Rhetorical/Audience Analysis

When using this analysis the focus is on language, signs and images that are manipulated in a certain way by the media text to gain certain responses from the viewer. Students who use this analysis are able to more closely see whether they have simply been influenced by the media, or whether some belief they held has actually been altered. This gives them insight into not only the power of the media text to change their mind, but the degree of impressionability that they have as well.

The first important aspect in this analysis is to understand the target of the media text. Age, gender and interests are just a few that would be utilized by the media text in order to gain a favorable response. To help the students reveal this target it is helpful to have them ask “Who is this text being written for?” An interesting and revealing example, was this year’s sexy Superbowl commercial for GoDaddy.com, a seller of domain names. While traditionally, the purchase of .coms was made mainly by the technologically informed, this commercial reveals a trend away from the “techie” to the common man. These commercials connected buying domain names with sexy, scantily clad women, directing us to believe that the focus was on males dabbling in the internet world. Another question necessary to ask when using rhetorical analysis is being used is “What beliefs is the media text attempting to get me to accept?” A slightly less obvious example for this question would be the most recent coverage of the death of Anna Nicole Smith. The inherent belief that the media text on almost every news channel is asking the viewer to accept, is that Smith’s death is somehow important. Coverage is being channeled away from soldiers dying in Iraq, a newly emerging battle for the Democratic and Republican candidates for president, and any number of more “important” issues. And yet, the coverage on some channels of Smith’s death was five times that of the war in Iraq. Other media texts are far more obvious; they have a clear belief which they want the viewer to accept, yet they can be just as subtle in their methods. Nike shoes have forever been synonymous with athletics occurring at a high ability. The media text asks you to believe that if you use their products, you will be as skilled as Michael Jordan, and will also have his persona and attitude.

It is important for the students to realize that they, and other audience members of a certain media text, are not just passively engaging in the media. Active participation occurs through discussion and debate over characters, themes or general opinions. Engagement in these activities can definitely influence the viewer, as their personal opinion may be respected or not based on the group’s consensus. Another point that students can learn much about the influence of the media text is realizing the amount and degree of socialization of consumers happening in our culture. Stigmas are associated with different products and getting students to understand and analyze these stigmas will help them dissect the media text even more effectively.

Analysis of RIZE

Audience:

The two key points in this analysis are asking the two questions: “Who is this text being written for?” and “What beliefs or attitudes is this text asking me to accept?”

In this film the text seems to be written equally for two groups. The first group being those familiar with “crumping” (the style of dance in the film) and desiring to feel a commraderie or gain a deeper understanding of the methods and the second group being those completely unfamiliar with the dance, culture or people involved in this lifestyle. It is presented in a very educational format. The music, speech and film could very easily have contained sexual undertones and completely ignored the spiritual/emotional side of this movement. The beliefs that the text was asking the viewer to accept were more subtle. It seemed that they wanted the viewer to accept that this was a legitimate form of art as well as a spiritual and emotional outlet for people. They did this mainly through the content expressed in each interview with the “crumpers,” but also in they way the integrated and edited clips from African tribal rituals, asking the viewer to draw direct similarities between the two settings.

Semiotic:

Analyzing the signs, images, words and objects in a media text is the main focus of the semiotic analysis. Searching for cultural codes in the film RIZE is incredibly easy. The cultural meaning of gang clothing and colors is referenced many times as being the cause for so much death in the Watts neighborhoods. The “crumpers” have taken these images and associations and altered them to mean very different things in their crumping community. They paint their faces with clown paint, the color of their clothing is vibrant and holds no association with violence, but rather a hope for happiness amidst the violence.

Poststructuralist:

In poststructuralism, the analysis revolves around truly seeing the language categories that are occurring in the media text. In RIZE, the “binary oppositions” are fairly obvious in two specific arenas. The battle between life and death is consistent throughout the film. Crumping has allowed these former gang bangers and trouble makers a way out of that former life. However, in using the poststructuralist analysis, the viewer is more able to see the limitations on this single opposing pair. There are surely other options “out” of the trouble of Watts, rather than just engagement in crumping, however the film wants the viewer to feel the weight of this dance community as a solution and therefore focuses solely on that as an alternative to death.

Critical Discourse:

This analysis focuses on “larger ideological perspectives” that influence the way people see the world and act in it. There are as many discourses as there are people, ranging from law to race to economic status. At first, one may see the discourse of race playing out in the inner-city setting of RIZE, however it is actually a pretty homogeneous culture, being made up primarily of African Americans. The discourse that is seemingly more prevalent is a much more personal, perhaps even religious, nature. So few options are presented to the individuals in this culture; death, jail, or some form of gang seem to be the only avenues. With crumping, the person’s soul is affected, leaving those without this experience in a completely different group, untouched by the spirituality and self efficacy acquired through dance.

Feminist:

This analysis focuses on taking a look at the gender roles of the people in a specific media text. It helps reveal stereotypes that occur, however subtle, and label men or women as generally a specific way. While watching RIZE it occurred to me that this film had a very healthy appreciation for men and women. It saw both roles as important to the crumping community and gave strong weight to the words, attitudes and behaviors of both groups. If anything, it de-sexualized women, painting the picture of crumping as an art form and not at all a sexual act.

Postmodern:

This analysis seeks to challenge modern theories, saying that truth, reality, beauty etc. are less determined by the cultural norms, than the individuals. RIZE seeks to communicate that the ‘truth’ in crumping is something as individual as the dancer. The narratives and interviews describe that each individual has “something to say” while crumping and that each dance is some truth that the individual is letting out. The same moves can mean very different things because the dancer, or author, possesses emotions and thoughts quite different from another.

Postcolonial:

Postcolonial analysis is based on the assumption that many media texts see the undeveloped areas of the world as “backward,” or even “dangerous.” RIZE has a very interesting view. The entire story revolves around the culture of crumping, one that has evolved only recently and in only a few areas of the nation. However, with no narration involved and no conclusions being drawn, the editor masterfully brings the viewer into an interesting discussion. Between clips of modern-day crumpers flash photos and video of African tribal rituals being performed. The similarities in these two incredibly different places are amazing. The media text makes no conclusions, but simply and artfully asks the question, “Just how different are we?”