Reception Theory

1) The preferred reading of a media text is  the intended message the producer wants the audience to receive. This is usually built on stereotypes in order to influence the consumer.

2) The oppositional reading goes against the intended message. It's when the consumer completely rejects the producer's intended message and creates their own message based on their personal experiences and beliefs.

3) The Harry Brown trailer portrays young people as dangerous and a menace to society. It uses stereotypes of teenagers in gangs to make the audience feel resentment towards teenagers. In the clip they're seen destroying property and going out of their way to make other people feel miserable. The preferred reading is that young people cause trouble and their idleness can lead to violence and crimes.

4) Young people might reject this reading as their experience of society is very different to an older person's experience. They could potentially view the actions of young people as a way to survive and protect themselves in rough estates whereas older people believe it is the young people creating the sense of danger and the older people that need protecting. They might create an oppositional reading in their favour: young people aren't criminals or thugs, they are just misunderstood by older generations. Their idea of entertainment and fun can be viewed as criminal activity but it's harmless and the trailer relies too much on old, inaccurate stereotypes.

5) The preferred reading of this poster is that this meal will fill you up and leave you satisfied. It looks appetising and will attract more customers. This will entice more people into buying this meal. All the extra information is written in small letters at the bottom, it is not as important to read it.

The negotiated reading is that although the sandwich will be very unhealthy and not good to eat very often, it is still tasty and can be eaten as a treat or occasionally. 

The oppositional reading is that eating meat is bad, it is cruelty to animals. The sandwich looks very unhealthy and greasy. The small writing is potentially an effort to hide information that could put the consumer off.

6)

The preferred reading is that this product has the ability to protect our hair from all heat products and our hair will look as healthy as the models. The gold could suggest strength and success which could imply that our hair will be strong and become more powerful than heat.

The negotiated reading is that our hair won't be completely protected but it can help repair damaged hair. We aren't shown all the styling and photoshop that is happening behind the camera.

The oppositional reading is that they are trying to use a successful star to hide the fact that the product isn't as effective as it seems. They have probably used a professional team of stylists to make the hair look shiny, strong and thick.

I agree that he portrays young people in a positive way because although he has to use negative methods to attract their attention, they just need someone to help them and guide them. Unless older people are willing to support young people, they will go astray and many young people are simply misunderstood.