Applying Uses And Gratifications Theory To Bridget Jones's Baby

 

I am going to look at the teaser trailer for the upcoming Working Title production, Bridget Jones's Baby and apply Dennis McQuail's Uses And Gratifications theory to it.  

 

Diversion/Escapism:

I think that in this teaser trailer, one scene that offers a way of escape for the audience is that of the music festival. You can see that Bridget is having a good time and enjoying herself, denoted by facial expression/body language, (she's smiling, throwing her arms up and is being carried by the crowd) Also, the costume and colours of costume plays a large part. Bridget's outfit is very casual and loose, which again represents the fact that she is enjoying herself, and as she is the central protagonist, allows the viewer to feel the same. The colours of hers and the rest of the crowd's outfits are bright which connote fun and enjoyment.

Seeing her having fun, surrounded by a large crowd and music creates the feeling that the audience member is there with her, and they are able to forget about personal life/issues.

The trailer is also quite comedic (scene where she falls in the mud) therefore the audience is able to relax and laugh along to the film, allowing escapism.      

  

Personal Relationship:

This film, and the teaser trailer, offers a talking point. For example, one way that people could discuss this film or the trailer is through social media platforms, people could share images of the trailer or poster, opening a discussion in the comments. Also, the demographic of the audience who have seen the first two films in the series would be able to discuss the first two films and talk about this one in terms of how it will compare to the others.  

This teaser trailer opens up a lot of discussion around the film, which viewers could discuss with friends or family (e.g. what is the plot of the film? how will it end?) But also, it offers quite a large amount of change in Bridget's character (she seems more sophisticated at the beginning) but also in the actress. The franchising is also very important, as it is all though an old friend is back (for those who have seen the first two films) and this creates a lot of excitement especially as a lot of the audience have known this character for quite a considerate amount of time, and this would create a talking point among them.

 

In the first shot in which we see Bridget, she looks very different, she looks elegant and sophisticated and she looks changed. This is something that the audience would want to be informed about as it has been quite a long time since the first couple of films have come out and they would like to see if her character has changed.

 

Personal Identity:

One way in which some of the audience could largely relate to Bridget's character is through her displays of clumsiness. This is something that probably a lot of the audience could relate to, especially if they are clumsy themselves or have had similar experiences. However, this is also a national stereotype of the English being slightly clumsy, and bumbling, which the English demographic might not particularly link to as its not such a positive image. However, this is something that the non-English audience would relate to and probably be amused by.

Another way in which the audience could relate to the film/ trailer, which would make them want to go see it, is through the setting. The location is very clearly London, this is made recognizable through an establishing shot. The British part of the audience, especially those living in London would relate to the setting.

Another point would be that as there has been a large time gap between this film and the others, the audience would have grown up with her and perhaps are now experiencing similar situations to her.

There is actually an issue in relating to a younger female audience however, as Bridget is now in her 40s, which means that they would not easily identify with her character as they haven't had the experiences that she's going through.

 

Surveillance

By watching this text, you will partially be more informed as to what Bridget's character is like now, also the scene where she is wearing the blue dress, allows the audience to be more informed in what is fashionable.

 An explanation of the Theory: