MAD MEN
Introduction
My first studied text is AMCs, Emmy award winning show Mad Men. I specifically looked at series 5 episode 11 'The other woman'. The preferred reading for Mad Men is niche targeting at people of similar age to cast members that are interested in historical views including issues with womens rights and the birth of advertising. viewers may also take models of behaviour from characters to use in their everyday lives.
Discussion point
No non-digetic sound used throughout the episode.
Evidence
Throughout the episode running for a duration of 50mins the only non-digetic sound used is at the very end when peggy leaves the office having just quit. This allows the audience to feel more involved in the episode and allows them to individually understand the feelings and emotions of characters without being told how to feeling through sound imposed by producers.
Discussion point
The scheduling and channel on which Mad Men is shown.
Evidence
Mad Men is scheduled on sky atlantic which is a pay monthly cable channel. Mainstream channels cater for all needs and rely on ratings to pay for the snows. As Mad Men targets a niche audience viewers are willing to pay for sky atlantic in order to watch specific TV shows that are catered for their needs.
Discussion point
Lack of cast variety
Evidence
The cast of Mad Men are all of a similar age and is are ran by a male dominated work force. This restricts the amount of viewers able to relate to the cast, gain personal identity and models of behaviour that the preferred audience would.
Conclusion
This proves that the statement of 'most media texts target a wide range of audiences, how true is this of your chosen texts?' is false in regard to Mad Men.
LOST
Introduction
The second text i studied was ABCs Lost. I focused on season 1, pilot 2 which is one of the most expensive pilots ever made costing between $10-14 million. Lost offers a very passive view to its audience as a wide range is targeted through the use of a hybrid gender, ensemble cast and the use of a neutral location within the narrative.
