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Tatiana Disu Theory Media

Theories

Table of Contents

Narrative Theory..........................................................................................................2Tzvetan Todorov.........................................................................................................................................................3

A state of equilibrium............................................................................................................................................... 3A disruption of that order by an event.............................................................................................................. 3A recognition that the disorder has occurred................................................................................................3An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption....................................................................................3A return or restoration of the new equilibrium............................................................................................3

Levi Strauss................................................................................................................................................................... 5Binary Oppositions.................................................................................................................................................... 5

Roland Barthes............................................................................................................................................................ 6The Hermeneutic code (HER)............................................................................................................................... 6The Proairectic code (ACT).................................................................................................................................... 7

Audience Theory..........................................................................................................8Stuart Hall’s Reception theory..............................................................................................................................9

Dominant/ Hegemonic position.......................................................................................................................... 9Negotiated position................................................................................................................................................ 10Oppositional position............................................................................................................................................. 10

Uses and Gratification theory.............................................................................................................................11Heuristic approach of UGT.................................................................................................................................. 11Criticisms.................................................................................................................................................................... 12

Hypodermic needle model...................................................................................................................................13Criticisms.................................................................................................................................................................... 13

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Narrative Theory

Todorov Equilibrium , disequilibrium, new equilibrium

Levi Strauss Binary opposites

Roland Barthers Enigma Codes

Propps Characters/roles often found in narrative

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Tzvetan Todorov

He is a Bulgarian- French historian, philosopher, structuralist literary critic, sociologist and essayist. He was awarded an achievement for his work in Narrative Studies. He also talks about the complexity of his theory of Equilibrium and Disequilibrium.

Todorov believed that all films followed 5 narrative patterns, which included Equilibrium Disequilibrium Acknowledgement Solving New Equilibrium, but is different from the first

A state of equilibrium Equilibrium is a state in which opposing influences are balance or there is a calm state.

A disruption of that order by an eventThis includes a disturbance which interrupts the equilibrium in the film.

A recognition that the disorder has occurredRealization which is when the main character becomes aware of an event or accepts the situation as fact.

An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption This stage is when the main character attempts to bring back the equilibrium or return to normality.

A return or restoration of the new equilibriumThis stage occurs when the new equilibrium is established, which is the film has solved the problem, however the new equilibrium is not identical to the original equilibrium.

Notes

This narrative is seen as a circular structure due to the main character wanted to return back to the equilibrium.

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The narrative involves a transformation as the disequilibrium brings about a change in character and situations progress the character development. Which is why the new equilibrium is different from the original as the main character often loses a characteristic or matures from surviving the events.

The disruption process is different from the lifestyle of the characters, often harsh or the main character having a loss in the lifestyle which allows them to want to get back to the equilibrium.

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Levi StraussClaude Levi-Strauss was a French anthropologist and ethnologist who developed the theory of structuralism and structural anthropology.

Binary Oppositions A binary opposition is a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning.

Levi Strauss theory on binary opposition talks about how narrative can be split into opposites, such as Good and Evil, Man and Woman, Rich and Poor, etc. Due to having these opposites, when together it creates the conflict in the narrative story and this becomes the central climax.

What Lévi-Strauss believed he had discovered when he examined the relations between mythemes was that a myth consists of juxtaposed binary oppositions.

Notes Binary Opposites are usually the basis of our understanding of a story as it is

a conventional narrative and enables an equilibrium.

Are used in films to help plots and in music videos as part of narrative to reinforce song lyrics

The theory links heavily with our ideological values of how we feel we should ‘perceive’ the world.

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Roland Barthes

Roland Gerard Barthes was a French literary theorist, philosopher, linguist, critic and semiotician.

Barthes established five major codes for determining the significance of text. The codes led him to define the narrative story as having a capacity for plurality of meaning(different meanings) however they are limited by their dependence of logical elements(timeline). Barthes believes that a narrative text is reversible or open to many interpretations. The five specific codes show that literacy text reflects structures that are interwoven and shows the plurality of a text. Barthes believes the reader is an active producer of the interpretations compared to the hypodermic needle which states they are passive consumers.

Two specific codes are logical and structure the text in an irreversible way.

The Hermeneutic code (HER)Refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained and becomes a mystery to the reader. This is done to keep the audience guessing, arresting the enigma until the final scene. Unanswered enigmas tend to frustrate the audience. As the story is not explained the full truth is avoided and this is done deliberately. Enigma Code Enigma meaning mystery or a puzzle. The Enigma code is a theory that suggest a text portrays a mystery to draw and audience in, allowing the audience to think of question and intrigues them. The enigma code is a theory that suggests a text in media portrays a mystery to draw the audience in.

The Voice of TruthDenotes an enigma that moves the narrative forward. This sets up delays and obstacles that main suspense.

Associated with enigmas of text, puzzles and mysteries. The text may or may not answer these, but will defer and misdirect the answer allowing the reader guessing. Process of revealing truth follows

1. Thematisation. What in the narrative is an enigma?2. Positioning. Additional confirmations of the enigma.3. Formulation of the enigma.4. Promise of an answer of the enigma.5. Fraud. Circumvention of the true answer.6. Equivocation. Mixture of fraud and truth.7. Blocking. The enigma cannot be solved.8. Suspended answer. Stopping the answering after having begun.9. Partial answer. Some facets of the truth are revealed.10. Disclosure of the truth.

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Involving a move from a question to an answerirreversible, once secret is revealed that is the moment of cognition which is permanent.

The Proairectic code (ACT)Builds tension, referring to any other action or event that indicates something else is going to happen allowing the reader to predict what will happen in the future. It contains sequential elements of action in text adding to the suspense. Both the Hermeneutic and Proairetic codes work as a pair to develop the story tension.

The Voice of EmpiricsOrganizes intertwined sequences of behaviors. In each sequence, there is regularity that does not follow logic of narrative. Proairectic code encompasses the actions or small sequences of the narrative tension. It creates a small structure of narrative tension and expectation thus the whole narrative has a forward drive. It is connected to the readerly text which the reader assimilates distinct pieces of information in a prescribed order.

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Audience Theory

Stuarts Hall reception theory

Uses and Gratification theory

Hypodermic needle theory

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Stuart Hall’s Reception theoryStuarts Halls reception theory revolves around the encoding and decoding of communication created in 1973 by Stuart Hall. The media are presented with messages that are decoded or interpreted in different ways depending on the following

Cultural background Economic standing Personal experiences

Hall believes that the audience members can play an active role in decoding messages as they rely on their own social contexts and interpreting the message through collective action. Encoding/decoding is the translation of a message that the audience understands from the media that makes sense to them.

Encoding is the production of the message Decoding is how the audience is able to understand and interpret the message.Four stages Production Encoding happens, construction of a message beginsCirculation How individuals perceive things, visual vs writtenUsedistribution/consumption, message to be adopted and interpreted on beliefs ReproductionIndividuals take action after exposed to the message

Verbal and Nonverbal forms Verbal= words, signs, images, and video Non-verbal =Decoding behavior without using words- body language, hand

gestures, facial expressions, and emotions

ProcessObtaining absorbing understanding use of information(verbal/nonverbal)

Stuart Hall has differentiated this to be three different positions

Dominant/ Hegemonic positionThe position is one where the consumer takes the actual meaning directly and decodes it exactly the way it was encoded. The ideas are hegemonic interpretations hence them becoming dominant. The dominant code involves taking connotative meanings in the exact way the sender/media intended the message to be interpreted. The target audience is located within the dominant point of view which lets them share, accepts and reproduces the intended meaning. There is little to none misunderstanding of the text due to the audience and media having the same cultural biases.

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Negotiated positionThis position is a mixture of accepting and rejecting elements. The audience acknowledges the dominant message but does not willingly accept fully the message the media intended. The audience to an extent shares and accepts the preferred meaning but resists and modifies it bases it on their own experiences and interests. The audience understands the dominant position and believes in it but their situation allows them to create their conditions or rules to coexist with the dominant position.

Oppositional positionThis is when the audience can understand the literal (denotative) and connotative meaning of the media while decoding the message in a global way. The audience recognizes that their interpretation of the message is not the dominant meaning and alters the media to fit their mindset or preference. This makes the audiences view to be in direct opposition to the dominant code, even if they understand the meaning they do not share the texts code and reject it. The audience personal experience will influence them to take the oppositional position when they take in the dominant position.

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Uses and Gratification theoryUses and gratifications theory is an approach too understanding why and how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy their needs. It is an audience centered approach to understand the mass or dominant communication. Taking a positive approach and is based on socio psychological. It discusses how the audience chooses media that satisfy given needs for example

1. Knowledge2. Relaxation3. Social interaction/ Companionship4. Diversion5. Escape

It assumes that audience members are not passive consumers of media as they have the power over their media consumption taking an active role in interpreting and using it in their lives. The audience is responsible for choosing their media to meet their desires and needs to achieve gratification.

The theory assumes that the consumer has power to choose what media they consume and have a clear intent on how they use this.

The audience is active and its media use is goal oriented The audience can link the gratification to a specific medium The media compete with other resources for the need satisfaction People have self-awareness of their media use to be able provide researchers

with an accurate of that use Value judgments of media content can only be assessed by the media

Heuristic approach of UGT The approach is both social and psychological. There are five approaches

1. The audience is conceived as active.2. In the mass communication process, much initiative in linking gratification

and media choice lies with the audience member.3. The media compete with other sources of satisfaction.4. Methodologically speaking, many of the goals of mass media use can be

derived from data supplied by individual audience members themselves.5. Value judgments about the cultural significance of mass communication

should be suspended while audience orientations are explored on their own terms.

The goals for the audience to get out of media be informed or educated identify with characters of the situation in the media environment simple entertainment enhance social interaction escape from the stresses of daily life

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Criticisms

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Hypodermic needle modelThe hypodermic needle model is a model of communication suggesting that an intended message is received and accepted by the audience. It suggests the media injects the message intended straight to the passive audience then the audience is affected by the media which is shown through their actions.

Concepts Audience cannot resist the message from media and creates a uniform thinking among the audience.Audience is viewed as vulnerable as the message given by the media is dominant. There is also no other source of media to compare the medias message to. The theory is based on assumptions and encourages instincts and reactions.

Features of Hypodermic Needle Theory Humans are believed to act uniformly to their stimuli and instincts. Media injects or inserts messages into the people's brain as propaganda and

manipulation like that by a bullet or syringe. Messages have their own intention and are sent to get desired outcomes. The effect of messages is supposed to be encompassing, strong, immediate

and dangerous. Messages are supposed to create public opinion and change behavior of the

audiences. Mass of people is made to think in a similar way by the media. The audience is always thought to be vulnerable and passive.

Criticisms

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