Audience Reception

A media text that I am familiar with is the film Get Rich or Die Tryin’ directed by Jim Sheridan, staring the rapper 50 Cent. The movie is roughly based on the life of him, with fictional stories and character also included. After losing his mother as a boy, he goes on working for drug dealer Levar, although he makes good money his dreams are to become a rapper. He later gets shot 9 times during a robbery, and decides to leave his old life behind. But his old associates won’t let him go so easily. Using the Young & Rubicam's 4Cs model I believe that the target audience for this movie is the mainstream. This is because this was a movie that was very popular when it first came out, and it was advertised well. It also was a high-budget film, with the story line being fairly stereotypical of a gangster-type movie. Obviously, the appeal of 50 Cent is huge in attracting the mainstream also. There isn’t anything in there to suggest that it would appeal to any other category.

The preferred reading of this text would to not only be to enjoy the film, but to understand what occurs, and to agree that it is a good representation of a gangster film. You would understand that going down the road of being a drug dealer can cause many implications, and you will always end up worse off because of it. Although the text tries to do this, it does show the positives of leading towards that lifestyle, such as money, cars, women and reputation, but in the end it isn’t worth it. The message this gives off is that you cannot cheat to a rich lifestyle, and your actions will always catch up to you in the end, causing consequences not just for yourself but for possibly people around you also.

An oppositional reading of this text would to not just dislike the film, but it would be to totally disagree with it being a film with a realistic take on gangsters, and to deem it unrealistic. People who value themselves as people who have lived that lifestyle may say that the film does not show what really happens and It doesn’t always end up badly. It can sometimes lead them to live a very wealthy life, without being shot, and having drama all the time like this movie suggests. People from different cultures and backgrounds may not at all agree with what the movie portrays. Even if they themselves have had this lifestyle, different cultures and areas will have different environments and situations they will be put in, therefore not taking a preferred reading to this film.

A negotiated approach to the movie would to be completely understand of the text, but to only agree with some of the films ideologies. For example, some people may agree that this movie is a good representation of a drug dealer and the benefits and downsides that come from it. But they may also think that some of the actions and the way people deal with situations in the film is unrealistic. People from different backgrounds will have different thoughts and feelings towards the movie and can have mixed emotions about how they can relate to the characters in terms of both image and character. 

Using the Uses & Gratification model, I believe that people would use this media as a means of entertainment, and possibly personal identity. Films in general can be a means of entertainment for many people and this one in particular is no different. There is lots of drama and action in this movie that can catch people attention and cause interest. It could also be used as a mean of personal identity. Some people who have went on to live that lifestyle may be able to heavily relate with the things happening in the film. They may want to see how others have reacted, knowing they have went through the same thing.