Revision: Wateraid

 George Gerbner's Cultivation theory
- Being exposed to repeating patterns of representation over time can shape and influence the way in which people perceive the world around them - such as particular views and opinions
- This process reinforces mainstream hegemonic values 
- Media reflects our everyday thinking 
- The more audiences are exposed to a particular ideology, the more likely they are to accept that ideology 
- Passive audience theory - assumes the audience is basic, straightforward 'zombies' 

Stuart Hall's Reception theory
- Encoding Decoding model
- To consume media is a process of involving encoding by the producers and decoding by audiences 
- Many ways to decode a media product, affected by upbringing, ethnicity, social class etc.
- Narrowed down to three - Preferred, Negotiated, Oppositional
- The audience can choose to receive the ideology of a media product in many different ways 
- Preferred - Dominant hegemonic position, audience accepts and agrees with the ideology of the producer
- Negotiated - Ideology agreed with in general, though the message is negotiated or picked apart, audience may disagree with some aspects
- Oppositional - Producers message is understood, but the audience disagrees with the ideology in every aspect 
- Active audience theory, assumes the audience is complex and opinionated 


Wateraid dominant ideology - Donating to charity is the right thing to do. If the audience donates to charity, it will make them a better person

There are people in the world who do not have access to water, and it is up to us, as the audience, to help them. Therefore the intended response is to donate. 

We live in a position of privilege, and therefore we have an obligation to help others 

philathropy 

Explore how the Wateraid advert appeals to multiple audiences. 

Kneejerk reaction : The Wateraid advert appeals to multiple audiences through its use of positive, uplifting representations 

Audience positioning - where the audience is placed by the producer. This is achieved through media language

close up and extreme close up shots 

Introduction - DAC - Definition,  Argument, Context

Audience refers to the consumers of a media product. The producer will always attempt to make a media product appeal to a target audience. This is to maximise profit. In this essay I shall argue that the Wateraid advert appeals to multiple audiences by using positive uplifting representations. This is highly unconventional for a charity advert featuring African people. Wateraid is a UK based charity that provides access to fresh water in underdeveloped countries. 


The Wateraid advert uses a combination of highkey, natural lighting and bright colours in order to construct a positive atmosphere. For example, there is a highly effective low angle long shot of the young black female villagers. In a tracking shot, we follow Claudia into a village, and the collected shot of women standing together is symbolic of unity and togetherness. This reinforces the dominant ideology of the advert as being positive and uplifting, by presenting an uplifting and atypical representation of Africa.

The Wateraid advert would typically be shown during daytime television, and would therefore target a stereotypical working class audience. One audience in particular that it may target is an older, retired working class audience. Teenagers are often represented in stereotypical ways, as grumpy, threatening and 'other'. However, Claudia is represented as hardworking and nonthreatening, which challenges stereotypical representations of black teenagers. First of all, Claudia is singing throughout the advert. The song, 'Sunshine on a rainy day' is an early 90s pop song, which was popular in England and is sung in English. This allows this advert to appeal to its target audience of older, working class people from England. Additionally, Claudia is dressed in a conservative style, which a pink polo neck and floral skirt, which reinforces the ideology that she is young, innocent and nonthreatening. The preferred reading of this advert is that the audience, through donating money, is making the lives of the people in the advert better, 

White saviour, stereotype of the british philanthropist 




Claudia's blue bucket - positive and attractive