His Dark Materials: Audience and Industries blog tasks

 1) What audience do you think His Dark Materials is aimed at and why? Think about demographic and psychographic groups. You can revise Pyschographics here.


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

Diversion (Escapism): 

  • Entertainment/Escapism:
    The episode features a captivating plot that keeps audiences engaged, providing a diversion from their daily lives and offering a sense of escapism. 
  • Social Interaction:
    The show's popularity and discussion across social media and online forums allow viewers to connect, share their thoughts, and engage in discussions about the episode. 
  • Personal Identity/Identification:
    The characters in His Dark Materials are relatable, especially Lyra and Will, who face similar challenges and insecurities. This connection allows viewers to find a sense of identification and emotional connection. 
  • Information/Education:
    The episode provides insight into the complexities of His Dark Materials' universe, offering viewers new knowledge about the characters, their worlds, and the intricacies of the series' lore. 

 


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. 

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."


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 criticised it? 

Preferred readings of His Dark Materials often focus on the series' critiques of organized religion, its exploration of free will and authority.

Industries

1) Which companies produced this His Dark Materials series?

Bad Wolf Studios in association with New Line Cinema. It was commissioned by BBC One and HBO. 

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 His Dark Materials, "A City of Magpies," drew an average of 4.4 million viewers in the UK. This was a decrease from the 7.2 million viewers who watched the first episode of season 1.

3) What was American network HBO's role in making His Dark Materials and why is this important? Look at the notes above for more on this.

Handling international distribution and providing significant funding.

4) What famous stars are in His Dark Materials and why do you think they were selected for the show? Watch the Comic Con panel video in the notes above to see the stars talking about the show.

Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson, James McAvoy, and Lin-Manuel Miranda

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

A British production company that specializes in high-end TV drama. It was founded in 2015 by Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner, and it's known for its ambitious and internationally successful productions. The company's name is a reference to the "Bad Wolf" entity from the first series of Doctor Who. 


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