The way an audience may react or read a text varies, according to Stuart Hall's theory of ' The Encoding and Decoding Model' in 1980, as all texts are polysemic. The way an audience may decode/encode a text may be because of factors such as age, gender, culture and knowledge; which are all different according to each individual. This is relevant to my chosen television texts.
Lost is made by the American television company; ABC, which creates mainstream texts to target a vast audience throughout the United States. The director, JJ Abrams is famous for his work in the genre of sci-fi and in films such as Star Trek. His pilot of the new series reached 18.6 million views and the first series had an average of 17.6 million views. It is typical of a mainstream text and its preferred audience would be that of a passive audience, due to the conventions used throughout.The series follows the story of a group of people who have crashed onto a desert island, somewhere between America and Australia. There are a variety of ethnicities, ages and genders which are relevant to the mainstream genre convention being an 'ensemble cast'. This allows a passive audience to be able to relate to at least one character within their text which is more likely to encourage them to be intrigued within the narrative. This is specifically shown with the character Sun, who is a female of an Asian ethnicity,within her 30s. Her body is always covered up and her husband does not allow her to expose any part of her body which could be shown as 'intimate'. This is relevant to a specific culture, which some people of the same ethnicity may be able to relate to.
Lost is based on the 1950's series 'The Twilight Zone', as it shows similar framing and slow zooming effects in order to create enigmas. These technical codes are frequently used within episode 2 of Lost, usually before a commercial break in order to keep their audience watching. An example of this is shown when there is a slow zoom towards the face of Charlie, which results into an extreme close up. The use of score is also used in the background in order to create tension and an enigma. The close up lasts for at least 6 seconds, focusing on his facial expression which is shown to be 'fear'. This exaggerated close up creates more tension as the audience are questioning what the character is thinking about. This is how the director intends for the audience to feel, which is relevant to the Hypodermic Model, as a passive audience accepts what the director is intending for them to feel and react to a certain scene within a text. However an Oppositional reading from an active audience could be that the text is too obvious read, as this creation of an enigma is obvious that something is going to happen.
Kate is the female protagonist within the second episode, along with Jack, who are both seen to be the 'heroes' within the narrative structure. Kate has similarities to the fictional character 'Lara Croft', being that she is strong, brave, beautiful and heroic. She has been constructed to be wearing very little clothing, she is slim and toned and has long brown hair. She is what every girl wants to be and look like, which encourages a female passive audience interested in her character due to her similarities with the famous Lara Croft. This also giving an audience the gratification of entertainment and pleasure with what they are seeing.
Mad Men was created by an American satellite and cable channel called 'AMC', who also then came make Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead. AMC stands for; American Movie Classics, and by the year 2013: 97,699,000 American households subscribed to this channel for their televisions. The programme was aired on Sky Atlantic within the UK, which again is a channel that audiences have to subscribe for to be able to watch. Mad Men was the first television series they created as they wanted to show the world something new. It was the first TV drama series to win an Emmy award consecutively; this proving that it was a huge success. It specifically targets an active audience as the text is more niche than mainstream. Throughout the series there are very complex character representations, focusing on life within 1960 America and how sexism was a common force within the work place. This again affecting how an audience might view the text whether positively or negatively. A passive audience may take an Oppositional reading as they may not understand all of the themes throughout the text as it is not a modernised text. Don Draper, is the male protagonist within the text who runs a high end business within the city of New York. His wife Megan Draper wants to excel within her acting career, his secretary Peggy has had enough of how he treats her, and Joan who uses her beauty in order to gain success within his business. Television critics commented on the specific episode I have studied being Series 5: Episode 11 'The Other Woman' as: ' a top notch episode, full of closed door talks and identity politics.'
Marilyn Monroe, was the main beauty icon with the 1950s and 60s, as her curves and famous smile made her the ideal woman of that era. Joan takes the role of Monroe within the series as she is similar in the way she looks, her body shape, what she wears and how she speaks. This could make an active audience be able to relate the two people together and want to carry on watching the series. Also, audiences with retrophilia- an obsession with the past- may also enjoy the programme a lot more as it gives an audience a real life representation of how life would have been within the 50s and 60s. Mad Men has created a large cultural phenomenon being within the fashion industry and inspirations for other shows and films such as the new television drama ' Suits'. A passive audience may take an Oppositional reading as they may not find Joan's character attractive as females who are classed as attractive in modern day are ' skinny, toned, tanned' etc. They may not understand why people find this character physically attractive.
Sexism between genders in the work place is a common theme within the narrative of Mad Men, which also exaggerates how it has evolved over time due to force of Feminism. We see that Joan is a strong sexual character who is available for the pleasure of men. She abuses her state of power, as she achieves it through sleeping with someone. Her sexuality is also enthused through the technical conventions and camera movements. An extreme close up of her chest while taking off a necklace, makes a strong focus on her cleavage and neck. This again relating her to intimate themes within the narrative. However, we see a change in sexism when Peggy finally stands up for herself infront of Don. She is standing above him while he is sat down in an arm chair within his office. This makes Don look less powerful and dominant over Peggy as we have seen previously. This is showing the ways of Feminism being present and that women are beginning to fight back against the oppression of men. An active audience would appreciate this fact and how the world has evolved since then to more equality within opportunities.
Peaky Blinders was first premiered in the Edinburgh Film Festival in June 2013, showing episodes 1 and 2 back to back. It received outstanding reviews and was a truly magnificent piece. It is set in Birmingham in 1919 after soldiers have come back WW1. It shows the struggle with mental health and alcohol abuse that the war has had on the community and also the poverty throughout the city. It follows a criminal gang featuring Cillian Murphy and Helen McCroy, who are famous film stars. The director Steven Knights is a big fan of Cillian and his work within the film business. By the feature of these famous actors attracted a variety of audiences being passive and active. The series was aired on BBC2 in the Autumn of 2013, which broadcasts programmes of the arts, culture, drama and comedy. An Oppositional Response of the series is from Jim Shelley, a Daily Mail critic: " i felt that the series was rushed with characters and plots often rushed and under developed and lacked complexity." This could be argued as the series was only 6 episodes long, it is a lot information to get into 6 hours. A passive audience may also find this hard to keep on top of the narrative.
The series has been complimented for its high production values and cinematography; things that an active audience would strongly appreciate. Also for its historical context which is a niche convention and an active audience gratification. An example of high quality cinematography within episode 2 is the fight scene within the first 5 minutes. The scene is shown in slow motion, with the soundtrack of the White Stripes reversed. High angle shots are shown of the men lying on the floor when looking up at the three Shelby's who have beaten them up. This creates a sense that they are more dominant and powerful characters and that they are set above anyone else. An active audience would appreciate this careful and detailed cinematography, compared a passive audience may not understand why it is in slow motion and that the soundtrack has been reversed. However a passive audience would find the use of modern soundtracks from the White Stripes entertaining how they are used within a different era of drama.
The use of the old fashioned car relates to historical context and how this family was wealthy enough to actually own a car compared to the rest of their community. A niche and mainstream audience would appreciate the feature of an old car as they can relate it to how technology has evolved over time within 100 years. Aunt Polly shows authority and power over the rest of the Shelby family, which shows that she had gained power and independence while the men were at War. The men respect her and audiences would respect this fact as it was rare for women to be the dominant figures aswell as men.
