The journal articles mainly look at the issues of the media and the efforts that have been made so far to facilitate balance of the on the content and the audience. The content being displayed on the screens depends on the target audience and on what they want to see rather than what they need to know. This is so especially for the media practitioners who are aimed at increasing their profits rather than instilling morals in the society. There have been calls especially for the media to be considerate especially on films that target the youth and the children. The media is an important tool that informs and educates the masses (Toynbee 105). While films in the 18th centuries provided content that was appreciated by both the young and the old, there are currently many restrictions on who should watch a particular film.
There have been complaints of the film industry not providing enough inform of education and information. This is simply because the entertainment and marketing factors of the film. This has therefore given rise to films that are more sensitive to the youth and the youth children. It has been common to see films where the setting is a school or a classroom with an emphasis on the issues that affect school going children. There are also those that give an informal setting of the family where children and the youth learn on family matters and how they can handle the issues that affect them (Hay 23). There is however still a serious issue of how well the films are received and the need to produce something that is marketable.
It is sad that what people want to see and mostly the youth is not what they necessarily need to see. This pose a serious dilemma to the media where they are either compelled to please their audience or to tell them the truth. Since producing a film requires funds, time among other sacrifices, the media has to conduct a serious study prior to its production just to ensure the film will be marketable. The trick is to ensure that the message is communicated to the audience in a language they will understand best. Despite the efforts of many film producers to deliver standard films, they will never be able to satisfy everyone (Toynbee 125). Every film produced is met by various criticisms that make the producers consider making it better.
When media stations are considering a film to adopt for their audience, they are also targeting advertisements. Advertisers are mostly given a chance to choose programs where they can place their advertisements. The better programs they have which attract more audience, the more they will have in terms of revenue for advertisements. It is hence quite difficult for some educative films that are not necessarily attractive to the audience to get the coverage required. Despite all the challenges that are faced by the media industry, it is important for them to fulfil he integral part of moulding a generation in the most positive way. This will require ignoring the revenue part of the films and collaborating with specific learning institutions to ensure the message is delivered (Hay 23). When the films are presented more as educative rather than entertaining, the audience will approach it with the right attitude and hence yielding the required results.
Works cited
Hay, James. "Rethinking the intersection of cinema, genre, and youth." Scope: An On-line Journal of Film Studies (2002).
Toynbee, Jason. "The media's view of the audience'." Media Production. Maidenhead and Milton Keynes, Open University Press/The Open University (2006): 91-132.
