Reception Theory

Reception Theory

Stuart Hall

• Reception theory provides a means of understanding media texts by understanding how these texts are read by audiences.
• Reception theory states that media texts are encoded by the producer- they are  loaded with values and messages.
• However, the text is then decoded by spectators. However, different spectators will decode the text in different ways, perhaps not in the way the producer intended.
• According to Hall, audience members adopt one of the following three positions when they decode the text:

•Dominant, or Preferred, Reading - how the producer wants the audience to view the media text;

•Oppositional Reading - when the audience rejects the preferred reading, and creates their own meaning for the text;

•Negotiated Reading - a compromise between the dominant and oppositional readings, where the audience accepts parts of the producer's views, but has their own views on parts as well. 

David Buckingham

•          genres are constantly in flux and can change
•          whilst "the good,the bad and the ugly" will always be a western,it is now a clint Eastwood film"
•          this is also dependent on who is deciding on the genre-the studio? the audience? the promoter/distributor? a uk audience or a french audience? young/old?

how do these two theories relate?

•          By having ideas repeated (neale) or identifiable conventions (chandler) producers can encourage audiences to 'understand' their products as they are intended.