His Dark Materials: LIAR blog tasks

 Language and close-textual analysis


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

Includes fictional concepts such as flying witches and portals

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

Villain- Mrs Coulter
Hero- Lyra
Helper- Will
Donor-Ruta

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.)

The interrogation scene with Mrs Coulter and the captured witch. It makes the audience wonder who is Lyra There is dark, cold blue lighting in the interrogation room. There are close up shots when Mrs Coulter uses the tweezers on the witch's skin.

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? 

Child vs Adult, Truth vs Deception. 

Representations

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

Lyra subverts stereotypes by being strong and independent. Mrs Coulter also subverts stereotypes, shows no maternal feelings towards Lyra and is in a position of power.

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

Will subverts stereotypes, he is welcoming and wants to help Lyra. Lee reinforces stereotypes, he shows many masculine stereotypes throughout the episode.

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.

Most of the characters in the show are children and they do not rely on adults, subverting stereotypes. Mrs Coulter does not care about her child, also subverting stereotypes.

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

The actors are a diverse cast from different ethnic and social class backgrounds. The abandoned children in city are presented to be working class, which reinforces stereotypes

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.

It is a fantasy world. It contains fictional themes such as witches and magic.

Audience

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


Age = 12-18/30-60

Gender = Any

Education =  University/College

Class = Middle/Upper

Race = Any

Job = D-B

Home = City



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: Female audiences can be inspired by Mrs Coulter's position of power and independence

Personal Relationships: Lyra and Will form a bond as they explore the city together. 

Diversion (Escapism): Visual escapism from the city, it has beautiful mediterranean architecture but it is empty. 

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 - At the end of the episode where the golden compass tells Lyra that will is a murderer

Vicarious - There are no adults or parents in the city, which means they can do anything they want with no rules to follow 

Voyeuristic - When Lyra observes will using the sink

4) How did fans react to Season 2 of His Dark Materials? What about critic reviews?

Fans were positive towards the episode, they enjoyed it. However some critics say it would be confusing for a viewer who has not read the book.

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 intended the series to be seen as an interesting drama/fantasy show

The oppositional reading is book fans seeing the show as a watered down representation of the book itself

Industries

1) Which companies produced this His Dark Materials series?

BBC, HBO

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

City of Magpies has a viewing figure of 4.4m viewers. Season 1 had 7.2m viewers

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.

To distribute it to a number of platforms

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.

Dafne Keen, Amir Wilson and Ruth Wilson. They chose actors who had the ability to show emotion

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

They are a TV Production Company. They produce ambitious and relevant dramas for the global TV marketplace

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)?

Doctor Who included flat studio lighting and it had restricted camera movements. it also lacked visual effects and had very few sound effects. His Dark Materials had brighter colours and lighting, there were more visual and sound effects. it had more camera movement.

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

They are both fantasy shows, they follow similar narratives. They both include themes of world travelling. However Doctor Who is more of a science fiction show focusing on things like aliens and spaceships, and His Dark Materials is more based on fantasy themes like witches.

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

Doctor Who is a has more stereotypical gender roles. It presents Ian and Barbara very differently. Barbara is shown to be more calm and homely, while Ian is very physical. The working class is positively represented in Doctor who, most of the characters are working class. In His Dark Materials there is a much more diverse cast. working class is represented similarly. Most gender stereotypes are subverted. The women in the cast are shown to be independent.  

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