Lost: "Most media texts target a range of different audiences"

Lost is a 2004 drama which has a wide, mainstream audience and both active & passive audiences can obtain gratifications from it. Lost uses various conventions to achieve this.

The use of an ensemble cast appeals to a broad audience. An ensemble cast brings a wide variety of characters that have different characteristics and representations. This broad range appeals to a broad range of audience members because it is highly likely that they will find at least one character than can personally identify with, engaging them with the text. In episode two of series one we meet character Sun who is from Korea and speaks no English whilst we also meet Charlie who is from the UK. There are also Australian and Iraqi characters, as well as American characters from different regions such as Texas. This is one of many characteristics that appeal to many audiences. This ensemble cast allows flexibility for the writers and producers to focus on different characters with equal screen time in different episodes, creating an amalgamation of stories, allowing room for more engaging enigma codes.

The frequent use of enigma codes, assisted by the musical score composed by Michael Giacchino, creates an engaging and appealing media text. Enigma codes create a question in the mind of the audiences and then the episode or series will attempt to answer this question. For example, in series one episode two a pair of handcuffs can be seen lying on the ground in the forest. This arouses suspicion and fear as characters and audiences begin to wonder; why are they there, how did they get there, is there a prisoner on the island, are they in danger?? This enigma code appeals to both active and passive audiences. Active audiences can decode the scenarios without the aid of music, whereas passive audiences are allowed or encouraged to feel a certain way. This creates social interaction and social media activity as audiences begin to share their conspiracies and discuss the episode's events.

Similarly, the use of score aids a passive audience in decoding this text. As episode two of series one comes to a close, a man who is undergoing surgery wakes up startled and grabs the collar of Doctor Jack. As this occurs a tense piece of music is played, similar to the score heard in Hithcock's famous Pyscho shower scene. This music creates tension and suspense for the audience, and a passive audience are forced to feel a certain way so that they understand the text. If the score were altered to be upbeat in this scene, the audience would feel happy, and if the score were altered to be slow and thought provoking the audience would feel happy. They are guided into a how they should react and can therefore decode the text somewhat.

In conclusion, Lost appeals to a broad audience because of it's wide range of genre conventions that appeal to a wide range of people because many people can find at least something that they enjoy and/or relate to, gaining various uses and gratifications.