VIdeo Games industry

Video Games: Assassin's Creed

• a repetitive and samey franchise 
• repetitive of generic elements eg. white and faded mise-en-scene
• iconography of the main (usually male) protagonist 
• stealth based action game- trailer indicates no changes (Steve Neal- repetision)  

• In this game (3) the protagonist is black female pirate (not the usual hooded male)
• allowing audience preferred reading of being excited by 'new' game
• based around the idea of liberating slaves- intersexuality of 'Django Unchained' and or '12 Years a Slave'

• conventions of action films and a strong film like narrative will appeal to mass audiences 
• realised through a variety of platforms (console, hand held and computer)
• initially realised on Playstation Vita, allows producers to make new realise using pre-existing assets 

HOW DOES IT TARGET A NICHE AUDIENCE?

• pre existing fans 
• "all new missions" all fans to have an incentive to buy this one 
• the protagonist whip is a unique selling point 

PEGI system is not legally binding 

The first game to ever get a BBFC rating was the 'Seventh Guest'

In the UK the regulation of Video games is both confusing and unreliable 

Digital technology has rendered regulation irrelevant

ASSASIN'S CREED

Target audience 

(rated 18) target around 15 year olds 

  

Recap on Basics

denotation = basic or surface meaning, what is it  

connotation = the deeper meaning, what does it mean 

media product references another media product = intersexuality 

Advertising works by making the audience feel slightly unsatisfied with what they have 

MEDIA LANAGUAGE!!!

eg. shot types

mise en scene

camera angles 

codes

Dark haired, fair skin woman- model 
red lips match background and bottle
serif font 
white, red black colour scheme- binary opposition
image of product
variety of text size
direct address- hermeneutic  
poster split in half- layout
lots of hair- mise-en-scene
red-setting
mid shot of model
hand outstretched- referential code for 5 
glossy hair- peroretic 

The word Paris suggests wealth and European, international style

The recognisable Loreal logo instantly shows the audience the worth of the product 

Full lips could connote Kylie Jenner as she is currently a popular iconic in the beauty industry 

Conforms to normal layouts of beauty products: image of product with model representing it 




mise-en-scene of the models pale skin combined with red lips could reference Vampire films like Twilight 

she is subverting stereotypical images of woman as she is not smiling and giving direct address to the audience 

Red lips could symbolise scandal and sex, combined with the lack of clothes gives the middle aged woman a sexy aspirational look

curvature of the bottle could symbolise womens body shapes 

Binary opposition of the red and white could be seen as scandal vs virginty 

Gold lettering on bottle suggests worth, value and pride     

30 min quick test

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

Explore this statement with reference to Les Revenants

PLAN:

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

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?

intro- agree, definition of mass audience 

p1- interetexuality of program referencing other 
scene: Adele sees simon in mirror- horror-romance ect

p2- talk about canal+ and the range of programs they promote, ideology of producer  
scene: Claire welcomes Camille home and has domestic with Perrie and Jerome- soap oper

p3- Mogwai have a cult audience 
scene: Victor following Julie home- synth rock slow tension build up crosendo 

CODES!!!!!

finish- conclusion, own viewpoint


I believe that for a tv programme such as Les revenants it is essesial that it targets both mass and speacilsed audiences as the producers main ideology is to provide the audience with polysemic readings, therefore this can only be achieved with a range of view points. By definition a cult audience is a devoted fan base intent on proving there love for a particular media product, commonly a tv seris. However for a successful program i think that it must reach out to multiple, casual audiences and not just devoyted fans.

The show is based on the 2004 French film 'They came Back' andprsents the sinaro of random dead coming back to life. Therefore most likely this forfills the zombie genre but it blatently subverts this as the 'dead' do not act like typical zombies. In an early scene when Camille returns home and greets her mother she acts perfectly normally for a 15 year old girl, rumerging about in the fridge and talking with her mouth full of sandwich. The abnormality of the situation is shown through the slow long shot of the mothers horrified face. This is further emphasised with the shot reverse shot cutting between Clare silent figure and camille chatting away. In this moment the grene of the program changes and becomes more soap like as it is insinuated that Cailre has had an affair or some sort of relatiohip with another man. This targets a whole separate audience meaning that from the very begging the programe is asserting it self as not a styreoyipvcal zombie film and setting itself up ]to tackel many family issues. 

Les Reveants is aired on the French premium channel Canal+. This is an example of a Hybrid Broadcast Braodband and shows a range of shows, both imported and bought or produced. Unlike other shows that have cult audiences the ideology of this show is not nessicarly explicitly clear and there does not seem to be a single main protagonist. Therfeore the audnice can pick and choose who they idetify with and who they agrree with. This negociasted style of reading allows the producer to target a wider age range and demographic of people. Stwaurt Halls argues that the audince will idetify and accept a veiwpoint wether that be the prefred reading and oe the prodcer had set out to achive or an oppositional reading. That being said in this case the binary oppositional themes of life and death, in conjuctuion with sex, domestic life and childhood cause the audince to have an extreme polysemic reading of the program. 

The general mise-en-scen of the show is middle class French town life. On the other hand the show seems to reference  




















  

Audiences readings- negotiation

HOW DOES THE TV INDUSTRY ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF MASS AND SPECIALISED AUDIENCES THROUGH TARGETING

The french regulatory body is CSA (Conseil Superirur De L'Audiovisuel)

Is it possible for a tv show to simultaneously target both mass and specialised audiences?

PNO- preferred negotiated oppositional 

David gauntlet pick and mix theory

Stewart Hall reception theory 

Simon and Lena walk to Adele's house

Scene promotes polysemic meanings 

Doe she show actually have a preferred reading???

-deliberately polysemic show 

Canal+

CANAL+

Canal+ makes premium channels 
subscription based

WIKI

Canal+ (Canal Plus, French pronunciation: ​[kanalˈplys], meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted. Unencrypted programming can be viewed free of charge on Canal+ and on satellite on Canal+ Clair (Clear).

Canal+ is a supporter of the Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) initiative, which promotes and establishes an open European standard for hybrid set-top boxes for the reception of broadcast TV and broadband multimedia applications with a single user interface.

Since November 2017, Canal+ began to expand their catalogue internationally through the international feed, Canal+ International.

'Les Revenants'

The EU has a funding programme, which called 'Creative Europe'. This allows for European TV shows to be able to get grants to support production and distribution and to allow them to be made. 'Les Revenants' in particular was awarded a grant for 450,000 euros for season 1 and 1 million euros for season 2.

Aired on Chanel 4 in Britian at 9pm
9pm on Sundance Channel in America
8:50pm on Canal+

Canal +

Canal+ is a premium TV channel that needs to be paid for on a subscription payment.

Canal+ is owned by Vivendi SA

Vivendi SA is a French mass media conglomerate headquartered in Paris. The company has activities in music, television, film, video games, telecommunications, tickets and video hosting service.

Subsidaries of Vivendi:

• Canal+ Group
• Universal Music Group
• Flavorus[4]
• Gameloft[5]
• Dailymotion (90%)
• Mediaset (28.80%)
• Banijay Group (28.4%)
• Havas
• Telecom Italia (23.94%)[6]

Canal+ Group 

- Owns many different cable (pay) television channels showing TV shows, documentaries, films, animation etc.

- is involved in the production and financing of films and has even created its own subsidiary                companies with direct involvement in film production.

CANAL+ exported shows 

Versailles
American Dreams
Le Grand Journal
The Tunnel
The Bureau
Spiral
Borgia
Les Revenants
Braquo

Canal+ imported shows

Teletubbies, Vampire Diaries, Game of Thrones, The Tunnel, Tom and Jerry Show, Family Guy...

Mogwai

MOGWAI:

Scottish band that does the music for Les Revenants

Post Rock, instrumental genre

own there own label called 'Rock Action'

subversive of the rick genre 

very loud and heavy 

Why did the producers of the show select a Glaswegian soundtrack?

• the music is slow, repetitive, echoey and mood driven 
• allows the producer to focus on the narrative rather than 
• cheaper than other artists 
• allows show to target pre existing as well as international audiences 

EXAMPLE OF SYNERGY- when two media industries work well togthere 

eg. Scottish post rock music plus french supernatural tv drama 

TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bv_5IBPVuo

trailer reveals far more than the actual tv show, is quick, dramatic and serves an extra diegetic purpose (beyond the narrative) 

supernatural romance vibes from the promotional imagery 

representation in Les Revenants

REPRESENTATION- how the producers portrays a group of people, single person, place, country extra....

Representation is a construction by the producer to get across there ideology of eg. gay, welsh, famous people

Representations construct reality 

the stereotypes come from the media, reinforced every single day 

Representation is the study of...

1.     The group, place or issue on which a media product is focusing.

2.     The media language the media product uses in order to present these groups or issues.

3.     The ideological perspective about the group or issue being created within the product.

4.     The impact of this ideological perspective on the target audience.

(Horror the genre is very unpopular in France)

• Camille represents middle class french teenage girl (15)
• long auburn hair, no makeup, European young style of dress 
• Costumes suggests purity and youth as it is conservative, virginal
• pale complex symbolise hardworking
• complex representation- innocent but confident 
• impact on the target audience being allowing them to negotiate there own reading of her

• Simon presents young, groomed men (20s)
• typically tall dark and handsome 
• tussled, longish hair

• Claire represents a modern french mother
• middle aged women (early 40s)
• very simple style of dress, chic and stylish
• minimal to non makeup with tousled casual looking mid length hair 
• stereotypical representation of European mothers 

A promotional image for the show

range of ages

different occupations 

presented in a rural setting 

subtel zombie genre conventions -hored- neutral expressions- pale

All white cast- ethnically homogenous 

representation of french rural life/community 

One allegorical aspect is the relationship between a community 

Another is the dealing with greif and how people cope with loss

In a typically zombie film the focus is on survival but within this it is the opposite about coming to terms with normality again 

Abjection- idea of two things being together that shouldn't 

DOES MEDIA NUMB THE IDEA OF DEATH?

Exam structure- Les Revenants

Exam structure- Les Revenants

Start with an argument

• definition 
• argument
• context
• point
• evidence 

Define key terms 

INTRO- DAC 

PARAGRAPHS- PEA

evidence comes from the product eg. key scenes 

stick to the same argument over and over again....

GOOD TERMS:

Negotiation- the way the audience read and respond to the product 

Polysemy- interpreted to have multiple meanings 

Hegemony- the stereotypical conventions, the rules we all follow 

Ideology- the views and beliefs of the producer encoded in the product

Intersexuality- when one media text references another 

"In the 21st century it is essential for TV shows to offer multiple meanings" 

evaluate this claim with references to Les Revenants 

• to reach a large and diverse audience 
• to bring in a devoted audience- cult audience

KEY SCENE- Camille comes home 

sound that does not go with the visuals- contrapuntal 

colour grading- post production to make the visuals 

MOGWAI- Glaswegian rock band, made the music for Les Revenants

Yes, polysemy is an absolute essential concept

The non-diegetic soundtrack establishes a creepy and oppressive atmosphere 

The range of close up shots emphasis the mix of confusion and shock of the mother

Shot reverse shot presented hightens the tension with the contrast of the characters 

A binary opposition is established creating conflicted responses for the audience  

As the mother climbs up the stairs this scene deliberately forces the audience into a negotiated reading of did she imagen Camille, this is further reinforced with Mogwais music

Presents a confusing and potentially polysemic narrative intended for a cult audience 

The family home is familiar to Camille and the target middle class audience however a binary opposition is established though Camilles comftable behaviour in contrast to the mothers terror

Low key lighting is paradigmatic of a horror genre 

The mothers thoughts and feelings are not made explicit to the audience forcesing them to make there own response 

The post production colour grading favours muted colours, which symbolise depression and the horrific nature of Camille return 

Key theme of the show is mortality and the inevitability of death

Existentialist philosophy 

Les Revenants genre

Les Revenants Genre:

The Returned (French: Les Revenants) is a French supernatural drama television series created by Fabrice Gobert, based on the 2004 French film They Came Back (Les Revenants), directed by Robin Campillo. The series debuted on 26 November 2012 on Canal+ and completed its first season, consisting of eight episodes, on 17 December. In 2013, the first season won an International Emmy for Best Drama Series.^[1]

The second season, also comprising eight episodes, premiered on 28 September 2015 on Canal+.^[2][3] It premiered in the UK on 16 October 2015 on More4,^[4] and in the US on 31 October 2015 on SundanceTV.^[5]

FRENCH SUPERNATURAL DRAMA TV SERIS 

Alive vs dead- binary opposition 

pleonastic- when one sound is exaggerated 

Classic example of Genre Hybridity

DEBED NOVEMBER 2012 IN FRANCE

on Canal+ (French BBC)

Canal Produced 'I, Daniel Blake'

Broadcast in the UK on channel 4 

Channel 4 acts as the distributor

International distributor in Universal  

Based on the French film 'They came Back'

HORROR- people coming back from the dead

SUPERNATURAL- could be seen as ghosts rather than zombies 

DRAMA- slow paced family drama, soap opera aspect 

AVANT-GARDE- experimental in showing 

ZOMBIE- not a typical way of portraying zombies 

FRENCH- set in a typical French setting

Cult TV Show

questions are asked 

there is a fan base 

restricted narration- dialogue of one character

omniscient narrator- audience know everything, third person reading   

STEVE NEALE- theories around genre 

Camille's outfit is Atypical of a zombie genre, she is clean and tidy

Typical reaction from Adel to Simon to seeing her dead lover

The creepy, tension filled, keyboard heavy music is typical of a horror film

WHAT MAKES A ZOMBIE FILM- mise-en-scene

• wooden barricades
• old fashioned house 
• slow movement of zombies
• hoarding 
• moaning and groaning

Textual poaching

Textual poaching 

Theory 18) Fandom- Henry Jenkins 

-fandom refers to a particularly organised and motivated audience
-unlike the genetic audience or classic Spector, fans are active participants in the construction and circulation of textual meaning
-may dress up and attend conventions, read material on franchise, buy the merch and altogether be devoted to the media