Black Mirror - Audiences and the Cult of
Charlie Brooker

Niche audiences are being targeted by Charlie Brooker

Auteur theory - films are either creating by 'meter en scene' (or a 'hack') and a 'mise en scene' or 'director'

• the director is viewed as the major creative force in a motion picture

Charlie Brooker is media literate

• was inspired by The Young Ones on BBC
• this is explained here
• he is very nihilistic - believes everything is meaningless
• he uses clever concepts
• often lorded for being very predictive - clairvoyant?
• very sweary - very british?
• uses cynical comedy
• quite often self-critical

Henry Jenkins - fandom and participatory culture

• fandom refers to a particularly organised and motivated audience of a certain media producer franchise
• must be participatory
• unlike generic audiences, fans are active participants in the construction and circulation of textual meanings
• may make fan art, buy merchandise