Reception Theory

 

Part 1) Applying Reception theory to adverts

Look back at the adverts you have been analysing in last week's lessons on Reading an Image and media codes (RBK 50 Cent and one of your choice). 

1) What are the preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings for the RBK 50 Cent advert? 

The preferred The preferred reading would be that reebok want to convey the message that you can change despite your past. Reebok want to promote authenticity and show through the example of 50 Cent that despite having a criminal record you can still go onto to do big things. The oppositional reading would be that rebook are promoting criminal behaviour by using a convicted criminal to promote their brand. A negotiated reading could be that the audience may think rebook or showing authenticity by promoting their brand with the face of a criminal to show that they believe in the power of changing your circumstances.

2) What are the preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings for the advert of your own choice that you analysed for last week's work?

The preferred reading is that MAC make up is high-quality glamorous and will make you stand out. An oppositional reading could be that some people might think that Mac are promoting false and unreachable beauty standards by saying that the only way to be beautiful is to purchase their make up and wear make up. And negotiated reading, could be that Mac are exaggerating the power of their lipstick and making out that it can change your life when in reality it’s just a makeup tool that isn’t going to provide astonishing results. This can be seen as false advertising.

Part 2) Reception theory factsheet #218

Use our extremely useful A Level Media Factsheet archive to find Factsheet #218 Spotlight on Stuart Hall: Encoding, Decoding and Reception Theory. Read the factsheet and complete the following tasks and questions:

1) Complete Activity 1 on page 2 of the factsheet. Choose a media text you have enjoyed and apply the sender-message-channel-receiver model to the text. There is an example of how to do this in the factsheet (the freediving YouTube video).

VOGUE

The SENDER are the editors that make the the magazine

The MESSAGE is the the pages about the latest fashion and lifestyle trends.

The CHANNEL are the paper that the content is printed out onto for consumers to purchase and read

The RECEIVER is the person who buys and reads the magazine.

2) What are the definitions of 'encoding' and 'decoding'?

Encoding -  Is constructing a message

Decoding -  Is interpreting and understanding the message 

3) Why did Stuart Hall criticise the sender-message-channel-receiver model?

He didn’t believe that the ‘message’ had a fixed meaning. He felt that meaning was actually being produced in the

spaces between this relationship, in a dynamic way that varied depending on who received the message.

He thought there was more nuance to their relationship with the text as a cultural product and its producers.

 

4) What was Hall's circuit of communication model?

Production

Circulation

Distribution

Reproduction

5) What does the factsheet say about Hall's Reception theory?

A persons individual interpretation of a media text can be influenced by their conceptual map

6) Look at the final page. How does it suggest Reception theory could be criticised?

The theory assumes that everybody is able to recognise the dominant reading.