Genre Theory: Rick Altman

Rick Altman Theory (1999)

In Rick Altman's theory which he discussed in 1999, he argues that the genre offers audiences 'a set of pleasure' that we can see when watching an documentary like in Benefits street. Rick Altman talked about these three theories also called 'genre pleasures' that the audience would get from watching an documentary. 

1. Emotional pleasures (Audiences emotional response) 

2. Visceral pleasures (The audiences deep feeling and emotional reactions)

3. Intellectual puzzle (Gives an audience an thrill and offers pleasure of the unexpected)

What genre is your media text?

With my genre to do for my coursework which is observational but also could be an educational documentary as, benefits street we are observing the people that are a part of the benefits street documentary and try to get the audience to judge them. However, it is also has an educational aspect as, you can also look at what happens to people when they are living of benefits and could teach the younger demographic that may be watching the documentary to stay in education and get good grades so that they do not end up living off of benefits like the people in the documentary.

'White Dee from Benefits Street'

  

How does the genre make you feel?

My emotional response to my media text which is benefits street was that I fell sympathy for the people that live there as, they can not do that much to change it but I also feel a bit shocked that what has happened to the people that live there and how they have ruined there life by not staying in education and staying away from drugs and alcohol. The genre of reflexive, educational and expository makes me feel terrible that the audience that are watching the documentary are judging the people because of how they live even though it may not be their fault for them being in that situation but watching these people and how they live also has an educational factor as it can teach the younger generations that may be watching the documentary how to stay away from what has happened to these people and have an brighter future.

I have learn't a lot from watching the documentary benefits streets as the genre of observational and educational values made me want to stay away and not be like what the people are on the show as, they have ruined their lives by not staying in education or taking drugs and alcohol. However, some of the younger demographic may want to be like them because the people off of benefits street are becoming celebrities and people would want to be like them as the news article about an star from the show went on an 5 star break which the younger demographic may want.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3095304/Fame-Benefits-Street-star-Little-Dot-toasts-new-celebrity-status-lager-hot-tub-five-star-break.html 

What are the main codes and conventions of the genre?      

One main code and conventions that has been used during the trailer of 'Benefits Street' is an voice over. This is an Participatory mode as, it is like someone is acting as god and is talking about what it going on during the scene and would try and make the audience feel an certain way towards the people that would live off of benefits if it was positive or negative. This would link to Stuart Hall's theory of 'audience positioning theory' and  negotiated reading as, the director would want us to feel an certain way but we may also disagree with it as well. Another main code and conventions that has been used during the trailer is interview. This is Expository mode as, they ask the people that are in the documentary questions about their life and makes the audience gets an better understanding about what he people that live off of benefits is like.

Another main code and conventions that has been used in the trailer for 'Benefits Street' is sound. This is an Poetic mode as, they use the music that is playing during the trailer to make the people start to feel an certain way about the people that live on benefits street. This can also like to Stuart Hall's theory and they use negotiated theory as some of the audience that would watch this documentary would feel sorry fro the people that live off of benefits street but, some of the audience would hate this because they believe that they should not be on benefits and that they would just make money of of this which some of the stars of the show have such as White Dee who was the star of the documentary from series 1.

What demographics/sub-culture is your media text targeting? How?

The media text that I am covering which is 'Benefits Street' an Channel 4 documentary, they would target this documentary to the younger demographic but also at C2 (working class people)or above because the audience that would be watching this show would always judge the people that are on TV like in my media text we would have the people that would live on benefits as, most people that would watch it would judge them as stupid or disgusting compared to the way that the audience would live. The producer of the documentary would use this such as; Mise-en-scene, camera work, sound and editing to try and make the people that live off of benefits look bad.   

They use costume to portray them as bad

Use the theories of Rick Altman to go into detail about the pleasures of watching your media text.

When watching my media text (Benefits Street) the pleasures that I have felt when I was watching it was, the emotional pleasures. When I was watching the people sitting on an sofa in the road smoking makes me feel sympathy for them as, they have nothing to live for so they sit on an sofa in the road. But I also feel angry because they have ruined their life's but just sit around all day and do nothing and this would also be most of the audiences reaction when the would of first seen this as well.

Another pleasure from Rick Altman's theory is that the audience would have Visceral pleasures. When the audience would see the scene when the people that live on benefits street and they are throwing the rubbish into the middle of the road, this would make the audience feel shocked about what they are doing but also make them wonder why they are doing it as it will just make their neighbor hood look even worse on TV.

What are the most popular genres in the brief you have picked.
I think that the most popular genre that is used in documentaries is normally about animals or nature which is mainly shown on channels like BBC or the natural geographic channel. These are always narrated by the same the who is 'David Attenborough ' and that is why these documentaries are so well know. For example, the BBC made an documentary about the greater barrier reef with David Attenborough narrating about what is going on. BBC are known for their animal documentaries like; The ocean of giants and journey into the amazon.

Summary Looking at Rick Altmans theory, I would like to get my audience to have an emotional response (emotional pleasures) with my documentary that I am going to make as, it seems to make the audience get attached to the people that star within the documentary.

Institution Research 2

Institution Research 2

I will be watching a part from the Channel 4 documentary 'Benefits Street'. I am watching this because it shows what some people in England are like and how they feel about it, this is what I would want to do for my documentary about what school is really like. I will be looking at the Mise-en-scene, Camera work, Editing and Sound.

I am watching the 'Benefits Street' trailer for series 1 and episode 1 on the Channel 4 official YouTube channel. The audience that have been targeted for this is an mixed gender but over the age of 17+ as, it does have some bad language, bad violence and does show the bad side off life. Channel 4 would of targeted their audience for above C2 because D/E are the ones that they are doing the documentary about so they would want to target above it (C2) to the people that work and show them the other side of life.   

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkKJQF1xSJU

Camera work
At the beginning of the scene, there is an establishing and high angle shot to show the area that they would be filming around which is on 'James Turner Street' in Birmingham and to show that to the people that are watching this documentary feel like they are looking down on the people that live off of benefits. Another shot within the trailer is the two shot when you see the two people sitting on the sofa outside someone's house with rubbish in the road as well. This would show that what it is like for these people to live on benefits and could also show that they may be throwing their life away as the rubbish could symbolizes their life and what has happened to them. The Bird Eye View shot that has been used in the documentary where, it looks down on 'James Turner Street' (Benefits Street) has been put in by the director because it could represent how most of the audience that are watching it are think about the people that live on benefits street as, most people would look down at them and make them feel weak because they do not have an job and have ruined their lives..

Birds Eye View Shot On Benefits Street

Another shot that is also in the trailer for 'Benefits Street' is the long shot of the man talk about the rubbish in the road and this shows that they do not want to live like this but they have to as they live off of benefits and the meaning for them doing this is because to show the impact of what happen's to your life if you do not have an job. The reason why they have filmed it in that is way is because that we get to see what is like on 'James Turner Street' and the 13 different nationalities that live there. The extreme long shot at the end of the trailer, where you see the three people walking past the sign saying 'James Turner Street' has been used to show what the people that live on benefits street are like and how they feel about it. This shot makes me feel sympathy for the people that live on benefits street as, they live in an bad area and that the younger generation that is growing up their would not have an bright future. The director has filmed it in that way because it shows what type of people live on benefits street and what the entrance of benefits street looks like.

Mise-en-scene
In the trailer for 'Benefits Street' is when you see the three people outside of their house smoking. The clothes (costume) that they are wearing shows that they are in an isolated and broken down environment which impacts them because they can not get that much money and live off of benefits but also the children that are in this trailer are mainly wearing brightly coloured clothing and this could show that they do not care where they live as long as the have a family and friends that care and this creates an meaning to the audience of the shock of people that live off of benefits and how they live. The performance of the people that are throwing some rubbish onto the road shows that they are do not care about their life as they live off of benefits and that is their only income so they do not really care what is going to happen. This creates an meaning of disbelief as the audience would not of know how it would feel to be living off of benefits and live in an area like that.

The rubbish thrown on to the streets

The lighting on the people when they are putting the rubbish into the road is natural lighting but this could also show that even though that they live off of benefits, they can still have fun even the way that they live. The Performance that has been used at the beginning of the trailer when, you see the woman walking down the road talking about the people being unemployed. The reason why the producer wants to use this in the Channel 4 documentary is because he wants the audience that are going to watch it to see what it how many people on 'James Turner Street' (Benefits Street) do not have a job and how it affects their life's.

Sound 
The Sound that is going on during the trailer for 'Benefits Street' is mainly an depressing and very dramatic sound that is made by an piano and shows how the people that live on 'James Turner Street' feel all the time and also shows that they are in a economic crisis. The Voice over that is going on throughout most of the trailer makes everything sound really bad and depressing and because of this, it makes us as the audience to watch more and find out what it is like for them and makes us feel upset for them because of what has happened to them. This creates an summary of what the place is like and makes it very dramatic so that people would still want to watch it.

People sitting on an sofa in the street

The music (non-diegetic) that is playing during the trailer for 'James Turner Street' (Benefit Street) starts of really down and depressing and this to make the audience feel what the people that live on benefits feel but, then it turns into slightly happier music to show that they will still try and have fun and stay happy even though what is happening to them. This creates an meaning towards the audience of that this place is an corrupt place to live, as the rubbish is all over the roads and the people that live their do not care and that they all live off of benefits. The Dialogue that has been used in the when they had an quick interview saying "It's like a jail here" shows what the people that live on 'James Turner Street' (Benefits Street) think about it as they are linking it to an jail. The reason why the producer wanted to have an view from someone that lives on benefits street and to show the audience that are watching it can see what they think about it and make the audience feel sympathy for the people that live on benefits street.

Editing
The Editing in the trailer for 'Benefits Street' which is filmed on 'James Turner Street' starts off really slow throughout most of the trailer as they want to introduce you to the new Channel 4 documentary for the first episode and would want people to find it interesting and watch it every week to see what the people are like living off of benefits. The reason why they have started off slow but then it speeds up is because they would want to show how the people that live on benefits are at time really sad and depressed which would make the audience feel sorry for them but then also try to stay upbeat and happy every though the way and place that they live. Some of the editing that is going on during the trailer does fall onto the beat of the music which adds the affect of excitement but also some confusion for the audience as they do not know what is going on so they would watch the documentary and find out more about and this is what Channel 4 wanted to do.

This is what Channel 4 are really good at making these sort of documentaries about people with real life major problems like they have also done before then they have made 'Immigration Street' and this gets the audience really interested in the people that is on the documentary and get them emotional attached to them and would want the audience to watch this every week.

Summary
After doing some in depth research about the Channel 4 documentary 'Benefits Street' and seeing what they do to make their documentaries so entertain, I would like to add in some of the stuff they use like having some a wide range of camera shots and following certain people about so that the audience can get emotional attached to the people that live there, which would therefore lead to the audience coming back every week to watch the next episode.