His Dark Materials CSP: LIAR

Our second television Close-Study Product is BBC and HBO co-production His Dark Materials from 2020. 

The CSP episode is Season 2, Episode 1 but don't worry if you haven't seen the first series - there are plenty of clips online to learn the background to the storyline. 

Remember, TV is an in-depth study which means we need to analyse the products in terms of media language, industries, audience and representation. Television will be examined in Paper 2 with a short clip to analyse - either from Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child or His Dark Materials. 

Notes from the lessons: His Dark Materials

Language

Reminder - TV drama conventions: 

• Dramatic narrative, usually linear (with continuity across episodes.) This is called narrative arc.
• Ensemble cast (a range of characters with own storylines). Sometimes an episode will focus more on one character than another.
• Specific technical codes e.g. realistic lighting and editing for dramas set in the present day to keep it gritty.
• Use of stereotypical characters to get messages across quickly.
• Common use of flashback, point of view shots, dialogue and voice over, enigma and action codes throughout. 
• Hybridity: Two genres or media types combined e.g. Stranger Things is a science fiction / horror television drama. 
• Multi-strand: when a narrative is made up of lots of different storylines.

Fantasy TV genre codes and conventions

• Emotive, often quest-based narratives
• Political narrative themes or social commentary
• Iconography including magic, mystical creatures or similar
• Often set in imagined worlds or time periods

In addition, the following often apply to fantasy TV series:

• Younger target audience or family audience
• Dedicated fanbase; fandom groups and online communities
• Big budgets and high production values 

His Dark Materials: Background information

Season 1 recap:

Recap YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J44E6BiLPtc 

His Dark Materials is available on iPlayer here.

His Dark Materials is a fantasy drama television series based on the novel series of the same name by Philip Pullman. It is produced by Bad Wolf and New Line Productions for BBC One and HBO, with HBO handling international distribution.

Plot summary

His Dark Materials is set in a multi-world reality, with the action moving from one world to another. The series is based on Philip Pullman's trilogy of the same name. It begins in an alternative world where all humans' souls manifest as animal companions called daemons. The series follows the life of a young girl named Lyra who is an orphan living with the scholars at Jordan College, Oxford, in a world governed by the Magisterium, a religious and political body. Lyra discovers a dangerous secret that involves Lord Asriel and Marisa Coulter, and is the subject of a witches prophecy that she will change the world. In her search for a missing friend, Lyra also uncovers a series of kidnappings and its link to a mysterious substance called Dust, which leads her on a journey of epic proportions and ultimately to other worlds. The witches' prophecy also links Lyra's destiny to Will, a teenager from our world, who is himself being pursued by mysterious figures connected to his vanished father.

Source: His Dark Materials Wiki

Main character names

• Lyra Belacqua 
• Mrs. Coulter
• Lord Asriel Belacqua
• Lee Scoresby
• Will Parry

You can find out more about the characters on the BBC His Dark Materials website here.

Season 2, Episode 1: The City of Magpies

Episode analysis

The show is a fantasy television series based on fantasy novels. It was produced by BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation - same company who made Doctor Who) and HBO (American company). It is set in a multi-world reality with action moving between worlds. Lyra, the main character, has grown up an orphan who discovers that there is a prophecy that foretells that she will change the world. Will is a fugitive (runaway) from ‘our world’ where he killed someone in self-defence. They meet in a third world called Cittagazze which is run down and neglected. They learn from some kids there that all the adults (and kids when they come of age) are hunted and drained of their energy and basically changed into zombies by evil black clouds called ‘Spectres’. Meanwhile, an evil villain called Mrs Coulter is on board a ship with the Magisterium (male Priests in authority roles - like politicians.) She tortures a witch for information regarding Lyra and mysterious ‘dust’ but the witch is put out of her misery by her fellow witch Ruta Skardi who sets her free by killing her to stop the pain. Skardi also seriously injures the head of the Magisterium and Mrs Coulter offers a deal to his deputy: in exchange for more power and freedom, she will kill the head priest and say he died of his injuries from the witch.

You can read a good episode recap from the website 25 Years Later here or alternatively this episode recap from the Daily Bruin is quite critical which gives an interesting perspective. 

 

Key names, words and spellings:

• Magisterium: the authority group of male priests (religious men) from Lyra’s world. It is a patriarchal society (ruled by men).
• Daemon: the name given to the shape-shifting animal that is part of your soul (in Lyra’s world). Everyone has one in her world. 
• Lyra Silvertongue: protagonist (main character, hero) who is on the run from her world due to being hunted. She is the subject of a prophecy (fortune) that says she will change the world.
• Dust: magic particles that open portals to other worlds. Some people believe they represent sin.
• Will Parry: a human child from ‘our world’ who has never seen a daemon before. 
• Mrs Coulter: an evil villain who wants to find Lyra and control the world. She tortures a witch nearly to death and then she prepares to kill the head of the Magisterium so she can gain more control. 
• Ruta Skardi: the witch who, when her fellow witches did not take action, saved the prisoner witch by killing her and attacked the members of the magisterium on her own, escaping afterwards. 
• Cittàgazze: the name of the city in the third world where Will and Lyra meet.
• Alethiometer: the gadget that looks like a clock which Lyra consults and it gives her ‘truth’ - answers to her questions.

Narrative: multi-strand narrative

There are a number of narrative strands running through this episode.  They include:

• Lyra and Will explore a new world and the city of Cittàgazze.
• Mrs Coulter tries to find answers for the Magisterium then offers power to Father MacPhail by letting the head of the Magisterium die.
• Lyra and Will meet abandoned children in the city of Cittàgazze and find that the adults have all left due to the Spectres stealing their souls.
• Lee Scoresby goes on a mission for an object that can protect Lyra. The council of witches supports his plan.

Representations

His Dark Materials - Subverting stereotypes 

Men and women

Many characters in this episode of His Dark Materials subvert stereotypes. Lyra is a strong, independent female character who doesn't need or want help from anyone on her dangerous quest across different worlds. She can't cook, isn't bothered by her appearance and takes what she wants. Mrs Coulter also subverts female stereotypes as a cold hearted villain. She is actually Lyra's mother but displays none of the maternal stereotypes the media usually presents as typically female.

Meanwhile, Will subverts male or masculine stereotypes. He is kind, welcoming and wants to help Lyra. He cooks her food and makes up beds for them to sleep in. Not all characters subvert stereotypes though - Lee Scoresby is in many ways a classic masculine man on a mission to help Lyra.
 
Race, ethnicity and social class 

The actors in His Dark Materials are from a range of ethnic and social class backgrounds and the character of Will subverts stereotypes of race and ethnicity as well as gender. However, some stereotypes are reinforced - the abandoned children in Cittàgazze are presented as working class in a very stereotypical way. 

Age

Most of the main characters in this series and episode are children and they are shown not to need adults or help from older people. The abandoned children of Cittàgazze also demonstrate they can live without adults - which subverts typical stereotypes. Mrs Coulter also shows how stereotypes are subverted as a parent who does not care for her child.

Industries

The CSP episode is the opening episode of Season 2, The City of Magpies, and was first broadcast in the UK on Sunday 8 November 2020 on BBC1 at 8.10pm. It was made available on iPlayer on the same

day, and on DVD from 28 December 2020.

It is significant because it was co-commissioned for an international audience by the BBC and the

American television network HBO, and was always intended to be distributed on a number of

platforms: as a scheduled, broadcast programme (BBC1), on cable (HBO), as well as on demand

(iPlayer) and on DVD. It was created for these platforms by an independent company, Bad Wolf.

The first episode of the first series of His Dark Materials series was watched by audiences of 7.2 million in the UK and 423,000 on HBO. The first broadcasts of the CSP episode had audiences of 4.4 million on BBC1 and 227,000 on HBO.

Industry terminology: GLoW

Some of the key terminology for studying the Industries contexts for His Dark Materials:

• Co-production: a media product produced by two separate companies or institutions. His Dark Materials is a big-budget co-production between the BBC (from the UK) and HBO (from America).
• Brand Identity: how a business presents itself and wants to be perceived by the consumer.

His Dark Materials marketing and promotion

As His Dark Materials was aimed at an international audience, the show features both British and American star names such as Brits Ruth Wilson and James McAvoy and American Lin-Manuel Miranda who wrote the smash hit musical Hamilton.

There were a range of videos and promotional events designed to create a buzz around the new season of His Dark Materials:

His Dark Materials Comic-Con panel:

Bad Wolf: outstanding TV drama production company based in Wales

Bad Wolf was founded in 2015 to create ambitious, imaginative and relevant drama for the global TV marketplace.  From its headquarters in South Wales the company has built up an international reputation as one of the foremost independent production companies in the UK, producing over 50 hours of high-end drama for broadcasters and networks including HBO, BBC, AMC and Sky.

Read more of this on the Bad Wolf website and watch the Bad Wolf showreel here.


HBO: raising the bar for television

HBO is an American pay-TV company that is known for producing some of the greatest TV shows of all time from The Sopranos to The Wire to Succession. As a co-commission with the BBC, His Dark Materials had two hugely respected media giants behind it - and in HBO's case a huge amount of money. HBO has over 40 million subscribers and brings in around $7 BILLION in subscription revenue each year. To put this into perspective, the whole BBC budget (for everything - TV, radio, website, iPlayer etc.) is around £5 billion of which around £3.5 billion comes from the licence fee). 

HBO - Changing an industry:

Audience

His Dark Materials was pitched by the BBC as a family drama. 

Target audience

• Aimed at a contemporary family audience for the BBC Sunday night broadcast slot (8.10pm)
• Targeted at fans of the fantasy genre along with fans of the original books by Philip Pullman.
• Diverse representations of gender and race may appeal to a younger audience.
• Rated for 14+ by HBO due to some scenes that may be frightening to younger children.
• The UK DVD release of His Dark Materials season 2 is rated 12 by the BBFC.

The way audiences watch TV has changed

His Dark Materials provides an opportunity to study the contemporary television industry and audiences. The series was created at a time when the BBC’s role and finances were under question, and when on-demand streaming through sources such as Netflix and Amazon Prime had become normalised. These latter companies were creating big-budget series to attract and satisfy more subscribers. His Dark Materials was rumoured to be the BBC’s most expensive series to date, with HBO sharing the costs and guaranteeing an international audience. This helps the BBC to compete with their streaming rivals like Netflix.

Fans - The fandom reaction

Watch this fan reaction video to His Dark Materials Season 2 trailer from TV fan YouTube channel Sesskasays:

His Dark Materials: LIAR blog tasks

Create a new blogpost called 'His Dark Materials: LIAR blog tasks' and work through the following tasks:

Language and close-textual analysis

1) How does His Dark Materials fit the conventions of the fantasy TV genre?

2) Applying Propp's character theory, what character roles do some of the main characters in His Dark Materials fit into? 

3) What enigma and action codes (Barthes) can you find in His Dark Materials? Make specific, detailed reference to the text using media terminology (e.g. media language - camera shots, diegetic/non-diegetic sound, mise-en-scene etc.)

4) What examples of binary opposition (Levi-Strauss) can you find in His Dark Materials? How do these create narrative or drama for the audience? You can find reminder notes on all these narrative theories here - just scroll down to narrative. 


Representations

1) How are women represented in His Dark Materials? Are gender stereotypes reinforced or subverted? Think about Lyra and Mrs Coulter here.

2) How are men and masculinity represented in His Dark Materials? Think about Will and Lee Scoresby here.

3) How is age (e.g. teenagers; adults) represented in His Dark Materials? Does the show reinforce or challenge stereotypes about young people? Think about Lyra and Will plus the abandoned children they meet. Also think about Mrs Coulter and other adults.

4) How is race and ethnicity represented in His Dark Materials? Are stereotypes reinforced or subverted?

5) What representations of the world can you find in the episode - is it like real life? A fantasy world? Something from the past or future? Give examples from the episode.

Audience

1) What audience do you think His Dark Materials is aimed at and why? Think about demographic and psychographic groups. You can revise Pyschographics here.

2) What audience pleasures are offered by His Dark Materials - The City of Magpies? Apply Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory to the episode. Make sure you provide specific examples from the episode to support your ideas.

Personal Identity: 

Personal Relationships: 

Diversion (Escapism): 

3) Thinking of the 3 Vs audience pleasures (Visceral, Vicarious and Voyeuristic pleasures), which of these can be applied to His Dark Materials? Refer to specific scenes or moments in the episode to explain your answer. 

4) How did fans react to Season 2 of His Dark Materials? What about critic reviews? You can find some possible answers for this in this BBC website article on the critical reception for His Dark Materials and watch the fan reaction video above.

5) What might be some of the preferred and oppositional readings for His Dark Materials? Why did some fans love it? Why have other people criticised it? 

Industries

1) Which companies produced this His Dark Materials series?

2) What were the UK viewing figures for A City of Magpies? How did this compare to season 1 of His Dark Materials?

3) What was American network HBO's role in making His Dark Materials and why is this important? Look at the notes above for more on this.

4) What famous stars are in His Dark Materials and why do you think they were selected for the show? Watch the Comic Con panel video in the notes above to see the stars talking about the show.

5) Who are Bad Wolf and what do they produce?

Comparison: Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child and His Dark Materials - The City of Magpies

1) How are the technical conventions different between 1963 Doctor Who and 2020 His Dark Materials (e.g. camerawork, editing, sound and mise-en-scene)?

2) What similarities and differences are there between Doctor Who and His Dark Materials in terms of genre and narrative?

3) How are representations of people, places and groups similar or different in the two shows?

Grade 8/9 extension tasks

You can read a detailed episode recap from the website 25 Years Later here which will make you more of an expert on the CSP.

Think about how politicians, religion and people with power are represented in the episode. For example, how are the Magisterium shown in this episode? This is a higher-level reading of His Dark Materials.

Read the critical Daily Bruin summary of the episode. Do you agree with the criticism? Why?

Read this Guardian review of His Dark Materials - The City of Magpies and also read some of the comments 'below the line' (BTL). Do you agree with the review? What about the comments? 

Try this critical Irish Times review of His Dark Materials. Why does it think the show is disappointing?

Here's another review of our CSP episode of His Dark Materials. What does it say about the difference for fans of the book versus fans of the TV show?

This Slate feature on the cultural significance of American network HBO is a long read but gives you a brilliant history of the channel. It also shows how HBO has turned TV into possibly the most respected and culturally significant media entertainment form.

Due date on SatchelOne

Magazines and Music Video Assessment: Learner Response

Well done on completing the latest Media assessment - it's another great opportunity to revise the CSPs and develop your exam technique.

The first part of your learner response is to look carefully at your mark, grade and comments from your teacher. If anything doesn't make sense, ask your teacher - that's why we're here! 

Magazines and Music Video assessment learner response: blog tasks

Create a new blog post called 'Magazines and Music Video assessment learner response' and complete the following tasks:

1) Type up your WWW/EBI feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential). 

2) Read the mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Write down the mark you achieved for each question: 

Q1: 
Q2: 
Q3: 

Q4:

Q5: 

3) Look specifically at question 2. Use the indicative content in the mark scheme for question 2 to write three connotations of the design and layout of Tatler.

4) Now look at question 3 - Heat magazine. Use the indicative content in the mark scheme to write three ways celebrities are represented in Heat magazine.

5) Look at question 5 - Arctic Monkeys and audience identity. This is a real AQA past question with lots of potential answers given in the mark scheme. Choose three answers that specifically refer to the Arctic Monkeys CSP and write them here. 

6) BLACKPINK - How You Like That didn't come up in this assessment. If this CSP comes up in your end of Year 1 exam, what three things about BLACKPINK and How You Like That could you try to include in your answer? 

Complete for homework - due date on SatchelOne

Doctor Who CSP: LIAR

Our first television Close-Study Product is Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child from 1963.

This is an in-depth study which means we need to analyse the product in terms of media language, industries, audience and representation. In addition, this CSP will be examined in Paper 2 with a short clip to analyse.

Notes from the lessons

Narrative theories

Todorov: Equilibrium

Todorov suggested that all narratives follow a three part structure.

They begin with equilibrium, where everything is balanced, progress as something comes along to disrupt that equilibrium, and finally reach a resolution, when a new equilibrium is restored.

Equilibrium > Disequilibrium > New equilibrium

This can be applied to most media narratives.

Propp: Character Types

Vladimir Propp stated that there were seven basic character roles when he analysed classic fairy tales and that these were present in most narratives. Media products still use these recognisable character types today:

Hero, Villain, Heroine/Princess, Father, Donor, Helper/Sidekick, False Hero

Roland Barthes: Enigma and Action Codes

Action Codes: anything that suggests something dramatic is about to happen. E.g. when the TARDIS begins to take off or when the shadow appears in the final shot of the episode. 

Enigma Codes: a narrative code that creates mystery and gives the audience questions to keep them watching e.g. who is the Doctor and where is he taking them? Will the teachers get home? What is the mysterious shadow in the final scene?

Levi-Strauss: Binary opposition

Binary opposition is a theory that all narratives are driven by conflict of a series of opposing forces. There are many examples that can be found in this Doctor Who episode e.g. good v evil; young v old; human v alien; dark v light etc.

Doctor Who: An introduction

• Listed in Guinness World Records as the longest-running science fiction television show in the world with over 800 episodes.
• The Doctor explores the universe in a time-travelling space ship called the TARDIS [Time And Relative Dimension In Space]. The TARDIS has a vast interior but appears smaller on the outside.
• The Doctor travels through space and time preventing evil aliens or people from harming innocent people or changing history.
• The Doctor has gained numerous reoccurring enemies during his travels, including the Daleks and the Cybermen.
• Twelve male actors have headlined the series as the Doctor. The transition from one actor to another is written into the plot of the show with the concept of regeneration into a new incarnation. In 2018 the BBC had their first female incarnation for the thirteenth Doctor.

Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child

Social and historical context

First episode: Saturday, November 23rd,  1963 on the BBC. The plot was a narrative arc (a story over several episodes) involving the Doctor and his companions voyaging 100,000 years into Earth’s past to help some cavemen discover fire. 

William Hartnell was the first Doctor, as an anti-hero who frequently put his companions in jeopardy for his own curiosity. Daleks made an appearance in the first series, as the arch enemies of the Doctor.

Jodie Whittaker took over the role as the Thirteenth Doctor in 2018 and is the first woman to be cast as the character. 

1960s Britain

1961: First man in space – Russian Yuri Gagarin.

1962: The Beatles spark a British music revolution.

1964: BBC2 TV channel launched (third UK TV channel).

1965: The introduction of the mini skirt in a fashion show.

1967: BBC Radio 1 pop music station launched.

1969: First Man on the Moon – American Neil Armstrong.

1969: Concorde is flown for the first time.

1970: Mass media – 90% of households in UK have a TV, many now in colour.

The 1960s saw a shift in British culture. There was more freedom for young people and a breakaway from traditions.

Episode analysis: An Unearthly Child

An Unearthly Child (sometimes referred to as 100,000 BC) is the first narrative arc in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC TV in four weekly parts from 23 November to 14 December 1963. Scripted by the Australian writer Anthony Coburn, it introduces William Hartnell as the First Doctor and original companions; Carole Ann Ford as the Doctor's granddaughter Susan Foreman, with Jacqueline Hill and William Russell as school teachers Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton. The first episode deals with Ian and Barbara's discovery of the Doctor and his time-space ship TARDIS in a junkyard in contemporary London. 

Plot of episode 1

Schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright are concerned about one of their pupils, Susan Foreman, who seems to have a very ‘alien’ outlook on England. They have come to her listed address to investigate. They arrive in a junkyard and find a police box, which proves to be no ordinary police box. When Ian and Barbara enter, they discover it to be much bigger on the inside than the outside. In the TARDIS is Susan and her grandfather, the Doctor. Fearing that Barbara and Ian will give away the secret of the TARDIS, he kidnaps them and takes the machine to the Stone Age, where they will have to fight for their lives.

The First Doctor was played as less mischievous and more cruel than later incarnations. He also seems less concerned about saving the human race. 

His companion was made his ‘granddaughter’ because it was thought inappropriate for an old man to be accompanied by a young girl if she were unrelated to him. 

Representations

Daniel Chandler's representation theory: CAGE

This is a theory about how the media constructs or represents individuals or groups of people through the media. Key markers of identity can be remembered through the acronym CAGE:

C- Class
A- Age
G- Gender
E- Ethnicity

Characters and representation in An Unearthly Child

Susan Foreman
Susan Foreman is the first of a long-standing tradition of Doctor Who companions.  It was felt improper in 1963 for an older man, such as the Doctor, to be travelling through space with a young 15 year old girl; so she was written as his Granddaughter.  She is a strong link to the young target audience and will often react in ways that the audience might in future episodes [e.g. screaming at aliens].  Classically relatable.

She also provides a link between the chaotic alien madness of the Doctor and the human confusion embodied by Barbara and Ian (and the audience).  She is therefore a translator of the more Sci-Fi elements of the story to a naïve 1960s audience.   She can often be seen explaining some of the Doctor’s stranger outbursts to the humans Barbara and Ian.  Another example of exposition.

The Doctor
The Doctor represents the new age of technology and science that was emerging in the 1960s.  The ‘space race’ was underway and the world was fascinated with all things space travel and linked to other planets.  He represents this new world of discovery.

He is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey and he explores the universe with usually human companions who serve as audience surrogate characters to ask questions which allow the Doctor to provide relevant exposition.  He is often eccentric, distracted and dark in mood.  Some commentators have said he symbolises the struggle between good and evil, some have said he is a symbol of a God-like presence who wanders through time and space trying to change history for the better. 

Teachers Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton

Barbara and Ian represent traditional human values and are classically middle class. They are the people the Doctor explains everything to, so that the audience understands as well.  This is known as exposition.

They are also Science and History teachers so often offer advice and opinions to the Doctor on matters of space and time.  They also have very clearly defined gender roles in the series.

Barbara and Ian also play the narrative role of mother and father to Susan who is very naive and who has not had that paternal guidance from the Doctor.  They are very traditional in their gender roles.  Ian is very physical when there is fighting or physical work to be done. Barbara is represented in a more homely, caring role in the series. These were stereotypical gender roles in the early 60s – but times were changing.  Ian and Barbara are bonded by their human characteristics in their Space adventures.  They represent the caring, empathetic part of the human condition in how they look after Susan and, in later episodes, the Doctor himself. 

Audience

Reminder: demographics and psychographics

Demographics: The audience classified through ‘fixed’ characteristics such as: age, gender, race/ethnicity, where you live, job.

Psychographics: The audience classified through beliefs, values, hobbies and interests such as: Strugglers, Reformers, Aspirers and Mainstreamers. 

General audience notes:

• Mainstream family audience – broad appeal as millions of people watch the BBC.
• Long-running which shows it appeals to mainstream audience (age 10-40+). 
• An Unearthly Child given PG certificate – parental guidance.
• Demographics: A-E class as some complex plot points but also action that is easy to understand.
• Gender: split down middle (although traditional science fiction fans were male, this has changed over time. From 1970-2010 the female sci-fi audience grew by 22%).

Audience pleasures

We can apply Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory when analysing the audience pleasures offered by Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child. Remember, we must consider it from the perspective of a viewer in the 1960s who would have reacted in quite a different way to an audience in 2020. Remember, the four key categories for Uses and Gratifications theory:

INFORMATION/SURVEILLANCE: learning information that you did not already know. Doctor Who offers its audience an education about space travel, science and history.  

PERSONAL IDENTITY: personally relating to something - seeing your lifestyle on screen. Think about how different audiences may identify with Susan, her teachers or the Doctor.

DIVERSION/ENTERTAINMENT: escapism and being entertained away from your normal life. Science Fiction is a classic genre for escapism - what examples of this could be found in the episode?

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS: caring about characters and wanting to find out what happens to them. This is the first episode of four - which characters do you think the audience will want to follow on their journey? 

The 3 Vs

VISCERAL PLEASURE: Physical thrill of watching something e.g hairs on the back of your neck in a horror film, sport, big explosions. 

VICARIOUS PLEASURE: Experiencing something through the characters (e.g. time/space travel). 

VOYEURISTIC PLEASURE: Watching something you wouldn't normally get a chance to see (e.g. inside TARDIS).

Doctor Who Fan Culture: Whovians

Doctor Who now has an international online fan culture of events, fan fiction, fan-edited trailers and more. The BBC also produces merchandise to sell to this audience. 

The 'Whoniverse'

The ‘Whoniverse’ is made up of podcasts, spin-offs (other shows that derive from the main Doctor Who and have settings, ideas, characters in common e.g. K-9 which is a kid’s show about Doctor Who’s robot dog) and documentaries, behind-the-scenes, sneak peaks and so on.

In the most recent series of Doctor Who, this fan culture actually appeared in an episode: 

You can read more about Doctor Who's fans and its cultural impact in the extension articles at the bottom of this post. 

Industries

TV industry in 1963

There were only two TV channels in the UK in 1963: BBC and ITV. 

In terms of technology, videotape had only been in use for seven years when An Unearthly Child was made. It allowed the BBC to create the space and time travel effects we can see in the episode which were considered amazing at the time. 

In 1967, BBC2 launched as the first colour TV channel. BBC1 and ITV then switched to colour in 1969 as more people bought colour TVs. 

Compared to the digital and streaming TV landscape of today, 1960s television was a different world.

Importance of Doctor Who to BBC

Doctor Who is one of the most iconic franchises that the BBC has. It has been shown all over the world through BBC Worldwide and generates huge income for the BBC.

In 2014, a BBC Worldwide Report stated Sherlock and Doctor Who as the BBC’s biggest exports of the past year. The worldwide simulcast (simultaneous transmission) of “The Day of the Doctor” in 2013 saw this episode air at the same time in 98 countries on six continents.

 

Doctor Who franchise: spin-offs 

The BBC has maximised the popularity of the Doctor Who franchise by creating a series of spin-offs that build on the same universe or characters as the original show. These include:

• K9
• Sarah Jane Adventures
• Torchwood
• Class

These spin-offs allow the BBC to target slightly different audiences while still taking advantage of the huge Doctor Who fanbase. 

Spin-offs - opening titles:

Doctor Who - LIAR: Blog Tasks

Create a new blogpost called Doctor Who - LIAR: Blog Tasks and complete the following questions:

Language and Contexts

1) How can we apply narrative theories to this episode of  Doctor Who? 

Todorov's Equilibrium:

Propp's character theory:

Barthes's enigma and action codes:

Levi-Strauss's binary opposition: 

2) In your opinion, what is the most important scene in the episode and why?

3) What genre is An Unearthly Child and how can you tell? Make specific reference to aspects of the episode.

4) How does An Unearthly Child reflect the social and historical contexts of the 1960s?

Representations

1) What stereotypes of men are reinforced and subverted in Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child? How?

2) What stereotypes of women/girls are reinforced and subverted in Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child? How?

3) How do the representations of young people and old people in An Unearthly Child reflect the social and historical context of the 1960s? 

4) What representations of race/ethnicity can be found in Doctor Who: An Earthly Child? Is this surprising or not? Give reasons for your answer and consider historical / cultural context (the 1960s). Has this changed in more recent series of Doctor Who?

5) How is social class represented in An Unearthly Child? Think about how education and knowledge is presented in the episode.

Audience

1) Who is the target audience for Doctor Who? Do you think it has changed since 1963?

2) What audience pleasures are offered by Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child? Apply Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory to the episode. Make sure you provide specific examples from the episode to support your ideas.

Personal Identity:

Diversion (Escapism):

3) What additional Uses and Gratifications would this episode provide to a modern 2020s audience?

4) Thinking of the 3 Vs audience pleasures (Visceral, Vicarious and Voyeuristic pleasures), which of these can be applied to An Unearthly Child?

5) What kind of online fan culture does Doctor Who have? Give examples.

Industries

1) What was the television industry like in 1963? How many channels were there?

2) How does An Unearthly Child reflect the level of technology in the TV industry in 1963?

3) Why is Doctor Who such an important franchise for the BBC? 

4) What other programmes/spin-offs are part of the wider Doctor Who franchise?

5) Why does the Doctor Who franchise have so much merchandise available? Give examples. 

Grade 8/9 extension tasks and reading

Read this Media Magazine article tracing the cultural impact of Doctor Who. What does it suggest regarding the importance of Doctor Who, representations and industry?

Read this Guardian feature on female characters in Doctor Who. What does it suggest regarding the representation of women over time in Doctor Who?

Consider representations of age in Doctor Who. How have representations of age changed over the 50-year history of the show?

Read this Guardian feature 'Is Doctor Who doomed?' which contains lots of industry and audience context that will help us reach the top levels in exams.

Read this press statement from Disney+ regarding Doctor Who and their agreement with the BBC. What does this tell you about the global television industry?

Read this Guardian article about Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies and the possible end of the BBC. What does he say about it?

Read this New Statesman feature on Doctor Who as a global phenomenon. What does it suggest about Doctor Who fandom, British identity and the importance of the brand to the BBC?

Read this Guardian feature on the representations of race and ethnicity in Doctor Who over the last 55 years. How has the programme changed in its representations of race and how does this fit the BBC's remit to inform, educate and entertain? 

You will have some lesson time to start this but will need to complete this for homework - due date on SatchelOne.

Television: Introduction to TV Drama

Our next topic is Television - A crucial in-depth topic.

These are particularly important CSPs as we know they will definitely come up in Media Paper 2. The first 42 marks of this paper will be based on your knowledge and understanding of the two TV programmes across Media Language, Industries, Audiences and Representations.

The CSPs: Doctor Who (1963) and His Dark Materials (2020)

We need to study the following episodes as our in-depth CSPs:

Episode 1 of Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child (1963)
Episode 1 of His Dark Materials (Season 2): The City of Magpies (2020)

Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child Opening:

His Dark Materials Season 2 Trailer:

Assessment: Paper 2 Section A

Television will be tested using two medium response questions on an extract clip from one of the two episodes we will be studying. One question will be worth 8 marks and one will be worth 12 marks. There will then be one extended 20-mark essay covering the whole of both of the episodes you have studied.

Introduction to TV Drama

Television drama is a popular TV genre. ‘Binge-watching’ series in one go is a recent phenomenon while other dramas have built hugely loyal fanbases (e.g. Doctor Who) over many years.

There are many sub-genres and hybrid genres in TV drama from costume drama to fantasy or science-fiction.

Key conventions

TV Drama has certain recognisable conventions or typical features. These include: 

• Dramatic narrative, usually linear (with continuity across episodes.) This is called a narrative arc where the story goes across the series.
• Ensemble cast (characters with own storylines). Sometimes an episode will focus more on one character or another.
• Specific technical codes e.g. realistic lighting and editing for social dramas to keep it gritty. Common use of flashback, point of view shots, dialogue and voice over, enigma and action codes throughout.
• Use of stereotypical ‘stock’ characters get storylines across quickly.

TV Drama Series

A TV drama series is a set of connected TV episodes that run under the same title e.g. Stranger Things, Doctor Who or His Dark Materials. They are usually structured in ‘seasons’ or ‘series’ and often end with a ‘season finale’. (‘Season’ is the American term but you will hear the British term 'series'.)

Genre

Genre Definition: A style or category of TV, film, music or literature.

Genre is the term to classify any TV or film media product that has a chosen style and follows certain codes and conventions e.g. comedy, action or crime drama. 

Genres can change over time and there is increasingly a fashion to combine genres to create hybrid genres. E.g. Science fiction and fantasy.

NCIS

We can use the mnemonic NCIS to remember how to analyse the genre of film or television:

Narrative: the storyline and preoccupations / issues e.g an action adventure film usually features a dangerous quest or mission. Todorov’s Equilibrium theory of narrative structure might apply here.
Characters: the people who drive the story. Here you may see examples of  Propp’s character types e.g.  In fantasy there is often a hero, princess, helper, villain etc.
Iconography: the mise-en-scene (CLAMPS) to create a particular look e.g. a horror movie may be particularly focused on blood, darkness and set at night.
Setting: the locations or time period used e.g. in Western movies, you will often see it located in American or Mexican deserts around 1800s.

Grade 8/9 Recommended Reading:

Read this Guardian TV review from the first episode of His Dark Materials season two. What did the reviewer think of the episode? Also look at the comments from readers below the article - do they agree? 

Have a look at this Guardian feature on the top ten Doctor Who stories. How do these fit the conventions of TV drama? Why do you think these narratives were picked in the top ten?

Music Videos: Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor

Our second music video CSP is Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor.

Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band from Sheffield. The lead singer is called Alex Turner. Since forming in 2002, they have released six albums and won seven Brit Awards. They were one of the first bands to come to the public’s attention due to the internet, heralding a new way that bands are produced and marketed.

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor is their first single from debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not released with niche, independent record label Domino. The album was released in January 2006 and went straight to number 1 selling over 350,000 copies in its first week.

Unlike BLACKPINK, Arctic Monkeys weren’t put together by an entertainment company, they were all friends from school. They formed in 2002 and wrote songs based on their lives and what they saw on nights out in Sheffield. They played pubs and small venues in and around Sheffield, and built up a huge following online using Myspace. You can read more about the Myspace phenomenon on Forbes here.



This background video on the Arctic Monkeys is relevant for us up until around 3mins 30:

Video analysis and audience appeal

The power of the internet

• Social Media was only starting to be introduced in the early 2000s.
• You could chat to people with similar interests on chatroom or forums.
• You used AOL or MSN Messenger to talk to your friends, send emojis and share pictures and music.
• Myspace was released in 2003 and was one of the first major social networking sites. Myspace was used by bands and artists to gain fans without the need for a record company.
• Arctic Monkeys' music was shared on P2P sites, though this wasn’t known by the band or promoted when they found out. It allowed their music to be heard by a much wider audience.
• The sharing of their music encouraged people to talk about and share their music, which created a buzz about the band.
• Their fan base moved online, creating online communities where they could share songs and information.

Arctic Monkeys: performance video

• This is a performance video designed to look like a 1980s TV performance on programmes such as Top of the Pops or The Old Grey Whistle Test. It was filmed using old 1980s Ikegami 3-tube colour TV cameras to give it an authentic, nostalgic effect.
• The simple performance video subverts music video conventions that became steadily more complicated and narrative-based in the 1980s and 1990s.
• It opens with the singer introducing the song and adding the words 'Don't believe the hype'. This could be a reference to the online following the band built up using Myspace.  

Audience 

• Arctic Monkeys' audience are likely to be predominantly white, middle class and reasonably young. Psychographic groups might include Reformers and Explorers. Recent global success pushed the band into bigger psychographic groups such as Mainstreamers.
• Audience pleasures would include diversion - the song is upbeat and fast-paced. Fans who followed the band from the early days might find a sense of personal relationship while many young people would get a sense of personal identity from the lyrics to the song (about going out to a club and drinking).
• Older fans would enjoy a sense of nostalgia from the 1980s-style performance video.

Industries 

Convergence and technology

• Technological convergence is the development of technology (such as phones and tablets) that allows us to access all types of media through one device. This has fundamentally changed the way music videos are produced, consumed and shared. 
• Technological convergence has created both challenges and opportunities for the music industry - both artists and record companies.

Record company

• Arctic Monkeys did not sign to a major label, but recorded their own music before signing to independent record label, Domino Records. They were not interested in working with a major as it would undermine their creative control.
• Their debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not went straight to number one and sold over 350,000 copies in its first week of release.

Music video regulation

Music video regulation is controlled by the BBFC who set certain standards and ratings for different age groups who they believe should be exposed to content specific to their age via age ratings and certification. YouTube and Vevo work in partnership with the BBFC to age rate all music videos for artists who are signed to Sony Music UK, Universal Music UK and Warner Music UK (the 'big three').  However, not all music producers sign up to this though and the BBFC does not have the power to regulate content on YouTube.

The BBFC regulate many different aspects of music videos. The sort of issues the BBFC considers in classifying music videos include:

• drug misuse
• dangerous behaviour presented as safe
• bad language
• sexual behaviour and nudity
• threatening behaviour and violence 

Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor: Blog tasks

Audience

1) What do we know about the Arctic Monkeys audience? Think demographics, psychographics and how they got into the band.

2) What audience pleasures are offered by the music video for I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor?

3) Pick out three particular shots, scenes or moments in the video that would particularly appeal to Arctic Monkeys fans. Why did you choose those moments?

4) How did fans take a leading role in making Arctic Monkeys famous back in 2005?

5) How are fans positioned to respond to the band? What does Arctic Monkeys want fans to think about their video?

Industries

1) How did the Arctic Monkeys first achieve success and build up their fanbase?

2) Why was P2P file sharing and MySpace an unexpected aspect to Arctic Monkeys' early success?

3) How does the rise of Arctic Monkeys differ from how BLACKPINK were formed and became famous?

4) Who is Arctic Monkeys record label and how many copies did they sell of their debut album? Why did they choose an independent record label?

5) Looking at the wider music industry, has the internet been a positive or negative development for record companies and artists? Why?


Grade 8/9 extension tasks

Read this excellent Guardian feature on the Arctic Monkeys on the 10th anniversary of I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor. What key statistics can you take from the article concerning developments in the industry and the Arctic Monkeys' role in these changes?

Read this BBC News report from the time - documenting the records Arctic Monkeys broke.

Finally, read this short Guardian feature asking if Arctic Monkeys changed the music industry. What does the article suggest?


You'll need to finish this case study for homework - due date on SatchelOne.

Music Videos: Introduction & BLACKPINK: How You Like That CSP

Our next media topic is Music Video.

We will be studying the industry and audience contexts for this topic and need to cover two CSPs:

BLACKPINK: How You Like That

Arctic Monkeys: I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor



We need to study the industry and audience contexts for these products: 

Industry: how music video is produced and marketed and how this has changed over time.
Audience: Target audience and audience pleasures. How music contributes to an audience's sense of identity. Fandom. How the internet has changed the position of the audience.
PLUS: Historical, cultural and social significance of the music videos and the impact of the internet on the music industry.

Music video will appear in Paper 1, Section B of Exam
Section B is only on INDUSTRIES and AUDIENCES and will consist of:

• 1 short answer question
• 2 medium answer questions – one on audience, one on industry
• 1 extended essay style question on one of the media forms we have studied - which is very likely to be Music Video due to the advance information we have from AQA about the Summer 2022 exams.  
• This essay question will require you to make judgements and draw conclusions. 

Music Video: Introduction and History

Music Video Key Conventions

Music videos typically feature movement – often fast paced either in terms of actors, camerawork or editing. Many contain a performance element or narrative. Music videos can also feature visual effects and intertextuality.

Music videos were originally designed as a promotional device to sell the band or artist’s music but have developed over time to become a recognised artform or product in their own right. Modern music videos no longer have the huge budgets of the 1980s and 1990s but digital media means they are now more accessible than ever. Videos such as Psy’s Gangnam Style have received over 3 billion views on YouTube.

Intertextuality

Intertextuality is when one media text references another media text – through genre, conventions, mise-en-scene or specific cultural references.

Music videos often use intertextual references – often to classic films but also to television, popular culture, news, videogames or even other music videos.

Music Video History

Originally, music videos were made like mini ‘films’ of the bands performing (e.g. The Beatles, Elvis)

MTV was launched in 1981 as a platform for music videos and the first music channel on television. Programs such as BBC show Top of The Pops also showcased music videos from the charts alongside ‘live’ stage performances. 

In the 1980s and 1990s big budgets were spent on producing innovative and creative music videos such as Michael Jackson’s Thriller that had a film narrative, a well known director and featured intertextuality (horror films)

Music Video in the Digital Age

In 2005 the launch of YouTube changed the way that consumers access and enjoy music video. Now self-promotion is more common.

The rise of new and digital media paved the way for bands such as One Direction ‘manufactured’ by the industry and increasingly promoted through convergence on social media to maximise profits for the record companies.

Problems With Piracy

Piracy became a huge problem for the music industry as they could not keep up with illegal downloading and streaming services where fans shared content for free therefore… The 2000s saw the rise of streaming services with subscriptions such as Spotify, Apple Music, Beats Music and (most recently) Youtube Music. 

New platforms and music apps on smart phones mean that listeners are now becoming one-device consumers and using their phones for all media access. 

Our First Music Video CSP is BLACKPINK - How You Like That.

This 2020 video promoted the lead single from Blackpink’s first Korean-language studio album, The Album. The video, released on 26th June 2020, was premiered on Blackpink's YouTube channel at the same time as the single was released. 

The video broke many YouTube records, including most-watched premiere (1.66 million concurrent viewers), most views within 24 hours for a music video (86 million views) and fastest video to achieve 100, 200 and 600 million views. It was the 3rd most viewed music video of 2020. As of Autumn 2021, the video has had over 1 BILLION views.

K-Pop: Global Phenomenon 

The K-pop genre reflects the global nature of the media and music industries. Over the last 20 years, K-pop has become a cultural sensation as groups like BTS and BLACKPINK enjoyed global success. This has also resulted in Korean culture becoming mainstream in the West.

Audience

BLACKPINK’s Audience: Blinks

BLACKPINK fans are known as ‘Blinks’ and are largely teenage girls and young women. Their fans are worldwide but they are particularly big in the Philippines and Indonesia as well as western countries such as the UK and USA.

From Vogue’s feature on How BLACKPINK became the biggest K-pop girlband on the planet:

Avril, a 16-year-old Blink (Blackpink’s fandom name) from Peru discovered them in 2018. “Everything about them made me become a fan,” she tells Vogue over Twitter. “The way they perform, their iconic songs and choreos, their friendship, even the way they dress. Blackpink were on a whole new level.”

Audience Pleasures

Applying Blumler and Katz Uses and Gratifications theory:

• Diversion: Music video conventions – performance, effects, fast pace etc.
• Personal relationships: Fan interaction online through social media is a key element of K-pop’s global success. Fans feel like they ‘know’ the band members.
• Personal identity: K-pop fandom often involves copying the look of band members and seeing their own style reflected on screen.
• Surveillance: Western audiences gain knowledge of Korean music and culture.

Marketing and Promotion to the Audience

The video’s release was preceded by a series of teasers on the band’s social media accounts (including posters, photos focusing on individual band members and videos) and a reality show (24/365 with Blackpink, available on YouTube). 

A “dance performance” video including the choreography for the music video was released in July 2020; by March 2021 this had achieved over 600 million views and was placed in the top 20 videos of the year by Billboard magazine.

Dance performance:

BLACKPINK 24/365 - Behind the scenes of the How You Like It music video shoot:

Industries

BLACKPINK: Manufactured by YG Entertainment

Blackpink was formed in 2016 by Korean entertainment company YG Entertainment and by 2020 was one of the most successful K-Pop bands in the world. As of 2021, the band was the most followed girl group on Spotify and the most-subscribed music group, female act, and Asian act on YouTube.

The Changing Nature of the Music Industry

How You Like That demonstrates the changing nature of the music industry and how important YouTube and social media has become for music artists. 

The way people consume music videos has changed – now phones, tablets and YouTube are the primary ways audiences engage with music videos (known as convergence). It also shows music video has become a media form in its own right, not just a way to sell an album. 

BLACKPINK’s billions of YouTube views also bring in money through advertising. 

Music: A Global Industry

K-pop demonstrates the global nature of the industry with BLACKPINK selling out arenas across the UK and USA as well as in the East. They played Wembley Arena in 2019 as well as huge US music festival Coachella. 

Music Videos: Regulation

With music videos now largely consumed on YouTube, regulating the content of music videos is very difficult. Some UK-based record companies get their music videos rated by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).

The kinds of issues the BBFC considers in classifying music videos include bad language, dangerous behaviour presented as safe, drug misuse, sexual behaviour and nudity, and threatening behaviour and violence.

You can find out more about this process on the BBFC website here.

Introduction to Music Video and BLACKPINK HYLT: Blog tasks

Introduction Q's:

1) What are the key conventions of music video?

2) What is intertextuality?

3) When did music videos first become a major part of the music industry?

4) What launched in 1981 and why were music videos an important part of the music industry in the 1980s and 1990s?

5) How are music videos distributed and watched in the digital age?

BLACKPINK: How You Like That Q's:

Audience

1) What are BLACKPINK fans known as - and what would the demographics / psychographics be for the BLACKPINK audience?

2) What audience pleasures are offered by the music video for How You Like That?

3) Pick out three particular shots, scenes or moments in the video that would particularly appeal to BLACKPINK fans. Why did you choose those moments? 

4) How was the How You Like That music video marketed and promoted to the audience?

5) Why is K-pop a global phenomenon and what has helped it to become so popular?

Industry

1) How were BLACKPINK formed and what records have they broken?

2) What other successful artists have YG Entertainment created? You may need to Google this.

3) How has technology and the internet (known as technological convergence) changed the way audiences consume music videos?

4) How do BLACKPINK and K-pop show that the media and music industries are now global?

5) How are UK-based music videos regulated and what types of content require warnings? 

Extension Tasks (Choose 1/2)

Read this Guardian feature asking whether YouTube is good or bad for the music industry. What is your opinion on this crucial question?

Read this Guardian feature on how videogames are now more important than music videos for breaking new artists. Do you agree videogames are now more influential than music videos?

Read this fantastic Guardian feature on K-Pop in 2025 and its struggles with globalisation and falling between a Korean and a western audience. How do BLACKPINK and our CSP fit into this picture of a struggling industry?

Read this Guardian review of BLACKPINK's album. What does the writer say about the band and songs?

Read this Variety feature on a controversy that offended some global fans of BLACKPINK. What was the problem and how did they respond?

Read this Teen Vogue feature on the music video release of How You Like That. How else did the group promote the release of the song?

Here's another Teen Vogue feature offering a brief history of K-Pop. How did the genre go global? 

Finally, read this excellent Medium blog on the future of the music video in the digital age. Summarise the main points of the blog in 100 words.

Complete for homework if you don't finish it in the lesson - due date on SatchelOne.