His Dark Materials: Language and Representation blog tasks

 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.

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Camerawork, editing and sound: sound - .epic orchestral music helps to set genre and atmosphere

                                                                          .Voiceover of daemon talking to characters (diegetic sound),                                                                                          non-diegetic music to create drama and tension

                                                                 camerawork - .low angle of lyra makes her seem powerful

                                                                                        .low angle of Mrs Coulter reveals dominance and power vs                                                                                             high angle of cardinal shows inferiority

                                                                 editing - .animals and setting (unearthly backdrop)

                                                                              

Mise-en-scene: setting - ."City in the sky" reinforces genre of fantasy

                                                    .city(neglected and abandoned) links to idea of what might happen if there are no                                                         "grown ups" around, links to fantasy genre 

                                    costume - .teenagers (lyra and Will) casual clothing reinforces stereotypes

                                                     .Mrs Coulter wears a red dress, red lipstick which links to power and control,                                                                femme fatale, dangerous female

                                     actors - .placement and movement - Lyra eats with hands, and walks on bed reverses                                                               stereotypes of gender (links to respect)

                                     lighting - .thunder connotes disequilibrium

                                     makeup - white to signify unearthly individual and costume reinforces this

Narrative and genre: genre - .daemon (animals can speak), witches, prophecy (supernatural events) 

                                                          .fantasy (Lyra's daemon called Pan) "3 worlds, two windows"

                                             Narrative - .prophecy, enigma and action codes, equilibrium 

                                                               .chase scene, both action and enigma codes (Barthes) who are they                                                                              chasing and what will happen

 

 

You can access our notes from the close-textual analysis in a previous 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?

narrative arc - the episode has a cliff-hanger which leads onto the next episode

range of settings - submarine, city, island of witches, hot air balloon, the cave, cittagazze, forest

range of characters

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

Mrs Coulter is the villain

magisterium are the villains

Lyra is the hero

pan is the sidekick

father is Asriel

witches are donor

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 - what is the prophecy and what is lyras part in it

               what happened to the adults

action - Mrs coulter torturing the witch

            what war do the witches want lee scorsby to join

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. 

good vs evil - Lyra vs Mrs coulter, magisterium vs witches

natural vs super natural - wills world vs lyras world

young vs old - Spector's targeting adults

Representations

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

gender stereotypes subverted Lyra and Mrs Coulter are powerful and strong

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

gender stereotypes subverted through will keeping the peace

lee scoresby as strong but also a bit cowardly as he doesn't want to join the war

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.

Children run the town so they are powerful

all the adults are gone so they are weak and cowardly

Lyra and Will presented as typical teenagers

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

Will is presented as a main character defies the idea that white people are predominantly in western shows

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.

Lyra's world is different and strange

Wills world is like ours