His Dark Materials: Audience and Industries blog tasks

Audience

1) Read this audience rating guide for His Dark Materials. Based on the screening and this article, who do you think the target audience is for His Dark Materials and why? What about psychographic groups?

The audience rating from HBO is 14. Since it has mild violence, the show is most likely targeted towards a family audience with older slightly teenage kids or anyone from the ages between 14 and 50. 

2) What audience pleasures are offered by His Dark Materials - The City of Magpies? Apply Blumer and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory to the episode. Make sure you provide specific examples from the episode to support your ideas.

Personal Identity: Personal Identity: The audience may relate to Lyra's grief and sadness of losing a loved one

Personal Relationships: Lyra and wills good relationship and humor will be interesting for the audience to realize

Diversion (Escapism): The fantasy genre gives a sense of escapism for the audience to experience something unique

3) Thinking of the 3 Vs audience pleasures (Visceral, Vicarious and Voyeuristic pleasures), which of these can be applied to His Dark Materials? Refer to specific scenes or moments in the episode to explain your answer. 

The audience might experience visceral pleasure while watching Mrs. Coulter torture the witch since the scene is exciting. The viewers may get a sense of vicarious joy as they experience the trip alongside Lyra and Will thanks to their thrilling escapades. 

4) How did fans react to Season 2 of His Dark Materials? What about critic reviews? You can find some possible answers for this in this BBC website article on the critical reception for His Dark Materials and watch the fan reaction video above.

The Independent's Ed Cumming said: "It looks great, it's robustly made, and there are great actors everywhere, occupying well-built universes. "But it doesn't inspire as much wonder as it ought to."

In a three-star review, he added: "Viewers who've invested in the series won't stop now. For a series about magical worlds, aimed at younger viewers, however, there's not quite enough magic." Cumming said that some elements of the books had been lost while being adapted for the BBC One drama.

"The daemons never quite replicate the humor and self-doubt they convey in the books. It's a missed opportunity: what better device could there be for representing the novelistic inner voice on screen?"

5) What might be some of the preferred and oppositional readings for His Dark Materials? Why did some fans love it? Why have other people criticized it? 

Some may argue that the show was religiously offensive and so caused controversy as God himself doesn't come out of the story unscathed, either, as He is rendered as a cold, controlling tyrant. This anti-religious -- particularly anti-Christian -- rhetoric garnered the series an unsavory reputation among the faithful.

Industries

1) Which companies produced this His Dark Materials series?

it was co-commissioned for an international audience by the BBC and the American television network HBO however the media creators were the company Bad Wolf.

2) What were the UK viewing figures for A City of Magpies? How did this compare to season 1 of His Dark Materials?

The first episode of the first series of His Dark Materials series was watched by audiences of 7.2 million in the UK and 423,000 on HBO. The first broadcasts of the CSP episode had audiences of 4.4 million on BBC1 and 227,000 on HBO.

3) What was American network HBO's role in making His Dark Materials and why is this important? 

As a co-commission with the BBC, His Dark Materials had two hugely respected media giants behind it - and in HBO's case a huge amount of money. HBO has over 40 million subscribers and brings in around $7 BILLION in subscription revenue each year.

4) What famous stars are in His Dark Materials and why do you think they were selected for the show? 

As His Dark Materials was aimed at an international audience, the show features both British and American star names such as Brits Ruth Wilson and James McAvoy and American Lin-Manuel Miranda who wrote the smash hit musical Hamilton. There was also a range of videos and promotional events designed to create a buzz around the new season of His Dark Materials:

5) Who are Bad Wolf and what do they produce?

Bad Wolf was founded in 2015 to create ambitious, imaginative and relevant drama for the global TV marketplace.  From its headquarters in South Wales the company has built up an international reputation as one of the foremost independent production companies in the UK, producing over 50 hours of high-end drama for broadcasters and networks including HBO, BBC, AMC and Sky.

Comparison: Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child and His Dark Materials - The City of Magpies

1) How are the technical conventions different between 1963 Doctor Who and 2020 His Dark Materials (e.g. camerawork, editing, sound and mise-en-scene)?

In the 1963 episode the SFX and special effects in the scene when the T.A.R.D.I.S takes off can be described as goofy and unrealistic whereas in HDM the special effects are so realistic that it actually seems as if the animals can talk

2) What similarities and differences are there between Doctor Who and His Dark Materials in terms of genre and narrative?

They are both fictional however one is just fantasy and the other is scientific fiction making the storyline of one seem more realistic than the other however one is more advanced so overall seems more realistic.

3) How are representations of people, places and groups similar or different in the two shows?

Representation of gender and race have improved massively as in Dr. W the show consists of racially motivated jokes and stereotypes and the majority of the cast is white, also the women are presented as weaker and inferior character. However in HDM the cast is more racially diverse and you are able to see women in roles of power such as Mrs. Coulter.