Audience Questionnaire on Film

The questionnaire below is to find out more about the audience who are interested in film. They can be very useful to figure out the what they enjoy about certain things in film and what attracts them to watch the films they do.

 

Uses and Gratifications Theory

 

“Uses and gratifications theory is a popular approach to understanding mass communication. The theory places more focus on the consumer, or audience, instead of the actual message itself by asking “what people do with media” rather than “what media does to people” (Katz, 1959) It assumes that members of the audience are not passive but take an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives. The theory also holds that audiences are responsible for choosing media to meet their needs. The approach suggests that people use the media to fulfil specific gratifications. This theory would then imply that the media compete against other information sources for viewers’ gratification. (Katz, E., Bulmer, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. 1974)”

 

Uses and Gratifications needs to fulfil one of the following:

• Identify -  the audience is able to recognise with a product or person
• Educate - the ability to receive the information, knowledge of their pleasing
• Entertain -  The audience must be able to receive enjoyment and some form of "escapism"
• Social Interaction - Media products are able to start a conversation/ forum between the consumers of their products. 

Over the past 10 years the internet has played part in how uses and gratifications theory is perceived:

• The internet allows us to become aware of more products and people due to the search engines where we are able to search for our needs and they also bring up similar sites which expands our need for these.


• Factual websites allow the audience to learn whatever they may wish, thanks to websites like Wikipedia, e-lawresorces etc. it is argued that the internet has developed education massively in the past 10 years.


•  Music especially has benefited a great amount from this as YouTube, Spotify and iTunes etc. allows the audience to watch or listen to any thing they like which gives the audience opportunities to be entertained whenever they please.


• Internet also allows freedom as you have social networking sites from which you are able to communicate with people from around the world and also sites which can enable us to escape all worries and stress with just a click of a button.

 Reception Theory

This theory states that in any text produced for an audience has a hidden message behind the words and when they have the correct audience some are able to recognise the meaning behind the words whereas others will not be able to understand the meaning. It is also down to what the audience interpret the text as some will interpret it on the same level as the write whereas some won't it all depends on how well they know the writers analytical work. Under reception theory Stuart Hall created another theory which states that there is 3 different reading types;

• Dominant Reading - The audience are able to decode the message and completely agrees with the ideas presented.


• Oppositional Reading - The audience disagrees with the message and rejects the idea.


• Negotiated Reading - The audience partially agrees with the message and is kind of in between.

Hypodermic Syringe Theory

The media  injects the message into audience mind and it cause changes in audience behaviour and psyche towards the message. Audience are passive and they can’t resist the media message.

Two- Step Flow Theory

This theory has two steps hence the name which are;

• Step One - the opinion leaders get the information from a media source


• Step Two -  they then pass on the information, along with their thoughts on it, which is then influenced to their families, friends and acquaintances.   

From this the opinions are heavily influenced by that of what the opinion leaders have said so say if someone really likes the harry potter series and they then tell a friend to also watch the film they will most likely have a good opinion on the series as what the leader has said has influenced this.