cult tv

 cult tv 

• Brooklyn nine-nine 
• freaks and geeks
• doctor who 
• buffy the vampire slayer 

what makes it a cult show ?

les revenants- highly a typical tv program targeting a niche audience. 

supernatural drama genre

different to other zombie shows like waling dead 

breaks rules of mystery genre, presents many hermeneutic codes to audience, but doesn't answer questions 

niche and frustrating- appeal to small audience. small number of people who get it love it, wont stop talking about it

cult audience is small but dedicated audience

they defend it when criticised 

bring back cancelled shows- e.g. Brooklyn 99

through audience negotiation and active textual poaching, audiences can pick out the things taht they really like about it. 

they tend not tpo make much money 

advantages:

• comparatively cheap to make
• attract stable if small audience
• through word of mouth, they increase respect and regard for the producer (prestige programming)
• they often have a very long shelf life, and can be sold to audiences many years later

they become more mainstream, audiences have become more fragmented thanks to digital technologies and methods of distribution 

young audiences are less likely to watch live tv, feel dissatisfied at the broadcasting model of entertainment. increasingly, producers have taken to 'narrowcasting' and giving audiences more select and specific experiences. 

conclusion:

les revenants is better identified as a cult tv show rather than belonging to a particular genre. this is through the way it provides opportunities for a small audience 

what is audience?

a group of people who consume and use a media product 

• previously believed audiences was largely passive and would always side with the proffered reading of the producer 
• it is now believed the audience is active consumers of media products, and are able to negotiate a range of ideological perspectives. 

David Gauntlett

audiences are not passive and media products allow the audience to construct their own identities. audiences can pick and mix which ideologies suit them, and completely ignore the elements of the product which they do not agree with in a process of negotiation similar to the one suggested by Stuart hall.

les revenants use the show to construct their identity...

provides niche target audience many opportunities to construct their own identities- offering the audience opportunity to 'pick and mix' ideological perspectives. 

lacks a definitive preferred 

key scene analysis 

to what extent can the audience of les revenants use this show to construct their identity?

how does this scene position the audience 

how does it provide the audience with hermeneutic meaning 

• see everything the audience did not originally see
• at the start does not see the bus but hears the children scream, at the end follows the bus from the children's perspective but doesn't hear them scream 
• never answers how they got back to life or survived the crash/ fall 
• Camille and Lena's relationship is stereotypical siblings- its not fair 
• boy- first to suggest sex, cant be serious about his feeling 'just a bit' when suggesting love, stereotypical for male representation. 
• Lena- more caring, considering her sisters emotions, innocent virgin 
• sci-fi mystery music positions the audience to feel uncertain of the events about to unfold 
• dramatic irony, as the audience already know what's gonna happen, as Camille doesn't want to go on the trip the audience feels powerless as they already know what's gonna happen. 
• partial resolution- only understand half the story, still dont know how they got back to life