Reception Theory

The reception theory is different ways for the reader to respond that emphases each possible view of a reader's interpretation. This theory is mainly used by audience to analysis a production. Reception theory was discovered by the cultural theorist, Stuart Hall and has been split into three different sections, negotiated, dominant, oppositional. I will also put each section/category into an example, using a scene of a conversation between two characters in, 'Gone'.

Dominant Readings: 
The dominant reading can also be referred as the hegemonic reading, where the reader fully shares the text's code and accepts what the producers what them to think about the production/text. This makes the code seem, 'natural' and, 'transparent'.

An example of a dominant reading would be in the scene of, 'Gone' where the man in his formal attire connotes his higher authority over the girl (whom he is speaking to) the low angle we are faced with when looking at the male, signifies his importance as us as the audience and the girl character are all below him.

Negotiated Readings:
This is where the reader only partly shares the text's code and broadly accepts the preferred reading, sometimes however they resist and modifies it in a way which reflect their own experiences and interests- therefore contradictions are cased.

The media text example using this theory would be that, both characters in the scene of power. The male as power due to camera angle being a low angle, signifying his power and importance, giving him a sense of self-importance over the demographic and the second character in the scene. The second character has power of confronting. Countertypes are developed within the girl, has the facial expression of the male connotes his breakage under the pressure she is forcing on him.

Oppositional Reading:
This reading section can be seen as counter-hegemonic reading- opposite of dominant. Where the reader decides to go against what the producers are trying to express, and think the directly opposite.

An example of oppositional reading from the text example would be that, the audience don't believe he male in the scene has power but connoted by his facial expression and redness of the face he is signified to be stressed. As if he is breaking under the pressure which the girl is giving him, connoting the girl to hold the power therefore the girl becomes a counter hegemonic reading.


Stewart Hall developed his reception theory and came up with what became the, 'Encoding and Decoding model'.

Encoding: 
How the product is constructed by the producers of the text, what the producers when their audience to feel or interpreted something.

Decoding: 
How the product is interpreted by the audience when they receive it, this view is different to he producers.