HDM Flashcards
What is HDM
His Dark Materials is an example of contemporary family TV drama
How is Levi-Strauss narrative theory used
Good vs Evil
Natural vs supernatural
Wills World vs Lyra’s world
How is Propps theory used
Pan is the helper in Lyras journey
Lyra is the hero of the show
Mrs Coulter B is the villian
Prophecy is the dispatcher
Liner or Non-linear narrative
Linear because the story follows a narrative and there is a clear path throughout the episode
Who watches HDM
Aimed at a contemporary family audience for the BBC Sunday night broadcast slot at 8pm.
It is targeted at fans of the fantasy genre along with fans of the original books by Philip Pullman
In Brazil it’s age-rated for ages 16+ and in France ages 10+. There is no sex or nudity. Violence and gore is rated as mild, profanity is rated as mild and so is alcohol and drugs
How does the target audience link to scheduling
HDM was aimed at a family audience and it was given the Sunday evening slot at 8pm before the watershed. The watershed is the time after 9:00pm and until 5:30 am when television broadcasters may schedule more adult material that could be harmful for miners.
Appeal to C1, C2 and D2 audiences
What was the size of the audience
In season 2 the audiences were falling with the season opener with 5.67 millions viewers
What are the representations of gender for lyra
Lyra is a young girl who inhabits a universe parallel to our own. Brought up at Jordan Collage where she is treated as an adopted chil
Lyra is a strong independent female character who doesn’t need or want help from anyone on her dangerous quest across the worlds.
She cant cook isnt bothered by her appearance and takes what she wants
Lyra is presented as the rebel as well as suggestions of being a hero. Firstly she is shown being cruel and breaking rules yet later she is seen helping to rescue the cat. This conforms to the stereotype that teenage girls can be mean and establishes her character yet subverts the stereotype that girls are weak when she fends off a crowd of people. In the past women have been presented as weak and reliant on men, strong women have been very much underrepresented. It has only been in recent years that this representation has become acceptable in media
What are the representations of will gender
Befriends Lyra and teams up with her in order to uncover the mysteries of Dust and the dissapearnce of his father
Presented as heroic and a leader
Strong sense of morality
Subverts the masculine stereotype by cooking and caring for his mother
However this is swiftly juxtaposed when he conforms to the stereotype of being displayed as feirce and intimidating
He is independent for a child and can look after himself
Will is passive
What are the representations of races
Witch Queen Skadi is powerful, strong (black character) BLM movement devlopment of social values
Will
Caring, sensitive and avoids conflicts (subverts stereotypes of black people)
Alvarado’s theory that black people are represented as violent and dangerous is subverted
Actors in HDM are from a range of ethnic and social class backgrounds. This is not the same as the book. This positive casting is part of BBC’s remit to show representations of all but the issue of race is never discussed in the show
Representations of Age
Younger characters are generally portrayed as empowered and strong. The abandoned children of Cittagazze also demonstrate they can live without adults - which subverts typical stereotypes
Adult characters are represented as either heroic or are represented as flawed and sometimes evil. Mrs Coulter also shows how stereotypes are subverted as a parent who does not care for her child. Conversely Lee Scoresby takes on a paternal role to Lyra and example of her parents should of been
What are the 5 key purposes of the BBC
1) Provide impartial news and info to help people understand world around them
2) Support learning for all ages
3) Show creativity and high quality output services
4) Reflect diverse communities of the UK
5) Reflect the UKs culture
BBC is funded by Licence-fee costs 147 which the public pay
How was HDM produced
Paid for by by BBC and HBO. HDMI is the most expensive BBC drama series ever produced around 50-60 millions pounds around and 8 mill per episode.
How is BBC regulated
OFCOM and they are run by the government. They check to see if TV programmes are appropriate and follow set rules
How was HDM marketed
Used print media, billboards, posters on bus stops and shopping centres. They did trailers and a range of magazine feautures and did a 3D art installation which was produced in Oxford which had a portal so a Vr experience.
