His Dark Materials: Audience and Industry

Audience

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

His Dark Materials is mainly aimed at teenagers and young adults because it has young main characters like Lyra and Will. The show also attracts people who like fantasy, adventure, and stories with deep ideas about good and evil. In terms of psychographics, it appeals to people who like exciting action but also emotional and moral stories.

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: Lyra and Will face difficult choices and show courage, which helps viewers think about their own values. For example, Will decides to protect Lyra even when it’s dangerous, showing loyalty.

Personal Relationships: The strong friendship between Lyra and Will offers viewers an emotional connection. Their teamwork, like when they support each other against threats, helps audiences feel close to the characters.

Diversion (Escapism): 

The episode takes viewers to a magical world with airships, strange cities like Cittàgazze, and monsters (Spectres). This lets people forget their daily life and enjoy the adventure.

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. 

Visceral pleasure:

When Lyra and Will are chasing the two girls, viewers feel fear and excitement.

Vicarious pleasure:

When Will helps Lyra escape danger, audiences enjoy feeling brave like them.

Voyeuristic pleasure:

The episode shows secret places like Cittàgazze, which makes viewers feel like they are seeing a secret world.

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.

Many fans enjoyed following Lyra and Will’s story, liked the new characters and settings. Some fans felt parts of the season were a bit slow or confusing. Critics praised the strong acting, especially from the young actors, and liked the detailed fantasy world and visuals. Some critics thought season 2 lacked the same magic as season one.

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 reading:

Some fans love His Dark Materials because they enjoy the storyline, interesting characters like Lyra and Will, and the magical worlds. They like how the show makes them think about ideas like good vs. evil and growing up.

Oppositional reading:

Other people criticise the show because they find the story confusing or too dark, especially for younger viewers. Some think the fantasy is too complicated or doesn’t match their ideas of a good children’s story.

Industries

1) Which companies produced this His Dark Materials series?

BBC studios, Bad Wold, and New Line Cinemas

2) What were the UK viewing figures for A City of Magpies? How did this compare to season 1 of His Dark Materials?

The UK viewing figures for this episode were around 3.3 million viewers on its first night. This was lower than Season 1’s first episode, which had about 7 million viewers when it aired. So, Season 2 started with fewer viewers compared to 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.

HBO co-produced His Dark Materials along with the BBC. HBO helped provide a bigger budget and better special effects. Also, HBO’s involvement meant the series could reach a wider audience, especially in the US, which helped make the show more popular worldwide.

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.

Some famous stars in His Dark Materials include Ruth Wilson, who plays Mrs Coulter, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who voices the dæmon Lee Scoresby. Ruth Wilson was likely chosen because she is great at playing powerful characters, fitting Mrs Coulter’s role. Lin-Manuel Miranda brings energy to Lee Scoresby with his unique voice. The young actors, like Dafne Keen (Lyra) and Amir Wilson (Will), were picked because they can bring strong emotions.

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

Bad Wolf is a TV production company that makes high-quality shows. They have produced many shows alongside His Dark Materials, such as Doctor Who.

Comparison: Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child and His Dark Materials - The City of Magpies

1) How are the technical conventions different between 1963 Doctor Who and 2020 His Dark Materials (e.g. camerawork, editing, sound and mise-en-scene)?

Doctor Who used simple camerawork because of limited technology. The editing was basic, with longer scenes and less cutting. The sound was clear but simple, and the sets and costumes were plain and low-budget. In contrast, His Dark Materials uses advanced camerawork, special effects, and CGI to create magical worlds. The editing is faster and more dynamic to keep the story exciting. The sound includes complex music and effects that add to the mood. The sets and costumes are detailed and look realistic.

2) What similarities and differences are there between Doctor Who and His Dark Materials in terms of genre and narrative?

Similarities:

Both shows are in the science fiction and fantasy genres. They include adventures in different worlds and deal with big ideas like good vs. evil. Both have young heroes who face danger and meet strange creatures.

Differences:

Doctor Who is more about time travel and has a mix of fun, scary, and funny episodes. It often focuses on one hero, the Doctor, who changes over time. His Dark Materials is more serious and dark, with a continuous story about Lyra and Will trying to stop evil forces. It’s more focused on fantasy than sci-fi.

3) How are representations of people, places and groups similar or different in the two shows?

Both shows have strong heroes, but Doctor Who focuses on the older Doctor while His Dark Materials follows young characters like Lyra and Will. Doctor Who shows many places and times, mixing real history and sci-fi, while His Dark Materials has magical, mysterious worlds. Both have good and bad groups, but Doctor Who often shows villains who can change, while His Dark Materials has strict, controlling groups as the bad side