THIS WAS A VERY IMPORTANT SESSION. The whole of this lesson considered the Cross-Media Study question:
AUDIENCES ARE NO LONGER JUST CONSUMERS OF MEDIA TEXTS BUT PRODUCERS TOO. To what extent is this true of your case study?
Obviously, the big decision that you lot have to make is to decide which TWO/THREE media texts will be at the heart of the case study. The minimum requirement is ONE film documentary and ONE hybrid-documentary that is linked to the institution of Channel Four.
Below is a possible structure for your essay.
- Begin with reference to the film poster for the film documentary. This clearly attempts to move the audience toward the e-media. Read your exemplar essay.
- Move into an analysis of what the audience is offered by the e-media. We discussed the idea that social media/blogs etc provide the audience with the opportunity to comment about the film but all these sites are controlled by the institution. All these mediated sites provide an opportunity for the enthusiasm of the audience to be used as a free marketing device and any critical comments can be deleted from sites. Individual Facebook/Twitter sites may be an exception. If the audience shares the trailer on their own social media the institution will not be able to control content. WHAT DOES THE E-MEDIA OFFER THE AUDIENCE? WHAT DOES THE E-MEDIA OFFER THE PRODUCER? WHO BENEFITS? DON"T LOSE SIGHT OF THE QUESTION. If the audience has been moved to examine the e-media after consuming the film poster, how does the e-media attempt to encourage the viewer to watch the film? WHAT DOES THE E-MEDIA OFFER THE AUDIENCE? Furthermore, how can the audience use the e-media AFTER they have consumed the film?? I really liked Chloe's ONE DIRECTION comment because if the audience are creating fan videos, they are producing???
- Then move on to discuss the synergy between the broadcast media of a Channel Four hybrid documentary such as Educating Yorkshire/One Born Every Minute/24 Hours in A and E/ The Secret Millionare.....YOU DECIDE. Again, you are expected to offer an evaluation of the content that it is possible for the AUDIENCE to consume via the e-media. The remit of Channel Four is to offer programmes of an 'educative value' so please consider the focus of the remit and how this reflects the content being offered by the e-media. The e-media offered by Channel Four offers a vast amount of useful information to the viewer. IT INFORMS and, with The Secret Millionaire, actively encourages the audience to become an active participant within their own community. AGAIN....THE CONTENT OF THE ESSAY DEPENDS UPON THE TEXT THAT YOU HAVE SELECTED. DIFFERENT PROGRAMMES OFFER DIFFERENT CONTENT. Don't lose sight of how the remit dictates content
- Students could offer a reference to media theory. Dyer is always a good theory to use when examining Channel Four as the aim of Channel Four's media products reflects the need for community and empathy. Dyer believes our society has lost these features and can only access this sense of unity from consuming media. Danny Dyer eh? What a ****.
SO....GOOD LUCK. I feel that I was repeating myself in today's lesson. You lot just have to write the essay and show me through your writing that you comprehend the expectation of the Cross-Media element of the course.
HOMEWORK: Complete the Cross-Media essay. I want it handed to me in Tuesday's session. I expect people who were not in the lesson to write an essay. I have a blog. Read it.
