C2 Tv

TV drama                                                                                                      Tuesday 7th January 2025

L/o: to explore the content and format of the unit

Do now

1- 2

2- 1.5 hours

3- genre means a type of a media form that involves a particular set of characteristics 

4- older females ABC1 middle class white British women

5- educate entertain inform 

Component 2: understanding media forms and products, 1.5 hours, 60 marks

SECTION A: TV crime drama- 'Luther' and 'The Sweeney' 

SECTION B: music videos 

Section A:  

 question 1- media language or representations

 question 2- media industries or audiences or contexts

 

Crime Drama

Genre-a type of media form that involves a particular set of characteristics 

Sub-genre- a subdivision of a genre og literature, music, film, etc 

Hybrid-genre- share the conventions of more than one genre

In crime drama you can have police procedural, period crime drama, forensic drama all as sub-genre as and crime drama. 

The Responder

Narrative- a man needing help, man has trauma from something, man is a police officer, takes pills, trying to stop crime from happening

Setting-in some sort of office for therapy, night time in a car driving, in a city, 

Characters- man (main character) and woman, police, group of people, Daughter of man, wife

Mise-en-scene- black clothing (man), formal looking clothes (woman), dark lighting with orange tints to it, police car, police uniform, close up shots, low-key lighting, Ariel shots

Happy valley

Narrative- drunk man saying he might set himself on fire for being humiliated, police is trying to help, man trying to get a pay rise to send his daughter to a school, trying to stop crime from happening

Setting-in a village or small town, day time, play park, office

Characters- blonde police officer, dark haired police officer, drunk man, group of kids, older looking business man, younger dark haired woman, 

Mise-en-scene- police car, fire extinguisher, police uniform, messy desk of books and files, close up shots, low-key lighting, Ariel shots

Line of duty

Narrative- police going to raid a house or go to find someone, trying to get into someones flat, police officers blow up door and shoot man who might be in trouble, took down the wrong person, trying to stop crime from happening

Setting- police car racing around corner with blue lights on, block of flats, day time.

Characters- dark haired male,  SWAT team, family, other police officers

Mise-en-scene- police car, guns, walkie talkie, black clothes, dark lighting, close up shots, low-key lighting, Ariel shots

Similarities

Codes and conventions of Tv crime drama 

-set in built up areas

-includes police/detectives

-low-key lighting

-arial shot of police cars

-action shots

-crime scene images

-from the viewpoint of the main character (often a police officer or detective)

-middle of the day/nighttime

-someone in trouble for doing something they weren't meant to do

- starts with crime that has been committed or they are trying to stop

-normally a victim

- main character intelligent but flawed in some sort of way

-antagonist often intelligent, always one step ahead

-handful of suspects with motives

-clues and red herrings throughout the series that help or hinder the investigation

-suspense

-narrative ark continuing narrative the unfolds over multiple episode

-typical character type villain , hero, helper, dispatcher

-representation of characters and themes can challenge conceived ideas

-gritty, realistic settings

fast-paced editing

-handheld camera work

-diegetic sounds ( sound you would hear if you were there) 

These conventions engage the audience in the programme by catching their attention, create tension, creating suspense by having fast paced editing which makes it feel like there is a lot of things happening at once to the audience and they have to try to keep up with what is happening in the series. Having hand held camera work also makes the audience feel like they are in the scene with everyone else and make them feel like they are part of the crime drama when in reality they are sat in front of a screen watching it but still wanting to figure out what is going to happen next in the series. Including clues and red herrings add tension to the series for the audience because they would be sat there trying to figure out what is going to happen and who has committed the crime almost as if they are included in the investigation.

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 TV industry                                                                                                  Friday 10 January 2025

L/o: to explore the television industry&audiences

Do Now

1- share the conventions of more than one genre

2- Luther and The Sweeney

3- gritty realistic settings

4-  handheld camera work

5- tension, suspense, enigmas (make you ask questions)

Developments in technology have allowed audiences access to many more digital channels and online streaming services.

This means audiences can watch what they want, when they want on whatever device they want.

Some TV programmes today achieve the status of event television and gain massive audiences. ( event television- big events that have big 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 others.

Audience loyalty to a particular channel has decreased.

Scheduling

Watershed- the time when TV programme which can be unsuitable for children start to get broadcast 9pm

Peak time- the time of day when the most people are watching television. 6-10pm

Prime time- the time of day where the most people are active watching adverts. Friday night and Saturday night 8-10pm 

Public service broadcasting

Audience to OFCOM, it is 'high quality' content, made for ad wide a range of audiences as possible, and for public benefit rather than purely commercial ends'.

ITV, C4 &C5- commercial public broadcasters (funded mainly through advertising), available to all who pay the licence fee

OFCOME- regulates TV including on demand and catch up services, through the broadcasting code.

BBC- public service broadcaster, £3.8bn from the licence fee. BBC mission is to act in the public interest, serving all audiences by providing impartial, high-quality programs which inform, educate and entertain. Has 9 national Tv channels, regional tv programmes, internet tv service, 10 National radio stations, 40 local radio stations and an extensive website. 

TV audiences

- 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

-TV therefore played a much more important role in people's lives.

-Modern audiences have a much greater choice and more flexibility in their TV consumption.

-Second Screen: having something on one device like a TV and then being on another device doing something else while watching whats on the TV.

-Binge watching: when you watch an entire seres of something in one sitting or over 2-3 days. you don't have to wait for the next episode and won't be left on a cliff hanger

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  The Sweeney                                                                                                Tuesday 14th January 2025

L/o: to explore the context of the set text

Do Now

1- solving a crime

2- Luther and The Sweeney

3- lowkey lighting 

4- handheld camera work

5- tension suspense 

The Sweeney (1970)

- Produced by Euston Films- film production division of Thames television 

- Thames television held the ITV broadcast licence for the London area in the 70s&80s

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

- The Sweeney was filmed on location in parts of West London, which added to the realism and intensity of the programme

- The programme used new techniques that have influenced the way TV dramas have since been produced ( location filming, reduced rehearsal time, quick post production)

- Series was written by Ian Kennedy Martin

- Both main actors, john Thaw Dennis Waterman, became associated with police crime drama 

- Broadcast 9pm every weekday evenings 

- structured into three sections- around the two ad breaks

- Police/crime genre

- Earlier crime drama included less violence 

- Includes elements of police procedural sub genre

- Focus on Complex, Violent and Organised crime

- Based on the real 'Flying Squad' a division of the metropolitan police

notes-

- non diegetic music

- fast paced music to add to tension

- diegetic sounds ( crashes and bangs)

- dressed in a posh way suits (police) shows power, authority

- baggy dirty clothes9 criminal ) shows lack of power

-  woman- girlfriends, wives, mums, stewardess, cleaner and someone in a shop. not allowed well paying jobs.  weak

- patriarchy

- Rolls Royce- really rich, has a lot of money, powerful

- main criminals- more sophisticate, posh, , lots of money, important

- music changes when action starts

 -fast moving scenes

- only white actors

- mainly men

- men shown as powerful and important

- women shown as weak 

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  Luther                                                                                                            Friday 17th January 2025

L/o: to explore the context of the set text 

Do now

1- London (west)

2- 9pm

3- the time when things that aren't suitable for children to watch get broadcasted 9pm adult content 

4-  more violence, on location filming, camerawork, use of music, dodgy coppers

5- Regan and Carter 

Luther

- Produced by BBC

- Written by Neil cross

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

- It was then available on iPlayer

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

- It is one of the many crime dramas that takes it's title from the main protagonist, implying that the main detective will be strong, in dependant and central to the narrative

- The writer drew on different sub-genres: mystery/ detective and physiological thriller.

-begins with chase through a building results in criminal falling to what looks like his death after police found a girl in a wall that looks like has been hidden away from people for a while

-Luther made to look like a criminal in the first scene, first impression not good

- someone calling the police for her mum being dead in bed with a lot of blood around her, dog also dead on the floor with blood around it, man looks dead at desk with a pool of blood on a notebook

- people of different ethnicity as characters 

- Luther looks like he's getting his ob back after something happening that wasn't suppose to happen

- includes a lot of blood and gore which could be disturbing to some people

- Luther goes to murder scene to figure out what had happened,

- man had headphones in so wouldn't hear the murderer come in

- camera moving with the characters 

- close up shots, long shots used through out

- non-diegetic sounds (music when he leaves the interview room)

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Homework- 19/01/25

How does scheduling impact TV crime drama and TV audiences?

Scheduling impacts Tv audiences as most Tv crime dramas wait till the watershed time which is 9pm so their programmes can contain more violence and gory scenes as after 9pm is when programmes that may not be suitable for children to watch is broadcasted so the audience of the Crime dramas would go up as more adults are more likely to watch a crime dramas if there is more violence and gory scenes included in it as it wouldn’t seem boring to them.

Why might audience responses to crime dramas change over time?

Audiences responses may hinge as some things may become boring to watch if they get repetitive throughout episodes which may cause the audiences to go down. However if the companies change up the scenes they include and keep the programme interesting for the audience they are more likely to keep the same opinion towards the show as they will stay interested towards it.

What are the benefits of commercial broadcasting?

The benefits of commercial broadcasting are that when the company included adverts it brings them in more money and gets their income up as they gain money from their audiences watching the adverts. however if the audience don’t want to watch the adverts they could pay to not have to watch the adverts and have the episodes on demand so they wouldn’t have to wait for the next episodes to come out which would also make the company more money.

Explain how crime dramas are aimed at a range of audiences.

Crime dramas are aimed at a range of audiences as they could include topics that some of their audiences have been through or are going through, but would also pull people in who are interested in police and law enforcement which would reach another type of audience. They could also reach an audience who enjoy high tension and suspense series or films that lead them to trying to figure out what happens next. Overall crime dramas have a wide range of audiences as they have different techniques to interest different types of people.

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 Luther: characters                                                                                         Tuesday 21 January 2025

L/o: to explore the characters of the set texts.

Do now.

1- John

2- BBC 

3- 9pm on a Tuesday

4-  phycological thriller, mystery/detective

5- start off with a chase, action shots, low key lighting, urban setting, realism, detective/police, intense non diegetic music 

Propp's Character functions

• Vladimir prop 
• All stories have the exactly the same type of characters
• 8 character types
• Hero - leads narrative doesn't have to be male ( Luther)
• Villain- conflict with the hero, tries to stop hero from doing something (Alice Morgan, Henry Madsen)
• Donor- give the hero something, the mentor role ( Rose Teller, Ian, Justin)
• Princess- usually a prize or reward for the hero, hero female ( no prize/reward) ( Zoe Luther)
• Helper- sidekick, helps the hero ( Justin Ripley)
• Princess' father- authority figure who offers reward to hero for completing quest ( Rose Teller)
• False hero- takes credit for the hero's actions, try looks like the hero at the beginning ( Mark North)
• Dispatcher- early role who sets the story/quest in motion ( Rose Teller. Henry Madsen )

Luther fulfils the role of the hero as he is trying to figure out the crimes and catches the criminals and manages to get them to tell the truth about what they have done to him with different techniques he uses. He fits the role because overall throughout the episode he is trying to fight the crimes that are being committed and how he is at the crime scene and is left to look around the scene with Justin. He doesn't fit in the role as at the very start of the episode he lets Henry Madsen fall and go into a coma after Luther found out the truth about where he hid the girl, if he was fully the hero he would've got Henry up and arrested him for the crime he did and not let him fall causing him to go into a coma.

Alice Morgan fulfils the role of the Villain as she killed her parents and her dog in their family home and then tried to make it out to the police like she hadn't done it. She fits the role as after Luther figures out she is the one who murdered her parents she still denies it as there is no evidence that would show she committed the crime but deep down she knows she did it and so does Luther. She also fits the role as she threatened Zoe ( Luthers ex wife) when she was walking out of work but didn't end up killing her in the scene. 

Henry Madsen fulfils the role of the dispatcher as in the very first scene we see he is running away from Luther which would create the idea that he is running away from someone who he doesn't want to be around and that he has done something wrong. He fits the role as he is the very first person we see in he first episode and makes the audience wonder why he is running.



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 Luther: Genre and narrative                                                                    Friday 24th January 2025 

L/o: to explore the genre and narrative of the set text

Do Now

1- 8

2- Princess, helper, princess' father

3- he has obvious flaws and weaknesses/ dubious morality

4- give the hero something, the mentor role

5- Justin Ripley 

     

Genre- A category of tv programme, identified by a set of typical features.

Sub-genre- A specialist category within a broader group of Tv programmes.

Hybrid genre- A genre made from a combination of two others, such as rom-com.

Codes and conventions- The typical ingredients that audiences expect to see in a particular genre.

 Steve Neale Genre Theory

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

- Genres change, develop and vary over time

- Genres borrow from or overlap with one another- this creates a hybrid 

The Sweeney opening

Genre conventions-  guns, starts off with some sort of crime happening, car chases in title sequence

Any elements of hybrid or sub-genres- action 

Luther opening

Genre conventions- starts off with a chase, 

 different or unique- supposed to think Luther is the villain by him calmly chasing henry who is frantic, swapped clothing of the characters Luther in big coat, Henry in a suit, western conventions (close up shots of faces across bridge), first black detective, Luthers reaction to henry falling is like he regrets it and that he knows he shouldn't have let him fall makes us know he's not all bad, action in the title sequence.

how can we see change from the Sweeney- starts with more handheld camera work, people of colour included, more close up camera work. title sequence is very mysterious, better technology, title sequence editing far more advanced and up to date.

Hybrid and sub-genres- western shoot out, physiological thriller.

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

-There are many elements hybridised from other genres

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

-References to the horror genre- graphic shots, jump scares

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

-The characters are far more complex and developed, particularly female roles

-Real life developments in forensics are reflected in the show

-Filming styles are very different (technology)- multiple angles for more camera movement and viewpoints

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

The maverick detective- brilliant detective able to solve crimes and understand clues that nobody else can. not afraid to break the rules if it means catching the criminals. Often' damaged' individuals who struggle to hold together in their personal life

Luther being the maverick detective:

- Able to figure out Alice Morgan committed the murder within a short time of interviewing her

-Steals the end of the gun from the pot of the dogs ashes to try and show Alice committed the murder

- Loses control when he finds out Zoe is dating another man and smashes up a door

The Psychopathic killer- Deceitful characters who pretend to be 'normal'. Capable of horrific crimes. Enjoy playing mind games with detectives

Alice Morgan being the Psychopathic killer:

- pretends to be normal when she's in the interview scene, calls in the crime that had been done.

-murders her mum dad and family dog and then hides the gun in the dogs stomach

- getting involved with Luther's wife, plays with Luthers mind when he steals the piece of the gun because she knows he wouldn't be allowed to use it

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 title sequence summarises the previous case and explains why Luther has been on leave. Madsen is shown again at the end of the episode, a continuing Narrative arc that runs through the series

Inverted narrative- we know who the murder is and that Luther will catch her- but we don't know how. The ensuing psychological duel between the two characters is more engaging and exciting

Crime- the murder of Alice's parents' we know that she did it- we literally see her with blood on her hands but there is no sense of justice in the usual way. Only personal satisfaction for Luther

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Luther: Representation                                                                              Tuesday 28th January 2025

L/o: to explore the representations constructed in the set text.

Do Now

1- Codes and conventions

2- Unique selling point 

3- Maverick detective 

4- Typical characters you would find in a particular genre

5- Psychopathic killer, Femme Fatale

Representation in my words- how someone is shown by their characteristics and stereotypes 

Representation in proper words- the way in which people, places, issues and events are portrayed in the media. Often look at age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality. 

Is the representation positive or negative?

Are there aspects which conform to traditional stereotypes in that area?

Are there aspects which challenge traditional stereotypes in that area?

What evidence can i use to support my case?

John Luther

How has he been represented?: intelligent, aggressive, fast thinking, moral in a immoral way, ambitious, emotional

How has this been constructed? able to figure out Alice had committed the crime within minutes of interviewing her, breaks Zoes door when he finds out she is seeing someone else, figures out how Alice hid the gun and knew where to find the pieces of the gun very quickly, always wants to do the right thing but cuts some corners and sometimes doesn't do it in the right way, physically and mentally aggressive

How does is character conform/ subvert stereotypes of masculinity? aggressive behaviour is normally linked with men, being able to think fast is normally linked with men, being intelligent normally links with women so it subverts stereotypes as he is very intelligent and women are normally the intelligent ones, showing emotion can be against stereotypes for men, suit fairly masculine in what he wears, sympathetic/empathetic for people in the cases he is involved in, isn't emotionally strong.

- an interesting representation of a black man in 21st century Britain

- He is a successful senior police detective with a brilliant mind for solving crime

- Highly committed to his job- almost obsessive

- Highly regarded by his fellow officers

- Complicated character who experiences anguish and passion and reacts with anger and violence, but also pain and sadness

- Reflects contemporary notions of masculinity as he isn't in complete control of his life and shows vulnerability 

- Some stereotypical elements of masculinity shown: physical force, lac of emotion with other men

Hegemonic masculinity- in western society the dominant form of masculinity was primarily seen as white, heterosexual and middle class. The ideals of manhood suggested a number of characteristics that men are encouraged to be like or use. The characteristics include violence, aggression, stoicism (emotional restraint), courage, toughness, physical strength, athleticism, risk-taking, adventure and thrill-seeking, competitiveness, achievement and success. 

In the opening scene Luther is represented as physically strong, athletic. He is physically strong and athletic because he is seen to be chasing Henry Madsen until he eventually catches up to him. He can be seen to not have stoicism as when Henry falls he starts to show emotions like he regrets what he had allowed to happen, seen as aggressive when he allows Henry to fall. 

middle clip- holding the urn off the bridge over the water with Alice holding a knife to him and then throwing the urn into the water and holding Alice by her neck over the bridge threatening to arrest someone else instead of her so everyone forgets about her. The representations of aggression, courage, toughness and risk-taking. Aggression because he very quickly grabs the knife out of Alice's hand and holds her over the bridge. Toughness and courage when Alice is holding the knife at his stomach but he didn't change the way he was acting and didn't show he was scared, Risk-taking was shown when he didn't know how she would react to him throwing the urn off the bridge but he still did it so he could try to get somewhere with her. 

Third clip- going to Zoe's house to talk to her after she's been to dinner to discuss that she has met someone and is seeing someone other than him. He shows his emotions by smashing the door up and shouting showing he isn't very emotionally strong ( no stoicism), aggression and violence. Aggression and violence can be seen when he is shouting at Zoe and smashing up the door when he finds out she is seeing someone else and it upsets him. He has no stoicism in that clip as his emotions get the best of him and he gets upset because of what Zoe had just told him.

-Alice: mentally strong, deceiving, intelligent, determined, lacks emotion, powerful, very intelligent, complex character, her actions drive the plot, displays many traits stereotypically associated with masculinity, subverts many female stereotypes but she is attractive and uses her femininity to taunt and flirt with Luther (subvert stereotypes of femininity) 

-Zoe: successful, strong, courageous, head strong, not a walk over, tells Luther no even when he gets angry and violent, emotional, strong successful career, linked with love and romance, less conventional character for crime drama, indicative of the social context of the programme, powerful and independent shown through her representation as a lawyer, she is the one who ends the relationship with Luther, mixed-race, from a social group less likely to be represented [positively, still shown needing Luthers protection from Alice.

-Rose: mentally strong, determined, in control, woman of authority in male dominated sector, shows strength by believing in Luther when others didn't, works hard, follows rules, working mother,               ( subverts stereotypes of femininity).

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 Luther: Representation                                                                                Friday 31st January 2025

L/o: to explore the representations constructed in the set text

Do Now

1- hegemonic masculinity

2-  risk-taking, courage and toughness

3- the way people/places is portrayed in media  how the media is re-presents the world to us

4- having lots of space around him when it's just him in the camera

5- first black detective

Explain how Luther is a representation of hegemonic masculinity.

In the programme Luther, the eponymous hero is a representation of hegemonic masculinity. Initially, in the opening scene Luther is represented as physically strong and athletic. This is can be seen through the use of the clip when Luther is chasing Henry Madsen through the building and manages to keep up with him throughout the chase. He also shows no emotion (stoicism) when Henry is about to fall off the bridge type thing and keeps himself calm but doesn't help Henry up.

Furthermore, at the climax of the episode Luther is represented as aggressive, courage, toughness and risk-taking. Here the use of violence is shown when Alice has a knife up to his stomach but he doesn't show any emotion when she is stood there and he is in a very vulnerable position but he stays calm and doesn't make the situation worse. Risk-taking is shown when he holds Alice over the bridge by her neck but doesn't let her go as he knows that if he let her fall that would be another suspect injured because of him so he keeps her on the bridge but holds her over the bridge to try and intimidate her to tell him the truth.

However, Luther is also represented as emotionally vulnerable as when he goes to Zoe's house he is seen to break a door down when she tells him they are over and that she is seeing another man. He could also be seen as aggressive as he stands there and breaks the door down but Zoe isn't scared of him this is shown when she doesn't step back when he smashes the door.

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

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

Luther conforms to the system of expectations of TV crime drama by using codes and conventions such as being set in big cities where he has to find the villains throughout the episode and there being a lot of hand held camera work. Luther also shows change through its cast as Luther was the first black detective that had been broadcasted across the country. Change is also shown through how much hand held camera work there is as before in TV crime drama hand held camera work is something that wasn’t able to happen as cameras were a lot heavier than they are today. 

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Industry& Audience                                                                                    Tuesday 4 February 2025

L/o: to explore the industry and audience response in the two set texts

Do Now

1- Alice Morgan or Zoe 

2- Risk-taking, aggressive, courage

3- Stoicism (emotional restraint)

4- Alice Morgan 

5- Something named after the main character

Luther: Production

• Produced by BBC
• Shown on BBC1; corporation's primary channel. Offers  range of programme types and genres and aims to appeal to a very wide audience
• BBC1 remit: to create a high proportion of original programmes and to reflect the diversity of the Uk
• 2016-201 BBC1 aimed to exhibit some or all of the following: high quality, original challenging innovative and engaging and it should nurture UK talent
• important featured of BBC drama include talk ability, Topicality and relevance to audiences, Britishness and reflecting the diversity of life in Britain.

Distribution and Scheduling

• Series one was broadcast in May 2010 ( BBC1 9pm Tuesdays)
• Also available on iPlayer 9catch-up)
• It was re-commissioned following the first series (5 series)
• In 2012 following the success of the first two series, BBC America (co-owned by BBC studios and AMC) started co-producing
• Luther broadcast on BBC America: broadcasts a mixture of US and UK programmes
• BBC America is part of BBC Studios revenue and Luther has been distributed to many parts of Europe Africa and Asia
• It is also available on Prime Video and as a DVD box set
• Reason for popularity: well known actor, the britishness

Audience Appeal

• The marketing of series one was important in reaching a range of audiences
• A trailer was released on 16 April 2010 on BBC's YouTube channel
• A longer preview was shown at the end of April showing the scene where Luther and Ripley meet
• Additional footage and behind the scenes footage for each episode were released on the website (like DVD extras) giving 'exclusive' insights
• An 'inside look' video was produced for BBC America when launched in the US

Website:

- meet the characters

- see the graphic novels 

- see short clips of different episodes

- access the episodes

- links to their social media pages

Why is all this so appealing?

Able to know more about the series before watching it and feel more insightful before watching the series, able to know what characters to expect to see in the series and know what type of characters to expect in the series, interact with their social media pages and find out more behind the scenes stuff through the social media pages.

Programme Appeals

• Genre; crime drama is popular and it includes familiar conventions, along with interesting hybridisation and unconventional elements ( unconventional elements eg. main character who is the hero is flawed)
• Star appeal: Idris Elba is well-known and popular. He is an attractive and potentially aspirational persona appealing to both male and female viewers.
• Narrative: the Morgan murders and the ongoing Madsen case are engaging for the episode and the series. A female killer is unusual and appealing to those who prefer thought-provoking drama
• Representations: the range of complex male and female characters appeals to different audiences-either to identify with or to be intrigued by (Alice Morgan showing a range of male traits)

Audience Appeals

• First episode received mixed reviews. but many positive responses
• The complex features could generate both positive and negative responses
• Might admire Luthers crime solving skills but disapprove of the methods and violent responses
• Night respond positively to Alice and find her intelligence and resourcefulness appealing, but respond negatively to the femme fatale conventions
• Might agree that the ending reflects reality (not all criminals convicted) but be disappointed by the lack of closure.

Audience response: The Sweeney

• Characters from series one were appealing: audiences could relate to many of them
• Police officers were shown as flawed and human, although they still caught the criminals (could be seen as as negative representation of the police)
• Modern audiences respond positively to the retro feel: they have a lot of nostalgia and affection for The Sweeney
• The Sweeney was extremely successful (up to 19 million per episode)
• Led to Eusten developing many more TV dramas and two spin off films
• DVD box set of all episode released in 2004 
• Re-runs have been broadcast several times over the years. November 2017 ITV4 broadcast all episodes on the ITV hub for catch up
• Available on prime
• Can be seen to have influenced many other police dramas 

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 Context                                                                                                           Friday 7th February 2025

L/o: to explore the context and it's impact in the two set texts

Do Now

1- Star appeal and narrative BBC1 need to show originality, high quality, challenging, innovative, engaging, nurture UK talent in their programming.

2- BBC America 

3- trailers, previews, behind the scene footage, interviews

4- Genre, star appeal. narrative representations

5- violence, patriarchal attitudes and misrepresentation of women

Changing viewing conditions:

• One of the biggest changes in how we watch television has been the introduction of streaming
• When the Sweeney was on television, there was no way to pause or re-watch television- 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 between episodes, they contained closed narratives, where all the elements of the story were wrapped up by the end of the episode.
• This meant audiences did not have to remember week to week what had happened, and if they missed an episode they could still watch the next week and the programme would make sense.

Contemporary viewing conditions:

• Modern services such as BBC iPlayer, where Luther is shown, allow audiences to watch on demand
• This has changed how we watch television, with viewers now able to binge watch a whole series at a time.
• Smart phones, laptops and tablets have further enabled this, as we no longer need to be at home in the living room, to watch television
• This has led to far more open narratives in crime dramas, where parts of the story will unfold over several episodes.
• This allows for far more complex storytelling and character development.
• Contemporary audiences can also be relied upon to have a greater knowledge of a programme and are more adept at understanding multi-strand narratives.

Historical context (The Sweeney): 1970s

• Less gender equality- reflected in the structure of the police force (one female officer)
• Britain was becoming more racially diverse and multi-cultural, but racial discrimination was hight and minority ethnic groups were under-represented. ( no actors that were of minority ethnic groups, no diversity)
• The Sweeney was based on the real 'Flying Squad' which had been involved in a highly publicized corruption scandal ( the police threatened to frame someone if he didn't tell them what they wanted to know)
• 190s was a period of upheaval: strikes, shortages and economic problems. ( set in London and set around a high crime rate place)

Contemporary context (Luther):

• 1980: 90 female detective constables to 1400 male in the UK
• 2017: 30% of all police officers in England and Wales are females 
• There is a lot more female characters in the cast, Luthers boss is a woman, the antagonist was a powerful female, Zoe had a very high pay powerful job 
• The name Luther sounds like Martin Luther King a black right activist and civil rights activist.
• First black detective ( first black protagonist), whole cast is very diverse.
• lots of arial shot of well known places (London is represented as a cosmopolitan city very expensive and well paying place)

Representations of Gender:

• The Sweeney reflects 190s values in relations to gender, especially gender roles in the workplace- the Flying Squad is male dominated, patriarchal and characterised by a stereotypically macho culture of drinking and violence
• This reflects gender roles within society at the time, particularly within the police force where women in the UK police force had a different rank structure to men.
• Luther reflects some degree of gender equality in contemporary society in the representations of strong powerful females (Luther's boss is female, his wife Zoe is a successful lawyer, Alice is a highly intelligent astrophysicist)
• However, these females are not all represented positively or as being totally independent- Alice is a narcissistic murderer.

 

Explain how crime dramas reflect the time in which they are made?

In the 1970s gender roles and ethnicity is shown in different ways to how it is shown now. In the Sweeney there is only one female police officer and she is there to look after someone while the male police officers go fight the crimes that are happening. In Luther there are much more women in the cast that have powerful roles such as Rose Teller who is Luthers boss and Zoe who is also a successful lawyer, These two jobs are something women in the 1970s wouldn't of been allowed to due to gender roles. 

Furthermore, there is also a big difference un the representation of ethnicity. In the Sweeney the cast is all white males and females there isn't a single person of a minority ethnic group. However in Luther, there is a much more diverse cast as the main protagonist is black and there is a more diverse cast.

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Homework-10/02/25

Firstly, the eponymous Luther is very stereotypical as a Maverick detective, a stock character for crime drama. This representation is best shown through his willingness to take risks when working with cases as he is willing to take the risks of cutting corners when figuring out cases but is also very successful with quickly working out who has committed the crime. Furthermore, Luther also shows he is a very stereotypical Maverick detective by the way he can be seen as a struggled individual as at the start of the episode we see him receiving help from someone but also being welcomed back onto the team after receiving the help he needs.

Secondly, Alice is also a very stereotypical character for crime drama in her representation as a femme fatale. This is shown primarily through how she can take power over Luther when he is trying to figure out how he can show that Alice had committed the crime by showing her intelligence of the law and how she knows she can’t be framed for the crime she committed. Furthermore, Alice also uses her sexuality to be able to show Luther she knows she can be in control of what happens about the crime and how much the police knows about the crime she has committed.

In contrast, Zoe is a more complex character that both conforms to and challenges stereotypical femininity. She is represented as strong minded and hard working This is shown through the way she has a well paying job as a successful lawyer and stays professional when Luther turns up to her work place and wants to talk to her. She stays strong minded when Luther goes to her house and smashes the door up when he finds out that she has been seeing another man.

Overall, the characters in Luther are very conventional for a crime drama, with some small variations. The conventional characters are Luther and Alice However, less conventional is Zoe as she challenges stereotypes throughout the episodes.

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 Extract Analysis                                                                            Tuesday 11th February 2025

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

Do Now

1- camera work, sound, editing and mise-en-sene

2- shot types, angles, movement

3- sound only the audience can hear sound that you would hear if you were in the 'world' of the text

4- where editing cuts between two scenes happening simultaneously ( cross cutting/parallel editng)

5- how something fits into a frame how a shot is composed; decision about where to place a subject in a shot

1- close up big close up (part of head cut off)

2- mid shot (low angle) 

3- extreme close up -focus on part of the face if it's a person 

4- long shot (canted angle)

Extract Analysis

- In the exam, component 2, Section A, you will need to answer questions based on an extract from Luther.

- Question 1 (stepped) will ask you to analyse either Media Language or Representations in an extract. (approx 3 mins).

- Part A will be a simple analysis question.

- Part B will ask you to analyse and make a judgement.

- Question 2 will be on TV audiences, industry or contexts.

What i need to know..

- Technical codes: camera shots, angles & movement, editing

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

- Visual codes: mise-en-scene, framing, composition, lighting.

Camerawork and editing

- Cinematography is a language.

- We need to ask ourself these questions:

• What is being communicated with this shot?
• What has been included?
• Has anything been deliberately left out?
• What are we (the audience) being asked to focus on?

The arial shot of Madsen walking through the warehouse- shows how he is trying to find the quickest way out of the situation he is in and trying to find a hiding place to get away from Luther.

Shot reverse shot- shows the tension of the situation before Madsen starts to fall and how Luther is in control of the situation and Madsen can't get away from him now. Creates suspense as well to what is about to happen between Luther and Madsen.

Looking up on Luther from Madsen's point of view ( low angle)- shows how Madsen could fall to his death (becoming seriously injured) and that Luther was again in control of the situation and what would happen to Madsen if he said the wrong thing or if he didn't give Luther the answer. 

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Extract Analysis: Media Language                                                       Friday 14th February 2025

L/o: to practise analysing extracts for media language and representation

Do Now

1- Camerawork, sound, editing, mise-en-sene 

2- Movement

3- Sound only the audience can hear

4- having the camera set up at eye line and then the character shows a shocked expression and the camera shows what they have just seen editing cuts from someone looking at something to what they are looking at.

5- The camera shot is at an angle. tilted/not straight

Shot reverse shot shows the tension in Luther and Alice wanting to prove each other wrong and Luther wanting Alice to slip up in what she is saying.

The first part of the interview Luther approaches Alice probably in the same way he would approach any other person he would interview. Alice in not very talkative and doesn't say much to Luther in the first part of the interview. In the second part of the interview Luther is more suspecting of Alice and is trying to get her to say something that would lead him to proving that Alice did the murder. In the second part of the interview Alice is a lot more talkative and willing to tell Luther about her life as a younger individual to try get him off her path.

Luther's costume suggests that his ob needs him to be dressed in smart clothes but also to fit in when he needs to. The suit suggests that he is a professional in his field of work. His costume shows he is unkempt and shows that he doesn't really care about his appearance with his top button not being done up and his tie not being done up properly.

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 Extract Analysis: Representation                                         Tuesday 25th February 2025

L/o: to practise analysing extracts for media language and representation

Do Now

1- Medium long shot 

2- Movement (Camera)

3- Mise-en-scene 

4- During conversations 

5- A shot that is taken at an angle to show distortion titled/ not straight

-Luther is a important person by being stood in and office on the phone in smart looking clothes 

- The long shot being able to see most of Luthers body allows us to see exactly what he is wearing and how he puts himself together

- The mess on the desk shows disorganisation and lots of work

Having part of Zoe's body in the frame on the side of that the chair is on the desk she's Luther has walked in without an invite as its not tidy 

- Zoe has her own office connotes her importance

- Zoe looking a bit startled shows Luther has just walked in uninvited

- Lots of chairs show she holds meetings with people shows she is important and high up

- Theres a divide between them (physical and mentally), both of them standing it's more aggravated than as if they were sat down.

- Glass dividers between offices shows modern and high status she works for. 

- Having files wrapped up in red ribbon shows Zoe is involved with legal things and has legal cases on her desk.

Settings:

Settings are very important for creating the mood and tone of the programme

Nothing is in the frame by accident. Setting, props and costumes can tell us as much as blocking

Questions to ask yourself:

What does the setting connote?

What props have been included- why?

What do the costumes and body language connote about the characters?

How are the characters positioned? What does this suggest about their relationship?

Explore how mise-en-scene creates meaning in this clip.

- Luther being in therapy shows that he needs help for something he can't handle by themselves

-Luther being in a cardigan and casual clothes and the man sat opposite him being in a suit suggests that the an opposite him is the more professional one at that time and Luther is the one needing help and isn't in a professional position at the time 

-Having the man being sat more upright shows he is more engaged in the conversation 

- Luther being slouched in his seat shows he isn't very engaged in the conversation and what's happening.

- Creates a miserable feeling by having the setting being dark and not having much around

- Having it set at a psychiatric ward shows he has something mentally going on that he cannot heal from and can't handle from letting Henry Madsen fall shows he has emotions and a conscious.  

- The chess board connotes that both men are intelligent but still can't manage what he is going through. 

Representations:

Gender: men seen as aggressive and powerful when Mark and Luther start to fight over Luther wanting to talk to Zoe hegemonic masculinity, stereotypical behaviour for males shown. 

women shown as powerless and needing help when something goes wrong or someone that they don't want to see shows up this is shown when Luther turns up to her house and she calls the police immediately, she is shown as vulnerable and needs male protection, stereotypical for females.

Ethnicity: People of the minority ethnic groups shown as the more powerful ones as Luther tells Justin when he can leave and when him and Mark get into a fight Luther ends up being  the one who ends up putting Mark of the bonnet of the car. Anti-stereotypical for minority ethnic groups. Backed up when the police turn up and mostly being white people start to try to arrest him shows ad Luther having the power to tell them to stop arresting him due to him being a higher rank than them and them having to listen to him as he has the power to do so. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extract analysis: exam style question                                        Friday 28th February 2025

Do now

1- ethnic groups, gender, positive/ negative stereotypes

2- costumes, setting, props, lighting, blocking

3- 2 

4- 2 

5- 2/3 3/4

1a) Explore how costumes create meaning in this extract.

Stereotypes- Ripley is in a more professional looking suit, Zoe is in a skirt stereotypically feminine clothes Luther in a suit and tie normal for a man to wear.

Anti-stereotypes- Luther is in a less professional looking suit more casual top button undone and looking more scruffy shows he doesn't take his job as seriously as he should  , Zoe is in a professional looking outfit in a powerful position of work, Alice in in black wanting to hide in the shadows, Rose is in more masculine looking clothes making her look powerful, short          hair cut not stereotypical for a woman to have short hair.

Costume has been used to create meaning in different ways. One way is how Luther is in a more casual looking suit with his top button undone which creates the idea that he doesn't take his job as seriously as he should and that he is more focused on the ob than what he looks like compared to Justin Ripley who is dressed in a more professional way with the way he presents himself with a more professional looking suit on with everything done up correctly which creates the idea that Ripley is focused on  both impressing his fellow colleagues and getting the job done. Both Ripley and Luther are dressed in a stereotypical way however Luther is more anti-stereotypical in the way he looks more scruffy and doesn't have everything put on correctly which is anti-stereotypical for the job he has.

Another way costume has been used to create meaning is with Zoe as she is dressed in a more stereotypical way as she is in a skirt and feminine looking clothes however she the clothes she wears make her look professional and that she has a powerful job and has a lot of power in her job or that she has a well paying job as she is in professional looking clothes with heels, a tight sitting skirt and her hair put up in a way that make it look like she has a lot to do. However, Rose is more anti-stereotypical in the way she dresses as she is wearing more masculine clothes and a short haircut which creates the idea that although she is a woman she has a lot of power over the people she works with and that she doesn't need to look feminine and that she can get away with being able to look masculine and still have power over the men she works with. Her costume creates the idea that Rose is a very powerful woman in the sense that she has a high ranking job above Luther and she is in charge of what he can and can't do in situations where he might get it wrong.

Alice is dressed stereotypically and anti-stereotypically as she is dressed in black which creates the idea that she wants to hide in the shadows and not be seen by people passing her while she is waiting for Zoe which also creates the idea that she knows she is doing wrong and that Zoe will tell Luther what happens so she tries to hide her identity as much as she can so it can't be proven that it was her that attacked Zoe. Alice is dressed in feminine looking clothes but wears black which creates the idea that although she is a woman she wants power over people who she might not usually be able to get power over and that she knows every step she has to take to get that power that she wants. Alice's costume creates the idea that she is in power and that she wants to hide in the shadows so people can't see the wrong that she is doing. Both Alice and Zoe are dressed in an anti-stereotypical way as they are dressed in dark colours which is anti-stereotypical for woman as they are usually seen wearing bright colours.

1b) How typical of the genre are the locations used in this extract?

Stereotypical- Set in a city where there is a lot of people around, outside and office building common in crime dramas a lot of crime is more likely to happen in a built up area where there is more people around, 

Anti-stereotypical- Zoe is in a professional looking office building not stereotypical for a woman to be in an office building 

The locations used in the extract are very stereotypical for the genre of crime drama as the extract is in a very built up area in a city where there are a lot of people surrounding them but a lot of crime usually happens in cities as there is more people around. Having it set in a built up area creates the idea that the people around the crime are going to be people who have well paying jobs so the crime rate would be higher as people try to take over other people's power. However, Zoe being in a professional looking office building isn't very stereotypical for woman as this suggests that Zoe has power and a well paying job which creates the idea that she doesn't need a man to help her and that she is okay being on her own and getting to the top without help. Being in a built up area creates the sense to the audience that a lot more crime is going to happen as stereotypically more crime happens in built up area where the is more people around more opportunities for there to be car chases filmed and more high tension senes throughout the episode. 

unfinished 

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Homework- 03/03/25

1 (a) Explore the connotations of the costumes of two characters in the BBC Crime Drama Luther. (8)

In Luther, his costumes create the idea that he has a high ranking job and that he works hard, yet he doesn't take his job as seriously as he should through his top button being undone, him not having a tie on and his suit being more casual than professional. Not being dressed as professional as the other police officers and detectives creates the idea that he can get away with looking scruffy as the people above him know that he will get the job that he has been assigned quickly and get the right people into custody as quick as possible. His long coat creates the idea that he is always prepared for what is to come and that he can almost predict what is going to happen with each criminal and that he knows with his skills he will be safe enough to be able to get the job done without making a mistake. His scruffiness suggests that he cuts corners to get to the answer but always manages to get to the right answer before anyone else can. 

In Luther, Alice Morgan's costumes create the idea that she is intelligent and challenges the stereotypes for a woman. She always has dark coloured clothes on which suggest that she wants to hide in the shadows and not be seen by the people around her, or that she wants her actions hidden from Luther so she can't get arrested for murdering her parents and dog, this creates the idea that she is intelligent enough to realised what she has to do in order to be able to keep her freedom. Her long black coat suggests she is always ready to hide away from people she doesn't want to interact with or that she is always ready to hide from Luther when he is getting closer and closer to finding out the truth about her. Her gloves suggests that she knows the precautions she has to take in order not to get caught by the police as her fingerprints wouldn't be found anywhere on the scenes that she is a part of and that she is always one step ahead of everyone else.

1 (b) Explain how the character John Luther is typical of the TV crime drama genre. (12) 

Luther is typical of the TV crime drama genre as he is intelligent as he is able to solve the crimes easily and before anyone else does, he also figures out that Alice is the one who killed her parents before anyone else can prove that she did it. He is also the hero we can see this because he is trying to fight the crimes that are being committed and how is ar the crime scene and is left to look around the scene with Justin. However he doesn't fit the role as at the very start Luther lets Henry Madsen fall off the bridge and go into a coma as if he fully filled the role of the hero he wouldn't of left Henry fall and he would've arrested him and get him to tell the truth about the girl and everything he has done instead of letting him fall which could be used against Luther later on.