How film openings attract audiences and theories used in them

Audience Theory

How film openings attract audiences and audience theories used in them
The Hypodermic Needle theory will also be considered in the film opening. The opening of the film helps connote what the narrative of the film will be. The film opening may use this theory by adding a message into the film opening that is passively received by the audience.

The male gaze theory is often used in film openings. In the James Bond films this is one of the most used theories especially in the film openings. This tells the audience that the film is going to be male dominated and that when we see the person in this theory it will be through the eyes of a male.

Hypodermic Needle Theory
The Hypodermic Needle Theory is a linear communication theory which suggests that media messages are injected directly into the brains of a passive audience. This was one of the first theories used as an attempt to explain how audiences act to media. It suggests that the audience, passively (without realisation) receives information via  media text and the audience would not challenge or process the information. The theory came about when mass media was still very new and it was used, primarily as propaganda. The Hypodermic Needle Theory implies that the mass media has an incredibly powerful and direct effect on the audiences.

 

 

 

 

 

Male Gaze Theory ( Laura Mulvey)
The Male gaze is a term discussed by Laura Mulvey in her essay, "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" (1975). It is used to describe when the audience is put into the perspective of a (heterosexual) man. Female characters are sexualized, and the camera often has close ups on female body parts considered sexual. Mulvey states that in film women are typically the objects, rather than the possessors, of gaze because the control of the camera. The man emerges as the dominant power within the created film fantasy. The woman is passive to the active gaze from the man.

 

 

How narrative Theories are used in the film opening

Propp's character theory

In film openings the main character is often discovered. Using Propp's theory at least one of the seven character types will be discovered which shows the audience that there will be different characters throughout the piece. Whether the main character is for example, a villain or hero they will be in the film opening to determine who the main character is.

Vladimir Propp developed a character theory  for studying media texts and productions, which indicates that there were 7 broad character types in the 100 tales he analysed, which could be applied to other media:

1. The villain (struggles against the hero)
2. The donor (prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object)
3. The (magical) helper (helps the hero in the quest)
4. The princess (person the hero marries, often sought for during the narrative)
5. The false hero (perceived as good character in beginning but emerges as evil)
6. The dispatcher (character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off)
7. The hero [AKA victim/seeker/paladin/winner, reacts to the donor, weds the princess

How knowing about these theories will help me

By knowing about these theories it may help me when doing my own work. This is because I can use these ideas/ theories to attract audiences. For example, if I want to attract a heterosexual male audience I could use the male gaze theory. This would sexualize women so that the audience see the women as a male would be looking at her. I could also use the hypodermic needle theory to attract a passive audience so that the narrative/  message of my film is directly injected into the audience members.