The Media Theory in My Film

 One media theory me and my group would like to incorporate is the active audience theory by Stuart Hall. This theory states that audiences are active consumers that interpret media through their own experiences and social contexts. It also means that the intended message of the creator may not be completely understood because the audience make sense of the messages through what they know and may interpret messages to support their own beliefs. 

Our film has topics such as struggling with depression and talking about committing suicide, this can be interpreted differently with the audiences depending on their understanding and feeling about these subjects. For example, some audiences might resonate with the feeling of depression and isolation, maybe reflecting on their own struggles or someone who struggles with them, while other might see these behaviors as typical teenager feelings and might take these topics more lightly than it ought to be. 

Another topic that we have in our film with my group is social media. Although it’s a more minor topic, it’s still significant enough for audiences to relate to it. An example of this is when Maddie deletes the message, she had typed out to send to her friend when she saw through social media that she was already busy. Most likely, younger audiences, especially teenagers, might relate to the role social media has in creating feelings like rejection and isolation. Others may see this as an overreaction to a simple situation.  

Maddie’s way of venting may not resonate with some people. For some people, writing in a diary is their way of venting their emotions, while others may talk it out with a therapist, or might not even do anything. 

Me and my group want to develop many serious struggles in our film that teenagers are able to relate to. The topics such as depression, suicide, social media, and Maddie's way of coping with these struggles, represent symbols open to the viewers to interpret in their own way.