Imagining the Audience: language,creativity and communication in youth media production

This article provides an analytical case study of the production of two films made by young people as part of the VideoCulture project, and of the ways in which they were interpreted. The case study raises key issues to do with the question of audience, which has been a major theme in debates around the place of production in media education. The article suggests that awareness of audience may enable young people to ‘decentre’, and hence to develop a more reflective analysis of their own work. However, it also points to the social differences in the media ‘languages’ that young people use, and the contrasting models of creativity which they imply. Discussion of these issues suggests that media education should avoid the more individualistic approach to creative production which is made possible by digital technology