Spectatorship Theory

Spectatorship Theory
There are three types of spectator:

• Passive spectator
• Negotiating spectator
• Libertarian spectator

Passive Spectator

A passive spectator is someone who lets everything wash over them, they don't question anything which means they take the preferred reading and they accept the messages and values that the text presents. They accept the characters/figures in it and are thrilled from the text.

Negotiating Spectator

A negotiating spectator has a mature response which means that they understand it's just a music video/ programme/film etc but they also interpolate themself into it to an extent. This means that the viewer is both inside and outside the film which means they question things which concludes that they are an active spectator.

Libertarian Spectator


A libertarian has an oppositional reading which means that they interpret the text in the complete opposite way that the creator wanted them to. This response is mostly associated with displeasure as they don't like the content which means they are questioning everything that is presented to them in a negative way.



Responding To Characters

• Recognition
• Alignment
• Allegiance

Recognition

We recognise the character and we translate them into a credible/convincing person e.g a gangster behaves the way we expect them to but isn't one dimensional.

Alignment

We see and feel part of a story through the character which isn't the same as identifying with them as we can be aligned with a murderer like in A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971). 

Allegiance

Allegiance is about whether we have loyalty as an audience to a character consciously or unconsciously (most mainstream films manipulate us into feeling allegiance to certain characters).