Reception Theory

Reception Theory

Define the theory in your own words.

In terms of the reception theory this is how individuals receive and interpret text that is influenced by their cultural background, upbringing or their life experiences. Its when the individual decides what the text means to them. The reception theory is broken down into different parts such as the preferred, oppositional or negotiated.

Preferred reading

Preferred reading this is when the producer’s uses codes of conduct that draw upon and support the audience expectations. That lead the audiences to accept the dominant values within the text.

Negotiated reading

In terms of the negotiating reading this is when the individual has a choice, to whether accept the reading on his or her own or to simply reject it altogether. The audience might watch the film or read the text but might not accept aspects in the film/texts. They may argue against points about something that might not be represented fairly in their point of view.

Oppositional reading

Oppositional reading also known as radical response, this is when someone watches or reads a text, but the individual completely rejects what they have consumed of a dominant code and the social values.

Aberrant reading

Aberrant reading this is where the audience interprets a completely different meaning from what the text was actually intending to mean. This could be to the fact that the individual doesn’t share the same values of the text. Another reason could be due to the individual’s upbringing, life experiences or cultural background that is why the individual might interpret the wrong message that the text is meant to convey.


Why might your theory be used to analyse gangster film?

The reception theory might be used to find out how individuals might react to aspects in the film, and what their personal influences might be on it. For example their cultural background and life experiences might be influential. It might be used to see how individuals from the audience interpret and receive the text and see what conventions and codes in the film means to them. For example violence, death and drugs, they choose whether to accept the content or not. The theory might also be used to see whether the audience gets the intended meaning of the text or if they receive an entirely different meaning. In addition it might also be used to see if the audience understand the text that is consistent with the aspects and intentions of the producers.



Apply your theory to City of God and Scarface, what message do each of the films convey about money, power, crime and violence.


In relations to Scarface money convey the message that with more money brings more power and respect. In this film money was a constant factor, it was something that either people had or something that people wanted, it played a huge influence on people and their way of life. In anchorage to the reception theory people from the audience might interpret their own views on what money means to them, due to cultural upbringings and life experiences money could mean something of a high value. Or to some people in the audience money could be something that people think should be earned and should be valued. Where as for City of God money wasn't used in the same way as in Scarface. Even when characters had money they didn't use it in the conventional way. They didn't seem to value it very much they focused more on power, crime and violence. In City of God crime was seen as either a game to be played or it was something to make your way to the top to gain power and respect. In the sense of the reception theory again people could choose to accept this factor or not they could argue that crime and violence doesn't get you power or respect and in the end all it gets you is death and destruction. In addition in both of the film it didn't matter how much money the characters had it didn't bring them happiness, they always wanted more maybe to fill the void such as more power and drugs. In both of the films women conveyed the message that women are sexual objects or either weak characters. The optional reading I think would come in here, I think women in particular would completely reject this message being conveyed to the audience.

Critical Approaches: City Of God

The third film that we looked at for this task is ‘City of god’. Fernando Meirelles and Kati Lund as co-director directed the film. Andrea Barata Ribeiro, Mauricio Andrade Ramos and Elisa Tolomelli produced the film. Paulo Lins based the film on the 1997 novel ‘City of Gods’, but the plot is roughly based on real life events. The main stars of the film are Alexandre Rodrigues, Matheus Nachtergaele, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Jonathan HaagensenMatheus Nachtergaele, Seu Jorge, Roberta Rodrigues and Graziella Moretto. The film was released in its hometown Brazil on the 30^th of august 2002.

Narrative

In the set up of the film we see a chicken being prepared for a fest, then one of the chickens escape and a gang of children and teenagers armed with guns. Start to chase after the chicken; it stops in between the gang and a young man named Rocket also known as the protagonist of the film. Rocket believes that the gang is attempting to kill him. The film then flashes back to the 19603 and Rocket starts to narrate telling audience about the people and their stories.

Three thieves Shaggy, clipper and Goose also known as Rockets brother and is apart of the ‘Tender Trio’ rob a business owner. The trios divides the loot with the citizens of the City and in return are protected by them, Several younger boys idolize the trio and one, Li’l Dice convinces them to rob the people in the motel.

The entire gang agrees just to rob the motel without anyone getting hurt or killed.  The gang tells Li’l Dice to be the look out for them.  They give him a gun and tell him to shot a window to alert them when the police are coming.       But unsatisfied Li’l Dice fires a warning shot in the middle of the robbery and once the gang leaves. Li’l Dice goes into the motel to satisfy his urges, by shooting everyone in the motel. The massacre brings attention to the police, forcing the gang to go their separate ways. Wounded Clipper joins the church, while Shaggy is shot by the police whilst trying to escape with his love interest for a better way of life. Meanwhile Goose is shoot by Li’l Dice after trying to take the boys money that they have stolen from others. While his friend benny watches.

Later in the film in the year of the 1970’s rocket joins a group, we see that he enjoys photography and likes one of the girls in the group unfortunately she is taken by someone else in the group. Later in the film the girl and her boyfriend break up, and Rockets attempt to get the girl slowly works until it is ruined by a group of criminal kids known as ‘The Runts’. Li’l Dice know older and his thirst for killing increased, changed his name to now Li’l Ze. With his childhood friend Benny running a drug empire eliminating all the competition all except for one dealer named Carrot. Forcing Carrots manger Blackie to work for him instead. 

At the farewell party Benny and his girlfriend decide to leave the city however whilst they were leaving, Ze is distracted and Blackie by accident kills benny but on the intent on killing Li’l Ze. Seeing that Benny was only thing keeping Li’l Ze from taking over carrots business. Due to Bennys death this leaves carrots business in risk off being taken over so he kills Blackie for jeopardizing his business and life.

Due to Bennys death this has a huge impact on Li’l Ze. Ze gets worse in his actions and beats up a nice man called Knockout Ned then rapes his girlfriend. After Ned’s little brother stabs Ze. His gang reacts by killing his brother and firing on Ned’s house, killing his uncle. Ned looks for revenge on the past events that happened and sides with Carrot and eventually a war starts out between Carrot and Ze.

During the 80’s both Li’l Ze and Carrot get more people to join their sides. With Ze giving each person who joined weapons for the Runts. And after a while the reason for the war was forgotten. Someday Ze gets Rocket to take photographs of him and his gang with their weapons. Rocket takes the photograph to a friend to get them developed for Li’l Ze. He leaves the film with his friend who works at the newspaper and a female reporter spots the photographs and publishes one of the prints, seeing that nobody can get into the City of God. Rocket needing a place to stay due to the female reporter making, it dangerous for him to return to the City of Gods. He stays at the female reporters house and they develop a love interest and Rocket finally loses his virginity to her.

Rocket continues to take photographs for the newspaper; despite him thinking his life is endangered. Not realizing that Ze is extremely pleased with his increased in popularity. Rocket then returns to the City to take more photographs, taking the film to the beginning. The gang confronts rocket and he is surprised to find Ze asking him to take another photograph. As Rocket prepares to take the photograph forgetting to catch the chicken.

In the gunfight, a boy who has infiltrated his gang to avenge his father, a security guard who was killed by Ned during a bank robbery, kills Ned. The police capture Li'l Zé and Carrot, planning to give the media Carrot, whose gang never paid off the police, while they steal Zé's money and let him go. The Runts who intend to run the criminal enterprise themselves then murder him. Rocket secretly takes pictures of both scenes, as well as Zé's dead body, and brings them back to the newspaper.

We then see Rocket in the newspaper office looking at all of the photographs that he took, through a magnifying glass. He is deciding whether to publish the photographs of the corrupt cops and become well known or the photograph of Li’l Ze’s corpse and gets an internship. The film ends with the Runts who killed Li’l Ze walking around the City of God making a list of dealers to kill to take over their business and become powerful and wealthy. They mention that a Comando Vermelho ("Red Command") is coming.

In relations to the term multistrand the ‘ City of God’ does have this feature. The film doesn’t just focus on one main and specific storyline. It has a variety of different stories within a story. Before we can understand the main story we need to find out about the little stories that build up to it. Seeing that the film starts with the end it flashes back to the previous events. In the film it is Rocket who is the protagonist of the story who tells the story of the main characters lives.

The ‘City of Gods’ has an alternative narrative, because instead of the film starting with an introduction or with the equilibrium it starts of with the disruption then uses a flash back to tell the sorry. The film starts with the end then takes us back to the beginning, so that we can see the series of events that lead up to the ending.

In relation to enigma of the film there isn’t things that raises many question or things that are hard to understand. A question that could be raised is what happened to ‘clipper’ the one who went into the church, the audience assumes he is ok but we don’t know what has actually happened to him. Also at the end of the film ‘The runts’ talk about starting there own hit list to take over drug empires, a question that could be raised is did they succeed.

Genre

Seeing that this is a gangster genre film there are code and conventions that are used to link the film to the genre. One of the conventions that are used is weaponry in particular guns. This convention is used throughout the film, to hint to the audience the genre; the use of weaponry tells the audience that the film is going to be highly violent. It is also a conventional aspect within a gangster film so it is something that we would associate with this genre telling the audience genre of the film. An example of this guns being used in the film, is at the beginning of the film where we see boys holding up a motel then not soon after Li’l Dice goes into that same hotel and brutally shots everyone. This scene I think is a perfect example of this convention use because in gangster-based films we see guns most of the time being used in this way to hurt people.

Another convention that is used in the film to hint to the audience the genre is explicit scenes.  In some parts of the film this convention is used, in most gangster based films this convention is regularly used. this is used in this film when …walks in on his wife sleeping with another man. Another revealing scene is the motel robbery scene, as the boys rob the motel we see various people taking part in amorous activities and there is a bit of nudity. These scenes are very revealing but are something that is associated with the gangster genre and image.

Another conventional convention used in the film is strong language; throughout the film strong language is used. This is again another convention that is associated with this genre; the strong language supports the gangster image and the type of character they are portraying which is why this convention is used in this genre. Example Li’l ze uses strong language numerously; I think this helps to portray his character as someone who doesn’t mess around.

A last convention that was used in the film to portray the genre of the film is criminal activity and police. This is a common convention used in this type of genre, normally the protagonist/s or antagonist get on the wrong side of the law because they have some involvement with criminal things such as stealing, drugs and killing. How this convention was used is in the scene where …calls the police to tell them that his wife sleeping with someone else, in this scene we see the police intervening. Another scene is where Li’l ze is caught by the police and is being released and given drugs to take by the police or giving them money. In this scene the police weren’t after the bad guy they were involved in the criminal activity and doing something they weren’t meant to be doing. Also in the film drugs were used quite a lot it appeared that though drugs is illegal, it was something everyone did including little children which is unconventional in this genre for children to be taking drugs. In addition these conventions hint to the audience genre of the film.

To add although there are various conventions that is used throughout the film to convey the genre to the audience. Another aspect was used in the film to tell the audience the genre of the film. At the beginning of the film the protagonist Rocket introduces the different gangs involved in the story that hints to the audience that this film is going to be gangster based and that the genre of the film is gangster. For example when Rocket introduces the gang that his brother is apart of, he makes it clear that they are a gang.

How are children/teenages, males/females portrayed?

The children are represented in an immensely negative way, they are a representation of children with lack of education, lack of discipline and compassion and love. In relations to the mise en scene most of the youth live in a poor environment that is highly influenced by guns and drugs.

The children in the film are represented in a sense of lack of education and lack of understanding. I believe that these aspects are vital challenges that the children suffer from in the city of gods. For example the runts don’t have an understanding of the real gangster lifestyle, they think of it as a game. Another example is the scene where the tender trios hold up a truck, this scene shows that these three teenagers have childlike tendency and behavior that think of the law and a game needed to be players. They aren’t aware of the consequences of their actions until their demise. Another scene is at the end of the film is when ‘The Runts’ decided to be like Li’l ze and start making a hit list one of the children say ‘Can you write’ suggesting that the children aren’t well educated. In addition this is why they want to be a part of the gang, to gain power and respect like the antagonist Li’l ze.

The children in the film also are represented as vulnerable and fragile due their lack of love from their parents. This is clearly shown through their appearance and behavior. Which is why they most of them want to be part of a gang too feel apart of something and to feel like they have a family. In addition the gang gives them a sense of belonging and a sense of identity along with power and a family.

Children in the city of god are also faced with the decision of choosing the right path. They’re either a violent path of killing and doing criminal tendency or wanting a better life for themselves. For example Rocket is the only one in the city of god that doesn’t follow the same path as the majority of the other characters. We see this when Rocket is coming from school, showing us that he is well educated and also him wanting to be a photographer showing us that he wants to have a career and actually doing something with his life in comparison to Li’l Ze who just wanting money and power.

The youth of the city of gods are also represented as easily corrupted by power and respect. However instead of using these aspects in a positive light to make things better for the city of gods. Instead they use it for belittling others, killing and committing criminal tendency. Aspects like drugs and crime is presented as something normal and accepted in the community,

The scene where the teenage boys rob a motel, and Li’l dice kills all the people in the motel brutally with out hesitance. This scene represented Li’l dice in a devil like sense, he seemed to be mentally and emotionally disturbed as he enjoyed seeing people die or suffering. I believe that one of the reasons that Li’l dice was acting and behaving in such an aggressive and brutal way is because it wanted to have power in be respected.

In relation to the women and men in the film ’City of Gods’, they are represented in a stereotypical sense. Men are represented as having power and being physically strong. Whereas women don’t have these aspects. Also men are represented as natural born killers where as women don’t really have any part of that lifestyle and don’t associate with that way of living.

In the film is shown clearly that one of the ways that woman are resented are as victims such as Shorty’s wife. When her husband catches her with another man, because her husband never really showed her any affection so she finds it somewhere else. She is beaten with by her husband with a shovel and buried alive. The only way that women seemed to have, any control over men is through sexual and amorous activities. The strongest women in the film are Angelica and Bernice; they use their feminine influences and sexual hold over their guys to have power over them.  For example Shaggys girlfriend she is presented to the audience as a strong women, and when Shaggy wants to have relations with her she turns him down, kind of showing who boss out of the two. Then once they had finished doing their amorous activities, the girl walks away telling shaggy her demands if he wants to be with her because she doesn’t want any part of his lifestyle.

Men are presented as getting and having power in a variety of ways throughout the film such as selling drugs (drug dealers) that are thought to be highly important in creating and having power. In that respect known of the drug dealers are women. Another way that man in particular Li’l ze got power was through sexual gratification through rape. When Li’l ze was looking for a female partner and the first girl that he saw he wanted had a partner already, so didn’t want to be with him. I think Li’l ze felt as if he was in control and lost power. In addition I think he tried to regain his power by raping the woman.

Target Audience

The target audience that I think is aimed at through this film is, an alternative audience. I think that the intended audience for this film would have different interest. I think this film has different aspects within the it that would appeal to different people of different interest. The storyline of the film is very unique in the sense that it is a real story and very unconventional seeing that the film features children being a part of a gang and being a part of strong topics. Also seeing that the film is in a Portuguese language with English subtitles. This could put of most people especially if they aren’t confident in their reading skills. In addition also seeing that the people starring in the film aren’t well-known actors or actresses this might not appeal to people. Because they haven’t heard or seen them, also seeing that the people are those who live in the area and aren’t professionals this could have an impact on who watches the film.

The age of the target audience that I think this film is aimed at is 18. Seeing that the classification for this film is 18, this means that the film contains strong violence, strong topics such as drugs, killing and rape and sexual scenes inappropriate for any one younger than the classified age.

The gender that I think the film is targeted is at both males and females. I think that there are different aspects within the film that would appeal to the genders. I think that the love interest side of the film might appeal to the female side and the strong violence might appeal to the male side. I do think that the true storyline and characters might appeal to both sides, because speaking from experience I particularly enjoyed the storylines and was interested in the types of characters portrayed.  But also the fact that the film is based in an actual and real place using real people from the place, I think colour stir up an interest within both genders.

The nationality, ethnicity and location of the targeted audience is perhaps Portuguese, I say this because the film is on this language. However seeing that the film has English subtitles I think it could appeal to different people. I also think the film is targeted mostly at Portuguese people because the film is based on a true story that happened in the country so I think people in the country that heard of the massacre might want to see how the story is portrayed in the film so would be interested in that aspect.

In relations to educational background I don’t think they is a specific educational background targeted. However I do think children in Portugal who in perhaps the same boat as the children in the film who are less educated might find they might find the film appealing because they might be able to relate to them. However I do think people of different educational backgrounds would find the film appealing, I having an educational background found the film interesting because it was interesting to see how children without a educational background acted. So I think that people who looked at it from that point of view might be interested.

Violence

Out of all of the films that I have looked at in class, which were featured on the gangster genre the ‘City Of God’ has raised the most opinions on the use of violence in the film.

A use of violence that was used continuously throughout the film, were the violent scenes that involved children with guns. I wasn’t shocked when I saw teenagers acting in violent tendencies and doing illegal things, this was something I expected and is conventional in a gangster genre film. But seeing children handling weaponry I found that very unconventional and extremely disturbing. I think that kids shouldn’t be opened up to that world off violence. It was something about young child who are at a innocent and vulnerable age, handling something that could potentially end someone’s life. A scene In the film which uses this is the scene where Li’l ze is recruiting people to join his side and in return gives them a gun. One of the people that Li’l ze gave a gun to ‘The runts’ who are a group of young children.

Another use of violence in the film is the scene were a child who wanting to get revenge for his father who was shot in a robbery. In the war between Li’l Ze and Shorty he got shot. O found this scene disturbing because, there was no reason for him to get shot he was just a little child who hadn’t even began his life yet, yet it came to an end. I think the children used in the film handling guns and getting killed, made the film more impactful and effective. Especially seeing that the film is based on a real story, it really gets you thinking how can someone so young being involved in such violence.

Another scene within the film that I found most disturbing out of them all, is the scene where li’l Ze raped knock out Neds girlfriend. I found this scene extremely unbearable to watch, I hate the fact that he was doing something to her against her will. I find it extremely sickening of him to do such a thing simply because he was jealous of knockout Ned being good looking and getting whoever he wants. I think this seem is a perfect example of how women are portrayed as victims in the film.

Another scene that I thought was very disturbing in relations to violence is the scene where Li’l Dice goes into the motel the guys robbed and shot everyone in it, just for his pleasure. I found this scene sickening and hard to watch, because when he was killing the people he had a smile of enjoyment in what he was doing on his face, which showed how much he was enjoying his actions. I also found it sickening because innocent people where getting killed by a little child who seemed to have a thirst for killing people. I think that scene portrayed for me as Li’l dice being a representation of true evil. I think this is supported as Li’l dice grows up and his thrist becomes greater in killing people.