𝐻𝒾𝓈 𝒟𝒶𝓇𝓀 𝑀𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒾𝒶𝓁𝓈: 𝔏𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔲𝔞𝔤𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔡 ℜ𝔢𝔭𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔟𝔩𝔬𝔤 𝔱𝔞𝔰𝔨𝔰

 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.)

Camerawork, editing and sound: Closeups on a lot of characters

                                    Dark sound effects 

Mise-en-scene: Lyra costume - Tomboy

                                   Will costume - Sporty

                                   Lighting - gloomy 

 

Narrative and genre: Lyra - Hero , Mrs Coulter - villain

                          Witches + daemons - Fantasy

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? 

• Helper / sidekick - Lee
• Hero - Lyra , Will
• Villain - Mrs coulter

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.)

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. 

Young - Brave , independent , strong

Adult - controlled 


Representations

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

Women like Lyra and Mrs Coulter are represented as quite strong and independent which subverts to typical idea of women due to strereotypes

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

men are shown as strong and stern

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.

Most of the main characters in this series  are children and they are shown as independent and not in need of adults or help . The abandoned children also demonstrate they can live without adults - which subverts typical stereotypes. Mrs Coulter also shows how stereotypes are subverted as a parent who does not care for her daughter

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

all the races in the series are either shown as weak or strong which subverts typical stereotypes

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 series is both the same and different as Wills world seems to be very much like ours but then when he comes through the portal it can be seen that there are untypical things such as witches and daemons