Television: His Dark Materials- Language and Representation

 Language and close-textual analysis

1) Write an analysis of the episode - using your notes from the screening in class. Make specific, detailed reference to moments in the text using media terminology (e.g. media language - camera shots and movement, editing, diegetic/non-diegetic sound, mise-en-scene etc.)

You can currently watch His Dark Materials on BBC iPlayer here.

Camerawork, editing and sound: 

           Camera work: (opening scene)-

• Camera angles used to show meaning: high angle shot of Lyra to make her look vulnerable/innocent. Low angle of Mrs Coulter to show her power. 

• Close-ups of Mrs Coulter - shows her power and dominance. 

• Wide/establishing shots used to emphasise exotic setting.

• Low-angle shot of Lyra makes her look dominant and powerful.

• Low angle camera shots of Mrs Coulter; high angle looking down at witch. Shows power relationship between characters.

           Sound:  

• Non-diegetic sound at beginning of recap: music and voiceover to set scene.

• Non-diegetic music suggests drama, an important moment at the end of the scene.

• Epic non-diegetic music reflected the stunning location (hot air balloon).

            Editing:

• Montage editing in recap scene - fast-paced to cover lots of narrative and create excitement.

• Fast-paced editing

• CGI and effects. Witch flying in storm. Technology behind TV in 2020. 

• for chase scene - music changes too (non-diegetic; intense). Creates pace and excitement.

Mise-en-scene:

• Settings - different worlds ‘The City in the Sky’, cave/rainforest, ocean. Far off or exotic fantasy locations. Also, recognisable locations - Oxford, Will’s world (police etc.)

• Props - mix between fantasy world and modern, recognisable objects (mobile phone).

• Costume - tells audience which world characters are from. 

• Submarine - ‘Steampunk’ genre. Industrial machines, settings, props.

• Costume and make-up: Mrs Coulter - red dress, red lipstick. Connotation of danger, presents her as sinister, a threat. ‘Femme fatale’ - powerful, dangerous female.Steampunk - hot air balloon, gadgets. Props.Setting - neglected and abandoned city. Links to idea of what might happen if there are no “grown ups” around.

• Actor placement and movement - Lyra eats with her hands, walks over bed and generally behaves like a man. Creates the reversal of gender stereotypes.

• Lighting and make-up for Mrs Coulter at the start of the scene.

• Costume - red

          Narrative and genre: 

• Fantasy genre - witches, different worlds.

• Adventure - quest/journey ‘The City in the Sky’.

• Family - range of characters including children

• Parent/child narrative with Lyra

• Daemon animals: narrative device to reveal character’s emotions and motivations

• “The fuse has been lit” - action code.

• Witch - “knowledge of other worlds” - genre.

• Enigma codes - what is Mrs Coulter trying to do?

• “The witches want us to join the fight” - narrative device. 

• Lyra and Will character development - they team up to work together. Works for wider narrative arc (prophecy) and also gives audience characters to support.

• Lyra’s daemon is called Pan: “3 worlds, 2 windows”.

• Chase scene - enigma and action codes. Who are they chasing and what will happen?

• Binary opposition - good/bad people. Young/old. Creates conflict and narrative.

• Daemon explanation - gives audience back story on Lyra and Pan (her daemon).

• Characters team up in this scene - “Shall we explore together”. This creates an audience pleasure, a team for the audience to get behind. U&G theory - personal relationships. 

• Also creates binary opposition - Will and Lyra are now the good guys against the bad guys.

• Genre - fantasy (witch/flying etc.)

• Narrative - prophecy. Wider narrative arc that goes across whole season. Lyra is the character driving the prophecy/narrative.

          access our notes from our close-textual analysis in class here - you'll need your Greenford Google login to open this.

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

 

    

• Emotive, often quest-based narratives
• Political narrative themes or social commentary
• Iconography including magic, mystical creatures or similar
• Often set in imagined worlds or time periods

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

    Heroins- Will and Lyra

    Villians- Mrs Coulter and the government eg. the Cardinal 

    Helpers: Daemons and Lee Scoresby

4) What enigma and action codes (Barthes) can you find in His Dark Materials? Make specific, detailed reference to the text using media terminology (e.g. media language - camera shots, diegetic/non-diegetic sound, mise-en-scene etc.)

   

    Enigma codes - what is Mrs Coulter trying to do?

“The fuse has been lit” - action code.

5) What examples of binary opposition (Levi-Strauss) can you find in His Dark Materials? How do these create narrative or drama for the audience? You can find reminder notes on all these narrative theories here - just scroll down to narrative. 

• Also creates binary opposition - Will and Lyra are now the good guys against the bad guys.

• Binary opposition - good/bad people. Young/old. Creates conflict and narrative.

Representations

1) How are women represented in His Dark Materials? Are gender stereotypes reinforced or subverted? Think about Lyra and Mrs Coulter here.

 

  Women in HDM are presented as leaders and powerful so feminine stereotypes are subverted here.

2) How are men and masculinity represented in His Dark Materials? Think about Will and Lee Scoresby here.

 

    The men in HDM are presented as submissive and empathetic , this  subverts the stereotypical way that men are presented in film.

3) How is age (e.g. teenagers; adults) represented in His Dark Materials? Does the show reinforce or challenge stereotypes about young people? Think about Lyra and Will plus the abandoned children they meet. Also think about Mrs Coulter and other adults.

    Stereotypically adults are meant to be the responsible and strong headed people who direct those who cannot direct themselves. And children are meant to be the ones who need directing and the emotional ones. However it sems the roles are challenged.  Throughout the episode we can see the adults acting very irrational and irresponisble when the Cardinal has a tantrum when things don't go his way and when Mrs Coulter was torturing the witch. However when it came to the kids they had a sense of direction to find a sense of community and logical explanation eg. Lyra and Will deciding to stay together and the other kids they found in the deserted world with no adults.

4) How is race and ethnicity represented in His Dark Materials? Are stereotypes reinforced or subverted?

      

• Diversity of cast reflects modern social and cultural contexts (2020 Britain).

•  Diversity - witch played by black woman.

• This subverts the stereotype of black women being portrayed as evil in film because she killed the Cardinal and saved the witch being tortured.

5) What representations of the world can you find in the episode - is it like real life? A fantasy world? Something from the past or future? Give examples from the episode.

 

    The show definitely has some real life aspects for example it shows the Cardinal and his ministers governing the country meaning that world is a Christocentric society just like the one we live in however they don't have nearly the same amount f power as they used to. The Cardinal says something about how he wants people to forget about the rift and act as if it never happened , which is what the director and writers are trying to communicate. They are trying to say that the government is brainwashing us into forgetting history , however one of his ministers says we can't do that because the public have already interacted with it and it's in plain site. This conveys the way the younger and older generation think , propaganda verses the people has historically never ended well. Also the steam punk genre gives us an insight into a crossover of new/old showing steam balloons and gadgets.