His Dark Materials: Audience and Industries Blog Tasks

HisDarkMaterials

Audience & Industries Blog Tasks

1 - 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 Psychographics here.

I think that the target audience for His Dark Materials is generally young adults and teenagers as the series' protagonists themselves are teenagers and the element of the fantasy genre is more appealing to this age demographic.

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: Lyra wanting to uncover the truth about Dust

Personal Relationships: The interactions between Will and Lyra and when they start to trust each other

Diversion (Escapism): The abandoned city with it's mysterious aura and the empty streets which can immerse the viewers in an entirely different world

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. 

Visceral - The chase scene where there are quick cuts, fast-paced movement

Vicarious - The thrill of discovering a new world and the mystery behind it (the abandoned city)

Voyeuristic - When Mrs Coulter tortures a witch for information which gives viewers an insight to the character

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.

They are comparing it to Season 1 in terms of quality, critics believe that it "doesn't inspire as much wonder as it ought to."

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? 

Preferred - Viewers that are impressed by the high-quality production of the series (visual effects, costumes, set designs) with also great performances from the cast.

Oppositional - The series' dark and maturity theme might not be appealing to all viewers

2 - Industries

1) Which companies produced this His Dark Materials series?

Bad Wolf, HBO and BBC

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

Season 2's The City of Magpies received 4.4 million compared to Season 1's 7.2 million views on the first episode.

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

Their production quality, marketing, promotion and international reach

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 discussing the show.

Dafne Keen: Recognition for her performance in Logan, the ability to portray a strong and determined character like Lyra.

Ruth Wilson: She is a highly respected actress. Her ability to clearly show complex characters with depth and detail is great for a role like Mrs Coulter

James McAvoy: his multiple roles such as Professor X and ability to express intelligence and determination lands him the role of the Lord Asriel

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

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.

3 - 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)?

The early episodes of Doctor Who (1963) featured a lot of static and minimal camera shots due to limitations, whereas His Dark Materials (2020) has more dynamic and fluid camerawork which is a huge step up

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

Both His Dark Materials and Doctor Who have blended elements of fantasy and science fiction but they differ in tone and narrative structure

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

Doctor Who now, and His Dark Material feature diverse casts yet differ in tonal approach/theme focus.