Representation Of A Crime Drama

Life on Mars 200 9 Representation of a Crime Drama ‘Life on Mars’ is a T.V drama detective series. The genre is displayed as a sci-fi or mystery. This is revealed as the rooms are dark, sinister and appear to have very little colour. In the initial opening minute of the 3rd episode it indicates within the clip that that the detective is unstable, this is a strong technique used to hook an audience. The character which we are introduced to is, Sam the main character within the series, he is portrayed as a male who is in his mid thirties and that of a white ethnicity. It is also apparent to the audience that he is disorientated and uncomfortable as he is introduced in the programme whilst conducting a long stern stare at himself in the mirror, seeming almost dazed. This creates the sense of pain and disgust which he feels; this allows the audience can relate to his character. The Mise en scene within the clip shows the time period of the series along with the characters personality and life style. The first room we see is a run-down bathroom with steamed up and smeared mirrors; this shows the lack of clarity in his mind and his smeared thoughts of confusion. The costume the character is shown in is a striped, brown shirt, un-tucked with his top button undone; this represents his laid back casual personality. Within the rooms which we automatically consider to be his home, are a small black and white television and an old radio along with green dull flowery wall paper which is ripped and peeling away this again shows his casual and unaware state of mind, the peeling wall paper may be understood as the peeling away of his life in the 21st century. There are many props which also help define the time period in which this drama is set, for example there are several dull-coloured lampshades within the room that have a tasselled edges, in addition covering the window of the living room is a white netted curtain which was very popular in this particular time period of

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Emma Brookbanks

Life on Mars 200 9 the 1970’s. Continuing the idea of props, there are many bottle which appear to be empty beer bottles placed around room. Furthermore in the living room there appears to be a single pull-out bed which he would sleep on, the fact that it is in the living room gives the audience the impression that is almost a squat, and that he doesn’t intend to stay long, also it indicates to the audience that he would be living alone as it what would stereotypically be considered to be how a single man would live, also you can also draw a conclusion that the character wouldn’t be considered as someone who is well-off due to the dark, dank and dirty conditions of the rooms we are shown. Sound is the initial aspect which you come across within the clip; this is the diegetic sound of the radio. A section of lyrics which was repeated in the song was “how can I be sure, because the world is changing”. This is strong representation of his situation and his state of mind. This shows us that everything within the drama is not what it seems and in regards to the character it shows us that he is unsure and is not coping with the change he has undergone. The radio begins to crackle and switches though stations in order to get a strong signal, this could represent his transition from the 21st century to the 1970’s, the crackling and searching for a station as he hears white noise and searches for recognition of where he is. This static noise from the searching radio also creates a menacing and ominous atmosphere which draws the audience’s focus to the scene. Also in the clip the radio and the television keep switching on and off alternatively this also could be seen as him ‘switching’ between the two time periods. However as they keep switching it appears that the television and the radio are having a conversation, he hears the doctor back in the 21th century with his body saying Sam may not survive he also hears his enemy as they talk to each other, Sam falls to his knees, shouting at the television, showing his

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Emma Brookbanks

Life on Mars 200 9 unstable self. Non-diegetic music commences as he talks to the furnishings showing his increasing adrenaline as he sets into panic, the tempo turning into a crescendo making the audience feel more and more suspense then the music and Sam screaming at the television come to an abrupt halt, with a knock as his door. The knock at the door snaps the attention of the viewers bringing them back to reality. Sound captures the audience’s minds and enables them to relate and discover the plot of the drama. Lighting within the clip is scarce; this creates a general dark and dull atmosphere within the character’s home. The lighting is very low and saturated with a sickly yellow tint; this dull lighting provides the shot with a sense of danger and creates anticipation within the audience. As the camera tracks the character into the living room the main source of light is from the window covered with a netted curtain, this makes the light very bright as it seeps through the white fabric of the curtains. By the room filling with the strong natural light, you see the rays which create an atmosphere of threatening and eerie unwillingness making the audience feel uncomfortable as the engage into the scene. Camera shots are an essential feature to a production as they are a technique to produce tension and suspense. Many different types of camera shots and angles are used within a scene of a drama, within the clip of ‘Life on mars’ we are presented with a variety of camera shots. The opening sequence of the clip is produced by a panning shot which commences at the top of the screen, where we are presented with the vital character’s reflection in a mirror; at this point we see half light across his face, one light and one dark side. The director has used half light and the characters reflection immediately captures the audience’s

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Emma Brookbanks

Life on Mars 200 9 attention, it could also be interrupted as a metaphor for the duplicity of his personality. This introduces us to the main character and sets the audience for the rest of the episode. Next there is a tracking shot as he moves from the bathroom to the lounge, this keeps the attention on the character and keeps the audience engaged avoiding them to lose interest. The use of a cross over is used as he looks at the radio, his face is blurred in the background as the diegetic sound comes from the radio, and this draws all awareness to the radio and what was being said. While this was happening the director used several reverse angle shots between Sam, the television and the radio, they began to speed up and change sharply this added tension as Sam began to panic and scream, this was is a strong technique used as it allows the audience to see the conversation between the radio and the television and the effects its having on Sam. As the tension of the conversation reaches it suspense limit and there is a knock on the door as the camera has a close up of Sam’s face with the door in the background. As the knock snaps the attention of the audience back to reality you can see Sam’s reaction as he is also brought back to reality but you can also see the door behind him making the audience wonder what is coming next, in addition creating tension. Editing is vital to being able to capture and inspire an audience, within the clip there is a particular section which is rich with editing techniques. Whilst the character moves into the living room the camera zooms in and tracking his movement to the new room, this allows the narrative to move along. He turns to look at the television, the camera cuts to a high angle shot to the television displaying the characters point of view, drawing the audiences focus on to another aspect of the clip again enabling the narrative to move along. As the television begins to talk to Sam the male character on the television slowly walks

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Emma Brookbanks

Life on Mars 200 9 closer to the screen making eye contact with Sam in unison the radio turns itself on and beings to enter dialogue with the T.V. The character in the T.V. continues to walk closer and closer to the screen until his face is out of focus and unreadable, this indicates that it may be another person talking through the male on the television, this creates tension within the audience and causes them to feel confused and intrigued as to what is happening. Several reverse angle shots have been used between the three points of dialogue, Sam, the T.V. and the radio, Sam’s reaction is confused and aggressive which is emphasised as the speed on the switching between the three increases from one to another, creating curiosity and bewilderedness of the audience. As the narrative moves and develops through the use of quick editing and the increase in aggression as Sam talks to the electrical props it generates disbelief within the audience. Sam falls to his knees as he begins to shout at the television this appears to the audience as though he is praying or pleading to the bearded man on the television. Representation of the sequence is that the character Sam is on his knees praying to Jesus, there is a common analogy that people relate bearded men with Jesus, this is emphasised with Sam appearing to pray. Another aspect within the sequence is that the television has been edited with a bright white light in the top right hand corner of the television; this again represents heaven which is often portrayed along side with God and Jesus. In conclusion, it is apparent that there are many techniques and methods used within a drama as representation. For example Mise en scene and how it can be used to represent a character’s personality or the time period in which the drama is set. Also sounds can be used as representation for example in the clip the song on the radio represented Sam’s state of mind and help the audience pick together what was going on. Representation in a crime drama is crucial as it

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Emma Brookbanks

Life on Mars 200 9 enables the audience to engage in the programme and begin to understand what is going on within the drama.

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Emma Brookbanks