audience and industry - his dark materials

 Audience

1) 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 the target audience for His Dark Materials would be fans of the fantasy genre, as the show uses many conventions of fantasy TV, such as the daemons and witches. Fans of coming-of-age, young adult books similar to the original His Dark Materials books by Philip Pullman would most likely also enjoy the show. With Psychographics, I think that the target audience is most likely the Explorers, since the show is based on Lyra's quest and adventures in new worlds. 

 

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:

Devoted fans of the fantasy genre would enjoy His Dark Materials as it includes conventional aspects of fantasy TV, through the daemons, the witches, the tear in the sky, etc. 

Personal Relationships:

Audiences could form parasocial relationships with any of the characters of the show, although it's more likely these relationships would be formed with the protagonists rather than the villains. The most prominent example where audiences are positioned to form relationships with the protagonists is the scene where Will asks Lyra to team up, developing the narrative and making the audience feel like a part of the group. 

Diversion (Escapism):

Audiences can find diversion in essentially all aspects of the show, however, the most obvious example of this is in the large establishing or over-the-shoulder shots used to show the fantasy settings, such as when the "city in the sky" is shown. 

 

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.

The audience experiences a visceral pleasure, especially, through the scene of Mrs Coulter torturing the witch - the episode utilises an extreme close-up and heightens the diegetic noise of the 'thorn' being pulled out of her, in order to raise the feeling of tension in the audience. 

The audience experiences vicarious pleasures mostly through the beginning of the episode. Specifically, through the wide, establishing shots of epic landscapes, that adhere to the fantasy genre and allow the audience to feel as if they are actually in the location. 

The audience experiences voyeuristic pleasures particularly through the meeting that the Magisterium has inside the ship. As they are an authoritative institution that is likely exclusive to high-ranking people, the audience experiences a voyeuristic pleasure by seeing something that they wouldn't usually have the opportunity to see. 

 

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.

Based on the BBC article, one critic wrote that the episode lacked the same 'magical' essence that season one had, and that the daemons are not fleshed out enough to compare to how they are in the original books. A critic from the Telegraph, wrote that the story felt increasingly dense compared to before - good for a novel, but not for a TV show. On the other hand, some critics held positive opinions on the episode, in that it was suitable and still interesting for both adults and children. Another critic praised the time that the episode gave before Will and Lyra warmed up to each other, allowing audiences to take sides with them before the suspense starts to build in the narrative.

 

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?

The preferred reading would mostly be held by fans of the original books and also people who became fans of season one of the show. This reading would most likely surround the complicated narrative following Lyra and also the general high quality of the episode. 

The oppositional reading to His Dark Materials would most likely come out of the dense narrative of the show. Fans may feel that (echoing what some critics said in the BBC article) the episode has too many things included in, such as the spectres and the dust. 

Industries

1) Which companies produced this His Dark Materials series?

His Dark Materials was commissioned by HBO and BBC and created by the company Bad Wolf.

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

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.

This shows a substantial decrease in the viewing figures for the second series of His Dark Materials. However, this is not reflected by the general consensus on the show, as on Rotten Tomatoes, the rating actually increases from series one to two for both critics and fans.

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.

The American network HBO co-commissioned His Dark Materials alongside BBC for an international audience. This is heavily important as HBO is associated with producing high-quality TV shows, such as Succession. 

 

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.

The show stars many famous people, such as: Dafne Keen (Lyra), Kit Connor (who plays Pan, and is also recently famous for Heartstopper), Amir Wilson (Will), Ruth Wilson (Mrs Coulter), etc. However, arguably the most famous of the cast is Lin-Manuel Miranda, who plays Lee Scoresby. 

 

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

Bad Wolf are a TV drama production company based in Wales. They have built up a reputation as one of the foremost independent production companies in the UK, producing over 117 hours of high-end drama for huge broadcasters and networks including HBO, Sky, BBC and AMC. They have produced many shows alongside His Dark Materials, such as A Discovery of Witches (for Sky / AMC) and Doctor Who (for the BBC / Disney).

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