Revision - Component2a - Television

Question

"All genres exist and function through a process of repetition and difference" - Use Steve Neale's genre theory to explore this notion in Humans and Les Revenants [30]

Underline

"All genres exist and function through a process of repetition and difference" - Use Steve Neale's genre theory to explore this notion in Humans and Les Revenants [30]

Knee Jerk

DAC

Defintion
Argument
Context

Neale argues that genre works through presenting a series of easily identifiable generic paradigms in order to ensure an audience. However, in order to maintain audiences over time, there is also a requirement for the producer to vary genre conventions. Thus all media products exist as a combination of the repetition and difference of genre conventions. I shall argue that both of the TV shows I have studied are simultaneously typical and yet atypical in the ways they present as genre. This is primarily to appeal to both a core and a niche audience. In order to explore this, I shall be using the examples of Humans, a 2015 Channel 4 sci-fi UKTV series, based off the Swedish sci-fi show Real Humans, and Les Revenants, a French supernatural drama/zombie show, first broadcast in 2012 on Canal Plus, and based on 2004 film of the same name. Both shows have been distributed to a number of audiences in other countries.

Plan

• Genre Hybridity

• When he is walking down the hallway there is a proairetic code connoting something is going to happen and it is typical of horror movies, however what we actually see if a typically attractive, middle aged woman sat in his kitchen eating pasta out of a pan as she is hungry.

• This entire show is massively anti-climatic, when we watch horror films we expect to see people dying, however in this episode we see more people coming back to life than dying.

• Les Revenants is designed for a niche and cult audience as it stereotypically atypical. This is why Les Revenants is subverting these conventions in order to appeal to the audience. Normal mainstream audiences will be disappointed and bored through this, however to the cult audience they will enjoy the show due to it being exciting from not seeing the 'norm' of a horror movie.

• By Les Revenants swapping between 3 different scenes (Busstop, Pub and House, and Camilles bedroom) it is appealing to a wider range of audiences, it is appealing to teens aswell as adults and appealing to the working class aswell as the middle class.

• Les Revenants has a vast ensemble cast, to appeal to different ages/classes.

• The mise-en-scene of the settings enforces the idea of the working class suburbs being dull and boring. To ensure the feeling of being un safe for Julie.

• The sound is low tempo and sparse, which is non diegetic sound. We also hear ambient sounds such as roaring of the buses, to make it seem more real and relatable to the audience.

• Claude Levi-Strauss - Binary Oppositions, there is a major binary opposition between the dark and scary town with an innocent little boy which enforces the idea that Viktor is creepy and shouldn't be there.

• Henry Jenkins - Fandom. We see many examples of Les Revenants giving their audience the opportunity to draw up their own conclusions, which will allow the audience to speak between themselves to take the story beyond the show.

• Each episode focuses on a different character as the show goes on. Camille is the focus in episode 1. Except from episode 8 which is called 'La Horde' which creates a character arc.

• The show is French and funded by companies such as EU, and French Alp etc.

• There is many French aspects of Les Revenants, there is a stereotypically loving atmosphere and close-knit families which adds to these stereotypes. Another reason to make it French and differ from a British show is the setting, for a french audience it will give the pleasure of a stereotypically french atmosphere which could be nostalgic or a sense of escapism.

• Les Revenants is atypical through the use of their setting, we are seeing sights of France that are not stereotypical, if a English or American producer are wanting to set it in France they will more than likely chose Paris. A big reason as to why Les Revenants is probably set in The Alps is because of the funding so it is also as if it is an advert aswell as a TV show.

• Humans is about technological singularity and means humans and robots will become equal. This is actually happening, people are losing their jobs to robots. This is an allegory.

• Anita plays a role of a mum to Sophie, Anita plays a role of a doll, Anita is also a sexually attractive woman who is competition towards Laura. Anita plays a role of a toy. Anita serves many different purposes.

• "This is how breakfast is supposed to be" an example of hyperreality, Anita is perfect because she is not real and she is a Madonna and she is a Whore. We suggest that she doesn't have control and she doesn't have consent.

• In the scene of Odi messing up we are positioned in a british shopping centre such as a Morrisons or Tesco, which is an easily identifiable scene for the british audience which is appealing.

• We are positioned with George so when he gets told to scrap Odi. We sympathise with George and we understand that nobody wants to scrap him as he is lovely and that George loves him.

• Humans deals with a range of hard to explain and deal with subjects, such as rape, we see Miska being raped at the end of the episode, but technically she is not raped as she is a robot, which can bring in so many moral issues. We are eye to eye with Niska, the expression she pulls is that she is completely emotionless, dehumanising her even further. We are supposed to feel upset and sorry for Niska.

• Humans repeat these ideas and encode sci-fi elements, the bright green synth eyes are a convention of sci-fi its not a full on convention it is subtle. The entire show is just showing that all synths are objectified. Every synth goes through a process multiple times of being objectified.

• Different people can have different readings of the same thing, this is what Humans allows the audience to do, people chose their preferred reading. It could be about how women are treated in our society whereas it could also be to other people about a show with robots with no deeper meanings. There is no correct meaning which is what polysemy is all about.