Audience Theories Audience theory is the starting point for many Media Studies tasks. There are several topics within the topic of Audience theories. They are as follows: The Hypodermic Needle Model Two Step Flow Uses & Gratifications Reception Theory

The Hypodermic Needle This is when the intended message is directly received and fully accepted by the receiver. Also referred to as “The Magic Bullet” perspective or the transmission belt model. This theory suggests that, as an audience, we are manipulated by the creators of media texts, and that our behavior and thinking might be easily changed by media-makers. It assumes that the audience are passive.

Unlike the hypodermic needle model which considers mass media effects to be direct, the two-step flow model stresses human agency. The Hypodermic model quickly proved too clumsy for media researchers seeking to more precisely explain the relationship between audience and text. As the mass media became an essential part of life in societies around the world and did not reduce populations to a mass of unthinking drones, a more sophisticated explanation was sought.

Reception Theory This means that a movie is not simply passively accepted by the audience, but that the viewer interprets the meanings of the text based on their individual cultural background and life experiences. However, by using recognised codes and conventions, and by drawing upon audience expectations relating to aspects such as genre and use of stars, the producers can position the audience and thus create a certain amount of agreement on what the code means. This is known as a preferred reading.

Horror Movies & Society Perhaps ironically, many attendees and devotees of horror movies are women, the targeted audience of relationship dramas. Horror movies often cross genre-boundaries because they deal with one of the most primal emotions in the human repertoire—fear. They un-tap images, and fears that we diligently try to lock up, to avoid, to negate their very existence. Horror movies, while tapping into fears the human race has, can have a broad range of themes. Not only are humans afraid of the dark, afraid of the unknown, they’re also afraid of other everyday realities. The point is, whatever humans can be and are afraid of, horror movies can successfully tap into these fears. By doing so, horror movies reveal just a little bit more about us to us.

While some may argue that horror movies are nothing more than entertainment, I argue that horror movies can—and often do—reflect on society. For example, there have been numerous incidents throughout the years were people have been killed in a Freddy Kruger like fashion That in itself provides enough evidence. Regardless of how much violence in horror, there will always be a thirst for it as people like to be scared. An example would show that the 33 filmed adaptations or sequels to the works of horror writer Stephen King have grossed an astonishing 836.9 million dollars in unadjusted gross. The three films in Wes Craven's Scream series have raked in a healthy 293.5 million dollars. The seven films in the Nightmare on Elm Street series, grossed $81.9 million dollars.

The Allure of Horror Films Scary, creepy, and downright disturbing images have existed in film for as long as we have had the ability to invent them, perceive them, and to construct them. In fact, one could argue that the creep-factor is inherent within the human psyche. The fact is, horror appeals to our most primitive state of being and strips us down to our essence. Because horror is innate in the human make-up, an element of “horror” exists in all types of film genres. Horror movies have the ability to teleport us into the unknown. It taps into our childhood fears of shadows, shapes, and slightly opened closet doors. We watch, get scared, and sometimes have to remind ourselves that it’s only a movie.

Bibliography Bibliography: Audience Open Book Test: Notes & Research ‘How to make sense of Audience Theories’. Media Magazine –Audiences & Film – Class Resources www.bfi.org.uk http://www.mediaknowall.com http://www.litmanlive.co.uk