On Audiences & Media Texts: Personal Movie Project Task

In what ways have you consumed media in this past week?

- Interacting through the internet via Facebook and YouTube.

- Watching TV, notably the Louis Theroux documentary on Jimmy Savile. 

- Listening to music via the internet (i.e. YouTube).

The 3 different 'texts' I have used the most is:

1. Social Media - I use Facebook almost constantly in order to keep in touch with friends and family.
2. TV - the Louis Theroux documentary on Jimmy Savile, which I watched with my mum along the weekend.
3. Games - playing on my PS4, though not as much as I use to due to the constant work needed and need for sleep. However it is still a hobby of mine. 

Why study audiences?

1. By identifying an audience you can predict behavior.
2. A viewer can then adapt their own understanding of a text.

TASK 1

You are a producer of films in the UK that makes films for every age group and demographic. Create the following from images you can find on Google:

1. An idea for a new movie.
2. Create a genre.
3. Create an audience profile.
4. Create a slide show on PowerPoint with titles.

This has all been completed in PowerPoint under the name "TASK 1 Presentation - M.Tulip". The movie is a documentary drama concerning a post-nuclear world. Stars relatively low-key actors. M.A.D. stands for "Mutually Assured Destruction", a hint at the nuclear aspect the movie offers. The plot of the film is mean't be a following of the people and events after the exchange of a nuclear war, and foreshadows the impending nuclear winter as a result of the fallout.

TASK 2

Write an analysis (500 words) of your chosen film that you "produced" from the previous task. Include:

1. Audience theory models - which one is yours and why?
2. Demographics - how do they work with your film choice?
3. Genre - include evidence from other popular movies in the genre?

Analysis of "M.A.D." 

For me to discuss the idea of the movie "M.A.D.", I must first introduce the inspiration for such a product: Threads (1984). This was a movie produced and distributed under the guidance of the BBC, and discussed a possible scenario of nuclear war and the aftermath following such an event. It had a budget of just $250,000-350-000 and contained mostly low-key actors, including local actors. The movie was a documentary-like drama that wanted to realistically depict not just the horrors of nuclear war, but it's fallout. Thus the film is often praised for its realistic approach to the subject.

With that being said, it gives some context behind the thinking of my project. Most of the actors cast are relatively low-key or considered underrated. Plus, the genre of it being a film depicted in the style of a documentary, more focused on the causes and effects rather then the actors and casts themselves. Thus the audience model I would think most appropriate for this subject could vary to a degree, depending on how audiences take in the media text. For example, say if the movie were funded through the government via the BBC in order to promote the theme of nuclear war, then it can be seen as the Effects Model, as consumption will lead to questioning by the audience on the actual events of the movie, and thus get them invested in the message the movie brings.

Meanwhile since the movie is being produced and put out there (perhaps under the BBC), the Uses and Gratifications would also be an appropriate model that would perhaps encourage audience consumption. The audience would be free to indulge in the message being taught and use the media text to perhaps promote other material that, in turn, would also encourage the message of the movie. The movie itself, being eerily similar to Threads (at least in the abstract), would thus promote a cautious tale of what may come should we not avert nuclear annihilation. 

As for the demographic itself, this could range across various groups of people, though predominately adult audiences. Interests of the audience would be those with a fondness for world affairs, politics, social issues etc. The movie itself would be graphic due to its extreme depictions of a nuclear holocaust, thus a rating of 18+ would be in order. Going back to the Effects Model however, should the movie be brought to the public in a similar way as it was to Threads (i.e. BBC funding and advertising), it would act as a public promotion that appeals across demographics consisting of adult audiences. 

The genre of the movie is technically that of a docudrama, as the movie would contain similar elements to that of Threads such as contextual voiceovers and casual actors playing out every day, average, lower-middle class individuals. These people would be caught up in such catastrophes displayed in the movie, much like Threads. In addition, the castings of low-key actors in roles of somewhat average citizens would make them far more relatable to the audience themselves, as the predicted target audience would be that of the lower, middle and working class. These would be the individuals threatened by the aftermath of a nuclear war.