David Gauntlet explores how audiences can use TV shows to define their own identities. To what extent can the audiences of Humans and Les Revenants use these shows to construct their identity?
Introduction
DEFINITION - Audience refers to the group of people who use and consume a media product. Previously it was believed that audiences were largely passive, and would always side with the preferred reading of the producer. However, it is now believed that audiences are active consumers of media products, and are able to negotiate a range of ideological perspectives.
ARGUMENT - Both Humans and Les Revenants provide the niche target audiences many opportunities to construct their own identities. In order to explore this idea, I shall outline and evaluate the many ways that the producers of these shows offer the audience opportunities to 'pick and mix' ideological perspectives'.
CONTEXT -In order to explore this, I shall be using the examples of Humans, a 2015 Channel 4 sci-fi UKTV series, based off the Swedish sci-fi show Real Humans. Humans primarily targets a middle class British audience. I shall also be exploring Les Revenants , a French supernatural drama/zombie show, first broadcast in 2012 on Canal Plus. and based on 2004 film of the same name. Les revs also primarily targets a middle class audience, primarily French, however the show does have international appeal. Both shows have been distributed to a number of audiences in other countries.
Plan
Stuart Hall - reception theory
Henry Jenkins - fandom
Humans
Intertextuality - provides audiences the pleasures of understanding an obscure reference.
Opening shot features an extreme close up of an eye - intertextual reference to other cyborg narratives such as Blade Runner and Westworld
Fake storefront on Oxford street provides niche audiences with the pleasure of interacting with the show in a new way.
Provides audiences the pleasure of social interaction, and gives the opportunity to form fan theories
Use of representations to position the target audience. The middle class British audience are positioned with the Hawkins family, a stereotypically middle class British family
Audience members of different ages can relate to particular members of the cast. For example, teenage girls may relate to Matty, an archetypical teenage girl
Polysemic readings: The character of Anita presents a powerful binary opposition between creepy automaton and helpful maid. Audiences can choose whether to relate to her.
Provides the audience the opportunity to side with either synthetic or 'real' characters, and may feel positioned with Laura or Anita.
Les Revenants
Audiences can take pleasure at the subversion of traditional horror conventions. However, for many the show will simply not live up to expectations. Camille's reunited with mother. The subtle interplay between two conflicting genres (teen drama and zombie!) will either delight or confuse the audience.
Les revenants lacks a definitive preferred reading, instead asking the audience to construct their own interpretation of the narrative. This is achieved through providing the audience with a range of hermeneutic codes. A cold opening asks the audience to question what is happening. A partial resolution of this narrative is provided at the end of the episode where we realise that Victor 'crashed' the coach. However this raises more questions.
The show's obscure status provides the audience with cultural capital, and allows audience members to boast to one another.
Fan theories: the enigmatic nature of the show actively encourages audiences to come up with their own theories to fill the gaps
Provides audiences with the pleasure of information, learning about rural french culture
A cast of mysterious characters allows the audience to identify with their favourite characters
Reactions to grief. Every character reacts to Camille's return in a different way, allowing audiences to sympathise and to empathise with the situation
Pleasure at themes of the uncanny
Lena loses her virginity in a scene that is highly relatable to the target audience. Highly relatable, yet also potentially offensive to a conservative British audience