MEDIA THEORIESA LEVEL
LO U I S E B A R B O N E
PROPP’S CHARACTER THEORY
BARTHES’ CODESTHE ENIGMA CODE
Mystery within the text.Clues are given.Make the audience want to know more.Can frustrate the audience.
THE SEMANTIC CODE
An extra layer of meaning to the obvious text.Audiences can interact more.
THE ACTION CODE
Elements of action in the text.Enable suspense of the watcher.
THE REFERENCIAL CODE
Refers to anything in the text of historical, contextual, scientific and cultural knowledge.
THE SYMBOLIC CODE
Symbolism within the textShows opposites to create contrast and a greater meaning as well as tension and drama.
TODOROV’S NARRATIVE THEORY
Equilibrium Disruption Realisation
Restore Order Equilibrium AGAIN
LEVI-STRAUSS (NOT THE JEANS)• BINARY OPOSITIONS – two opposing themes in one text• EG. FROZEN
Good
Powerful
Kind-Hearted
No Sideburns
Bad
Weak (mortal)
Gold-digger
Sideburns.. Ew
VS.
AUDIENCE CLASSIFICATIONS• ABC1• A- Upper Middle Class (professionals)• B- Middle Class (administrative)• C1- Lower Middle Class (supervisory, junior managerial)• C2DE• C2- Skilled Working Class (skilled manual workers)• D- Working Class (semi and unskilled manual workers)• E- Lower Class (pensioners or students)
HYPODERMIC SYRINGE THEORYWatching a text, then becoming influenced by the genre.Sometimes how the media text wants you to react.Can be good or bad.
USES AND GRATIFICATIONS• What we get from a media text…
• Educate
• Entertain
• Personal Identity
• Social Interaction
RECEPTION THEORY• Preferred Reading= reader fully
accepts the meaning of the text
• Negotiated Reading= accepts the preferred intention of the text but sometimes is unsure
• Oppositional Reading= understands the preferred reading but does not share the texts codes/ goes against them
TWO STEP FLOW1. Opinion leaders get information from a media source.
2. Opinion leaders then pass the information to others, along with their own interpretations.
LAURA MULVEY’S MALE GAZE• When the camera sees a woman as the sexual object in the mise en scene.• The female viewer must experience the narrative by identification with the
male.• VISUAL PLEASURE (erotic object for the characters within the narrative to
view)• GENDER ROLES (females slow the narrative down, acting as inspiration for
the men. Males push the narrative forward making things active.)• SOCOPHILIA (the love of watching, especially women)• FEMALE OBJECTIFICATION (persons gazed are objectified and are devalued)• MEN CONTROL THE NARATIVE (Men appear to control what happens in the
scene)