1. TEXTUAL
ANALYSIS OF
TRAUMA
P E T E R C O T T E R
Question 5!

2. The first thing the audience see is the universal logo, this here indicates that it has the
approval of a well known conglomerate. This here appeals to the audience as they know
they are getting a good film just because it passed the universal standard,

3. The BCU connotes emotion. This paired with the handheld shot that tracks with the
protagonist, connotes uncertainty. The camera tracks with him connoting that he is the
main character and currently he is all important, nothing else matters, like the
surroundings…. This here represents male dominance, how a man is all important. Which
appeals to my target audience of males. He is He is wearing a suit, so my audience see
him as sophisticated. This here creates personal identity with the character. The character
seems more uncertain than scared and by the way he looks around a lot, it connotes
exploration, which highlights masculinity.

4. • The XLS connotes isolation for the character, hes all alone in heaven. This here
conforms to the stereotype of masculinity once again as he is taking on this scary
event without fear. The XLS also evokes personal identity in my A – B income bracket,
who having now become successful, presumably had to chase their goals and life
ambitions on there own.
• The maze also highlights the success of my audience, as they too were faced with

5. • The woman takes up the bottom half of the screen, Connoting her importance to the
film,. She wears white, connoting her innocence and fragility. The male is in the
background, close to her, but still out of reach. Connoting how women need a man in
their lives. It also conforms to the stereotype that women need a man to protect them.
Emma here, is out of reach of her father, and therefore he cant protect her, leading to
her death. These here conform to traditional representations, which target my A – B
audience, as these are typically older people, and therefore they agree with the
traditional stereotypes. There's no movement except the camera shake. This connotes
the overwhelming sadness felt by her dad, and the no movement hyperbolises her

6. • The camera shows the mugger in a MS, in the middle of the frame. Hes centre framed,
connoting his importance to the fim. Furthermore the camera tracks with him as he
rises highlighting his importance even more. This attracts the A – B audience as,
according to Maslows higherachy of needs, they already get security in there everyday
life, so this representation of crime serves to excite them instead of getting them

7. AUDIENCE
THEORIES
APPLIED

8. MY AUDIENCE IS ACTIVE:
My audience is supposed to be active, part of the DRAMA genre is to “entice a
response” from the audience. To do this my production raises a lot of issues for the
audience to contemplate and formulate their own opinion, such as the representations
of women or how we treat those exposed to significant mental trauma. For example; in
my film, the plot continues on to people who end up bullying the protagonist for not
being masculine enough to face his fears/mental condition, leading to his suicide. The
audience are supposed to question what could have been done differently or wether
they agree with the bullies/ his response to the bullying. The film features suicide,
alcoholism, violence and relationship abuse. So clearly this is not for the passive
audience which is why I targeted the more sophisticated A – B audience.

9. USES AND GRATIFICATION &
RECEPTOR THEORY
My audience from this product get self esteem, in the sense that they know that if this
situation happened to them, they may be emotionally stronger to not go down the route
of my protagonist, further more they get social interaction, discussing there views on the
representation of heaven and women in my piece. For example, do they agree with my
representation that every woman needs a man?
Furthermore everyone should end up with a negotiated reading, do they choose to
accept my reading towards women? This should be true to all my readings, such as, do
they agree with my representation of heaven, and its effect on my protagonist, who after
seeing it, wants to go back. Do they agree with the influence it has had on my subject.
Do they even believe in heaven?

10. EXAMPLE OF RECEPTOR THEORY ON
THE REP OF WOMEN
• Preferred: women need a man to protect her, if she had listened to her fathers advice, she
wouldn’t have ended up dead, clearly her father was attacked first, and therefore he was
trying to protect her.
• Negotiated reading: yes the father was trying to protect her, but he failed, so therefore
women don’t NEED a man, they are just as capable of handeling a situation like a male,
however, clearly she was safer with a man by her side instead of being on her own.
• Oppositional: This woman would have probably been aright on her own, mugger rarely
ever choose to kill someone, maybe if the dad hadn’t tried to show off his masculinity they
both would have lived.

11. PASSIVE AUDIENCE
Hyperdermic syringe theory states that my audience will accept whatever they is shown
to them. For example, my production represents mental disability as weak, vulnerable
and a condition that should be curable, provided the subject is strong willed enough.
The audience would accept all of these readings without thinking about it. As these here
are typical stereotypes against the disabled in our community. Because these are typical
stereotypes, my audience may not choose to negotiate them, but simply accept them,
which shows that my product is hegemonic.