Different theories:

Question 1

what is an enigma code?

Answer 1

a mystery within a text that it not immediately answered- as an audience we assume that the mystery will be solved. if the mystery isn’t solved, the audience could be frustrated but if the mystery is revealed too quickly, then they could be let down

Question 2

what is an action code?

Answer 2

parts of a narrative which are related to things happening “ gary started to crack his knuckles threateningly”- the audience assume that gary is going to punch someone. Action and engima codes can create suspense

Question 3

what do the audience do to the action code?

Answer 3

they decode it and assume that an action means something

Question 4

what is a semantic code?

Answer 4

something within a text that means something often multiple meanings- e.g wearing a watch, having a large house or fancy car can allude to a character’s status or personality

Question 5

what does polysemic mean?

Answer 5

there can be multiple meanings within a text

Question 6

what is a symbolic code?

Answer 6

the deeper meaning of a text, e.g that red can symbolise danger or sexuality or a certain dress can symbolise wealth, luxury and glamour.

Question 7

what is a referential code?

Answer 7

where a part of a text refers to something outside of the text, for example in a TV show where a character references star wars or a different movie. Referential codes can be the basis for humour, and as an audience you are more likely to get the joke if you have knowledge of these texts.

Question 8

what are Barthes five narrative codes?

Answer 8

1. action code
2. referential code
3. symbolic code
4. semantic code
5. enigma code

Question 9

what is another code of Barthes?

Answer 9

the cultural code

Question 10

what is the cultural code?

Answer 10

the idea that your wider knowledge like ideologies and beliefs can impact their view on a media product

Question 11

what are the three types of signs? (Charles saunders)

Answer 11

-symbolic signs
-iconic signs
-indexical signs

Question 12

what are symbolic signs? (saunders)

Answer 12

signs that are not related to the objects that they refer

Question 13

what are iconic signs? (saunders)

Answer 13

signs that have a resemblance with the objects that they portray. they look, sound, taste, smell or feel similar to their referents

Question 14

what are indexical signs? (saunders)

Answer 14

signs that are directly connected with their referents e.g smoke as a sign of fire, fever as a sign of illness etc

Question 15

what is claude levi-strauss theory?

Answer 15

that as audiences, we encode and decode the world around us by universally shared principles, such as characters, narratives, themes, mise-en-scene, camera work, editing styles etc

Question 16

what are 6 examples of universally shared principles?

Answer 16

1. editing styles
2. mise-en-scene
3. characters
4. narratives
5. themes
6. camera work

Question 17

what is stuart hall’s theory?

Answer 17

the media is responsible for creating stereotypes within society. whilst stereotypes can be challenged, minority groups and those who are stereotyped find it hard to find representation in society. Often if a group doesn’t follow a stereotype/ societal norms they are seen as the ‘other’.

Question 18

other/otherness: (stuart hall)

Answer 18

groups that are excluded from power within a society or mainstream culture because they do not follow societal norms or stereotypes

Question 19

power circularity: (stuart hall)

Answer 19

stereotypes both reflect the attitudes of society whilst also reinforcing stereotypes

Question 20

neutralisation: (stuart hall)

Answer 20

repeated messages that some groups are more proposed/inclined to commit certain acts

Question 21

what is hegemony? (stuart hall)

Answer 21

a dominant viewpoint of the world from a white middle class point of view

Question 22

what is David Gauntlett’s theory?

Answer 22

media has brought us more representation and allowed us to view the world differently- therefore we have more choice and liberty to create our own identity

Question 23

fixed identity: (david gauntlett)

Answer 23

people have little choice about their identity- this is fixed by factors such as religion and beliefs in the home

Question 24

what things can fix your identity? (david gauntlett)

Answer 24

beliefs in the home and religion

Question 25

active audience engagement: (david Gauntlett)

Answer 25

audiences are in control of the media they watch and engage with. audiences actively create their own media and use it to shape their identities.

Question 26

fluid identity: (david Gauntlett)

Answer 26

our identities can change and adapt- we do not have to conform to rigid societal norms and ideologies that have been passed down through the generations.

Question 27

what does Guantlett believe in?

Answer 27

he argues against all other representations/ theories and that we pick and choose what we want from the media

Question 28

what is van-zoonen’s theories?

Answer 28

-culture informs and plays a vital part in informing audiences about gender/gender roles. culture reinforced/put in place 5 main gender roles.

Question 29

what are the 5 main things that culture put in place for gender? (van-zoonen)

Answer 29

1. the media invites audiences to look at women via the male gaze
2. restricting females to secondary roles
3. constricting women as passive participants e.g needed to be rescued by a male hero
4. framing women differently e.g costume and camera frames that sexualise women
5. reinforces beauty ideals (this is attractive and this isn’t)

Question 30

what is meant by the ‘male gaze’? (van-zoonen)

Answer 30

women are looked at in the perspective of a man (objectified and sexualised)

Question 31

what is george gerbner’s ‘effects theory’?

Answer 31

The idea that audiences are cultivated by the media.

The mainstream media plant an ideology or message- the message is constantly exposed- the audience member is convinced of a particular ideology or message

Question 32

what is george gerbner’s ‘mean world’ theory?

Answer 32

The idea that the saturation of crime and violence in media make audiences feel like the world is meaner/worse than it actually is. the audience have an exaggerated perception of crime.

Question 33

what is meant by desensitised? (george gerbner)

Answer 33

audiences become desensitised to violence and death as they see it so often in the media. People struggle to tell the difference between reality and what is constructed

Question 34

what is Bell hooks intersectionality theory?

Answer 34

suggests that people have a different experience of what being a woman is like depending on your race and class e.g a white upper class woman has a different experience of being a woman compared to a coloured lower class woman

Question 35

what does Paul Gilroy do?

Answer 35

uses the transatlantic slave trade to highlight the influence of ‘routes’ on black identity and suggests that the media is still influenced by colonial attitudes. he also believes in the idea of the ‘white saviour’

Question 36

what is judith Butler’s theory of ‘gender performance’?

Answer 36

gender is a ‘performance’ that we put on- we stereotypically act in feminine and masculine ways

Question 37

what is gender performitivity? (judith butler)

Answer 37

gender is made up of the acts that make a man or woman. it is through the repeated gendered acts that the illusion of gender identity is created