How does Louis Theoroux attract it's target audience?

Louis Theoroux's: 'America's most hated family in crisis' smashed viewings and became the most watched programme of that week with 3.3 million views. The programme is heavily constructed to appeal to it's audience, seen as far as the first scene as we are put straight into the center of the Westboro Baptist Church conducting very extremist protests against 'fags'. This scene is constructed to make a mockery of the cult which appeals to it's audience through Theoroux style of journalism which give conventions of humor normally known as Gonzo journalism. For example his first words quote: 'Is it possible you've become more weird?'. The uses and gratifications theory assumes the audience to gain entertainment through this humor as well as vast information on the views of the church.

How does Lost appeal to it's audience? - Polar Bear scene.

The scene with the Polar Bear is a great example in how it is constructed to appeal to it's audience. Initially the scene begins with a shot of the group moving towards higher ground. The camera pans slowly above looking down upon them allowing the audience to see how small they are juxtaposed with the island. This creates entertainment from the Uses and Gratifications theory as it gives continuous little enigmas, which question the audience as to where they are, and whether they'll find help. A sense of panic is firstly constructed through the frustration of Sayid and Sawyer. The sudden change to non-diegetic music at this point begins to make the scene very tense and gives connotations of horror. Also during this point the viewing of the audience is very restricted and shallow focus is used to restrict viewing of the mise en scene. As what we eventually know to be the Polar Bear approaches a switch is made to a handheld camera giving a clear sense of realism and putting the audience right there in the moment. This again creates entertainment from the Uses and Gratifications theory but also a sense of personal identity is reinforced as the audience feels the same panic as the group do through the use of editing. The scene is typical of a passive audience, the 180 rule is used to not create confusion of the audience and it is quite clear at all points as to what is going on. The diegetic screams again refer to panic and also a further little enigma is used when Sawyer shoots down the bear. Earlier in the program the handcuffs suggested a criminal on the plane and this questions the audience as to thinking it was him. Finally towards the end of the scene a cliffhanger is used through forms of another enigma to attract the audience to return (After a TV commercial break). This create personal interaction as the viewers want to discuss with friends, post on blogs or social networking sites which gives the mainstream program it's large ranged demographic.

Discuss the audience appeal of your three main texts - Madmen

The audience of Madmen is very limited in that it is shown purely on a subscribed channel (Sky Atlantic) so therefore this restricts the amount of negotiated and oppositional readers of the text as they would not have paid for such a channel. 'The Other Women' is the The Guardian critics choice for a 'knockout' episode as it clearly appeals to it's audience through the controversial issues put forth and when the patriarchal society of the time was taking a change. The representations of the ensemble cast show different perspectives of the time but all share the typical smart, suited office stereotype. Through the uses and gratifications theory this gives information on the style of the time and also creates personal identity as through the use of an ensemble cast, each viewer can more than likely relate to one of the characters. The Other Women challenges the male dominated society of the 60s. It firstly appeals to it's audience through the use of editing. The lack of non-diegetic music enables the viewer to create their own feelings upon a situation or a character and therefore is intended for a much more active audience. Also in this particular episode a non-linear flashback is constructed when Don Draper confronts Joan at her apartment, which adds shock value to the program, but also suggests it's appeal is towards a more educated and perhaps older demographic: 30 years and over.

Explore the impact of digital technologies on your selected industry

Today's artists are highly reliant on digital technology, as it gives them the opportunity to more efficiently market their music to a wider range of people. Lady Gaga and Radiohead from my set texts are examples of this, however Nirvana being an early 90s band were not given such methods, and relied greatly upon interviews and TV performances. 

Digitial technology has a huge impact on the success and image of Lady Gaga. Through the use of social media, Facebook, Twitter or fan sites for example she is able to interact with her fans which allows her to keep them up to date with her latest news, and allows her audience to feel as though they are able to get to know her. This gives great positive publicity for Lady Gaga and also through using such sites she is able to speak about her new releases, which in itself helps to market her products. 

Unlike Lady Gaga, Nirvana had no access to such technology, they therefore communicated with their fans through the use of TV. Performances on the Jonathon Ross 

I LOVE YOU JOHN - A*...?

How typical are my chosen texts of their genre? - Fish Tank

Social Realism is the main genre in Fish Tank, and is use to give a sense of realism for the viewer. This is reinforced as early as the first scene. 

The first shot we are presented with is that of the protagonist, and straight away we can determine she is of low class through her presentation. The scraped back hair, huge looped earrings and joggers are all stereotypical of the working class, and early on give a sense of the overall class of the film. 

The technical conventions used are also very much typical of the Social Realism genre; the camera shots for example are in long takes with little camera movement and having very limited editing. For instance in the first scene the camera tracks Mia's movement as she goes to pick up the stones to launch at Keeley's window, this allows the film to become very realistic 

To what extent are your chosen texts typical of their Genre? - Sin City

My chosen text Sin City has several Genre's, the overriding ones being Horror, Comic and Film Nior. These genre's within the film are used very typically in that they are all as you would expect. The Horror is portrayed through the gore and overall sinister plot, the Comic is foreshadowed through the use of black and white high contrast pictures with 'splashes' of colour, and finally Film Nior is furthermore shown through the high contrast black and white imagery and miserable urban settings.

Film Nior is the overriding theme within the film, and its obvious of this through the conventions used. Film Nior allows the film to be distored, skewed and uncomfortable to look at, to ultimately put the viewer at unease. This is created through the genre conventions used. For example, the urban settings set the scene allowing it to be seen as a typical 'rough' area; reinforced through the violence. The weather furthermore portrays the mood of the particular scene through the use of pathetic fallacy, overall adding to that tense, gloomy atmosphere. 

The camera angles used are also typical of the Film Nior genre. Extreme close ups are used to reinforce facial expression and in contrast 'deep focus' is used to show the setting of the scene. The extreme closeup thus restricts the viewers sight around the scene, putting them on edge and tense. This can also relate to the 'Horror' genre as it creates a sense of being unaware and alone. Dutch Tilts are also used in the film, once again very typical of the Film Nior genre. These are used to create 'awkward' angles to look at, thus again create the sense of unease to the viewer. 

Certain characters within the film are also typical of Film Nior. Police are portrayed as 'corrupt' making them a 'false hero' such as Bob for shooting his partner. This is shown through and supports Propps Character theory as we also see heros through Hartigan and princesses through Nancy. 

Film Nior overall is very typically portrayed within the film. The voice overs, melonchony downbeat music, and non-linear editing furthermore contribute to the genre. 

Horror is also a very big genre within Sin City; it once again is very typically used however through a comic style. This is shown through the over the top gore. The torture scenes are very typically 'horror' however the gore is very comicy and less typical. The gore is genrally very bright colours and seem to 'splash' overall creating very humourous scenes. 

Film Nior can be incorpirated within the Horror genre. For example through the voice overs; the deep voices of the male protagonist create a very sinister feel, as a deep voice give connatations of power and authority. This is typical of males within the film as they hold the dominance over women. Secondly the pathetic fallacy of thunder and lighting furthermore create an overall sinister and horror atmophere. The weather works great with the black and white high contrast imagery as it creates shadows which typical of horror films create an overall tense feeling for the viewer. 

Finally the genre of Comic is very typical in the film. The comic theme holds the film together and keeps it to what its intial aim was to be. Intertexuality is obvious in the Comic genre through the mentions to Superman and Lancelot. This comic book theme is furthermore portrayed through the over the top jumping off of buildings, dramatic sound effects, and very bright splash of colours. 

In conslusion these 3 genres within the film overall allow it to become Postmodern and the film is thus very typical of its chosen Genres. 

Mad Men - Audiences

"Most media texts target a range of different audiences"

 How true is this for your chosen texts?

• In general Madmen attracts a specific range of audience, mainly being the older more middle class generation of people.
• However our particular text "The Other Women" can relate to a wider range of audiences as it contains such controversial issue such as: Racism, male dominance and the objectification of Women. 
• Such controversial issues can be seen through the presentation of certain characters. For example the racist attitudes of the 60s are seen through the older generation at the time. Joan's mother is a good example of this as during a conversation with Joan, she say's: "why don't you get a coloured girl in, they're used to being bossed around." Furthermore it is reinforced that these attitudes only lie with the older generation as Joan shrugs off this proposal and walks away. This therefore could split audiences opinions, with older audiences seeing it as more standard and younger being offended by the attitudes portrayed, thus an older audience would be able to gain personal identity and would take a more preferred reading.
• The issues such as the objectifying of women, and the overall patriarchal society, are also easier relatable to an older general as they would get personal identity off their own real life experiences. However the information given about the 60s could also be interesting for a younger generation who didn't experience such issues.