Les Revenants exam question

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

Explore this statement with reference to Les Revenants

Knee jerk reaction: Yes! Les Revenants expertly targets both 'casual' and 'devoted' audiences, by providing the audience with a range of polysemic readings

Key theory: Stuart Hall's reception theory

MICHAEL'S TOP TIP - how useful is this theory really? Does Les Revenants even have a preferred reading? Surely it lacks one, instead focusing on confusing the audience as much as possible with a range of hermeneutic codes and complex use of intertextuality?

Do TV shows target mass audiences anymore? There is more of a diverse variety of TV nowadays so they don't need to target a mass audience.

Channel 4 started in 1982, until fairly recently we havent had that many channels but now we do, there are so many different shows.

Moved from broadcasting to narrowcasting, the introduction of streaming (nothing to do with TV used through the internet) 

Les Revenants is targeting an International audience.

Reception- how the audience see and process a product.

Used to be assumed that an audience member was a zombie like consumer and didn't interact with the media product. 

7 billion people meaning 7 billion different responses to a media product.

Preferred reading- The audience agrees with the producers ideology.

Oppositional reading- The audience disagrees with the producers ideology.

Negotiated reading- The audience is actively engaging with the media product.

Something wrong with all the theories is that they are bias. 

The Negotiation Matrix- Key scenes of Les Revenants

• As an audience member you may be confused as to why Camille is back alive as in the previous scene she is shown to die with the rest of her class. 
• Producers prefer the audience to be active as they will end up talking about it, this will lead to viral media.

Some reactions

• 'What did i just watch, I thought she was dead'
• Close ups of Claire's face which is visibly upset, far too uncomfortable!
• Feeling sorry for Camille.
• Enjoyment at having genre conventions explored.
• This is nothing like the trailer.
• The reaction from the mother is strange.
• Enjoyment at Claire's response to Camille's return home.
• Subversion of character archetypes.
• Conforms to the Horror as a crane tracking shot.
• Montage into Camille coming home is really long and boring and lack of definitive action, Lack of fast paced editing.
• Clever how Claire was in Camille's room before she came home, could also be quite cliché.
• Excited at the many questions the show is asking. How did Camille survive? 
• Pleasure at Camille's character and her gobby nature.
• 'Wow Claire is hot'- reaction of middle class men.
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