Uses and Gratifications

Peaky Blinders
The first area of Katz and Blumlers Uses and Gratifications Theory that we can apply is that the audience can gain information from the text. The audience can learn, self-educate and gain a sense of security through knowledge. Peaky Blinders was set in 1919 and therefore provides a lot of historical information about the era that it was set in. This is evidenced in the text when Tommy Shelby and CI Chester Campbell are making a deal in the tea room. Issues such as the IRA and communism are raised and demonstrates to the audience that these were the issues present in the time it was set. The dialogue between the two characters educates the audience about events in 1919 that they may not have known before. Audiences may also be able to personally identify with characters values within the text. They may find reinforcement for personal values or identify with already gained values. Although set in a very different era from modern day, contemporary issues are still raised. This is evidenced in the text when Ada and Aunt Polly are talking about her being pregnant and again when Aunt Polly gives the letter to Tommy and they discuss how Ada can't bring a child into the world on her own. The audience may have their own values and beliefs about this issue.

How does Peaky Blinders target its audience?

Peaky Blinders is a crime drama set in Birmingham in 1919. It follows world war one soldiers who have returned home and following this, have formed a gang. Peaky Blinders is aired on BBC2, a channel with a reputation for screening highly praised "high brow" dramas. This has helped attract its intended target audience, which can be argued to be both Niche and mainstream. The fight scene at the beginning of episode 2, shows a fight between the Shelby brothers and Irish gypsies. A range of camera shots have been used along with quick cuts, use of the soundtrack and slow motion. This allows the audience to understand the narrative and interact with characters. The use of cinematography shows off technique and the hugely stylised, high production value. The use of a  modern soundtrack in a period setting shows juxtaposition and you can argue that it attracts its audience by breaking mainstream conventions and doing something completely different to most mainstream dramas. The soundtrack allows the audience to understand characters and the narrative, which is a mainstream convention and therefore attracting a passive audience. Another way it can attract its target audience is by gratifying the audience by things such as introducing them to historical knowledge from the era. When we first meet Grace in episode 2, we are made aware that the representations reflect those of the era which it is set in, gratifying the audience with historical context.

Explore the different ways in which audiences/users respond to your chosen texts

• Been nominated for a total of 206 awards and won 62 of these including 4 golden globe awards. 
• Many reviews state that they enjoyed mad men and understood the context but recommend paying attention or having to re watch the episode in order to gain understanding. "here are many hilarious moments that are only funny if you've been paying attention and understand where the character is coming from. There are also many tragic moments that would pass you by if you didn't know what came before. Many lines have double or even triple meanings. Watch this from the beginning, with a friend." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0804503/reviews
• http://www.lippsisters.com/2013/03/25/peggy-moves-forward/ A fan page where viewers can comment what they think about each episode has been made called 'Basket Of Kisses' with the slogan 'smart discussion about smart television'. Avid Viewers can write their response to each episode and others can leave comments giving their view. There are hundreds of threads when viewers can discus each series/episode down to the tiniest detail. 

Lost -Audience Repsonse

Has Lost won any awards?
Lost has been nominated for 251 awards and won 57 including emmy awards and the golden globe awards.

What are the criticisms of the text?
Many have complained that the text move too slowly and there is lack of answers.
Flashbacks became repetitive and the audience became tired of them. It seems they were just recycling information they already knew.

Lost Audience Targetting

Lost, directed by J J Abrams, is a drama that appeals to a wide, mainstream audience. It has been constructed to be inclusive of a wide audience, through its use of conventions. Both Passive and Active audiences can be gratified by watching this programme which makes it such a mainstream text. Through the use of an ensemble cast, it can appeal to a large audience. An ensemble cast ensures that performers are assigned roughly equal screen time. The benefit of an ensemble cast is that the audience can always identify with issues within the text as there are characters from different race, gender, religion, age and nationality. Lost has included characters from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities. Kate is American, Charly is British, Sun is Korean and Sayid is from Iraq. This attracts a wide audience as it conforms to lots of areas of the uses and gratifications theory. For example people can personally identify with people of the same background and also may be able to identify with already gained values. In series 1 episode 2, Sun is made to do the top button up on her shirt by Jin on the beach whilst Kate bathes in the water in her bikini. It shows the difference between the values of the characters within the text which is easily mirrored in modern day society, with different cultures holding different values and morals.

Lost Audience

Identify who is the intended target audience?

It can often be argued that Lost has a mainstream audience. This is often assumed because the text is a wide, mainstream text that is attractive to a lot of people. It is argued that this is the intended audience because of the technical conventions that are present in the text.

The first convention that makes me believe this is a mainstream text is the use of a non linear narrative. There is a regular use of flashbacks when the characters are remembering what happened before the plane crash. Most mainstream texts nowadays tend to make use of the non linear narrative, for example; Sherlock.     This is evidenced in the text in the second scene when it begins with footage from the Island and then cuts to a flashback from Charly of him hiding in the plane toilet. Most dramas tend to have elements of a non linear narrative as it keeps the audience engaged and it allows us to find out background information about the characters.

A second convention that makes me believe this is a mainstream text is the use of stereotypes. J. J. Abrams has chosen to use these representations as it helps the mainstream audience to understand it. The women have been represented as reliant on men and we see this when Kate has to gain jacks approval to go on the hike and when Hurley faints at the sight of blood he is shown as a Jester, one of propps typical character roles. The media tend to represent overweight people