This set of tasks is frankly absolutely essential. But they are all as straightforward as possible, to ensure that you are able to complete them without a teacher present. This means that we can spend the time when I return working on more complicated and knotty issues, such as representation.
So please take this seriously. This is an easy lesson, but we will not have any time to go over this again!
Please note before you start: while we refer to this show by it's correct, French title of Les Revenants, internationally it was released as 'The Returned'. So, when researching merchandise for this show, try googling 'the returned merchandise' or 'the returned tv show t shirts' or something. You can also search for Les Revenants as well. Go wild!
The Les Revenants EP by Mogwai
Les Revenants: absolute basic facts
Task 1 - please copy the following information in to a new blog post called 'Les Revenants research'
- 26 November 2012 on Canal+
- United Kingdom 9 June 2013 on Channel 4
- 2 series, 8 episodes each
- Based on the French film They Came Back (Les Revenants, dir. Robin Campillo 2004)
- Created by Fabrice Gobert
Music
The soundtrack to Les Revenants is pretty atypical. This is partly because instead of being scored by a conventional composer, or being made up of a selection of music from other artists, it is written be a single band, Mogwai.
Task 2 - research Mogwai
- Who are Mogwai?
- What kind of music do they make?
- What does this mean?
- Jot down some facts about them
- Why was this band in particular selected to compose the music for the French TV show Les Revenants?
- What possible advantages does featuring Mogwai in this show have for audiences and the producers of this show?
Trailer
This trailer is not for the original run of the show in French. Instead, it's for the Australian DVD release of this show. So this trailer gives you a fairly good indication of how this show was marketed to foreign (as in not French) audiences.
Task 3 - Watch and analyse the below trailer
How does this trailer target it's audiences? What techniques does it use? And how does it appeal to potential new audiences?
Merchandise
While Les Revenants is a highly atypical show, it still does have a smattering of merchandise, both official and unofficial that can be found online. This is an excellent example of not only producers minimising risk and maximising profit through vertically integrated business practices (Hesmondhalgh), but it's also an excellent example of audiences interacting with this confusing TV show in completely new ways (Jenkins).
Task 4 - research and screenshot examples of merchandise for The Returned, both official and unofficial
Canal+
Canal+ is the name of the 'channel' that commissioned and funded Les Revs. However, Canal+ is a very different TV channel to something like Channel 4 (which is funded commercially and in part by the licence fee), AMC (an American 'basic cable' channel that is primarily funded through advertising but also increasingly through international franchising of it's often wildly popular TV shows) or even the BBC (a UK conglomerate that is funded primarily through a state mandated licence fee, which makes the BBC 'public access'). Canal+ is a bit different.
Task 5 - Spend five minutes researching Canal+.
They're big! So only include the most straightforward facts. Who are they? How did they start? How much money do they have? What notable shows do they have? How are they funded? Etc!
Regulatory issues
Regulation refers to the rules and restrictions that a media product must face. In the UK, TV is regulated by OFCOM, and DVDs, other physical releases and theatrical releases are regulated by the BBFC.
The principal way in which the BBFC regulate media products is to
- Take in to account the context of any sex, violence, swearing, and so on, and
- Assess the potential harm and offense caused to the target audience
Task 6 - harm and offense in Les Revenants
- Make a list of everything in Les Revs that might get it shown after 2100 on TV. I'm talking swearing, sex, sexual references, spooky scenes, whatever. Go wild. You may wish to access the episode to help you, and even make screenshots of these scenes and subtitles (!)
- Which scenes in Les Revenants are most likely to cause harm and offense to the target audience?
- Check out the BBFC page for the episode of Les Revs you watched. Do you agree with this rating? Why?