Representation- Les Revenants

Representations aren't real they are a construction of reality
Representations construct reality

representation:

• allows audience to relate to characters
• allows the producer to construct a text easier
• gives insight into other cultures etc that people otherwise wouldn't know about
• representations are bias
• recreation 
• it is important because it changes the way we view others

John Berger: he argued "men act, women appear"

Representation is the study of...

1. The group, place or issue on which a media product is focusing.

2. The media language the media product uses in order to present these groups or issues.

3.  The ideological perspective about the group or issue being created within the product.

4.  The impact of this ideological perspective on the target audience.

Simon:
- he represents young men and looks youthful
- the leather jacket and dark hair are something that could be stereotypically associated with someone who's attractive
- the darkness of his clothing and hair seems quite mysterious, like his character, and could make them more attracted to him because of the mystery
- he looks stereotypically french because it is aimed at a French audience



Camille:
-school girl, she's represented as young and naive therefore representing young girls
- lack of make up goes will the french culture/society 
-pale skin makes her seem almost shy, and delicate which again goes with her representing young girls
-red hair makes her stand out as its unconventional 
-A-typical representation of a teenage girl- binary opersition she's older beyond her years
- she is a complex representation/ character
- her complicated character is reflected in the complicated narrative 



Claire: (the mum)
- she represents mothers, and by her plain attire and her simple yet dressed hair, she seems to be the type of woman who is "basic"
- the audience may see this and relate to how busy she is, so much so that her beauty and fashion lays in what is quick and simple
- she is a stereotypical aspirational mother







Julie:
- represents older, single woman and her dark hair is not what is considered stereotypically attractive
- the target audience may feel that if you are a single woman living on your own that you are a bit unorganised and also may make her seem a bit strange, like an outcast











How the cast are represented:
- rural setting- represents typical rural french life 
- the cast universally look very french
- They're all white
- the show is targeting a white middle class audience 




Its allegorically about:  
- Death and how people deal with it


Abjection: to have something cut off/ separated

Les Revenants- Exam structure:

Exam Structure:

• Introduction
• Point
• Evidence
• Explain
• Conclusion

Introduction: DAC

• Definition - key terms
• Argument- argue one way and stick too it 
• Context- back story e.g les revenants was released in 2012 in France, uk 2013

Paragraphs: PEA

• Point- related to media language
• Evidence- from the text
• Argument- how it links to the argument made in the introduction

5 Key terms:

• negotiation- Stuart Hall's theory
• ideology
• intertextuality
• polysemy
• hegemony

"In the 21st century, it is essential for TV shows to offer multiple meanings"- evaluate this claim with reference to Les revenants:

Knee jerk reaction:

• Yes- to gain a wider audience, may relate to cult tv as it gives people something to talk about
• reception theory

opening scene:

• establishing shot
• extreme long shot
• diegetic sound
• cut to black
• slow zoom from exterior to interior 
• slow tracking
• high angle shot 
• binary opersition from older character and Camille 
• close up of Camille face

possible Answer points:

the sound track- as it zooms in on the butterfly and as it breaks free the music reaches a crescendo - demonstrating it is a key part- is also a symbolic code helping the audience to understand the complicated narrative

low key lighting and desaturated colour grading in the scene where Camille returns home emphasises to the audience a potential hermeneutic code and forces the audience to negotiate their own perspective on the narrative. enforcing a polysemic reading of the text

Camille has more screen time on the bus and is consistently framed in a montage of close up shots which positions the audience with the young Camille. camille's age allows teenage audiences to invest in the complicated narrative

the sudden and mysterious dip to black following the long shot of the traumatic bus accident is symbolic of not only the audiences own confusion and the show's primary theme of death and finality 

establishing shot and subsequent long shots of the bus establish an isolated and exotic setting for the secondary British audience. this emphasises the importance of Les Revenants adopting a polysemic narrative. it must mean different things to audiences of different nationalities

generically highly unconventional of the supernatural/ horror genre. lacks generic paradigms such as corpses, blood, monsters etc. it is not until much later in the narrative Camille is established to be a very unconventional 'zombie'

long shot static shot of the bus flying off the high way which is accompanied by diegetic screaming, yet no other camera movement- demonstrates to the audience that the show will take a unconventional perspective on death and other grand themes.

Les Revenants

Las revenants- The returned

(from wikipedia)- The Returned (French: Les Revenants) is a French supernatural drama television 
series created by Fabrice Gobert, based on the 2004 French film They Came Back (Les Revenants), directed by Robin Campillo. The series debuted on 26 November 2012 on Canal+ and completed its first season, consisting of eight episodes, on 17 December. In 2013, the first season won an International Emmy for Best Drama Series 

• 
  
• also has elements of crime
  
  
  • first broadcasted on 26 November 2012 on canal +
  • united kingdom 9th June 2013 on channel 4
  • 2 series, 8 episodes each
  • based on the french film "they came back" (les revenants) (directd by Robin Campillo 2004) 
  • created by Fabrice Gobert
  
  
  • the entire show is based on hermeneutic codes
  
  

super natural elements: 

• the narrative 
• a random murder 
• many different story arcs within it
• does really match up to Todrov's theory of equilibrium as the normality of the french town is disrupted, which makes it unconventional
• deliberately frustrating 
• unconventional 
• the entire show is based on hermeneutic codes

Avant- garde: experimental :

• non linear narrative
• the way the characters meet and interact 

mystery elements:

• entire show is based on hermeneutic codes
• little is left answered
• many of the characters link to each other
• character relationships

horror elements:

• links to the horror genre, especially with the quiet child
• creepy, dimly lit locations
• woman tied up and burnt alive

french elements:

• the setting is more clearly within France
• the way they speak to one another

A cult TV show invites the audience to use the show in whatever way they would like, and interpret and shape it in new ways. a cult programme or film is something which presents a culture and fans will often be much smaller and more devoted. it creates its own world 

iconography:

the zombies look alive/attractive 

not stereotypically scary zombies

Akta manniskor (Sweden, 2012-14)

Fan sub- a subtitled file made by a fan

Akta manniskor- 'real humans'

textual poaching

Henry Jenkins:

This is where fans of the media product read it in a way that is wasn't really intended. an example of this is shipping- where fans will take two characters and they will want them to be together. this is a type of negotiated reading, as it is not what the producer intended for the audience to see. it is an active audience theory as the audience is choosing what they want to take from it 


Fan sub- a subtitled file made by a fan

Regulation

Regulation: Media regulation is the control or guidance of mass media by governments and other bodies.

• Used in tv to stop children seeing certain things
• Television is regulated through the use of the watershed in order for them not to get complaints  (watershed 9pm)
• Mass media- The mass media is a diversified collection of media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication. hypodermic needle theory
• Ofcom - harm and offence and limiting it - harm and offence: this is where something can cause someone to be upset
• Sonya Livingston and peter hunt- theory it is getting harder to regulate media as there are so many more ways to access things such as digital media
• self regulation e.g parent control on tv shows (sky pin)

Harm and offence in Humans:

you can get hold of an air riffle much easier than another gun-
this is offence as it is rebelling outside of social norms
she is finding fun in shooting someone because she finds it
funny (sadism)

    

Reception theory:

Stuart Hall's theory:  media products are received 3 different ways- all to do with ideology 

1- dominant reading

2- negotiated reading

3- oppositional reading

Humans ideology- we are all too dependant on the use of technology

fanbase: Reddit

The Television Industry / channel 4

How does this product use intertextuality:

Humans makes references to outnumbered the family television throughout the episode. one scene this is shown is when the father is on the phone and the house phone rings and he asks the children to get it and none of them move and they're all glued to their phones. therefore is like a family comedy drama through the use of the dynamics. 

Humans is a-typical to the sci-fi genres 
genre conventions are used to allow the audience to understand the media product 



Persona synthetics website:
marketing campaign- we know it worked because there is 3 uk series
allows audiences to explore the narrative of the show beyond the show 
the fact there is a returns label is a proairtetic code- when they go wrong e.g. when Anita trys to steal the little girl
the twitter adds to the emersion of the show

Channel 4 made Humans:
Statement of promises:

This states that Channel 4 should “foster the new and experimental in television.  It will encourage pluralism, provide a favoured place for the untried and encourage innovation in style content perspective and talent on and off screen”.

Our aim is to maintain the salience of Channel 4’s remit and values in the new media landscape of the digital age.  Channel 4 will increasingly grow its strengths from its core of terrestrial broadcasting to provide creative content across different media platforms.  Events as different from each other as “Kumbh Mela” and “Big Brother” have demonstrated the resonance of such multi-media events and we will build upon them.

the first film it ever showed was: "Le age d'or"

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster that began transmission on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority(IBA),^[1] the station is now owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation, a public corporation of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport,^[2] which was established in 1990 and came into operation in 1993. With the conversion of the Wenvoe transmitter group in Wales to digital on 31 March 2010, Channel 4 became a UK-wide TV channel for the first time.

The channel was established to provide a fourth television service to the United Kingdom in addition to the licence-funded BBC One and BBC Two, and the single commercial broadcasting network ITV.

Ideological perspectives
Funding- initially 100% funded b advertising, however channel four is also partially funded by public funding through a small proportion of the licence fee
Associated channels- channel 4, E4, film4, more 4- channel itself opened by then popular youth icon Ali G
Scheduling: makes use of the watershed, placing shows later at night, reputation for challenging programming
Notable releases- big brother, Hollyoaks, brookside, celebs go dating, googlebox, made in Chelsea, the Inbetweeners, misfits

Ownership: channel four television corporation 

- T.v shows aren't sold to advertisers, the audience are being sold

Possible question: how have ownership and economic factors shaped the TV programs you have studied?

• the conventions
• that its a remake
• that it was made by channel 4 

Humans target audience:

Age: 37

Gender: Male

Nationality: British

Location: Kent

Sexuality: Heterosexual
Occupation: Engineer
Hobbies:  Cycling 
Car: Vauxhall 
Socio-economic class: Lower middle class
Name: Gary

Breakfast scene:

• establishing shot of the kitchen and breakfast- slow pan to the Mise-En-Scene of the breakfast table, an easily identifiable scene for the middle class audience
• close up of Laura's face- establishes her dislike of Anita- a relatable situation for the target audience who may debate over if they should get a maid or cleaner
• low angle shot of tom makes him appear more authoritative
• mid shot of Anita laughing
• close up of Anita cleaning 
• establishing shot of nuclear family- creates aspirational audience for the 30 something year old male, middle class audience
• father (Joe): "this is what breakfast is supposed too be like"- low key dig at Laura that she is falling to provide and play to the role of mother
• provides a hyperreal fantasy/aspiration for the middle class audience (to all sit together at the breakfast table)
• Mise-en-scene of clothing- dressing gowns- conventional of the sitcom genre- unconventional of the sci-fi genre 
• Another way it attracts the target audience as it attracts debates

humans continued

Humans has an ensemble cast - and this means that it is hard to tell who the protagonist is due to the fact there are so many people within the cast. This also means there are a lot of character arcs within the show. The closest we could get to protagonists within the first episode are Leo and Anita.

Different story arcs/character arc ep1:
- Joe's struggle within the household and buying Anita
- George and Odi's relationship
- George's declining health
- Laura's insecurity of Anita
- Matilda's struggle with the Synth
- Leo and the synths being taken
- Leo trying to find Anita
- Niska in the brothel
- Detective Drummond and the synth
- Anita stealing Sophie

'Humans' starts "in medias res" - in the middle of a story. This means that hermeneutic codes are created much more easily and the characters develop in a much more interesting way. The stories intertwine and flow in a more interesting way.

Van Zoonen suggested that gender is constructed by the producers of media products, and that it depends on when a media product has been released - this is because it would reflect the values and gender representations of the time of release. 'Humans' is a representation of a modern world, with modern values of gender, and this is why it is such a highly allegorical show.

HOW LEO'S CHARACTER IS PRESENTED

• The camera is close to his face which implies that he could be intimidating, someone that close to your face is quite scary
• His clothes and hair are slightly messy, he seems quite rough
• Tone of voice is quite low and gruff, or slightly stern, which presents him as strong or powerful
• He comes up to Sadiq when his back is turned, where he is more vulnerable
• His unshaven face could make him seem quite tough
• Scruffiness suggests that he is an outlaw
• Uses physical gestures and hits the wall in order to display dominance
• Seems quite smart and tactical, knows what he wants and how to get it
• Photo of Anita creates a binary opposition, because she is very white and angelic in the photograph and he seems quite dark and rough
• His eyes are wide and strongly focussed on Sadiq, and the blue colour is bright and could be scary
• Wild, like a fighter, running away from things
• His respect and personality is also constricted through intradiegetic gaze (the way other characters see him)

Mini Mini Mock

Within Episode 1 of 'Humans', the binary opposition between human and synth (cyborg) is cleverly conveyed through several features of mise-en-scene. For example, in the first cut, the warehouse filled with synths has a blue tint to it and the lighting is incredibly high key, connoting to something modern and futuristic, and also has a coldness about it. This compares to the next image of nature, which is filled with colours like green and yellow, connoting warmth and life. As well as this, when Anita first enters the Hawkins' home, she is dressed in a plain blue outfit and has straight and shiny hair. She over takes the stereotypically maternal role within the family, and she is seen holding cleaning products when Laura walks in. She seems much more clean whereas Laura has messy hair and more brown coloured clothes. Even though Anita has taken on Laura's role, there is still a separation between them, and the synth taking care of Sophie seems unnatural. Laura reinforces this by repeatedly telling Anita, "that's my job", which we can infer displays how uncomfortable Laura is having a cyborg in her home. The binary opposition of what Anita is wearing therefore adds to how she is abnormal, and does not fit into the family, conveying to the audience Laura's intimidation on witnessing Anita within her home - she could feel that Anita's clean and perfect looks challenge her, and her actions also displace her position in the household. 

What this also cultivates is the idea of a 'nuclear family', as Joe's decision to buy a female synth reflects a husband and wife dynamic that he wishes to achieve. Although Laura is uncomfortable with the synth, Joe is dominant and tells her that "we're not taking it back". This could reflect that Joe enjoys having her around the house, and taps into the fact that gender is constructed through your actions, as theorised by Judith Butler. At the start of the episode, Joe is seen washing dishes and caring for the family while Laura is away, which subverts from stereotypical views of men working away from the family and the mother caring for them. In order to tip it back, Joe has taken on a more assertive stance and chosen the female synth to fit in with gender and cultural norms associated within a household. 

hyper-reality

hyperreality = beyond reality

The premise of hyperreality is that the representation of real life is actually more real than what people actually consider 'real life'.

"it is no longer a question of imitation, nor duplication, nor even parody. It is a question of substituting the signs of the real for the real" - Jean Baudrillard

Simulacra - a representation of something that never existed to begin with.

Examples of SIMULACRA in 'Humans':
- the synths are simulacra because they are not the same as robots that exist now
- the parallel world to our own

POSTMODERNISM includes making media which is deliberately outrageous and grabs the attention of their audience by being particularly daring. An example of postmodernism is 'bricolage', where things are just thrown together and some of the time it is purposefully bad. It's anti-theory, as in that the world should not rely on what is theoretical because the world is meaningless.