THE FILM AND TELEVISION AUDIENCES

It is equally difficult to pinpoint the movement of the motion picture medium from the elite to the mass stage. In the United States, the very roots of the industry were embedded in film's mass-audience appeal. The Great Train Robbery, for example, was certainly not designed to be played to an elite crowd. If one were to look overseas, however, one might find evidence of an elite stage in the history of films from other countries. Some scholars have suggested that during the period between 1920 and 1933, German and Russian films went through what might be termed an elite stage. Perhaps the lack of a comparable elite period in American film development is a quirk stemming from the unique economic and social conditions that prevailed during the motion picture industry's development in this country. In any event, by 1920 motion pictures were firmly entrenched in the mass-audience stage. As with radio, it was the arrival of television that brought about change and forced films to specialize.

A glance at the movie section of any big-city newspaper will show that films still try to appeal to a specialized audience. There are films geared to teens (Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey), to kids (Beauty and the Beast), to horror fans (Friday the 13th, part whatever), to fans of foreign films (My Father's Glory), to action addicts (Terminator 2), etc. Most films are still geared to the 18-30 crowd, but recently Hollywood has noted that some films with a more general appeal such as Home Alone, Prince of Tides, and Dances with Wolves also do well at the box office. The interactive stage has started to arrive with home video. Thanks to the VCR, a viewer can fast forward through the slow spots and rewatch the good parts. Television passed through the elite stage in the l950s when TV sets were so expensive that only the affluent could afford them. Consequently, prestige drama such as Studio One enjoyed popularity during these years. As sets became less expensive and within the reach of everyone, mass appeal programs such as westerns and situation comedies predominated. Television is now moving into the specialized stage. The audience shares of the major networks are declining as viewers tune more to specialized cable channels such as ESPN, MTV, and HBO. New programming services, such as the Automotive Channel and the Cowboy Channel, indicate that this trend is apt to continue.

TV is also moving closer to the interactive stage. Pay-per-view allows viewers to choose their own programming; VCRs let the audience watch programs at more convenient times. Some TV game shows, such as Wheel of Fortune, are available in an interactive format.

Ex. 8. Prepare a report on a theme given:

- Stages of audience evolution

- The main types of media audiences

- Mass media audiences in Russia