The preferred reading for Ja'mies Private School would be boys/girls aged within the 16-21 age demographic as generally the cast of the show aim to fit within a certain age range, in order to make the situations and dialogue more relatable to the audience. Older people from the ages of 40+ would take an oppositional reading as they would find the explicit language offensive and may not follow the humour surrounding popular culture. People at the ages of 25-34 may take a negotiated reading to the show as they may find some of the situations relatable and also follow the styles of humour used. Overall, as the show it set in a school environment it would generally be aimed towards the teen market - as his other sitcoms are aimed at this demographic also.
Vitamin Water - http://www.vitaminwater.com/ The target audience for the Vitamin Water website would be people between the ages of 16-25 as the website contains an interactive Twitter feed which updates when people tweet about them and generally these ages are more concerned with their fitness and staying healthy. The audience that would take a preferred reading would therefore be the main target audience - men/women between the age of 16-25. These group of people would take a preferred reading due to that age being more conscious about their health. Older people would take an oppositional reading to Vitamin Water as they perhaps believe it is a 'fad' and filled with sugars which therefore counteract with the health benefits promised. Also the website is filled with social network based language with performances from urban artists, which would not be aimed at older people. People between the age of 26-35 may take a negotiated reading to the website/product as these ages may be active users of social media, and also drink the product as it may compliment their lifestyle. The use of social media languages also suggest it is aimed at a younger demographic.
The article represents younger people as out of control and reckless - with constant partying and being drunk that is not viewed in a positive light. The article suggests that people around the teen age are generally out of control and perhaps dress in a provocative way - in order to be considered attractive. The article represents teenagers in a negative way as it creates the impression that all teenagers are out of control and also dressing a certain way to get attention.
This article again represents the age in a negative light, the article suggests that people above a certain age shouldn't be acting a certain way. Throughout the article, constant comments are made regarding Madonna's age and the way she acts - trying to be youthful at 55. The article implies that she is trying to hold onto her youth and tries to act youthful, however older people should just accept they are ageing. Madonna appears to be one of the only celebrities to be of a certain age and try to regain her youth. OId people are represented negatively as it suggests they are past their youth and aren't a desired category of people.
The Cultivation Theory The cultivation theory is a theory that suggests that viewers become desensitized to the media from regular exposure. The constant exposure to the television will shape the audiences perception of reality and shape it to be a certain viewpoint. This common in reality television shows as they would be constructed and edited to be a certain way which will manipulate the audience viewpoint thinking that it is reality as opposed to editing.
Reality Television
Reality television creates a false impression to the audience as it is constructed to create a drama filled storyline and edited for entertainment value. Although it is filmed around real people and their lives, the creators of the show will condense the most interesting scenes and put them into a show. In some cases like The Only Way Is Essex & Made In Chelsea the show is completely constructed to be a reality based format but with a script created by the producers. Shows like Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Real Housewives are completely reality based format but are edited to ensure that the most entertaining scenes are featured on television. High exposure to the 9 current seasons (KUWTK) would make the construction seem invisible to the viewers and therefore appearing as total reality as opposed to edited reality. The Kardashian/Jenner family generally contrast with the idea of age representation as generally the older the person gets the less beautiful they are considered to be, however in the Kardashian/Jenner instance, as the family have gotten older the more beautiful and famous they have gotten.
The advert above for the 2007 summer campaign for global fashion powerhouse Dolce & Gabbana features a man pinning a woman to the ground. It puts women in the weaker position and suggests that men are the dominant gender. All the men in the campaign all fit the stereotypical male role; masculine, dominant and all have a strong physique. The brand is a luxury fashion brand that is known to take risks in their advertisements. The use of degrading women to feel inferior acts extremely negatively and the brand received many complaints, the campaign glamorises domestic violence which is an extremely controversial subject matter - it also takes all the attention of what is being sold. It does relate to some males as some males may believe in the unequal ideology and that males are dominant - the campaign is also predominantly aiming itself at males due to the use of multiple male models.
Male Stereotype (Film & Television)
The Bachelor is a reality TV dating show consisting of a group of women 'competing' to win the affection of a single eligible bachelor - thus the name. The male bachelor fits into the stereotypical male role as he is always; attractive, masculine and heterosexual. The man also acts as a 'prize' suggesting that men should be treated like a prize or trophy. The show is aimed at a 20-30 demographic and the 'cast' of the show generally fits in the age group which becomes more relatable to the audience. By having the male fit a certain criteria it sets the impression that the male audience has to look and act a certain way. The show would never feature a more feminine and average looking male as this does not meet the polished and desired image they are creating, the average person would not be considered to be desirable to the audience.
Idea of the New Man (Music Video)
The video for Bruno Mars' hit single Grenade features Mars dragging a piano for a long distance expressing his love for a girl. The song is a statement to the lengths he would go to in order to protect and be with his lover - seen with the infamous 'I'd catch a grenade for you'. Bruno Mars fits into the idea of the new man as he does not try to over promote his masculinity seen by other artists like Jason Derulo, but more focuses on how he has a softer side in order to be able to express his feelings to his lover. In Bruno Mars's videos he does not use his body in order to generate attention and his lyrics are more meaningful and have more depth as opposed to other songs by established artists for example; 'Talk Dirty' & 'Rack City'. Bruno Mars' work is easily relatable to the audience as generally he writes about love and his songs express his love for someone, as love is an easily identifiable aspect of music. He fits into the idea of the new man as well as he values women's independence as opposed as seeing them as an object of affection or sex symbol.
The advert above are is banned by the Advertising Standards Agency due to the sexually explicit and suggestive nature. The advert suggest that the woman is engaging in a sexual act. The clothing brand American Apparel releases overtly sexual adverts in order to target their 18-30 year old men/women demographic. Therefore the use of their age demographic in their adverts suggests that their audience will be like the models if they wear the clothing brand. The use of degrading women into performing sexual acts is to showcase the idea that sex sells and the controversy generates attention to the brand in order to generate sales.
Domestic Women (Film and Television)
Desperate Housewives was a drama based around the lives of a group of women living in the iconic Wisteria Lane. The show portrays all the women as housewives which are traditional roles with traditional values - mainly dependent on their husbands for income for their lavish lifestyles, however some wives did get jobs as seasons progressed. The main target audience for the show was 16-40 year old women, they have a broad audience due to the difference in ages of the women however they all play a housewife role at some point in the show. By having the women as housewives it allowed the writers to create drama based storylines within the neighbourhood as the women generally were 'stay at home' wives. The show although created for drama did emphasise old and lingering domestic stereotypes for women.
Post Feminism (Music Video)
Britney Spears plays four roles in the Womanizer video including; domestic housewife, office worker, private chauffeur and waitress. This done in order to create the idea that the woman is playing the guy and she knows he is unfaithful. In the post feminism era, Britney generally uses her body as a way to entice her audience and to show that sex is a dominant ideology - even in her Blackout (public meltdown) era. She first plays a domestic goddess role cooking and serving her male 'counterpart' before changing to a strong, independent office worker. The office worker role dominates the male by seducing him, then abusing him which shows female empowerment. The chorus reads 'I know what you are' showing that she is not stupid and he cannot lie to her. She then changes to a waitress whereby she is subservient to him, however she again lures him in before abusing him which shows her dominance - which contrasts with the server/customer role. She then changes to a private chauffeur (above) who controls the situation, the body language suggests that he is fearing for his life whereas she is calm and collected. Multiple shots throughout the video show Britney naked in a steam room, using her body to entice the audience. She changes back to the housewife role before dominating her lover and getting rid of him. The song relates to the audience as people are cheated on all the time and she shows female empowerment by saying that women aren't stupid and aren't to be underestimated - the song chants 'Womanizer' throughout to label cheaters and unfaithfulness.
Audience Question I could have improved by using all the correct media language which was appropriate for the question, I could have also explained my examples in more detail as this would have given me more marks. I need to ensure that I explore the connotations of the magazine covers and ensure I do not miss out any important details on the cover, generally I am happy with the score I achieved on the question however understand that there are areas for improvement.
Representation Question I achieved 7 on both of the questions, the first question I could have developed who the other audiences were and justify why they could be considered to be second audiences. However on the second question it was purely down to misunderstanding and I would need to revise more around this question and apply theories in my answer. Revision and study Although I believed I did a good amount of revision, I will ensure that I focus more on the terminology and the detail of examples - by researching and solidifying examples.
Coursework I am happy with the coursework that I have produced, however more guidance maybe needed in the report aspect of the coursework.
