Audience Positioning

Audience Positioning

Audience positioning in narrative:

The privileged spectator position

This is where the camera places the audience within a dominant position in the narrative. They are shown elements that the characters in the mise-en-scene cannot see. For example, a close-up shot shows one character taking a gun out of her bag, which only the audience can see. In sports programmes this is a common narrative convention, where the viewer, through action replay, sees the narrative more than once from a range of viewpoints. The aim is to make the audience feel in a more dominant position in the narrative in that they can then discuss what has happened with greater knowledge.

A flashback

The audience is given information about the narrative which enhances its understanding. Older media texts will use more contrived techniques to suggest movement back in time, for example, the hands of a clock moving backwards, pages of a calendar turning or misty filming. Today's audiences are assumed to be more media educated and able to decode signs in clothing and other iconography.

Point-of-view shots (POV)

The audience sees the action from different points-of-view that will change its perception and involvement in the scene. The camera may show the point of view of the murderer or the victim or move between the two. This will obviously change the audience's positioning and its response. It is often the case that the audience may be placed in an uncomfortable position by the camera, or one that positions the audience from a male or female perspective. POV shots also affect the way in which the audience relates to the characters.