Questionnaire

A few days ago me and Jessie started focusing on our final questionnaire with the help of the rest of our group, we decided to use google forms to construct it as it is the most efficient way to collect the results automatically.
Within this questionnaire we focused on our target age group [18-25 year olds] and covered questions such as how they would prefer to see a published film, what they would like to see within a film noir and other various questions that linked to the viewing of a movie so we could decide how to show our audience our OTS.

Jessie has published the link on her blog, this can be seen [here]

Our actual questionnaire can be seen here which will be seen by anyone we share it with over facebook. It is easy and simple to do which no other distractions on the page such as advertisements etc. so the audience can focus on simply the questions.

Audience - Effects Models

A brief post on the basic definitions of the types of audience that are out there, I have recently done a detailed post into researching the Hypodermic Needle Model and once we have found the results of the questionnaire and are focused on what age group, class and gender(s) we are aiming our OTS on I will do pieces of research into the models that are OTS is aimed at.

The Hypodermic Needle Model;
The intended message is directly received and wholly accepted by the receiver.

Two-Step Flow;
The people with most access to media, and highest media literacy explain and diffuse the content to others. This is a modern version of the hypodermic needle model that basically states the same thing but is more intriguing to the point that the audience wants to tell people to see what they have seen.

Uses and Gratifications;
People are not helpless victims of mass media but use the media to get specific gratifications - there views on the media and interpretations are limited.

Reception Theory;
The meaning of a ''text'' is not inherent within the text itself, but the audience must elicit meaning based on their individual cultural background and life experiences.

Obstinate Audience Theory;
This theory assumes that there is a transactional communication between the audience and the media. The audience actively selects what messages to pay attention to. The audience can even participate in the communication by influencing the message - working out the media in front of them and placing it in a way that provides a message personal to the relationship between them and the media.

Our Gut Instict Audience

Based on our plot and the visuals we have produced we have also discussed that our gut instinct for an audience is 18-25 due to the age of our actors and actresses, the ideas that crime will be featured during the full length of our film (we feel that this is an age group who would cope with this better) and also the stylistic conventions of our film being film noir even though we are breaking some conventions (we need an audience that is open to idea of Film Noir even though we are going towards a Neo-Noir direction). Based on the characters we have chosen, a vulnerable female who is trapped in a stereotype (someone a woman can relate with instead of growing hatred for) and a lower class man who wont threaten the male audience - our initial aim is to traget males as well as females. Of course we want to understand what this age groups want so that we know that what we are doing is right. As a group we decided that further research was definitely needed.

You can see on Ellen's blog that there is detailed research into the classifications of films using one of the 'Important Links' features on my blog - http://www.bbfc.co.uk/ which goes into detail the features of each certificate so that we know what should and what should not be in our film/OTS.

http://asmediastudiesmelissabartram.blogspot.com/2010/12/basic-audience-research.html

You can see on Melissas blog (link posted above) that we have also produced a basic questionnaire to see what format is better suited for this age group so that we can ask them what they want from a film and if our ideas are suited to their wants an interests. We will hand this questionnaire out to about 100 people in the city centre but we have made sure that we ask their age group so we get the answers specificially from 18-25 year olds.

Our Plot Animatic

These are the post it notes in the form of an animatic - it is a visual way of seeing our plot so that we know what shots we have to focus on. This will come in handy when filming our OTS and act as a good guide.

After we deligated the different shots and went home and individually to draw them it is clear that we are misunderstood on the costume and characteristics of our anti-hero - we have come together as a group and discussed this issue and now we are all clear that our anti-hero is very similar to that of in 'The Killers' -

He will have a rugged look about him and portray a man with a lowerclass background - a man that men in the audience can't be threatened by therefore allowing them to enjoy the film.



Uses of the Media?

This short and simple task helped me realise what sort of audience I am and how I use the media. After filling in the table I then had to ask myself why I used the different programmes...

News - Information, I watched the news to find out more about what was going on, to ''satisfy my curiosity''. It is satisfying and gives me a sense of exclusivity, watching and learning makes me think of the people that may not have taken up the same chance that I have. Watching certain documentaries on very interesting and controversial issues are an exciting thing for me to the inform other people about the next day, telling them what I learnt.

Neighbours - I don't watch this simply because I don't get a satisfaction with the following things, I don't learn anything I feel is necessary or receive any interesting information, it doesn't relate to my personal identity, being in Australia and basing itself around the older characters there is nothing I can relate to or identify with. However the reason why some people may watch it is under the reasoning of 'Integration and Social Interaction', people watch it to observe the lives of other people and the circumstances that they are in. It lets them escape from their day to day life but I feel that doesn't appeal to me at this present time and the age that I am in, I wouldn't escape through a soap such as Neighbours but through a show that is focused mainly on growing up such as Skins which deals with most of the issues teenagers face.

Quiz - I only ever really watch Quiz for my own personal identity, I find myself having similar sense of humour  to the comedians within the quiz show. Finding something funny that many who are in the audience live on the show are laughing at or that the comedians find funny is really pleasing as you feel you have a direct connection with the show and the people in it. It's a form of Entertainment, filling the time with something that creates laughter is an enjoyable thing.

Soap - Integration and Social Integration, I use this media in order to find out more about different peoples lives and the problems they face. Identifying with characters within soaps is really pleasing, having the ability to predict what they will do hooks you. It also helps you to get on with other people as soaps are often a topic of conversation and everyone loves being in the know. There is also an Entertainment aspect to watching soaps, very often there are quite over the top and dramatic story lines and on top of that, characters who are simply there to bring humour to the soap.

Hypodermic Syringe Effect

It is said that as a mass audience we can be very easily led or influenced simply from what we have watched. For example, if we see a woman washing up on television we would assume that that is the norm, a woman may then go and wash up with a man expecting her to. There has been evidence of violent people, such as Thomas Hamilton, watching a lot of violent films which has then led to the case that this is the reasoning behind his actions. The theory does take away peoples individuality basing itself solely on what we watch and how we act after we have watched it.
Personally, I do believe the theory to a certain extent. A programme such as Skins being watched by so many teenagers, I think, forces the characteristics of being misunderstood upon them and however much we may dislike unhappiness, when it is portrayed along with the 'cool' lifestyle within the programme I think we happily welcome it if it means that we become similar to characters like Effy, Cassie and Cook.



How the media can influence an audience?

From the video, made by a YouTube user, you can see the amount of doom and gloom present throughout. With the vast amounts of close ups on Effy we form a relationship with her, knowing how she is feeling constantly. Because we put ourselves into the characters lives during the time we watch the program it is easy for us to be influenced by them. In this case the answer to everything is to go out and party, I am sure this has influenced 1000s of teenagers that experience issues who watch this and think it's an easy solution. Seeing someone else in a similar position your in or has characteristics or aspects of a lifestyle you desire makes it possible to push us in different directions when it comes to our actions and views.

However, I do also think that certain individuals can overcome this theory and not be effected by it. There are definitely two types of people in all audiences, those who have very strong independent views and a strong individualism and those who follow the crowd - ''sheep'' as such. The ones who have strong independent views and strong individualism would simply take what they wanted from what they view dependent on this - feminists would defend their views and show disgust at the constant programmes that feature women in domestic roles where as more 'easily led' women who have been brought up not expressing themselves as much would accept it and move on unless told otherwise.