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?

preferred - That you can be successful after hardship

negotiated - You can be successful but your past is always remembered

oppositional - They are promoting gang life

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

preferred - littering in the ocean affects us and the animals in it

negotiated - littering in the ocean harms us so we should stop but not because it harms the animals

oppositional - it is exaggerated too much so untrue 

 

Remember to highlight or bold any media terminology you are using.

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).

Sender - The directors 

Message - Movie

Channel - Netflix

Receiver - person who watches movie

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

Encoding - constructing a message

Decoding - interpretating or understanding the message 

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

He did not believe that the message had a fixed meaning

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?

His theory assumes everyone is able to recognise the dominant reading