exam on les revenants

"It is essential for a TV programme to simultaneously target both mass and specialised audiences"

Explore this statement with reference to Les Revenants



In this essay, i'm going to explore the statement "It is essential for a TV programme to simultaneously target both mass and specialised audiences." Using the french TV show, Les Revenants i'm going to argue wether or not the show targets a mass audience or a cult/ specialised audience using reference to two different key scenes from the show. I will explore how narrative, mise-en-scene. music and genre relate to the question- weather or not these features of the show are made to specifically target a mass or specialised audience.

The statement argues that a TV program can simultaneously target a mass and specialised audience. I believe Les revenants was created to target a specialised audience, as it is a cult show, therefore it targets a cult audience. This is shown through the use of non-diegetic music in the scene where Camille comes home after being dead for 4 years. The music is used when Claire sees her daughter. The music is unsettling and establishes a creepy atmosphere which is conventional of the horror genre. This may not appeal to most audiences as a scene like this, where a mother is reunited with her dead daughter, is typically heartwarming and emotional. In Les Revenants however, the audience has been manipulated into believing Camille's return has something off to it, which is partly demonstrated through the non diegetic music and Claire's facial expressions. Many audiences may find this uncomfortable to watch as its different from the norm and creates a hermeneutic code- what happened to Camille? 
The soundtrack is made by a scottish band called glasgow megasnake, its mainly rock (which isn't typically used in mainstream shows) and often used in the show as non-diegetic music to create a eerie mood. This may give the show a subcultural capital as many fans of the band will show an interest in the show resulting in buying merchandise, albums and DVD's. Audiences like this are typically small but show a huge interest in the show. 


As well as targeting a cult audience, I believe that Les Revenants attempts to target an international audience. This is shown through the trailer and DVD, which include English subtitles. In the trailer, there is a shot of the DVD cover, which is all translated in English, tailored to appeal to an Australian audience. We know its targeted for an Australian audience as there is a warning about violence (often shown in Australian age ratings). The show is also broadcasted on Channel 4 in the uk, South Africa for free (unlike in France where its only shown on Canal+ which requires a paid subscription) and Netflix, implying that the producer intended for the show to be shown all over the world, especially as it is on Netflix, meaning there could be a mass audience wanting to watch Les Revenants. 

Using Stuart Hall's reception theory, we can argue that the show is intended for a specialised audience. This is because of the idea of preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings of the show. We can argue that there is no preferred reading in Les Revenants as the audience doesn't understand the producer's ideologies. The narrative is left a mystery in the first episode, forcing the audience to negotiate their own perspective on the narrative. An example of this is demonstrated in the final scene of Les Revenants where Lena looses her virginity and Camille dies. There are many hermeneutic codes in this scene such as





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