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)