uses and gratifications

study the uses and gratifications theory and question, which gratifications audiences would gain from each of your studied texts. IDENTIFY.
Justify your answer with clear links to technical conventions, responses or sequences from the narrative. JUSTIFY.

Peaky Blinders.
There are several gratifications audiences would gain from Peaky Blinders. One that audiences may gain from this text is gaining insight into circumstances of others. This would be due to the cultural and historical knowledge that Peaky Blinders gives to it's audience. With the text set in 1919, post WWI in Birmingham, the narrative sequence produces certain aspects that link to the time, place and positions of the people living through this time, in a place full of crime, drama and poverty. The situation of the view of women and their positions also causes the audiences to gain insight into peoples circumstances in this historical context as a character such as Ada are represented as being dependant on men, such as when she relies on Freddie to come home and marry her after discovering she was pregnant; whilst others are seen as being repressed by men due to many women losing their positions after all males returned home after the war. For example in one scene of episode 2 when Aunt Polly states to Tommy that she had to run the family business for 5 years while he was away fighting, and now she is seen as taking a back seat as Tommy has returned to his position as the boss.
         Another gratification that audiences may gain from the narrative is reinforcing personal values. This stems from a part of the storyline focusing on Ada and her pregnancy. The historical and cultural knowledge in this era regarding pregnancy is clearly demonstrated in Peaky Blinders as being completely frowned upon by society if the female is not married. As this is the situation Ads's character is in, the narrative displays negative actions from characters such as Aunt Polly, who tells her of her own abortion as a teenager and tells Ada to have one herself as well as run away

Peaky Blinders - how does the text attract it's audience?

Peaky Blinders is a crime drama series set in Birmingham in 1919, after soldiers had returned from World War 1 and formed a criminal gang. In the specific episode watched in class, there are several elements that are all helpful towards attracting the text's target audience. 

One aspect of Peaky Blinders that attracts it's audience is its high production value and cinematography. For example, in one of the first scenes of episode two, a fight occurs between the Shelby Brothers and the Irish Gypsies. The cinematography used throughout this fight scene is something that will target and active audience through the use of carefully constructed lighting, camera work and a slow motion effect, that is included throughout this fight scene as a way for the audience to watch the scene carefully as well as show off the highly complimented cinematography.

Another element of the text that attracts audiences is the constant use of non diegetic sound. This however, targets a more passive audience, as Peaky Blinders is a text that uses conventions to target both active and passive audience members. The use of a soundtrack throughout this episode is something that will help a passive audience read the narrative and feel the emotions that the producers of the text want them to feel. On the other hand, the fact that the soundtrack is consistently made up of more contemporary music, breaks the conventional techniques that would be expected in a text from the post war era.