Uses and Gratification Theory: Uses and Gratification is an approach to understanding why and how people actively seek

out specific media to satisfy specific needs. Uses and Gratification is centred on the audience to give a better understanding mass communication. Uses and Gratification how audiences deliberately choose media that will satisfy given needs and allow one to enhance knowledge, relaxation, social interactions/companionship, diversion or escape. Uses and Gratification theory assumes that audience members are not passively consuming media, rather they have the power over their media consumption and assumes an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives. Unlike other theories about media Uses and Gratification assumes the audience are responsible for choosing media to meet their desires and needs to achieve gratification for example choosing to watch a film because of ones attraction to the actor/actress in the leading or supporting roles in the film. According to Katz, Bulmer and Gurevitchs research they were fives components comprising the uses and Gratification approach. The components are 1. The audience is conceived as active. 2. In the ass communication and process, much initiative in linking gratification and media choices lies with the audience member 3. The media compete with other sources of satisfaction 4. Methodologically speaking many of the goals of mass media use can be derived from data supplied by individual audience members themselves 5. Value judgements about cultural significance of mass communicating should be suspended while audience orientations are explored on their own terms According to the research gals for media use can be grouped into five uses. The audience wants to: 1. Be informed or educated this means taking something away from the media they have invested time. 2. Identify with characters of the situation in the media environment this means the audience wants relatable characters and situations in which they could possibly find themselves in. 3. Simple entertainment this means the audience are not looking to be intellectually engaged rather just simple fun. 4. Enhance social interaction. 5. Escape from the stresses of daily life this means the audience wants a way out of there ordinary into something of the surreal. Applying the theory to our piece, I believe the short film we are creating will divert audiences as the film will offer a brief escape from manic everyday life. This is because the audience are been tossed into a world of spies, covert operations and corporate espionage. The genre of the short film is a spy-thriller which attracts the audience to step in the shoes of a spy. This means the audiences are already withdrawn from everyday life has been a spy isnt something that is encountered in peoples day to day routines. The short film is filled with fast paced action films which is the completely opposite of the audiences uneventful days. The short film will allow the audience to fully engage the genre as they can visualise clearly what it could be like to be a spy

In addition the short film although might be used as escape it could also be seen as a way for audiences to learn something like for example how to tackle different obstacles in life. Although the obstacles tackled by the main character maybe larger than life but it does allow the audience to find him relatable as he still needs to face challenges like so many people do each and every day.