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.