Media Audiences

The target audience are for both adults and teenagers. I think that this is aimed at adults just as much as teenagers because the message is that criminals can always change their ways and this film might change the representation of these criminals and even teenagers on the streets in the eyes of adults.

Values and ideologies

Although there are no typical family values in this film, a different kind of family can be seen through the team. Gradually, the team begins to forget their past feuds and learn to work together and junior even says, "you guys are my family". This promotes a familial ideology emphasising the need for family. Sean Porter takes the role of a father and more distinctly like a father that Willie never had and possibly the son that Sean Porter never had.

Institution

Columbia Pictures are a well known production company in the world of movies(spiderman, lethal weapon), so this would attract an audience from the beginning but also give the audience high hopes for the movie. The trailer is mostly filled with emotional moments from the movie which is an accurate representation of the movie but also there are moments of humour there too, this shows that although the movie is dealing with a serious matter it will still keep the audience entertained.

Genre

The genre is a sport drama, but there are other elements to it. It can be argued that although there is no real family, a lot of family values are represented therefore it can be a family film too. The generic conventions of this film are interesting because they are conventional but to a certain extent unconventional too. When Sean Porter decides to start a team it becomes clear to the audience that his plan will work to help the kids because that would be the conventional thing to happen(although it did work in real life) but with that said, in the end of the film we are also told that only 5 of the prisoners had been locked up again after release. Even though this is a better rate than the normal 75% return rate at the jail the audience feels a sense of loss as they form a bond with the characters while watching the movie.

Media Languages and Forms

The denotative levels of meaning of football is that it is a sport which is quite enjoyable and will be a good way to keep the prisoners occupied and help them better themselves, the connotations of football are that in order to succeed you need to work as a team, be strong and believe it yourself. This is shown when Sean Porter challenges the young, smaller and much weaker Willie to try and take him down, after many attempts he can't even budge the muscular coach but with the words such as, "you've got nobody but yourself but thats all you need, believe in yourself and knock me on my ass!" he manages to put him on the floor. This shows that without even meeting the pyshical requirements, Willie only had to believe in himself to win.
The setting in the beginning of the movie is very grim and usually set inside the jail, as the movie progresses the prisoners are outside more and more practicing in a sunny environment rather than a dark prison. This is a symbol of change and shows that what the team are doing is a symbol of freedom as they are outside more often rather than inside.