Stuart HallReception Theory

What is the theory? 0Media texts are encoded by the producer, meaning whoever

produces the text fills the product with multiple values and messages (ideology) .

0The text is the interpreted (decoded) by the audience. 0 Just like literature, the audience may decode the text in

various ways. Not always as the producer has intended it to be seen.

0This could be in short – how a person views art. The artist may have different ideas to the audience.

An Example

0My Sisters Keeper was shown in class, this was intended to be ‘sad’. However many different people viewed this to be different, some found it happy, frustrating or even sympathetic.

0We understand what the message is given to us by the institution, but we agree with the intentions of disagree. Sub-consciously the audience comes to this conclusion from who they are.

Producer encodes

message/ meanings

Dominant or preferred

Negotiated

Oppositional

Factors which change how we interpret a text.

0 Social class 0 Age 0 Race0 Gender0 Disability 0 Religion0 Region0 Profession/ Career0 Sexuality0 Political views

We all see the same product but how each of us interpret the text is different. E.g. watching a horror, and disagreeing with the characters splitting up and wandering off on their own. Oppositional would be if you don’t believe in it or if you didn’t find it scary.

Dominant

0 The dominant reading of the text is the message that the producer has intended.

0 The audience agree with the ideology and the message behind the text

0 The audience will view the message in the way the producer wanted them to.

0 The ideal consumption has been met and then institution happy.

0 This is what I am aiming for on my coursework. I am aiming for a dominant and preferred reading for my media product.

0 It will be successful because it is being understood.

Negotiated0A compromise between the dominant and oppositional

readings. The audience accepts the dominant ideology of the producer, but also has their own input and understanding in relation to the text.

0They don’t agree or disagree, however they can see the point being made in relation to the reading yet still have their own opinion.

0E.g. they understand what the producer is suggesting and how they are supposed to consume the text. They do not fully conform with the message.

Oppositional

0The audience rejects the preferred meaning and create their own meaning of the text. They may not agree with the message created for the audience.

0They may be offended, upset and fail to see the intended message from the institution. The audience may reject this fully and receive the text in the wrong way.