Level 2 Media Studies: ‘Audience’ – Examination Feedback

You have a pretty good fundamental knowledge of the media product and its contents. Well done! Our understandings of how these contents appeal to the target audience, our use of specific detail and implications are all still developing. That’s okay. We all have work to do and enough time to do it in.

So, let’s get started… Here are a few things most of us could improve upon: Structure Introductions Describing the media product Describing the target audience Using the key words of the question Including specific evidence of each aspect Describing in depth HOW the aspect connects to the target audience. Explaining implications rather than listing details Incorporating sophisticated class notes Improving expression and vocabulary choice

STRUCTURE: 1.Describe the Media Product 2.Describe the Target Audience 3.Describe aspect one – explain how this aspect connects to the target audience 4.Describe aspect two - explain how this aspect connects to the target audience 5.Explain the implications of Glee on the target audience and the entertainment industry as a whole.

Our Introductions: outline the scope of the essay: Describe the media product in detail State the types of aspects that you’ll be referring to (eg internal) Aspects which connect the media product to the target audience eg. characters, issues, music You could also add some interesting material such as weekly viewership (approx. 10 million viewers per week in the United States) or how many seasons it has been running (4) or where/when it screens in NZ. ( Wednesday 7:30 on Four) The media product we studied this year is Glee. Glee is an American musical comedy-drama series. It was released on American television in 2009 and is now in its fourth season. Glee is set at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues. The initial main cast encompassed club director and Spanish teacher Will Schuster, cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester, guidance counsellor Emma Pillsbury, Will's wife Terri, and eight club members. Producer Ryan Murphy has said that he intended the show to be a form of escapism. "There's so much on the air right now about people with guns, or sci-fi, or lawyers running around. This is a different genre, there's nothing like it on the air at the networks and cable. Everything's so dark in the world right now". Murphy intended to make a family show to appeal to adults as well as children, with adult characters starring equally alongside the teenage leads. Internal appeal techniques used in this media product to connect to the target audience are the use of characters and ensemble cast, music and issues.

Paragraph 2: Define the target audience: year old males and females NOT YOUNG HOPEFULS! (This is how they are grouped or identified) And within that target group, a special emphasis upon teenagers (particularly female), teachers, young couples and young parents and music lovers in general. Mention that the intended audience was extremely large to ensure a wide fan base and secure high ratings. Ratings effect profit. As television programmes are created for a commercial purpose they are not valued for their artistic value but rather for their sale-ability or viability in terms of generating ratings. To achieve these ratings media products are often designed with a target audience in mind. The more a media producer can know about an audience, the better that audience can be targeted. Advertisers and media producers believe that consumers can be sorted into groups with common characteristics. The way audiences are identified and grouped according to isolating characteristics is known as demographics. This includes aspects such as age, gender, ethnicity, income, occupation, religious views and education. The target audience for Glee is young men and women, between the ages of 10 and 39. More specifically the show is aimed towards high school students, teachers, young couples or families, and music lovers. This can be seen by the way Glee uses humour, characters (ensemble cast), special guests, music, and also in the types of issues raised in each episode. This target audience has changed over time as it has become evident that the show is largely more popular with the teen age group rather than adults.

BODY PARAGRAPHS: Always begin with a topic sentence and key words that reveal the scope of your paragraph e.g. ‘The first aspect used to connect the Glee to its target audience is the internal appeal of Characters and ensemble cast… Then introduce them: e.g. Rachel Berry is a talented, driven 15 year old (?), who in her eyes is destined for fame, and somewhat of a social outcast.

Then go on to describe the characters in specific depth. This is vital. Refer to the specific episode where they did something typical to their behaviour eg Rachel acts like a prima donna in Episode 1 when…, Puck bullies someone in Episode…because…, Will gives up on his dreams when… THEN…Link that character to the target audience and say why they appeal to that audience.

ISSUES: When discussing Issues, make sure you are not just describing how those issues are dealt with on the show (go into specific detail- reference events in episodes), but link them to the audience in depth. For example, the audience will identify with issues/characters and tune in to see how they deal with their issues for possibly: ~ reassurance that the issue can be dealt with ~ security in knowing that not only they are facing that issue ~ implied advice about how to deal with that issue themselves

Arguably, shows like Glee are raising awareness of these issues and presenting them in a manner which allows the audience to see these people as ‘normal’ or similar to themselves. This can lead to acceptance and tolerance of people in their lives.

Music: Discuss the use of specific songs- their titles, artists, genres, dates released, sources (eg the name of the show/film/musical they’re from) – and the part of the audience they are targeted towards/ why the audience would respond to them. Discuss why they have been used at that particular point, e.g. to reveal character/ thematically/ narratively. Discuss the television show’s commitment to introducing its audience to music, new and old. Introduce the implication of how Glee has become a successful marketing platform for music companies wanting to launch new music. And how Glee has successfully sold millions of their own cover albums, making Glee an important player in the music industry.

Implications: Programming renewal- Into its 4 th Season First season extended from 13 to 24(?) episodes based on its success Attraction of celebrity guests Identity forming - Gleeks (leading to expansion of franchise into different media) Merchandising to affirm identity (also free advertising/promotion Fandoms on Tumblr, Groups on Facebook – allow producers personal access to fans The Glee Project giving fans an opportunity to be part of the show Downloads on iTunes (both of originals and Glee versions of songs) DVD sets and Glee Concert Movie