Madmen is a critically acclaimed drama produced by ACM. The Drama appeals to its audience in many ways through the use of Uses and Gratifications and its attention to detail. MadMen is shown on Sky Atlantic. this restricts its audience as it is a cable channel and so a monthly subscription needs to be payed in order to view the show. However MadMen has proved that its appeal is attained as it is the first cable sow to take home home then Emmy Award for outstanding drama series for three years in a row.
Season 5 Episode 11 - "The Other Woman" has been described by critics as "a knockout episode in a season full of knockout episodes. This episode itself was submitted to the Emmy Awards for Lead Actor, Actress and supporting actress which reflects the three lead characters in this episode.
Madmen focuses on an advertising agency set in the 1960's. It is character driven and so it relies on a 'long term investment' as described by John Hamn who plays the role of Don Draper, one of the main icons of the show. As the show is not plot driven it requires an active audience who is required to pay attention and question what is going on.
The 1960s setting appeals to the audience as it allows them to escape into an era and learn about it. For example the rise of feminism is represented through the character peggy who receives an offer from a new job towards the end of the sequence, this shows that woman are gaining power and are making decisions for themselves and the stereotypical role of women being a housewife. This is represented further in the last scene where peggy is standing looking at Don who is sitting down.
Unlike MadMen AMC's Lost is aimed at a mainstream audience and encourages passive viewing. This is done through the use of a multicultural ensemble cast who appeals to the wider audience who can personally identify with the range of characters. During the opening scene of Season 1 Episode 2 Charlie mentions that "the pilot was ripped out of the cockpit...nobody's going to find us" the audience is informed about what has happened in the last episode and so they are passive as they would not need to watch the first episode in order to know what has happened whereas MadMen requires the audience to be active and question what is going on. Another way Lost appeals to a passive audience and differs from MadMen is the use of a plot driven story as opposed to character driven. This is commonly used in the action genre. There are also multiple narratives going on which shows that the characters are equal and have the same amount of importance. Each of the characters have a backstory which shown in a non linear sequence through flashbacks which show us there experience of the plane crash and constantly reminds the audience of what has happened whilst entertaining them too. Lost is classified as a hybrid genre as it uses conventions of the thriller, action and sic-fi narrative which appeals to a wider audience and increases the viewing. The sequence during the end of the episode represents the hybrid genre clearly;non-diagetic music is used to cue the audience and sets the scene. A non diegetic high pitched sound fades in and out making the viewer feel nervous, Sawyer and Sayed engage in conflict now making the viewer feel tense and so they know something is about to happen. A loud non diagetic thud is heard in the distance accompanied by close ups of each characters face inflicted with fear. This is followed by a frenetic chase seen using whip pans of the forest and involves the cast running away which is used alongside the diegetic music to inform the audience that something is wrong, it tells them how to feel. The scene cuts to Sawyer firing a gun towards something which is out of focus restricting the viewer and creating further mystery/enigma. Kate says aloud "it's a polar bear"and so the audience are aware that the bear should not be there without having to be active. Sawyer is portrayed as Propp's villain as the body language and the tone of voice used by the other characters when they question him about the gun show that they do not trust him. The mystery of the polar bear creates an enigma and keeps the audience entertained. The sequence was filmed at first by tracking shots which are smooth and allow the audience to see the mise en scene however once the chase scene starts to begin handheld cameras are used to create entertainment and realism. The audience socially interact with lost through online forums where they may discuss the storyline and predict what they think might happen. They also interact by buying merchandise which gives them fulfilment as they feel like they are almost part of the show.
My final text was Louis Theroux Most hated family in crisis which is a follow up and was shown on BBC2 3'rd April 2011 9pm. As it is a documentary the main purpose was to inform and educate however the extremist regimes and ways of the Westboro Baptist Church may also entertain the audience. From the opening scene the audience are positioned right in the midst of a picketing which shows banners displaying the extremist quotes such as "God Hates Fags" this may cause the audience to be shocked or offended. Louis asked in this opening scene if the church has become more weirder and so the audience are informed that this is a follow up.
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