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| The 1982 science fiction film Blade Runner also uses the iconography of an extreme close up of an eye to draw attention to themes of identity and humanity. This exact shot has been used by many science fiction shows featuring AI, including Humans (2015). Ultimately, this intertextuality is a great way for producers to engage with fans who are enthusiastic about the science fiction genre. |
There are two broad questions that could be asked for an audience question:
- How can audiences respond/interact/be fans of/ to Humans?
- How can producers target/construct/position their audiences?
Humans fact file
- Genre: science fiction
- Conventions: robots, robot freedom, speculative ethics, themes of robots vs humanity, AI, green eyes of the synths, the word synth
- Produced by channel 4 and AMC. US UK coproduction. Allows targeting of an international audience
- Channel 4: famous for edgy, alternative TV shows such as Inbetweeners, Fresh Meat, My Mad Fat Diary, Skins, Misfits
- AMC: Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Preacher
- Target audience: Niche audience, diverse audience
T block
To what extent does Humans target a niche audience?
Knee jerk: Humans targets a niche audience to a massive degree
Plan
- Synth soundtrack
- Evolution of robot
- Binary opposition robot human
- Complicated representations
- Complicated themes
- Robot becoming human
- USP - what is humanity?
- Flickering lights
- Intertextual reference to Blade Runner
- Dark themes
- Low key lighting
- Challenging themes
- Chess - themes of games
- High key lighting
- Low key lighting of brothel
- Use of red as symbolic code
- Polysemic
- Different audience responses
- Diverse synth representation
- Themes of vulnerability and sexual exploitation
- Allegory: where a media product uses narrative to draw attention to a real social issue
- Allegorical issues: racism, sex work, gender inequality, segregation, slavery, sexual slavery, immigration
- Complex issues, complex audiences
DAC
A niche audience refers to a small, targeted yet more enthusiastic and involved audience. In this essay, I shall argue that Humans deliberately targets a range of niche audiences in order to maximise profit and minimise risk. Humans is a science fiction TV show co produced by AMC and Channel 4, and first broadcast in (2015)
One way in which Humans targets a niche audience is through numerous intertexual references to other sci fi media products, most notably the 1982 film Blade Runner. For example, the very first shot of Humans is an extreme close up of an eye, which is almost exactly the same as a reoccurring shot used in Blade Runner. Another theme which is taken from Blade runner is the theme of robot prostitution, with the character Nishka, who also seeks to be released from sexual slavery. Intertextuality is important to target a niche audience, as it targets a pre-existing audience who are not only familiar with the themes and ideas of the robot subgenre, but are also already interested and excited by these ideas.
Another way in which Humans deliberately targets a niche audience is through its use of uncomfortable, challenging and adult themes. One theme which is extensively dealt with in an uncomfortable way is female objectification, sexualisation and the sex industry. The preferred response of the brothel scene is clearly for the audience to feel extremely uncomfortable, which challenges our conceptions of how the sex industry works. In the brothel scene the audience are positioned with Leo. This is accomplished through a slow and deliberately tracking shot, that winds through the brothel. The feeling of discomfort is emphasised through the eerie synthesised soundtrack, and the emphasised bass, which has symbolic connotations of danger and aggression. A montage of POV shots shows a range of highly sexualised representations of women clearly coded as prostitutes, and this is anchored through the aggressive, sexualised delivery of the phrase: "come over here big boy", positions the audience as a user of prostitutes, and places them in a deliberately and deeply uncomfortable position. These elements of media language combined present a clear ideology to the target audience: that prostitution is wrong, unethical, and deeply dangerous to the women involved in it. This is an example of an allegory....
Use of science fiction conventions, synth soundtrack, MES of green eyes, themes of humanity
Themes of humanity, "I was born to feel pain"
Mysterious and confusing narrative
R block
To what extent does Humans target a niche audience?
Knee jerk - to a massive extent!
Plan
- Metanarrative - dystopian and satirical
- Use of dark humour: toby's sexual reaction to Anita
- Capitalism: Joe buys Anita, a woman
- "I hope she's pretty"
- The 18+ card: metaphor for sex slavery
- Complicated themes
- Hermenutic codes, highly mysterious
- Gender roles switched
- Different representations of synths: friends, sex slaves, house servants, lovers...
DAC
A niche audience refers to a small, targeted yet more enthusiastic and involved audience. In this essay, I shall argue that Humans deliberately targets a range of niche audiences in order to maximise profit and minimise risk. Humans is a science fiction TV show co produced by AMC and Channel 4, and first broadcast in (2015)
One way in which humans targets a niche audience is through the significant number of mysterious hermeneutic codes it uses. This allows a niche audience to engage with it. For example, the extreme close up of Leo's wound bleeding creates a powerful sense of intrigue for the niche audience. By constructing such mysteries, the producers are actively encouraging fans to go online and to participate in online fan discussions as to the deeper meaning of the show.
P - use of science fiction conventions
E - Heavy use of electronic retro synth music makes intertextual reference to German synth artists Kraftwerk. Highly conventional for the sci fi genre
A - by using science fiction conventions, it allows Humans to effectively target a pre existing fan audience, and guarantees profit
P - Controversial and challenging themes, including themes of sexual violence
E - Zooming close up of Niska's face as she is raped positions the audience in an uncomfortable mode of address. Anita is frequently sexualised, and her buttocks are emphasised through a closeup as she is walking away. Highly uncomfortable shots of an attractive East Asian woman being bought by a middle class white family
P block
To what extent does Humans target a niche audience?
Yes! It totally targets a niche audience to maximise success
Plan
- Stereotypical genre conventions
- Allegory of mential health problems
- Society
- Representation of women
- Representation of minorities
- Prostitution
- Slavery
- Sex and consent
- Racism
DAC
A nice audience is a specific and often highly participatory audience audience. I shall argue that Humans deliberately targets a niche audience in order to maximise profit and to engage this audience fully. Humans is a 2015 US/UK coproduction science fiction TV show that focuses on AI, robots, and the notion of humanity.
One way in which Humans deliberately targets a niche audience is through the use of controversial and deliberately upsetting concepts. For example, the character of Odi is a clear allegory of disability, and helps the show to deal with a difficult and troubling concept. Odi is represented through an establishing mid shot of him lying on the floor of a typical UK shopping centre. He is surrounded by the MES of broken glass and jam, which reinforces the symbolic nature of his 'death'. This is further anchored through Odi's endearing appearance. He is dressed in a stereotypically innocent fashion, for example a big chunky orange sweater, which has symbolic connotations of childishness. This is further anchored through his floppy blonde hair, which reinforces the preferred reading that a niche audience should identify and feel sorry for him. By allegorically representing mental health issues, Humans deliberately makes reference to challenging and controversial topics that will only resonate with an educated and niche audience.
Another way in which Humans deliberately targets a niche audience is through the use of postmodern themes and hyperreality. Postmodernism is a concept that argues that nothing is real and nothing makes sense in our society. Hyperreality refers to a representation that is better than reality. Anita is a clear example of a hyperreal, postmodern construct. The second Anita emerges from her box, she disrupts the reality and normality of the stereotypical Hawkins family. Anita is extremely hegemonically attractive, and this is reinforced through the sound and performance of gasping when she is 'unwrapped' from her box. In the promotional monologue, it is announced that Anita can cook, clean, raise the child, and even, through the proaietic code of a sly wink and a closeup of Anita buttocks, it is inferred that she can also function sexually. This is enhanced through Anita's total lack of emotions, which makes her simultaneously compelling, and also upsetting and creepy. Anita's hyperreal status is a clear allegory of societies attitudes towards the representation of women. This complicated and challenging ideology will clearly only appeal to a niche audience.
Planned obsolescence George is an old man stuck in his ways...criticism of consumerism/capitalism
A final way in which humans targets a niche audience is through using well recognised science fiction conventions. For example, the MES and concept of synths will be familiar to fans of the science fiction genre. When Anita is pulled out of her box, this is greeted with an electronic start up sound effect, which reinforces the conventional science fiction paradigms to the target audience. This is further anchored through her costume and piercing clue eyes
This provides fans many opportunities for participatory culture, as they can go online and discuss the nature of the synths, and the many complex themes that this show introduces.