Reception theory

1) What is the preferred reading of a media text?

The preferred reading of a media text is the ideology or the message that the producers want to give off to their audience. This can be displayed as certain stereotypes or ideas that influences the audience into believing in what the producers make a particular media text out to be.

2) What is the oppositional reading of a media text?

The oppositional reading of a media text is when the person watching (the consumer) takes away a different meaning or belief from a media text that is different to what the producers intended. This is due to their own interpretation of the media text, or it could be based on their own personal morals, teachings, values and their social, political or moral beliefs etc.

3) How does the Harry Brown trailer position the audience to respond to the teenage characters in the film?

The Harry Brown trailer portrays the teenager characters as gang members and criminals, which is a certain stereotype thought by some people that teenagers are rough or violent (specifically boys). It causes the audience to view or respond to the characters in a particular way, some even supporting the stereotype that they're aggressive or threatening.

4) Why might young people reject this reading and construct an oppositional reading of the trailer?

Young people may reject or disagree with this reading and form their own adversarial opinions about it. This is because the "antagonists" of this movie are within their age group, and so it makes it seem like people within that certain age group are all rowdy and hostile people. Younger people are displayed and accused to be murderers even, which further reinforces the stereotype thought by some that teenagers can be a threat.

5) Write a 150+ word analysis of the McDonald's advert using preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings.

Preferred:

The message that the producers intend to give to the consumer with this advert is that it is a new product and is a must-have burger. They do this so that they'd have more people buying and spending money on this new type of burger, which hasn't been done before; especially by a largely known international food chain like McDonald's. Many buy it just because of the fact its new, meaning they just try to follow whatever is trending or what has just released. A way that the producers may try to encourage people to buy their new product is by using short and snappy slogans, for example "A meal disguised as a sandwich." on the McDonald's advert. This may be proven helpful to those who are in a rush, e.g. running late to work or for an appointment; and so by buying this burger it's quicker and serves as a whole ready-made meal instead of them having to make one of their own.

Negotiated:

The negotiated reading of this advert may also come with some issues, such as the targeted age for the product, as it mostly seems to be for children over the age of 12 and perhaps under the age of 60. This is because it would not appeal to younger children as much as it's a large burger which goes beyond the amount a child can physically eat and could just be too much for them. Also, elderly people or people of an older age may not buy this dish as it's a huge and bulky meal which exceeds the amount an older person can eat at a time; it also comes with other queries for example dietary needs, as people of a higher age usually tend to have more limited options on what they can eat and what they can't eat due to their health or condition. This is why it's mainly for teenagers and younger adults, seeing as people within this age range normally are in need of having quick and easy meals in times of school or work, also most of them can eat this dish without having to worry about it being too much or too little.

Oppositional:

There are certain groups of people that may reject or dislike this product, and not spend their money on it. This could include vegetarians or vegans especially, as this meal would not appeal to them seeing as they do not eat meat and the advert clearly portrays a pack shot of the burger, establishing that it is targeted at meat-eaters only. Also, it could go against certain religions for example Islam, as Muslims can only consume meat that was bred from some specific animals and cooked in the right way. Many large food chains, like McDonald's, do not offer halal types of meat within their dishes and so it would be of no use to a follower of Islam. This speaks for other certain religions too, who follow similar principles. As well as this, some may not buy this product as they prefer to have healthy home-cooked meals, and not meals that come from a fast food place, as meals such as the Big Mac, are not as nutritional or healthy as opposed to other alternative foods.