gain gratifications?
• One convention which would force an audience to actively decode the text is the absense of a score. The absense of a score intends to force to use his/her initiative and mind to undertstand the feeling and narrative of certain scenes.
• Explain and justify how Peaky Blinders has been encoded to gratify both passive and active audiences
• One way in which Peaky Blinders is encoded to both gratify active and passive audiences is one scene in which we see a historic representation of the industrial revolution, whilst listening to a soundtrack of the White Stripes. The historical backgroud presents a gratification for an active audience, as they would be expected to undertsand the industrial setting and relate it to the events at twhich the text is set. The score constrasts to this technique as it is designed to help a more passive audience decode the text without having to act too actively.
• Justify the statement "Lost is encoded to be inclusive"
• It is evidednt that lost is encoded to be exclusive by the techniques employed which encourage passive viewing, allowing for easy decoding.
• Why does the use of a score appeal to a more passive audience?
•  The use of a score appeals to a more passive audience as it allows for easy decoding as the lack of digetic sound allows the passive audience to connote from he score and not have to decode using their initiative.