C2 TV

Tuesday 07th January 2024

Do now

1) 2

2) 1 hour 30 mins

3) genre- a type of media form that involves a specific set of characteristics

4) older older people interested in farming older middle class housewives

5) to inform, educate and entertain

TV drama 

L.O: to explore the content and format of the unit

component 2: 'understanding media forms and products'

- written examination: 1 hour 30 minutes

- 60 marks

Crime drama

genre- something that involves a specific set of characteristics.

sub genre- where a larger genre is divided into smaller sub genres, each with their own set of conventions.

hybrid genre- media texts that incorporate elements of more than one genre and are therefore more difficult to classify.

The responder, Happy valley, Line of duty  ( episode 1 season 1)

narrative:

- all have some sort of violence within the crimes

- crimes build with suspense

- all starts with them trying to stop a crime from happening

settings:

- city 

- low key lighting

- police offices

- always have arial views of police cars in action

characters:

- a policeman 

- gunmen

mise-en-scene:

- suspenseful

- audience positioned to be on police's side.

Typical codes and conventions of a TV crime drama:

- an inciting crime

- a speech in praise of the villain

- discovering and understanding the antagonists aims

- progressively complicated following of the clues

- exposure of the criminal

- often arguments between the police officers or investigators when things become difficult or complicated.

- dark settings

- usually set in suburban areas like cities or large towns 

- quite often involves weapons like guns and knives

- exposure of the criminal

- protagonist is usually the main police officer

- antagonist is usually the criminal 

- handful of suspects with their own motives which makes us wonder who the criminal is

- narrative ark

- also have minor narratives and storylines

- typical characters like villain, hero, sidekick , dispatcher etc

- diegetic sound

impact of these conventions:

These codes and conventions give the audience a clear view on what is happening, for example, the police cars driving around with diegetic sounds suggests that there is a crime that the police officers need to sort out immediately. Also, the suspense with every crime makes the audience wonder who the criminal is. 

Friday 10th January 2025

Do now

1) hybrid gene- media texts that incorporate elements of more than one genre and are therefore more difficult to classify.

2) Luther and The Sweeney is the crime dramas we will study

3) discovering and understanding the antagonists aims

4) protagonist is usually the main police officer

5) suspense

TV industry 

L.O: to explore the television industry and audiences

- developments in technology have allowed audiences access to many more digital channels and online streaming.

- this means audiences can watch what they want, on whatever device they want.

- some TV programmes today achieve the status of event television and gain massive audiences.

- digital technology has changed how we produce and circulate TV programmes, as well as how we consume them.

- the wide variety means audiences are spread more thinly than in the past.

- audience loyalty to a particular channel has decreased.

Watershed- the time of day after which programming with content deemed suitable only for mature or adult audiences is permitted.

Peak time- shown at a time when the highest numbers of viewers are watching.

Prime time- the most active and engaged time of the day, the time when people are most on their devices.

- public service broadcasting: "high quality content, made for as wide a range of audiences as possible, and for public benefit rather than purely commercial ends".

- the BBC = PSB (funded by license fee) 

- ITV, C4 and C5 = commercial public broadcaster ( funded mainly through advertising), available to all who pay the license fee.

- all catch up meet PSB requirements but BBC has the strictest.

- OFCOM regulates TV, including on demand and catch up services, through the broadcasting show.

- a public service broadcaster founded in 1922 that is funded by the license fee, paid by all UK households with a TV. The BBC/GOV earn £3.8 billion from the license fee.

- the BBC mission is to act in the public interest. To inform, educate and entertain.

- BBC America is an American pay television network that is jointly owned by BBC studios.

- before catch up services, audiences could only watch a TV programme at the time it was broadcast and would have to wait for the next episode to see how the narrative developed.

- modern audiences have more flexibility and greater choice in their TV consumption.

- a second screen is when you have the TV on but are on a different device at the same time.

Tuesday 14th January 2025

Do now

1) a crime drama narrative is based around 

2) Luther and The Sweeney 

3) an inciting crime

4) dark settings

5) suspense 

The Sweeney

L.O: to explore the context of the set text.

The Sweeney (1970s)

- produced by Euston films; film production division of Thames television

- Thames television held the ITV broadcast license for the London area in the 70s and 80s

- Euston films produced a range of TV dramas in the 70s and 80s

- The programme filmed a lot of the scenes in West London 

- The programme used new techniques that have influenced the way TV dramas are today 

- broadcast at 9pm on weekday evenings on ITV 

- the show ran between 1975-1978

- the narrative was structured into three sections around the two ad breaks

- obvious differences are: fashion, haircuts, cars, houses etc.

- the episode starts with the build up to the crime (Brooker takes the delivery of the guns), but the main crime doesn't occur until much later in the episode

- the episode ends with closure: the crime is prevented; the main criminal is dead, Regan can relax with his girlfriend

Historical context: 

- the Sweeney was seen as groundbreaking in the 1970s

- earlier crime drama included far less violence and. provide a reassurance that society was safe, and aw was being upheld

- the Sweeney includes elements of the police procedural sub genre, but also codes from the action genre to create more dynamic and exciting experience

- the Sweeney was based on the real 'flying squad', a division of the metropolitan police that dealt with serious and violent crimes. They achieved many successes but were also involved in a corruption case in the 70s

- socially and politically, the 70s was a period of upheaval economic problems 

Notes from The Sweeney:

- mise en scene: police wearing suits connotes intelligence and importance

- the clothing suggests that this was made in the 70s

- mainly male main characters

- the ethnicity of the characters are predominantly white

- all the women in the episodes are either girlfriend, wives or mothers and if they have jobs they either stewardess, cleaner or work in a shop 

- women represented as weak and a 'damsel in distress' however they are shown s intelligent even though they were given stereotypical roles

- showing a rolls royce for connotations of wealth 

- music changes to match the action

Friday 17th January 2025

Do now

1) West London

2) 9pm weekdays

3) the time of day where the mature shows would go on tv

4) the new cameras that made the action look better

5) Regan and Carter

Luther

L.O: to explore the context of the set episode

Key things about Luther:

- first series was aired at 9pm on Tuesday 4th May 2010

- produced by the BBC 

- written by Neil Cross who had previously written crime dramas like spooks

- it was then also available on I-player (catchup)

- there have been 5 series and a Netflix film to date

- one of the many crime dramas that takes its title from the main protagonist, implying that the main detective will be strong

Homework

• How does scheduling impact TV crime drama and TV audiences? Use these terms: Watershed, Peak Time, Prime Time, Binge Watching, Video on Demand

Scheduling impacts these different factors as it means only certain audiences who may want to watch them know when to watch them so that the broadcaster also earns the most money achievable.

• Why might audience responses to crime dramas change over time? 

Audience responses to crime may change over time as the crime plots change the suspicions and guesses to what happens next may change. For example the narrative of the crime changing will mean the audience opinions will also change.

• How do production processes influence crime dramas

Production processes influence crime drama by making them a certain setting to match the setting of the narrative.

• Explain how crime dramas are aimed at a range of audiences. Refer to examples you have studied to support your points. 

Crime drama is aimed at a range of audiences as they include different dramas that different audiences enjoy watching. For example, in Luther instead of being just focused on the crime issue it also includes some corruption as well as relations hip issues which different audiences may relate to and want to watch.

Tuesday 21st January 2025

Do now

1) John

2) the BBC

3) 9pm on Tuesday 4th May 2010

4) crime sub genres in Luther- mystery detective, phycological thriller

5) crime drama conventions used in Luther- murder, use os guns, low key lighting, urban settings, intense non diegetic music, realism, detective/police.

Luther:  characters

L.O: to explore the characters of the set text.

Propp's character functions

- Vladimir Propp 

- a folklorist researcher

- looked at old folk stories and found out more about their characters and stories

- he found out that all stories have the same type of character

1) The Hero- leads the narrative, usually looking or trying to solve something 

2) Villain- has a conflict with the hero wants to try and stop them from succeeding

3) The donor- gives the hero something, a clue, a special power etc

4) The princess- normally a prize or reward for the hero

5) The helper- helps the hero complete the quest, often the sidekick for the hero

6) The princess 's father- don't have to be related to the princess, character that often offers the princess as the reward to the hero

7) The false hero- false hero takes the hero's actions and tries to marry the princess, may appear heroic at the start of the story

8) Dispatcher- early role that sets the story in motion, often combines with roles like the donor and the princess's father

hero- John Luther

villain- Alice Morgan, Henry Madsen

the donor- Ian Reed, Rose Teller

the princess- Zoe Luther

the helper- Justin Ripley

the princess's father- Rose Teller

the false hero- Mark North 

dispatcher- Ian Reed, Rose Teller

The villains are Alice Morgan and Henry Madsen. This is because they are both committing crimes and hurting others. Also they both fit the criteria for the villain as they both have conflicts with the hero (John Luther) however, you could argue that they are not because neither of them want what the hero is looking for.

The helper is Justin Ripley, because he works for the hero (John Luther) and helps him try to solve crimes. He also acts like the hero's sidekick, but you could argue that he could also be a donor as he helps find out things about the crime for Luther.

The princess can be seen as Zoe Luther, this is because she is the prize that the hero is trying to claim and is struggling to due to the false hero. Another reason that she is seen as the princess is because the villain is trying to stop the hero from getting to her.

John Luther

Alice Morgan

Zoe Luther

Henry Madsen

Mark North

Rose Teller

Ian Reed

Justin Ripley

Friday 24th January 2024

Do now

1) 8

2) false hero, the donor, dispatcher

3) he doesn't have the typical quest objective and does't do stereotypical 'hero' things he has obvious flaws and weaknesses

4) gives the hero something, a clue, a special power etc

5) Justin Ripley

Luther: Genre and narrative 

Genre- C

Sub genre- A

hybrid genre- D

codes and conventions- B

Theory: Steve Neale

Genre- repetition and difference

- genres are dominated by the repetition of codes and conventions; they have a 'system of expectations' (the things that audiences expect to be included) 

- genres change change, develop and vary over time

- genres borrow from and overlap with one another; this creates a hybrid e.g: crime-thriller

- each programme must offer something new or provide something new or provide something which makes it different to the others in that genre. This is known as a USP (unique selling point)

- Luther contains many familiar elements of. crime drama but it also shows development in the genre when compared to The Sweeney

- conventions from the thriller genre in the visual and audio codes; low-key lighting, intense non-diegetic music and dramatic cross cutting

- elements of the police procedural, but with an increased focus on psychology

- references to the horror genre; graphic shots, jump scares

- the characters are more complex and developed especially female roles

- real life developments in forensics are reflected in the show

- filming styles are very different (technology)- multiple angles and quick shots

Stock characters- these are typical characters you would find in particular genres; a convention of crime drama

The Maverick detective- brilliant detectives, able to solve most crimes and understand clues that nobody else can, not afraid to break the rules if it means caching the criminal, often 'damaged' individuals who struggle to hold together their personal lives

Luther being a Maverick detective: solved the Alice Morgan crime just in one interview with her, broke into Alice Morgan's house to get crime evidence, seen as damaged when he destroys a door after his ex wife tells him she's with some one.

The psychopathic killer- deceitful character that pretend to be 'normal', capable of horrific crimes, enjoy playing mind games with detectives

Alice Morgan being a psychopathic killer: in the interview pretending to be distraught and shocked, killed her parents sand he dogs, messing wit Luther's head and trying to kill hid ex wife.

The Femme Fatale- a mysterious and dangerous female character, uses her sexuality to exert power over male characters, a character more often seen in film noir.

backstory- the pre life sequence explains the previous case explaining why Luther is in a mental ward, Madsen is shown at the start and the end to show how he is a threat to Luther

inverted narrative- we know who the murderer is and that Luther will catch her but he can't

crime- the murder of Alice's parents we know she did it and we know that Luther knows but can't prove it

narrative strands- none of John's problems are solved at the end

Tuesday 28th January 2025

Do now

1) and difference codes and conventions

2) USP- unique selling point

3) Maverick detective

4) stock character- typical characters you would expect to find in particular genres

5) psychopathic killer and femme fatale

Luther: representation

L.O: to explore the representations constructed in the set text

representation- the way in which people, places, issues and events are portrayed in the media. 

1. is the representation negative or positive?

2. are there aspects which conform to traditional stereotypes in that area?

3. are there aspects which challenge the traditional stereotypes?

4. what evidence can I use to support my case?

Representation of John Luther:

- He has been represented as a very proactive and bold person, as well as being good with psychology

- His character is conformed with masculine stereotypes as he is quite often seen as aggressive and quite ' male dominant'

- He is ambiguous and does not follow the rules of being a policeman

- He is assertive, wears a suit, physical strength

- He goes against masculine stereotypes as he is not emotionally strong

- An interesting representation of a black male in the 21st century

- A successful senior police officer with a brilliant mind for solving crimes

- highly committed to his job; almost obsessive

- highly regarded by his fellow officers

- complicated character who experiences passion and reacts with anger

- challenges male stereotypes as well as conforms with them

hegemonic masculinity-   in Western society, the dominant form of masculinity or the cultural idea of manhood was primarily reflective of white, heterosexual, largely middle-class males.

The ideals of manhood adopted by the dominant masculinity suggested a number of characteristics that men are encouraged to be or use

These characteristics include: violence, aggression, emotional restraint (stoicism), courage, athleticism, risk taking, adventure, thrill seeking, competitiveness, achievement and success.

In the opening scene Luther is represented as:

- athletic

- violent

- risk taking

- competitiveness 

- aggression

- achievement

In the revealing scene with Alice Morgan Luther is represented as:

- stoicism 

- tough

- courage

- violence

- thrill seeking

When Luther visits Zoe at home he is represented as:

- emotional

How women have been represented in Luther: 

- confident

- ruthless

- intelligent

- successful

Friday 31st January 2025

Do now

1) hegemonic masculinity

2) stoicism, aggression, risk taking

3) how people, places, issues and events are shown in the media. 

4) shots of him being alone with empty space behind him often framed with a lot of empty space

5) first black detective

Luther: representation

L.O: to explore the representations constructed in the set text

Explain how Luther is a representation of hegemonic masculinity:

In the programme Luther, the eponymous hero 'Luther' is a representation of hegemonic masculinity. We can see this in the opening scene when he letting Henry Madsen hang from a very high place in the warehouse. Whilst letting Henry Madsen hang we are able to see Luther fit the characterisation of risk taking because he could lose Henry and not find out where the girl is. Another characterisation in this scene that he fits is aggression as he is shouting and allowing Henry to fall and nearly die. Similarly, in the scene where Alice chases Luther out to the bridge with the knife after he stole her earn containing evidence we can see Luther show more characterisations of hegemonic masculinity. For example, competitiveness as he wants to try and beat her in the psychological mind game that they are playing. Another characterisation that he fit sin this scene is courage as he is being held at knife point and is not backing off or fighting. her. Differently, he does not fir the characterisation of stoicism when he gets angry at his ex wife Zoe for cheating on him.

Zoe Luther: unconventional character

- has a good stable career

- intelligent

- smart

- not afraid to break up with Luther

- still needed Luther when it came to Alice trying to attack her 

- still has some stereotypical traits of feminine women

Rose Teller: modern women

- believes Luther, stands up for him

- a boss in a stereotypical male dominant career

- women of authority

- works hard and follows the rules

- mentions a family and a kid which suggests she is a working mother

- she has a more masculine look, formal attire, short hair, no makeup

- dresses more masculine to show her authority

How far are the characters of Luther typical of the genre? [12 marks]

Homework 

Explain how ‘Luther’ supports Neale’s genre theory?

Luther supports Neale’s genre theory in many ways. One of those ways being how Luther himself supports many stereotypical conventions of being a detective, being very intelligent and good with psychological games. However he also doesn’t as he is the first black detective to appear on  crime drama. Luther supports Neale’s genre theory again with the fact that there is a many protagonist (Alice Morgan) who is trying to trick Luther and is playing mind games with him after she committed a crime.

Tuesday 04th February 2025

Do now

1) Alice Morgan

2) violent, stoicism, risk taking

3) stoicism

4) Alice Morgan

5) eponymous- when something or someone is named after something or some one else

Industry and audience

L.O: to explore industry and audience response in two set texts

Luther: Production

- produced by the BBC

- shown on BBC1; corporations primary channel. It offers a range of programme types and aims to appeal to a wider audience

- BBC1 remit; to create a high proportion of original programmes and to reflect the diversity of the UK

- 2016-2017, BBC1 aimed to 'exhibit some or all of the following: high-quality, original , challenging, innovative and engaging, and it should nurture UK talent 

Important features of BBC drama include:

- talk ability

- topicality and relevance to audiences

- Britishness and reflecting the diversity of life in the Britain

The element of this that we can see in Luther is- Britishness, gets people talking, engaging.

Luther: distribution and scheduling

- series one was broadcast in May 2010 (BBC1, 9pm, Tuesdays)

- also available on BBC I player (catch up)

- in 2012 following the success of the first two series BBC America, started co owning

- Luther broadcast on BBC America which is co owned by the BBC studios

-  Also now broadcasting in parts of Europe, Asia and Africa as well as America

Luther: audience appeal

- the marketing series one was important in reaching a range of audiences

- a trailer was released on 16th August 2010 on BBC's YouTube channel

- Idris Elba is a popular actor

- a longer preview was shown at the end of April showing the scene where Luther and Ripley meet

- behind the scenes footage was also released

- an ' inside look' video was produced for BBC America when launched in the US

- meet the characters page

- episodes

- clips from key moments

- 'graphic novelles' page

- information on what is coming up next in the series

- access to social medias

- interviews

- behind the scenes footage

Programme appeals: 

- genre: crime drama is popular and it includes familiar conventions, along with interesting hybridisation and unconventional elements.

examples- main character having flaws, female villain

- star appeal: Idris Elba is well known an popular with men and woman, also potentially aspiring

examples- known in other movies and maybe has many fans

- narrative: the Morgan murders and the ongoing Madsen cases are engaging and appealing to different audiences

examples- different genders have different antagonists to be engaged by

- representation: the range of complex male and female characters appeal to different audiences; either to identify with or be intrigued by 

examples- 

Audience responses: Luther

- first episode received mixed reviews, but many positive results

- the complex features could generate both positive and negative views

- might admire Luther's crime solving skills but not his methods

- might respond positively to Alice being intelligent and a psychopath but not to the femme fatale side of her.

Sweeney:

- characters from series one were appealing audiences could relate to them

- police officers were shown as flawed human, although they still caught criminals

- modern audiences like the retro feel to it

- the Sweeney was successful had over 19 million viewers per episode

- developed 2 spin off films as well as DVDs

- available on prime

- re runs of the show

- made nostalgia for older watchers

- ITV hub and catch up

- influenced lots of other crime dramas

Friday 07th February 2025

Do now

1) diversity of life in Britain, talk ability high-quality, engaging

2) BBC America

3) trailers, sneak peaks, behind the scenes

4) star appeal, narrative

5) lack of gender and ethnic diversity

context

L.O: to explore the context and its impact in the two set texts

Viewing conditions:

- one of the biggest changes in how we watch tv is streaming

- when the Sweeney was on television, there was no way to pause or re watch an episode, you had to be there when it was on

- programmes would be shown once a week at the same time

- because of the long gap in between the episodes, they contained closed narratives, where all the elements of the story were wrapped up by the end of the episode

- this mean the audience didn't have to remember what had happened in the previous episode the previous week, this also mean they wouldn't miss a chunk if they miss an episode

Contemporary viewing conditions:

- modern services such as BBC I-player, where Luther is shown, allow audiences to watch on demand

- this has changed how we watch tv we can now binge watch

- smart phones, laptops and tablets have further engaged and allowed this

- this has now led to open narratives in crime drama, where parts of the story unfold over different episodes and series

- this allows for more complex story telling and character developments

- contemporary audiences can also be relied on for having a better understanding of the programme

Historical context (1970s):

- less gender equality, reflected the structure in the police force

*only woman in the police force shown on the Sweeney was given a small role of babysitting, no diversity 

- Britain was becoming more racially diverse and multicultural, but racial discrimination was still high 

and minority ethnic groups were under represented

*no diversity all white males on The Sweeney

- the Sweeney was based on a real police group who were involved in a corrupted scandal

*based on a police group (flying squad) that threatened to frame a man if they didn't tell them what they wanted to hear

- 1970s was a period of upheaval, strikes, shortages and economic struggles

Contemporary context: 

- 1980 there were 90 female constables and 1400 males

*very little diversity in these days especially with gender and ethnic groups

- 2017  30% of all police officers in England and Wales were female

*Luther's boss is a woman and there is a powerful protagonist, Zoe also had a powerful job

- Luther is the first black detective in any crime drama

- Luther set in London and it shows the diversity of London

- lots of arial shorts to show how it is a cosmopolitan and modern place

Representations of gender:

- The Sweeney reflects 1970s values in relation to gender, very male dominated with very little positive representation of females

- this reflects gender roles within society at the time, particularly in the police force and UK

- Luther reflects some degree of gender equality in contemporary society at the time, with a strong powerful and stoicism related man

- however in Luther there are man y women with different roles but still have emotional weaknesses and have relationship problems

Representations of ethnicity:

- the Sweeney represents British society as a completely white country with no diversity

- however Luther shows much more diversity in the UK

Explain how crime dramas reflect the time in which they are made? [10 marks]

One of the key differences between Luther and The Sweeney is in the representation of gender. For example, in The Sweeney woman are represented as incapable of doing the jobs that the men do in the police force. An example of this happening is the one police women that was actually in The Sweeney just had the job of looking after another woman, this suggest that The Sweeney is a representation of a patriarchal society. However, in the crime drama Luther, woman are represented quite differently. An example of this is

Homework

Firstly, the eponymous Luther is very stereotypical as a Maverick detective, a stock character for crime drama. This representation is best shown through his ability to solve incredibly challenging crimes. We can see this when he figures out very quickly who Alice is and what she is doing. Furthermore, they way he is not afraid to break rules to find out more about different crimes. One way in which we can see this representation is when Luther lets Henry Madsen fall a long way so that he can get information out of him, another way is when he broke into Alice’s house for evidence.

Secondly, Alice is also a very stereotypical character for crime drama representation in the femme fatale role. Tone way in which she supports this role is that she is not afraid of violence and she is the villain in a crime drama. One way in which she supports this is when Luther hangs her over a bridge threatening her she is not afraid of what he could do.

In contrast, Zoe is a more complex character that both conforms to stereotypical female roles but also challenges them. She supports this role as she quite often lets men be the ‘brave one’ for her and protect her in situations. For example, when Luther comes to her house she sends Mark North outside to deal with him. However, a way that she challenges this stereotype is that she is incredibly intelligent we can see this as she is a lawyer.

Overall the Luther characters do partially support typical genres but some do challenge them to stereotypes to a certain extent.

Tuesday 11th February 2025

Do now

1) 4 areas that media language can be split into when analysing camerawork, sound, editing, MES

2) camera work covers shot type, shot angle, movement

3) sound that sounds like the things going on the sound you would hear if you were in the 'world' of the text

4) cross-cutting is when the editing cuts between two scenes that are happening simultaneously 

5) framing is how a shot is composed

Extract analysis

L.O: to revise audio-visual codes and how they create meaning

technical codes: camera shots, angles, movements, editing

audio codes: diegetic v non-diegetic sound, dialogue, music, sound effects

visual codes: mise-en-scene, framing & composition, lighting
 

camera work and editing:

- cinematography is a language

- language creates money 

- what is being communicated with this shot?

- what has been included?

- has anything deliberately been left out?

- what are we (the audience) being asked to focus on?

- intense and suspenseful sound what used so that the audience knows that its a serious scene and something is going to happen

- low key lighting creates an intimidating mood and makes the audience feel nervous

- extreme close shows each others emotions about each other and the tension between them

Friday 14th February 2025

Do now

1) camerawork, sound, editing, MES

2) sound movement

3) music that does not match what is going on on the screen any sound added on that isn't in the world of the text 

4) eye line match edit- where the editing cuts from some one looking at something to what they are looking at

5) canted angle- tilted shot

Extract analysis: media language

L.O: to practise analysing extracts for media language and representations

John Luther:

- costume of shirt and tie connotes official status and professionalism and authority as a policeman

- slightly scruffy clothes suggests that he does not care about conforming to rules

Alice Morgan:

- dresses very feminine to support the feminine fatale theory 

- long red hair connotes dangerous and volatile

Tuesday 25th February 2025

Do now

1) extreme close up  medium long shot

2) tracking is an example of camera movement 

3) visual mise-en-scene

4) cutting between two different characters often done with two cameras and then merge the footage together to make one scene

5) shot that has been deliberately tilted 

extract analysis: representation

L.O: to practise analysing extracts for media language and representation

- body language of Zoe says she is confused

- props tell us we are in an office ( Zoe's office) which connotes that she is intelligent and professional

- Luther's clothes suggest that he is formal but is not fussy or perhaps does not care that much about how he looks

- Zoe has her own office which means she is very important

- high key lighting which suggests that we need to see everything that is going on

- desk between them suggests that work is between them and work is separating their relationships

- playing chess suggest they know each other could possibly be friends

- empty room suggests Luther's empty mind

- birds eye view at the beginning to set the scene and let the audience know where the scene is

- dark on the inside and not on the outside (using natural lighting) to set the miserable mood

- people who play chess are smart/intelligent 

- bars on window suggests he is trapped

                                       gender:

male                                                                             female

- being shown as strong                                               - shown as intelligent

- stereotypical aggressive man                                    - 'damsel in distress'

-  competitive when it comes to woman                      - emotional                                                  

Friday 28th February 2025

Do Now

1) gender and ethnicity is the representation positive or negative, stereotypes 

2) costume, hair and makeup, props

3) twice 

4) 2

5) 3-4 paragraphs

extract analysis: exam style question

L.O: to analyse extracts for media language and representations

notes:

- Alice wearing disguise so that no one recognises her

- Alice also holding a hack pin

- Zoe wearing dark and professional work clothes

- Luther wearing smart but slightly scruffy clothes

- Rose wearing masculine smart clothes to show she is in charge

-  birds eye view to show wear Alice is hiding and where Zoe is going

- full shot of Luther in his office clearly working hard to solve the case and so we can see his anger

- typical crime drama in the police offices

- not typical in Zoe's lawyer office 

- dark gloomy corner where Alice is hiding is typical crime drama location

1a. 

Costumes create meaning in many ways in this extract. One of the ways in which costume creates meaning is Alice Morgan wearing dark clothing, with a wig to disguise herself and holding a hack pin. This creates meaning because it shows the audience that Alice is a very mysterious character with dark and negative representations. The reason for this is that she does not need a disguise as Zoe does not know who she looks like and she tells Zoe not to turn around anyway. This connotes to Alice being a very strange character. Also, the fact that she is holding a hack pin tells the audience that sh definitely means harm and most likely wants to hurt some body. Furthermore, the fact that she has a hack pin instead of a normal weapon to threat Zoe, further proves the point that she is a strange, mysterious and dangerous character.

Another way in which costumes have been used to create meaning in Luther is the contrast between what Rose wears to work compared to what Zoe wears to work. For example, as we can see in the extract Zoe wears an all black dress and coat with black heels, her hair curled and up, and obvious signs of make up. This is stereotypical for a woman working in a law firm and shows that she is. feminine character an possibly a 'damsel in distress'. In contrast, Rose is wearing slightly messy hair with a casual shirt and pair of trousers with waistcoat and also no obvious signs of makeup. This goes against feminine stereotypes and shows us that she actually has fairly 'masculine' stereotypes, the reason she is wearing less feminine clothes is most likely because of her job. Rose has a stereotypically masculine job as a head police inspector so that could be the reason why she does not dress as masculine so that we can see that she wants to show how she is above every man that she works with,

Finally, a way that costumes creates meaning is the way that Luther dresses. For example, he wears a smart suit and tie however he still comes across as quite scruffy and careless with the way that he dresses. This is because the producers want the audience to see Luther's authority as a police investigator but also want us to see how he does not care about the way that he looks. The reason that they want the audience to know this is so that we know that he cares about his job much more than how he cares about how he looks so that his dedication is clear and obvious.

1b. 

One way that typical genre locations of crime dramas are used in Luther is the use of the dark and gloomy corner that Alice is in when she attacks Zoe. For example, when Zoe first walks put of the building we can see a birds eye view of where Alice is hiding. The reason for this is so that we get an idea of what is about to happen because a dark corner hidden away like in the extract connotes to something bad happening. This is typical pf the genre because it shows us that a crime is most likely about to happen

However, quite differently there is a shot of Zoe in her lawyer office. This is not particularly typical of the crime drama genre because it is not a crime scene of a police office of any sort. The reason that it is not typical to the genre is that Zoe is clearly not doing any criminal activities and there is no sing of police or mystery any where in that room. The way the producers have done this is by using high-key lighting to show us that there is nothing out of the ordinary with that room.

Finally, Luther's office is definitely typical to the crime drama genre. This is evident because it is a police office and has low- key lighting. Also, it has a crime scene from Alice's murder to show that he is working on the crime investigation as well as showing us a mid shot so that we can se is anger whilst working on the investigation.

2.

Digital technologies have changed the way in which audiences consume television in many ways. One way that this has been done is by changing the way that the audience views the character are presented.

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Homework

in “Luther”, the costumes of characters play a significant role in conveying their personalities and the themes of the show, for example if you look at the difference between John Luther and Alice Morgan.

for example, Luther wears a dark suit often complimented by a long coat his clothing is practical yet stylish reflecting his role as a detective

this shows authority and professionalism the tailored suit signify his position as a detective. His clothes suggest that he is professional but doesn’t care about how stylish he actually his.

differently, Alice Morgan dressed very stylish and ‘trendy’. This suggests that Alice cares very much about her appearance and wants to look stylish and feminine. the reason for her wanting to look like this is to make her look like the victim or damsel i’m distress to give other people a false sense of security.

The character John Luther is typical of the crime drama convention in many ways. one of those ways is how he dresses. He dresses very professionally and classy but still remains humble with the way he dresses and does not care a large amount about what he wears. He comes along as quite scruffy some times but this could suggest that he is hard working as being in the police force may be very time consuming.

However, he also does not fit the typical genre of stereotypical genre because he is black. Luther is the first black detective to be in a crime drama series in tv this could make him not typical to the genre.

Finally, Luther is typical of the crime drama genre in the way that he acts in his job and the way that his mind works when solving crimes. For example, when solving the Alice Morgan case it takes him a very short amount of time to figure out that she is the murderer and his playing a trick on all the detectives. This is a typical crime genre convention as he is very good at psychological games and can work our even the most difficult of crimes without that much evidence.