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

Explore this statement with reference to Les Revenants

I believe it is essential for TV programme to simultaneously target both mass and specialised audiences as the result of this feature a successful opinion from any consumer. The French 'horror' Les Revenants, however, only achieves a specialised audiences with only elements of mass audiences and therefore has cult following making it specifically a cult show much like TV shows such as Game Of Thrones or Breaking Bad.

During the pilot episode of Les Revenants,  Simon returns to his wife Adele who is convinced he is dead. Like many other scenes in the episode, mixed responses will be given by consumers. This relates to Stuart Hall's theory of reception particularly in the point that there are millions of possible responses and reactions to this TV show based on factors such as culture, ethnicity and upbringing etc. It also examples how the producer is generating a more specialised audience due to multiple and conflicting responses. The preferred and Intellectual reading of this scene specifically could be entertained by the interesting aspect of a young relationship in a bizarre and scary situation. This is presented in the typical genre conventions of the scene with the intense and deep background music by Mogwai and the conventional close up mirror shot with Simon looking through the window behind Adele. The mise-en-scene is dark with low key natural lighting forming a terrifying atmosphere. Preferred consumers will embraces the binary opposition of Simon wearing black to symbolise death and Adele wearing her white wedding dress which isn't only a symbolic code of marriage but also of life.

Oppositional readers will emotionally hate this TV show and scene in particular as it maybe traumatising to some by the producer tackling the controversial stereotype of a controlling husband.

This can been shown in the statistics of the show's social media with only 5 thousand Twitter followers and around 720 Reddit subscribers. The unpopularity of its interactive centres can prove its size of audience but it could also be argued that the TV programme features a more mass audience with less enthusiasm rather than a cult audience due to small amount of people interacting and discussing the show. The show is owned by the French TV company Canal+. Like channel 4, Canal+ liked to branch out their products to consumers internationally. Les Revenants was sold worldwide and subtitled to cater all countries. It also brought more cult following from the soundtrack being composed by the Glaswegian band 'Mogwai', meaning pre existing fans of the band will most likely watch the show. Although overall, i believe Les Revenants didn't fully accomplish mass and specialised audiences simultaneously, it's clear the producers were attempting to achieve this which justifies the essentiality of this in order to construct a successful TV show.


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