A passive audience is one that enters a film and simply seeks out the film for entertainment. They see no deeper meaning or intended meaning from the director, with regards to the text. The film literally washes over them. For example, when you walk out of a film and say “Wow, the action was great in that film!”  

An active audience will look deeper into how the film is constructed. They will most likely know a substantial amount about how the film was made, other films in the franchise, the director’s previous work, the genre to which the film belongs to. They will look more at socio/political and historical contexts of the film and not simply see the film as a product made for mass consumption. For example, “Did you notice the homages made to previous films in Jurassic World? I like how the film made reference to the previous films in the genre, yet stayed original”. 

Explain the ways in which media products are thought to impact on audiences cognitively, affectively and behaviourally?  

the actual force exerted by a media message, resulting in either a change or reinforcement in audience or individual beliefs.