The Returned Flashcards
production context
- The Returned is a French supernatural thriller created by Fabrice Gobert and produced by Haut et Court. It was originally broadcast on the Canal+
network in November 2012 and was inspired by the French film Les Revenants (2004). The programme ran for two series with 8 episodes in
each. - The main distributor was Zodiac Rights, and the programme was shown globally in over 70 countries.
genre
a way for producers to communicate
messages to audiences. Audiences need to be
able to recognise genres and the codes and
conventions are established over time. The
audience have expectations that need to be
fulfilled and establishing the genre is key to the
effective marketing of the product.
supernatural thriller conventions that the returned conforms to
- A narrative with a focus on the appearance of the
undead/zombies within a community and their
attempts to deal with this. -
Stock characters usually including a ‘creepy’ child,
the undead, the maternal, nurturing characters,
victims and representations of authority. Often
the pairing of characters are binary opposites and
their relationships contribute to tensions within
the narrative, for example that between Julie and
Victor.
* Setting and locations. These will become
synonymous with the programme and the brand,
may be used in the marketing and will relate to
characters and the sub-genre. In The Returned,
the setting is on the edges of a ski resort where
the houses are isolated, the roads are long and
empty and everything is surrounded by mist and
darkness, typical of the genre. Within the
individual homes there is a sense of
claustrophobia reinforced by the darkness and the
framing.
* Iconography. As well as conveying the genre, this
can have a thematic significance. For example,
mirrors and windows feature in this first episode
as ways of replicating the world but also
fabricating reality. Characters are often viewed
through the windows as if being watched adding
to the sense of unease, or look at themselves in
mirrors as if trying to see the truth. At one point
Claire and Jerome watch Camille through the
windows from outside in disbelief at what they
see.
Theoretical Approach: Narratology - Todorov
- The opening equilibrium in The Returned presents the
bereaved community who are attempting to
adjust to the deaths of their loved ones. - The disruption to this equilibrium is the return of
the dead, Camille is accepted by her family but
there is further tragedy with M and Mme Costa
and grief for Adele with the unbelievable return of
Simon. - The recognition that the equilibrium has been
disrupted is evident in the tragic consequences,
the suicide of M Costa and natural events, the
receding of the reservoir waters. - As this is an example of an episodic drama there
would not be a resolution at the end of the first
episode, instead there is a cliffhanger as the
narrative returns to the initial crash and Victor is
seen as the cause.
How genre conventions are socially and historically
relative, dynamic and can be used in a hybrid way:
Some programmes, for example The Returned, are
harder to categorise due to their hybridity and the
fact that, whilst they employ more typical
conventions of the supernatural thriller, they also
borrow from other genres. For example, The
Returned includes references to the zombie genre
as the characters are ‘undead’ and also to fantasy,
but is also set amongst families in a domestic
drama setting.
The programme shares some similar codes and
conventions of the science fiction genre in that it
focuses on extraordinary events outside the
realms of reality. However, whereas science
fiction has a basis is some scientific reality and
appeals because it could happen, supernatural
thrillers are based on events that defy reality and
explanation.
Theoretical Approach: Genre – Steve Neale
reprition and differnce - differnece is essential to sustain a genre
The Returned demonstrates difference in that it
focuses less on the gore and horror of more
typical zombie dramas and more on the
psychological impact on the community of the
loss and then the return of the children.
* The children who return are not classic zombies in
their appearance or behaviour, they outwardly
appear ‘normal’ and are attempting to return to
the life they left.
* In its style and aesthetics, the programme
borrows from the 1930s French cinematic
tradition of Poetic Realism. The visual style is
minimalist, but lyrically constructed. The tone
echoes with a sense of doom and the characters
are on the edge of society within an isolated
setting living with their grief. The focus is on the
nature of the human condition and what it means
to be happy.
* Genres exist within specific economic,
institutional, and industrial contexts. The
recognisable codes and conventions of the
supernatural thriller make them easy to market to
audiences. However, subverting and challenging
these conventions by introducing more unique
elements as with The Returned’s characters,
narrative and aesthetic, can also ensure
commercial success.
codes of clothing
The connotations of characters’
clothing and appearance create meanings.
Clothing is a rapid way of communicating
messages in The Returned: the normal, everyday
clothing of both the living and the dead challenges the more typical codes and conventions of the
genre and establishes the idea of the uncanny
within the realistic
Gesture and expression:
non-verbal
communicators are quick ways of constructing
meaning. Claire’s shocked and confused
expression when she sees Camille contrasts with
Camille’s apparent normality. The audience too
are confused and empathise with Claire. Julie’s
gesture in holding Victor’s hand and taking him
into her home has intertextual references to the
vampire genre.
Iconography and Setting:
the props, backgrounds
and settings work to construct meaning and
establish the supernatural thriller genre. The
binary oppositions of the domestic setting, the
isolated subway and the outdoor natural locations
of the forest reflect the narrative themes and
tensions. The opening scene when the butterfly
escapes from the picture creates enigmatic
unease foreshadowing the narrative. The fact that
Camille’s room has been kept like a shrine allows
her to assume that everything is the same.
Technical codes
Close-ups advance the relationships between
characters and establish tension and a dynamic.
This is evident in the ‘conversations’ between
Camille and her parents and her first meeting with
Lena.
* Framing is also important in the establishment of
characters and relationships, for example the
interaction between Camille and Claire creates
unease as Claire seems happy to accept that
Camille has returned. The combination of framing,
gesture and expression foreshadows the tension
between Claire, Jerome and Pierre.
* Establishing shots are quick ways of
communicating information. The early
establishing shot of the town serves to create a
sense of cultural verisimilitude establishing a real
place in which the characters function, so
reinforcing their believability.
* Long shots of the undead on the lonely road and
Lucy alone in the subway are conventional of the
supernatural thriller genre, as is Victor, the
seemingly innocent child standing alone outside
Julie’s apartment.
Audio codes: music
this effectively establishes characters and
the genre. The sinister mood music at the start
quickly establishes elements of the narrative and
the genre. The audio track when Camille returns is
disconcerting. When Claire, in a panic, hides the
‘shrine’ in Camille’s room the music is discordant,
contrasting with the seemingly normal act of
fetching Camille’s bathrobe.
audio codes: diegtic sound
the panicked breathing as Camille
is walking home is unsettling. The thunder is a
conventional audio code in this genre signifying
fear and unease. Camille’s scream when she
realises that Lena is her twin sister but is four
years older than her communicates her grief, loss,
and confusion. The disturbing noise from the film
being watched by Julie before she sees Victor
outside contrasts with his apparent innocence and
offers a warning
audio codes dialogue
this serves to establish the genre,
advance the narrative, and construct the
characters. The group meeting at the beginning of
the episode adds to the back story and highlights
tensions between the characters. The questioning
by the undead of the living reinforces the
strangeness of the situation and their confusion,
for example Simon asking for Adele in the bar
The way in which representations make claims about
realism
The aim is to suspend the disbelief of the
audience.
* One of the ways this is achieved, particularly in
fictional programmes, is through surface realism
where the choice of sets, locations, costumes, and
props contribute to an accurate representation.
* Another way is through generic verisimilitude,
where the codes and conventions of the genre are
adhered to and fulfil audience expectations, as a
result the audience will believe what they see.
* Where representations are seen to be influenced
by cultural and social circumstances, for example
in the way gender and issues are represented in a
programme, this contributes to the construction
of realism. For example, the representations of
gender in The Returned and the allegorical
reference to the contemporary issue of migrants
in France
How representations may invoke discourses and
ideologies and position audiences
- For example, this episode
invokes discourse around ‘the unknown’ and how
those who are perceived as ‘other’ are treated in
a culture – with fear and trepidation. - The way in which the representations are
constructed in The Returned means that French
audiences who have personal experience of the
migrant issue are more likely to take this reading
from the programme. - In The Returned, the way in which the
representations are constructed positions
audiences. For example, Claire’s representation as
the maternal figure positions audiences to
empathise with her reaction to the return of
Camille. The construction of Victor as the innocent
young child positions audiences to sympathise
with his enigmatic situation and Julie’s initial
response to him.
The effect of historical context on representations
Representations of gender: Women/ Femininity
There is a range of female characters in the first
episode, presenting different representations of
women and they are central to the narrative. The
construction of female representations creates a
discourse around how women are presented and how
the audience is positioned in relation to the female
characters.
- Claire and Julie are both represented as carers,
Claire welcomes the return of her daughter
Camille without questioning the unbelievability of
the event, whilst Julie tends to the basic needs of
the unknown child Victor, feeding him and letting
him stay the night. - Adele is first seen by Simon in a wedding dress
representing her more traditional female role. She
is also seen to be emotional and hysterical after
assuming that she has seen the ghost of Simon. - Technical codes contribute to the construction of
representation, for example the close-ups of
Claire reinforce her passive representation, the
intra-diegetic gaze between her and Jerome or
Pierre show that she looks to others for help and
explanation. In the meeting at the start of the
episode, the camera repeatedly cuts to Pierre as
the leader of the group, the women look up to
him. - Camille, the focus of this episode, goes some way
to breaking the passive female stereotype. She is
seen as active and resourceful in escaping from
the valley and determined in her need to return
home. - Lucy is constructed as an object of the male gaze.
Her clothing, gesture and the technical codes
construct this representation and the fact that she
is trapped in a menial job, in a subservient
relationship with an older man on whom she
relies for money. However, she does have some
control over Jerome as he pays for her in a
spiritual role to communicate with the dead
Camille. - Lena is constructed as a stereotypical rebellious
teenager who has regular confrontations with her
parents. Her representation is constructed
through her code of casual clothing, her truculent
behaviour and expressions. She is sexual, if not
overtly sexualised. The shots of her in the bar
reinforce this representation, particularly in her
conversation with Simon. However, she is also
vulnerable, as she is happy to take him to a
remote part of the village.
Representations of gender: Men/ Masculinity
- Some of the men in The Returned, for example
Pierre, are represented as dominant, rational and
in control within the community. It is to Pierre
that Claire turns initially after the return of
Camille and he questions Camille about what she
can remember, taking control of the situation. - Jerome challenges this typical masculine
representation and is presented as more
emotional and unable to cope with his loss and
grief. In the community meeting he is seated on
the outside and questions the ‘ugliness’ of the
memorial to the dead. The fact that he believes
that Lucy can communicate with Camille
reinforces his vulnerability. In the faming of the
shot when Camille comes outside to join them in
the storm, he cannot bear to look at her. - Similarly, Simon is represented as ‘other’ and an
outsider. Other than the bar, in the first episode
he remains outside, looking into the life he once
had.
Theoretical Approaches: Theories of representation -
Stuart Hall
Hall’s idea that stereotyping tends to occur where
there are inequalities of power, as subordinate or
excluded groups are constructed as different or
‘other’, can be explored in relation to The Returned:
- Stuart Hall discusses the notion that the powerful
elite groups, for example white, middle class
males, control the media and create a ‘norm’
which reflects themselves. Representations of
other groups are then constructed in terms of
their difference to this, their ‘otherness’. - In constructing the representations of the undead
in binary opposition to the living, Gobert has in
The Returned created an allegory of the migration
of Syrians into Europe, specifically France, and
invokes a discourse around global migration. - In making connections between the undead and
migrants Gobert is making a political point about a
humanitarian crisis. - The returned/undead are not human, therefore
are ‘other’ and are feared by the living in the
same way that the French people feared the
impact of migration on their communities. In The
Returned, the community is established in the
beginning as the equilibrium that will inevitably be
disrupted. - The undead are further reinforced as ‘other’ by
linking them to unnatural events, for example the
receding of the dam waters.
Theoretical Approaches: Feminist theory - bell hooks
- bell hooks’ assertion that feminism is a struggle to
end sexist/patriarchal oppression and the
ideology of domination can be explored in relation
to The Returned:
o Men are seen to be in dominant positions in
the programme. They display the character
traits associated with masculinity; they are
on the whole rational, efficient,
unemotional. Pierre is the one who attempts
to rationalise the situation and to talk to
Camille.
o Claire is represented in a domestic role. She
is maternal and a nurturer, she turns to the
men in her life Jerome and Pierre for help,
but her maternal instinct is dominant and
overrides any rational questioning of the
return of Camille. Similarly, Julie is a nurse
and therefore in a role as a carer and
responds maternally to Victor, welcoming
him into her home.
o Lucy is a clear victim of patriarchal
oppression; she is on display for the
gratification of men and is used by men.
Van Zoonen’s assertions can be explored in
relation to The Returned:
o The idea that gender is constructed through
discourse, and that its meaning varies
according to cultural and historical context
o The idea that the display of women’s bodies
as objects to be looked at is a core element
of Western patriarchal culture
o The discourse around constructions of
gender in The Returned requires the
audience to consider how culturally there
has been little change in the roles of men
and women which function as binary
opposites. The women in the programme
are associated with domesticity, nurturing
and appealing to men. They are emotional
and less active in the narrative. Men are
active, make the decisions and are rational,
reinforcing the patriarchal diegesis.
o Men are constructed more through the
intradiegetic gaze; for example, Pierre is
looked up to by the others with respect as a
leader.
o Lucy is sexualised and is an object of visual
pleasure for both the audience and the male
characters. Her role is passive and she is the
one being looked at as an object of the male
gaze (Mulvey). It is Lucy, who at the end of
this first episode, is murdered by a man and
seen as disposable.
Channel 4
remit that it should cater
for minorities and encourage innovation. In the
early days, the channel caused controversy and
was fodder for the tabloids who nicknamed it
‘Channel Swore’ and ‘Channel Bore’ and waged
war on its tendency to show more sexually explicit
material, to give voice to gay people and other
minority groups and to discuss material regarded
as too risky by other channels. This was echoed in
their 2013 rebrand with the slogan ‘Born Risky’.
* Channel 4, along with the BBC, has been at the
forefront of broadcasting non-English-language
programmes. The Returned achieved critical
acclaim and was popular with audiences, but was
the first fully sub-titled drama programme to be
broadcast by the channel in over twenty years
Channel 4 was set up with a unique model as a
publisher-broadcaster, meaning that the channel
does not have any in-house production, but
instead commissions content from production
companies throughout the UK, or enters into coproduction with other media companies. The
Returned for example was originally broadcast by
Canal+, a premium French cable channel, which is
owned by multi-media conglomerate Vivendi.
* Channel 4 fulfils its statutory public service remit
comprising 15 elements, including:
o Be innovative and distinctive
o Stimulate public debate on contemporary
issues
o Reflect cultural diversity of the UK
o Champion alternative points of view
o Inspire change in people’s lives
o Nurture new and existing talent
The significance of economic factors, including
commercial and not-for-profit public funding to
media industries and their products:
Channel 4 is in a unique position as a broadcaster
as it is a self-sufficient business that reinvests all
profits back into programmes, at zero cost to the
taxpayer. ‘A ‘Robin Hood’ model of cross-funding
means programmes that make money pay for
others that are key to delivering our remit but that
are loss-making e.g., News and Current Affairs.’
The channel regularly reminds its audience of its
public service status through taglines used in
advertising campaigns, for example ‘Paid for by
advertising, owned by you’.
* However, in June 2021, the government
announced a consultation into the possible
privatisation of Channel 4 in order to make it
more able to compete with the big tech giants
including Google, Amazon and Facebook, where
at the time there is not a level playing field.
* Channel 4 argues that it is operating a remarkably
resilient model and even during the pandemic had
a surplus of £74 million. Its concern is that
changing the channel’s funding model will
inevitably mean changing its remit to offer
distinctive and diverse programming.
* Television programmes are funded in a range of
different ways. The Returned received funding
from regional agencies to support its production
including The Rhone-Alpes Regional Fund that
supports film and television projects in that region
of France and the Centre National de la
Cinematographie.
How media organisations maintain, through
marketing, varieties of audience nationally and
globally
- It is essential to use marketing to gain audience
interest for a new programme. Different
strategies are used designed to suit the genre, the
narrative and the target audience. - Programme makers and channels now have
access to a range of digital platforms which
facilitates creativity and audience reach including
traditional television slots, posters, YouTube and
social media platforms. - Channel 4 created a multi-platform campaign for
The Returned placing the audience in the
seemingly realistic world of the programme. This
created a social media buzz focusing on the
recognisable genre with a narrative twist. The
campaign included: - A trailer introducing The Returned as ‘The No1
French thriller’ and emphasising its hybridity
through the inclusion of taglines including, ‘When
The Dead Return’, ‘History Resurfaces’, ‘Wounds
Reopen’, ‘Murder Returns’, ‘Love Reignites’
underscored by a haunting soundtrack. - Merchandising including T-shirts to target the fan
community. - An innovative, interactive website.
- A 360 virtual navigation of the town on multiple
platforms.
The marketing of the programme as a quality
drama through focusing on Canal+ as a reputable
broadcaster and the subsequent BAFTA Awards.
The role of regulation in global production,
distribution, and circulation
- Channel 4, similarly to other commercial
broadcasters, is licensed to broadcast and is
externally regulated by Ofcom, which is
accountable to Parliament and publishes
standards which must be adhered to by
broadcasters. One of the duties of Ofcom is to
examine specific complaints made by listeners
about programmes broadcast on channels that it
has licensed. - Channel 4 is in a slightly different position as it
does not produce its own content, it is therefore
the responsibility of all programme-makers
together with Channel 4’s editorial staff, taking
advice from the lawyers in the legal and
compliance department where appropriate, to
ensure that programmes comply with Ofcom’s
code. - Television companies and specific channels
operate self-regulation through scheduling
decisions, the watershed and announcements at
the beginning of programmes giving information
about possible areas of offence. The Returned was
scheduled at 9pm, this post watershed slot
indicates to viewers that the programme may
contain content that is unsuitable for children,
‘Unsuitable material can include everything from
sexual content to violence, graphic or distressing
imagery and swearing.’ (www.ofcom.org.uk) - Where versions of the programme are broadcast
in different countries, there may be issues around
different regulatory systems. Attitudes of other
countries to offensive material including sexual
content, violence and swearing may differ and
amendments may have to be made to the
programme.
