His Dark Materials: LIAR blog tasks

Language and Close-Textual Analysis


1) How does His Dark Materials fit the conventions of the fantasy TV genre?

it uses a multiverse talking animal daemons and cgi for magical elements


2) Applying Propp's character theory, what character roles do some of the main characters in His Dark Materials fit into?

 hero lyra

 villain mrs coulter

 helper lee scoresby

 false hero lord asriel


3) What enigma and action codes (Barthes) can you find in His Dark Materials?

 enigma empty streets in cittagazze create mystery about where adults went

 action pan snarling signals a fight when lyra and will meet


4) What examples of binary opposition (Levi-Strauss) can you find in His Dark Materials?

 children vs adults

freedom vs control


Representations


1) How are women represented in His Dark Materials?

stereotypes are subverted because lyra is independent and mrs coulter is a ruthless villain


2) How are men and masculinity represented in His Dark Materials?

will shows quiet resilience and caregiving while lee shows emotional openness


3) How is age represented in His Dark Materials?

teenagers are resourceful and capable while adults are corrupt or dangerous


4) How is race and ethnicity represented in His Dark Materials?

diverse casting for major characters subverts traditional eurocentric fantasy tropes


5) What representations of the world can you find in the episode?

it blends real life london and oxford with a steampunk past and a fantasy city


Audience


1) What audience do you think His Dark Materials is aimed at and why?

teenagers and adults who like high quality drama and anti-authoritarian themes


2) What audience pleasures are offered by His Dark Materials - The City of Magpies?

  identity relating to growing up

  relationships talking about the plot with friends

  diversion escaping into a multiverse


3) Thinking of the 3 Vs audience pleasures, which of these can be applied?

 visceral dread from the creepy spectres

  vicarious exploring an empty city through the kids

  voyeuristic looking into secret parallel worlds


4) How did fans react to Season 2 of His Dark Materials?

critics liked the dark tone and fans loved the adaptation of cittagazze


5) What might be some of the preferred and oppositional readings?

  preferred viewing lyras fight for free will as heroic

 oppositional religious viewers seeing it as an attack on faith


Industries


1) Which companies produced this His Dark Materials series?

bad wolf new line cinema bbc and hbo


2) What were the UK viewing figures for A City of Magpies?

around 5 to 6 million viewers which was a slight drop from season 1


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

hbo co-produced it providing a big budget for cgi and global marketing


4) What famous stars are in His Dark Materials and why were they selected?

ruth wilson and james mcavoy were chosen for star power to draw global audiences


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

a welsh studio making big dramas like doctor who


Comparison: Doctor Who (1963) and His Dark Materials (2020)


1) How are the technical conventions different?

 1963 static studio cameras basic sound and cheap sets

  2020 moving cameras orchestral scores and big budget cgi


2) What similarities and differences are there in terms of genre and narrative?

 similarities both feature travel through space or worlds with a young female lead

  differences doctor who is episodic sci-fi while his dark materials is serialized fantasy


3) How are representations of people, places and groups similar or different?

 people susan in 1963 panics and relies on men while lyra in 2020 is self-reliant

 places 1963 is a small gritty yard while 2020 is a huge cinematic city

  groups 1963 views adult figures as safe while 2020 views institutions as corrupt

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