1. Unit 6: Critical Approaches to Creative Media Products
by connor mccallion

2. Task 2: Media texts and audiance
For this task you must analyse the content of a music video and explain how it could be interpreted by different audiences and why.
You must refer to a audience theory in your answer

3. Song: Lithium by Nirvana
Heart shaped box features on Nirvana’s 1993 album in Utero
Directed by Anton Corbijn

4. Different interpretation- Fans
As a Nirvana fan the video was very strange but not so much considering it was dreamt up by Kurt Cobain. We see that in the beginning of the song the band are sat around a man in hospital with a cross on the ground. It then cuts to the same on a cross in a poppy field with a Santa hat. At the time Cobain was opposed to the churches stance on abortion, so I believe the dying man on the cross maybe symbolism that the church is deteriorating. I believe it is one of the most interesting music videos of all time

5. Different interpretation- public
The song was heavily criticized because of the representation of Christ and also that there were fetus’ and also representation of female reproduction. They also hit out against the metaphors of death, sickness and a weak human body. People where upset at the fact that Cobain wrote this song after watching a documentary about child cancer.

6. Different interpretations-Parents
I believe like the public parents where against children watching this video due to many reasons like a child wearing kkk robes, fetus’s hanging of trees and possibly the religious point of a man representing Jesus on morphine being crucified. This was taken to the point where people wanted the album banned from k-mart and wal-mart.

7. Audience Theory
There are 4 effects models for an audience theory: Hypodermic needle, reception theory, 2 step flow, uses and gratification. I don’t believe hypodermic needle theory is used here because images and representation cannot be fully understood as a lot is used in metaphors.
The Hypodermic needle theory is when a message is directly received and accepted by the audience. In this case I don’t believe this is happening. As I said before there is a lot of symbolism used but it doesn't prove an exact point.
Reception theory is when the audience interpret meaning from what they see or have experienced in life. Points could be interoperated from this video like the child in the kkk robes, which can represent a child innocence in something so hateful.

8. Audience theory
The 2 step theory is when famous people give their interoperated information onto other. I believe this could happen in this music video as Kurt’s opinions on abortion with the church can be passed on to the audience. This show that a famous person possibly a role model can influence people opinions.
Lastly there is the Uses and Gratifications theory (UGT) which is when people use the media to gain specific gratifications. I believe this applies to Heart Shaped Box as they see this video as an opposition to Christianity and its beliefs. As the songs implies that a fetus is only anatomy and not religious, I believe this would further peoples beliefs and opinion.

9. conclusion
The different interpretations of this music video comes down to personal opinion from different groups i.e parents and fans. Meaning, it can be change from person to person.
From this presentation we can see that this song could be seen as controversial and as I said above, interpretations may vary.
Finally, it is also based on the model types used.