Context –

As with many other forms of media, Radio also uses set codes and conventions such as sound, dialogue, accents, dialects, silence and SFX, in order to create and construct a recognisable genre to the audience. (Steve Neale genre theory). In terms of genre, War of the Worlds can be particularly applied to the genre of sci-fi, especially due to the use of sound effects and diegetic sounds.

But can War of the Worlds be considered as an intertextual product? Or pastiches of other genres.

To an extent, War of the Worlds can be considered an intertextual product as it is a radio adaption of the novel by H.G.Wells. ‘Intertextual figures include: allusion, quotation, calque, plagiarism, translation, pastiche and parody. It is a literary device that creates an ‘interrelationship between texts’ and generates related understanding in separate works.‘ Therefore it is intertextual as it is an adaption of the original novel, using quotations from it which provide a form of anchorage. Though the piece could also be considered pastiche as for 1938 in terms of technology, it was a modern interpretation of an ‘old’ piece of media.

Consider how developing technologies affect media language: in 1938 radio was still a relatively new mass media

In 1938, radio was a fairly new mass media form, certain codes and conventions common amongst radio may not have been fully interpreted yet. Ultimately, radio was primarily used to share news to a broad audience over a short period of time, therefore suggesting that it’s uses were primarily for formal purposes i.e breaking news or events. In terms of War of the Worlds, and its historical context of production (1938, when European tensions were high – verge of WW2) many listeners would have interpreted the broadcast as a real event, causing much distress and anxiety – especially as many missed the previous disclaimer.

Media Representations –

• How does the use of media language construct the representation of the real? – Signifiers of real people and real conversations about true events and topics, as well as the use of sound effects and editing in conjunctions with diegetic sounds to suggest or create representations of real events as radio is purely audio rather than visual – imagination.
• Is this programme an early example of fake news? – Can be linked to fake news, however it’s primary purpose was not to broadcast a fake event in order to scare people due to the disclaimer and action taken in order to show how this was purely for entertainment purposes. Those this does show how much of an impact media and fake news from media can impact society.
• What signifiers of different groups and social classes are used?
• The representation of the alien invaders in sci-fi genre.
• As a broadcast in October 1938, can War of the Worlds be interpreted as representing particular political concerns to US – and international – society? In a way, the invasion by the aliens could be interpreted as enemy European forces attacking the US due to their alliances and opposition.

Media Institutions –

• War of the Worlds was broadcast by Columbia Broadcasting Company – an institution still in existence (in a very different form) today.
• Radio broadcasting was seen as direct competition to newspapers which had previously been the only way of receiving news.
• The broadcast is typical of the way institutions are always looking for new styles in order to attract audiences.
• Regulation – radio broadcasting was regulated by the Federal Communications Commission and it investigated the broadcast to see if it had broken any laws.
• The broadcast provides an excellent example to consider the effect of individual producers on media industries (known as ‘auteur theory’) as this is the work of Orson Welles.

Media Audiences –

• What techniques (ie Media Language) does the broadcast use to convince the audience that what they’re hearing is really happening? – the use of silence to cause fear of the unknown, the use of different presenters which all suggest the event is real, use of actors as citizens, diegetic sounds.
• Consider the way that external factors – global political context, gender, religion, education etc. – are likely to also affect audience response. Radio was used in order to share ‘serious’ or formal news to the population, especially in terms of politics and the recent rise in the fascist agenda, this broadcast would have scared many in this respect.
• The ways in which audiences interpret the same media product differently – at the time of broadcast and now (Reception theory including Hall ) At the time this form of media was new, now we are used to this form of media and its codes and conventions and what this may imply about the genre and purpose of a piece of media. – we are more likely now to have an oppositional reading as we know it isn’t real.
• Reception theory is a version of reader response literary theory that emphasizes each particular reader’s reception or interpretation in making meaning from a literary text. Reception theory is generally referred to as audience reception in the analysis of communications models.
• Cultivation theory including Gerbner – Due to the political climate many may have been reliant upon the radio for updates and news, therefore believing everything that is broadcasted to them, this broadcast would therefore also be interpreted as a true and real event.