MS4: Text, Industry & Audience

Text 3: Winter’s Bone

In this lesson we will…….. Identify the audience for Winter’s Bone and consider how they might respond to the film. Consider the representation of key social groups in the film.

Text 3: Winter’s Bone Audience Homework Watch the trailer for Winter’s Bone and answer the following questions: 1. Who is the target audience for this film? How can you tell? How are they targeted? 2. What pleasures does the film promise for audiences? 3. How did/could audiences respond to the film?

Text 3: Winter’s Bone Audience Homework Watch the trailer for Winter’s Bone and answer the following questions: 4. Does the trailer aim to appeal to an international, rather than a just local, audience? How? 5. Consider how micro features such as editing, sound and music, and mise en scene are used to create interest and ‘sell’ the film.

Homework – Audiences What did you find out? Using 8 squares identify 8 points from the answers on p7 in the booklet You must have at least 1 point for each of the 5 questions

Text 3: Winter’s Bone Audience Watch the trailer for Winter’s Bone and answer the following question: 6. When we watch the film in 2016 we are seeing a text which is star driven; this wasn’t the case on its initial release. How has the subsequent stardom of Jennifer Lawrence changed the way in which an audience might respond to the text?

Text 3: Winter’s Bone Audience Exam Questions Discuss the audience appeal of your three main texts. “The main function of a media text is to entertain its audience.” How true is this for your three main texts? Complete the Winter’s Bone section of the exam question grid

Text 3: Winter’s Bone Representation p9-10 Use specific examples from the film to make notes on these questions: 1. Which are the key social groups represented in the film? Do these representations reflect or challenge dominant ideologies? Are the key characters stereotypes? Are the supporting characters stereotypes? Why?

Text 3: Winter’s Bone Representation Use specific examples from the film to make notes on these questions: 2. How does the film represent the US? How does it represent the police, criminals and the law – does it challenge or reinforce dominant ideology? 3. An American review of the film claimed that “In its lived-in, completely non-ideological way, Winter’s Bone is one of the great feminist works in film”. Do you agree with this? How are the female characters portrayed?

Text 3: Winter’s Bone Representation Use specific examples from the film to make notes on these questions: 4. Is Winter’s Bone a realistic film? Culturally realistic? Generically realistic? Refer to specific sequences to back up your points.

Text 3: Winter’s Bone Homework Complete the questions on genre and narrative on pages 8 & 9 of the booklet and read The Guardian review & Life in a Shatter Zone: Debra Granik's Film Winter's Bone which are at the end of the booklet. Highlight relevant points.

Text 3: Winter’s Bone Homework Exam Questions Discuss the audience appeal of your three main texts. “The main function of a media text is to entertain its audience.” How true is this for your three main texts? Complete the other sections for the other 2 films