In what ways are Humans and Les Revenants shaped by specialised forms of production, distribution and circulation?
In what ways are Humans and Les Revenants shaped by specialised forms of production, distribution and circulation?
Knee jerk
Both set texts are fundamentally shaped by their contexts of production, distribution and circulation at a technical, narrative and an audience level. In both instances, the shows can be seen to be standardised products, shaped by industrial contexts to ensure maximum profit.
Plan
- Production values
- Conglomeration
- Vertical integration, horizontal, multimedia integration
- Digital convergence
- Curran and Seaton - POWER: certain media companies wield too much
- Hesmondhalgh - (cultural industries, integration)
- Livingstone and Lunt - Regulation - regulation of most media products is ineffective
- Controversial aspects: Humans: Niska's rape Les Revenants - Lena's sex scene
- Scheduling
- Circulation - cult audience!
- Successful for their genre
- Specialised products
- Budget and funding - spesh for Les Rev!
- Marketing and advertising
- Typecast
- Persona synthetics
- Misleading trailer for the international DVD release of Les Rev
- Humans shop front on Oxford Street
- Humans website - return slip adds to the hyperreal themes of the TV show. The audience cannot differentiate between reality and fiction - themes of paranoia
- Existential themes for a niche audience... yet straightforward for mass audience. POLYSEMY for MAXIMUM PROFIT!
- Intertextuality: both texts make reference to other texts. Yet both texts are highly atypical!
- Mass audience appeal - both texts feature relatable middle class families
- Channel 4: Humans distributed via 4OD, or by DVD and Blu Ray.
- Humans shown in US on AMC (Preacher, The walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Mad Men and other mid-budget prestige shows)
- Les Rev: distributed internationally on Netflix, and on Channel 4 in the UK - demonstrates the subversive ideology of Channel 4
- Move to digital streaming has threatened traditional media
- Production values: high production values
- Humans overall S1 budget: 12 million quid
- Humans opening: 6.1 million
- Celebrity endorsement: Stephen King loves Les Rev!
- Remake ensures bigger mainstream british audience for Humans. Changes include language, location, the 'look' of the actors, the tone of the show, violence and sex
- Budget for les rev: 11.5 million pounds
- Exported to US: fits in to exotic British sci-fi like Dr Who and Sherlock
- Setting of Les Rev: exotic for a British audience
- Channel 4 sell audiences, make their revenue through selling advertising space and through franchising series
- An industry motivated by profit and power
- Nearest competitors for Humans include Dr Who, Black Mirror, Sherlock
- Prestige programming - adds to the prestige of the institution
- Standardised production:
- Clear, standardised narrative: Tzvetan Todorov: clear stages. Disruption and restoration of equilibrium and a range of clear and identifiable character arcs. A clear serial narrative, with a range of enigmatic hermeneutic codes and cliffhanger
- Reinforces hegemonic norms of attractiveness for the purpose of financial gain
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TV - Component 2 section a - Explore how representations position the audience in Humans and Les Revenants
Liesbet Van-Zoonen argues that media language encodes how male and female characters act in media products. Explore how representations position the audience in Humans and Les Revenants. 30
Introduction
Liesbet Van-Zoonen's argument is an excellent way of exploring how gender is encoded in both Humans and Les Revenants. Not only does she argue that female characters are primarily situated in media products to appeal to a heterosexual male audience, she also infers that men and women are constructed in completely different ways by the producer. Through this, the ideological perspective of the producer can be decoded by the target audience. I shall argue that both Humans and Les Revenant use complicated and subversive representations of women in order to position their audiences in often uncomfortable positions. Humans is a sci-fi TV show first broadcast in the UK in 2015 on Channel 4. It is an adaptation of the Swedish show Real Humans, although a number of changes were made in order to make the show appeal to a UK market. Les Revenants is a French horror/thriller TV show set in a small village in the French Alps. It relied on Funding from the European Union, and has been successful with its niche/cult audience.
Plan
The Breakfast scene
Liesbet Van-Zoonen argues that media language encodes how male and female characters act in media products. Explore how representations position the audience in Humans and Les Revenants. 30
Introduction
Liesbet Van-Zoonen's argument is an excellent way of exploring how gender is encoded in both Humans and Les Revenants. Not only does she argue that female characters are primarily situated in media products to appeal to a heterosexual male audience, she also infers that men and women are constructed in completely different ways by the producer. Through this, the ideological perspective of the producer can be decoded by the target audience. I shall argue that both Humans and Les Revenant use complicated and subversive representations of women in order to position their audiences in often uncomfortable positions. Humans is a sci-fi TV show first broadcast in the UK in 2015 on Channel 4. It is an adaptation of the Swedish show Real Humans, although a number of changes were made in order to make the show appeal to a UK market. Les Revenants is a French horror/thriller TV show set in a small village in the French Alps. It relied on Funding from the European Union, and has been successful with its niche/cult audience.
Plan
- Consumerism
- Objectification
- Women, especially young women
- Comparison between Matty and Lena
- Semiotic codes
- Vulnerability encoded through voyeurism/scopophilia
- MES - Anita's maid costume: a doll, a sex object. Fetishisation. A passive.
- Hyperreality - a representation that is more real than the thing it is representing. Anita is perfect because she is NOT REAL
- Simulacrum
- Male Gaze
- Gender performativity - Judith Butler - gender roles, and the construction thereof, enforced through hierarchies, hegemonic norms etc
- bell hooks
The Breakfast scene
- This is what breakfast is supposed to be like. Here breakfast is presented as a fantasy, through the fact that it has been created by a subservient, sexually attractive young woman. Anita adopts the role of both a maid and a mother.
- Matty compares Anita to a dishwasher: objectification
- Joe attempts to impress Anita with a joke, casually flirting
- Laura is drawn into competition with Anita. M/S of Anita cleaning the table over Laura positions Anita as dominant and overbearing "oh for god sake, you've already cleaned that"
- Intradiegetic gaze: different characters look at Anita in different ways. Matty with frustration and hatred, the son with undisguised lust ("crusty-sheets")
- Anita is referred to as a 'she', a gender, a personification. The prefered reading is to see Anita as a compelling, and interesting character
- Allegorical - explores the ways in which women are treated in society. C/U of Niska's face in ending montage positions audience in a deliberately uncomfortable position
- Camille's mother's reaction is complicated and nuanced. Initially she takes an atypical 'cold' reaction, before running to the bathroom and crying is a hysterical and stereotypical manner
- Camille's attitude is stereotypically argumentative and at times disrespectful. She is neither kind nor sweet nor innocent
- Camille's entrance is emphasized through stereotypical horror film soundtrack, demonstrate a generic cliche that young girls are both creepy and threatening.
- Low key artificial lighting again emphasises horror film conventions. A stereotypically wealthy and middle class household
- DIVERSIFICATION - When one organisation has many different industries in it
TV - component 2 section a -
explore the generic fluidity of Humans and Les Revenants
"All genres exist and function through a process of repetition and difference" - use Steve Neale's genre theory to explore this notion in Humans and Les Revenants [30]
Introduction - DAC
Definition
Argument
Context
Neale argues that that genre works through presenting a series of easily identifiable generic paradigms in order to ensure an audience. However, in order to maintain audiences over time, there is also a requirement for the producer to vary genre conventions. Thus all media products exist as a combination of the repetition and difference of genre conventions. I shall argue that both of the TV shows I have studied are simultaneously typical and yet atypical in the ways they present as genre. This is primarily to appeal to both a core and a niche audience. In order to explore this, I shall be using the examples of Humans, a 2015 Channel 4 sci-fi UKTV series, based off the Swedish sci-fi show Real Humans, and Les Revenants , a French supernatural drama/zombie show, first broadcast in 2012 on Canal Plus. and based on 2004 film of the same name. Both shows have been distributed to a number of audiences in other countries.
I pinched the following notes off of Luce. They're great! Thanks!
Les Revenants
Humans
explore the generic fluidity of Humans and Les Revenants
"All genres exist and function through a process of repetition and difference" - use Steve Neale's genre theory to explore this notion in Humans and Les Revenants [30]
Introduction - DAC
Definition
Argument
Context
Neale argues that that genre works through presenting a series of easily identifiable generic paradigms in order to ensure an audience. However, in order to maintain audiences over time, there is also a requirement for the producer to vary genre conventions. Thus all media products exist as a combination of the repetition and difference of genre conventions. I shall argue that both of the TV shows I have studied are simultaneously typical and yet atypical in the ways they present as genre. This is primarily to appeal to both a core and a niche audience. In order to explore this, I shall be using the examples of Humans, a 2015 Channel 4 sci-fi UKTV series, based off the Swedish sci-fi show Real Humans, and Les Revenants , a French supernatural drama/zombie show, first broadcast in 2012 on Canal Plus. and based on 2004 film of the same name. Both shows have been distributed to a number of audiences in other countries.
I pinched the following notes off of Luce. They're great! Thanks!
Les Revenants
- Julie wears oversized clothing, going for comfort over style - atypical representation
- not obvious, going against Hollywood stereotypes
- proairetic code as Mr Costa is walking down the corridor, expecting to see something scary but rather just see a woman eating pasta out of a pan, which suggests a comfort within the home, and seems more 'cute' as opposed to something scary as audience expects
- the whole show is extremely anti climatic, subverting conventions in order to appeal to a cult audience
- establishing shot, with diegetic ambient rain noise, and mogwi soundtrack, high pitched synth, low tempo and sparse to create a creepy feel
- on the bus, shallow depth of field allows the audience to see Victor in the background, suggesting Julie is being stalked
- Cross cut to Lena at the bar, interjecting moments of more light heartedness in order to build more tension with Julie, then cuts to a middle class family house setting - all these different settings help to appeals to a mass audience
- silence when the doctor is examining Camille - this suggests somethings a little bit off, and the silence makes the audience uncomfortable
- ensemble cast - large cast with variety of ages, genders and class
- tracking shot of Victor following Julie, mise en scene of the gritty, dark colours. harsh artificial lighting within the apartment building
- long shot of victor stood in the garden
- lack of expressions on victor's face in his performance
- choosing to set it in a council housing estate makes it more relatable to an audience - plays upon the idea that it could happen to anyone
- binary opposition between the extremely young boy in a dark, deserted location by himself
- les revenants takes the notion of hermeneutic codes to the extreme - asks more questions than it answers - this causes the audience to become more active and interact with and discuss the show. henry jenkins theory of fandom
- each episode focuses on a different character
- the setting looks very french - makes les revenants very atypical, never seen a horror set in the alps as opposed to Paris
Humans
- humans focuses on AI, and themes around the idea of what happens when technological AI becomes equals to humans, an allegory about jobs, but also emotional labour
- Anita acts as a mother to Sophie, taking on the role
- Laura see's Anita as competition in terms of motherhood and attractiveness, while to Matty she is a toy
- 'this is what breakfast is supposed to look like' anita is perfect because she is not real - she is everything to everybody. she is hyperreal. this highlights the differences between men and women in society
- Mise en scene of british supermarket, loads of british brands, we as an audience are positioned as if we are there - remade to appeal to a british audience
- atypical science fiction setting - supermarkets, middle class homes etc
- low angle shot of George, shows his weakness both as an old man but also with the authoritative voice over him
- odi is hyperreal, he is more real than real. he is broken and needs to be looked after, and george loves him completely
- humans deals with numerous extremely controversial topics such as rape and kidnap
- anoushka is blank faced while being raped
- bright green synth eyes
- entire show is a comment of objectification - odi is being objectified due to mental health issues
- humans offers numerous readings - negotiated, preferred, oppositional etc
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Explore how Humans and Les Revenants uses marketing and promotional campaigns to maintain both local and global audiences
Knee Jerk Reaction
D - Humans and LR use a range of innovative and viral marketing techniques in order to attract and maintain their global and local audiences. Marketing is an absolutely vital aspect of ensuring that media products reach their intended audiences. In order to ensure this happens, producers are increasingly reliant on digital technologies in order to efficiently promote media products on both a local and global level.
A - In this essay i shall argue that it is possible to ensure both local and global success through the use of digitally convergent advertising and promotional techniques
C - Humans is a sci-fi TV show first broadcast in the UK in 2015 on Channel 4. It is an adaptation of the Swedish show Real Humans, although a number of changes were made in order to make the show appeal to a UK market. Les Revenants is a French horror/thriller TV show set in a small village in the French Alps.It relied on Funding from the European Union, and has been successful with its niche/cult audience. LR tended to rely on more traditional forms of advertising and marketing to target its audience
Plan
LES REVENANTS
- Trailer - english subtitles - targeting an international audience
- Quotes/reviews from British newspapers - "Must watch, best drama of the year"
- Montage in trailer - makes the tv show look more interesting and more like an action film. Fast paced editing
- French setting - targeting the local audiences - establishing shot - French alps
- Funding from French alps heads - tourism in the area - encourages more tourists who watch LR and drama of the alps
- Soundtrack - Mogwai - targeting global audience - the band is Scottish
- Hybrid genre - attracting a wider audience - French/Supernatural
- Was broadcasted on Channel 4 in 2013 - popular British channel
- Cult tv show - creates opportunity for fandom
- Unique Selling Point - French tv show - appealing to British/International audiences
- LR - French Supernatural tv show
- Poster campaign (traditional marketing)- features a load of different characters and themes
HUMANS
- British sci-fi, with intertextual links to similar shows like Doctor Who and Black Mirror
- Humans: unconventional , subversive, atypical sci-fi. philosophical themes and raises a lot of questions. Hyperreality as a promotional technique - it is a reflection of the uK
- Contemporary British setting
- Diegetic advert (in the world of the narrative) - Persona Synthetics product recall advert - advertising Humans however this is not mentioned - encourages audience involved - Henry Jenkins/Clay Shirky Theories - makes them want to find out more - helps them to maintain a niche audience - also encourages viral marketing
- Subversive advertising techniques - campaign breaks rules of tv show marketing -
- Magazine covers - Total TV guide - aimed a a working class British Audience - mainstream audience
- Horizontal integration
- marketing stunts -oxford street shop
- Humans Twitter page - viral marketing - interacting with fans - global audiences - adopts mode of address of persona synthetics, allowing the cult fandom that the show is targeting to take pleasure from interacting with the diegetic world of the narrative
- Similar to the viral marketing campaign which was released in 1999 - changed the rule book behind marketing
- Has a campaign that relies on digital convergence and tech
- Young middle class educated TA
- Appeals to a mainstream and a casual audience
- Offers a range of characters for audience to identify with.
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Explore how audiences are positioned by the representation of social issues in Humans and Les Revenants.
Knee Jerk Reaction
D -
A -
C -
PLAN
Stereotypes - nuclear family
Patriarchal hegemony
Consent - issues
Allegory
Post Modern
Hyperreality
Themes
Supernatural
Sex work
Slavery
Coping with loss
Symbolic codes
Moral panic
AI and the singularity - the fear
Sex robots - big ethical issue - links to consent
Sexual objectification of men
Themes of immigration: new arrivals to this small, white, middle class town - "Mass immigration"
Teenage sex : sexual awakening
Stuart Hall - readings
Women's Rights
Disabilities - Odi is a reference to this
Humans
- Close up - Laura Concerned face looking at Anita - question autonomy, anchored by synthesised non diegetic sound track - builds suspense. Sci-fi soundtrack is a proairetic code which tells the audience that we will be dealing with the rise of robots
- Anita is hegemonically attractive - Laura is threatened by this
- Binary oppositions - Humans and Robots
- Channel 4 in background - diegetic sound - realism of the show- "No way a robot could ever harm anybody" - proarietic code - this is going to happen
- Adueince can get involved in debates and discussions - Henry Jenkins theories of fandom
- Scene before an archetypal children's bedroom to brothel
- Hard cut - creates a binary opposition - used primarily to force us to realise that she is someone's daughter
- Dominant colour of red - lust
- M/S of man's face - he is a punter - audience don't like him
- Niska is the victim - stereotypical representation of women. Women who are in a situation, passive need to be rescued
- Niska blank face - direct mode of address. Uncomfortable - forces the audience to confront the issue of sex work, consent and prostution
Les Revenants
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