Television: His Dark Materials - Audience and Industry

There are some important contexts we need to learn for the Industry and Audience key concepts for His Dark Materials.

His Dark Materials is an example of contemporary family TV drama. The series is based on the

trilogy of books of the same name by Philip Pullman. The second series is based on the book,

The Subtle Knife.

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 Season 1 recap

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: Industry and Audience blog tasks

Create a new blogpost called 'His Dark Materials: Audience and Industries blog tasks' and answer the following questions:

Audience

1) Read this audience rating guide for His Dark Materials. Based on the screening and this article, who do you think the target audience is for His Dark Materials and why? What about 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 and reading

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 Google Classroom.

Television: His Dark Materials - Language and Representation

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: 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.

His Dark Materials: Language and Representation blog tasks

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

Language and close-textual analysis

1) Write an analysis of the episode - using notes from the screening in class. Make specific, detailed reference to moments in the text using media terminology (e.g. media language - camera shots and movement, editing, diegetic/non-diegetic sound, mise-en-scene etc.)

You can currently watch His Dark Materials on BBC iPlayer here.

Camerawork, editing and sound: 

Mise-en-scene:

Narrative and genre: 

You can access our notes from our close-textual analysis in class here - you'll need your Greenford Google login to open this.

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

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

4) 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.)

5) 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; older people) 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) How are politicians, religion and people with power represented? Think about how the Magisterium are shown in this episode.

Due date on Google Classroom

Doctor Who: Audience and Industries blog tasks

The second half of our Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child case study focuses on the key concepts of Industry and Audience.

You'll find all the answers you need in the notes and clips below. You can then complete the blog tasks at the bottom of this blogpost.

Notes from the lessons

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).

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:

Audience and Industry: blog tasks

Create a new blogpost called 'Doctor Who: Audience and Industry blog tasks' and answer the following questions:

Audience

1) Who is the target audience for Doctor Who? Has it 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:

Personal Relationships:

Diversion (Escapism):

Surveillance (Information / Facts):

3) What additional Uses and Gratifications would this episode provide to a modern 2020 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 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 work on this but will need to complete this for homework - due date on Google Classroom.