Audience Theory - Suture

Suture implies that the audience gets "stitched" to the media text and feel that they relate to the characters and real world views expressed in a film. The audience are stitched to the text by 'invisible' techniques and conventions that are implemented by filmmakers. These conventions and techniques are those such as non-diagetic music, dramatic camera angles and editing techniques, which all cause the audience to become more emotionally attached to the narrative of the text, this forces them into a dominant reading, desired by the filmmaker. This can be seen in music videos with a strong narrative revolving around one protagonist, the viewer may relate to the character. For example, in our music video the audience may relate to the main characters feelings towards Little Red Riding Hood, throughout the video as the character becomes closer to the female character the audience are happy for the character, then at the end of the video Little Red Riding Hood runs away from the main character and this could be another relatable element to the video.

Audience Theory - Reception Theory

Reception Theory implies that when audiences view media text they interpret it in different ways and have different readings of the text, as the producer/director of the film encodes a message into the media text to be conveyed to the audience. There are 3 different types of audience readings; the dominant reading, the negotiated reading and the oppositional reading. If a viewer takes on the dominant reading, then they are decoding the text in the same way that the producer/director wanted the audience to interpret it. The audience may take on a negotiated reading of the text, which means that they accept the ideology of the text however do not agree with it. Oppositional readings are when the audience completely rejects the meaning of the text and refuses to accept the messages that the producer/director wanted to convey.

This theory can be applied to music videos in the sense that viewers may be able to read into the text and uncover a hidden meaning that the musician or video director has implemented into the video.

Audience Theory - The Uses and Gratifications Model

The Uses and Gratifications Model is the opposite of the Effects Model in the sense that instead of the audience being passive and exploited by the text in order to have an effect on them, the viewer is active and uses the text for their own benefit. The theory suggests that audiences use media text in order to satisfy their needs such as escaping from reality and comparing their lives with those on the television. According to the theory, a person may act out their violent impulses by watching violent media instead of acting violent in real life and committing violent crimes etc. Another way a person may use media in order to gratify their violent impulses is violent video game such as Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty.
 

Audience Theory - Two Step Flow Theory

Two Step Flow Theory is similar to the Effects Model as the audience is still passive, however instead of the viewer being influence directly by the media, they are influenced by an opinion leader. This is when somebody hears or reads the opinions of an influential figure such as a celebrity they idolise, then they swayed by these opinions. Twitter is a very important factor in the Two Step Flow Theory as there are many opinion leaders on Twitter that have the ability to easily voice their opinion to thousands or even millions of people that follow them. Examples of large opinion leaders that have a great impact on the public through Twitter are; Stephen Fry, Piers Morgan and Lord Alan Sugar. These are all people that have a very large following which allows them to be able to voice their opinion and cause many people to agree with them due to people supporting the opinions of their idols.

Audience Theory - Cultivation Theory

Cultivation theory suggests that audiences get desensitised to violent images after repeated exposure to them. A good example of this is films that got banned on release such as The Exorcist (1973) and The Hills Have Eyes (1978), however now the younger generation would not see the problem with films such as these as they tend to watch more violent and horrific images that they have become desensitised.  It also states that heavy TV viewers are shaped by the media they watch. This can be applied to music videos in the context that viewers may get desensitised to images such as nudity and violence. For example, genres such as rap and hip hop have a high amount of gang culture in their music videos, which in theory could cause audiences to be desensitised to the idea of drugs, weapons and the gang culture.

The Effects Model - Moral Panics

Scene from Child's Play 3

In 1961 Albert Bandura carried out an experiment called 'the Bobo Doll Experiment' which implies that people, especially children, are easily influenced by watching violent images. This model combined with cases of real life murders such as the murder of James Bulger caused a lot of controversy and moral panic among the public. The public was lead to believe that the two children that had killed James Bulger after watching the film 'Child's play 3' which shows many violent images and tourture techniques. This led to a public outcry to get the film banned along with many other violent films. Many people also accuse violent video games of causing people to become violent and carry out violent acts, for example games such as 'Grand Theft Auto' and 'Call of Duty.

Audience Theory - The Effects Model

The Effects Model examines the link between the consumption of mass media and people's behaviour following the consumption of these media texts. The model states that media texts have an effect or influence on the audience, which the viewers are powerless to, making them passive, these effects are mostly perceived as being a negative effect. The Effects Model is also known as "The Hypodermic Model"as it is like a syringe injecting the audience with powerful messages and the audience is powerless to resist. This model was first theorised in the 1920's and 1930's by the Frankfurt School stating that mass media is used for propaganda such as in the war.

I believe that the Effects Model can be applied to my music video in some ways, however maybe not exactly how it is outlined explicitly. For example if my music video was viewed by millions and made for a song by and influencial figure then a viewer may watch the video, see the products used by the band members and want to own the same products, such as an iPhone or Xbox.