Humans and Le Revenauts question 1

Question: 30 marks 

Liesbet Van-Zoonen argues that media language encodes that male and female characters act in media products

Explore how representations positions the audiences in Humans and Le Revenas 

Knee jerk reaction:

Liesbet Van-zoonen's argument is an excellent way of exploring how gender in encoded in both Humans and Les Revenants. Not only does she argue that female characters are primarily situated in media products to appeal to a heterosexual audience, she also infers that men and women are constructed in completely different ways by the producer. Through this the ideological perspective of the producer can be decoded by the audience.

consumerism

objectification

sexism 

Introduction:

I shall argue that humans and Le Revenaunt use complicated and subversive represenation of women in order to position their audince in often uncomftable sinarios. Humans is a sci-fi TV show first broadcast in the UK in 2015 on Channel 4. It is an adaptation of the Swedish show Real Humans, although a number of changes were made in order to make the show appeal to a Uk market. Le Revenants is a French horror/thriller TV show set in a small village in the French Alpes. It relied on Funding from the European Union and has been succesful with its niche/cult audience.

Women

comparison between Matty and Lena

Semiotic codes

Venerability 

encoding of voyerism and scopophila 

mise-en-scene

hyperreality 

simulacrum (representation of something that has never existed) 

Example A) the breakfast scene

"This is what breakfast is meant to be like" said by dad Joe 

Anita adopts the role of both a maid and a mother. She is objectified by Matty when she compares her to a dish washer and calls her a slave. On the other hand Joe tries to impress Anita with his jokes. Laura is drawn into competion while Anita cleans around her implying dominace and materialness. 

Intradiegetic gaze: diffrent characters look at Anita in diffrent ways 

Prefferd reading is to see Anita as a compelling, interesting character 

Allegorical

Metaphorical 

The show in broad is about the representation of women in society 

Explores issues of consent, moral and conciseness 

Example B) Camilles return 

mothers reaction in complicated and nuanced. Initally she takes an atypical 'cold' reaction, before running to the bathroom and crying is a hysterical and stereotypical manner. Camilles attitude is stereotypically argumentative and slightly disrespectful conforming to more accurate representations of teenage girls.

non-diagetic music