Venn Diagram

Theory

Audience

The Uses and Gratifications Theory:
- Information, Entertainment, Identity and Relationships

Hyperdermic needle theory:
- people could be tricked into copying crimes
- you are injected with the information of the show and believe that it is real

Narrative

Propp:
- character types e.g. hero, princess, villain, donor, dispatcher, helper etc.
-complex relationships but still fit the stereotypes
-derived from studying fairy-tales

Todorov:
- equilibrium    when the crime happens (Normality for police men)
- disruption     false evidence
- resolution     Luther 1 - alice gets away but Luther knows it's her
                      In CSI:Miami, the crime gets solved and the criminal found

Levi Straus:
- binary opposites e.g. law vs criminal, popular vs unpopular

Barthes:
- all narratives have an enigma (puzzle/question which the audience ask themsselves)

Exam Tips

You will need:
Coloured pencils
Fine Liners
Ruler

• Draw appropriate scetches and diagrams
• Write in role e.g. for a job/competition

• Production task question:

- storyboard (title sequence/trailer)
- design a DVD cover
- Magazine - front cover promotin gyour TV show
- website homepage (look at Sherlock's website)

• Codes and Conventions question:

- treat it as a debate agree and disagree)
- write like you're passionate about winning the comp, getting the job etc.

• Pitch your show question
• Justify your ideas (why your show will be successful)

• Talk about at least 3 shows in depth. (Luther, Sherlock, CSI:Miami)

- also include brief references to other shows that you have viewed independently.

• Use at least 3 examples ot theories

• Use the term: PROLIFERATION

- example: In the last 5 years there has been a large proliferation of both the amount of Crime TV Drama shows and the variety of channels and platforms on which they can be viewed

REMEMBER

• Make sure your pitch is believeable e.g. it will start on BBC3 and change to BBC if it is successful
• Rationale - give reasons for your ideas
• Marketing e.g. an app, fansite, Facebook page - in universe marketing: the character's actual blog. Or show live episodes
• Know and understand your characters. What character types do they fit into? Do they have a vice or fault?
• The impact of settings
• Set pieces and iconography
• Know your jargon, e.g. blunt force trauma, alabi, M.O (Mode of opperation)
• Write in role

Independent Research Analysis - Rizzoli and Isles: Seventeen Ain't So Sweet

This week I watched another episode of Rizzoli an Isles called 'Seventeen Ain't So Sweet' from Season two.

In this episode, Jane Rizzoli attends her high school reunion and brings Maura Isles along for the ride, but the fun is cut short when one of her old classmates turns up dead on the football field. Jane must focus on the past when she realizes everyone in her class is a potential suspect.
Throughout the episode, Rizzoli runs into many old classmates which evoke old memories of them, including the mean girls and nerds.

This episode uses many flashbacks while Rizzoli tries to figure out who the suspects could be and how they used to act towards herself and Steve (the dead classmate) when they were back in highschool. Also key scene indicators that have been used would be poilice tape and evidence, which are key conventions of crime tv dramas.

Maura acts as more of a sidekick in this episode then her professional, investigative side kicks in as the crime occurs. Rizzoli on the other hand, seems slightly more vulnerable as she remembers how the mean girls treated her and others as she remininices about high school.

This episode was very enjoyable, however the acting seems less realistic than in shows such as Luther. I think this may be because the settings in Luther and the gritty-ness of the episode make it seem more realistic than shows like Rizzoli and Isles which seem to be made slightly more glamorous. 

Set Pieces

Laboratory analysis (CSI)
Interrogation (two way mirrors, we can see, they can't; Empty room, glass of water, tape recorder)
Eureka moment for detective
Initial crime scene investigation (yellow tape)
Arrest/confession
Crime flashback
Chase (dash)
Notification to next of kin (sympathy)
Autopsy
Press conference (camera flashs, makes it realistic)

Luther as an Anti-Hero

John Luther has a questionable personality and is an antagonist of the good-cop like horatio from CSI:Miami. This is because he stays in communication with Alice (who he knows is a murderer) and even seems to become friendly with her. Luther even broke in to Alice's house, which is a crime in itself. Also, he sometimes puts his wife before his job and allows his emotions to get the best of him. This is shown through his potential suicide tenedncies such as jumping from the edge of a building. There are a few refferences to the devil, for example when Luther tells a journalist that he remembers her telephone number as 666. Additionally, he lies about evidence and in episode 2, he uses Owen's weaknesses about his childhood to get him to admit things.

Independent Research Analysis - Ghost Whisperer: Birthday Presence

This week I watched an american hybrid crime tv drama called Ghost Whisperer. It is a cross between a crime tv drama and a supernatural drama.
Ghost Whisperer follows the life of Melinda Gordon (played by Jennifer Love Hewit) who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. While trying to live a normal life, she attempts to solve any problems that the earthbound spirits have, so that they can cross over into the light.

The episode I watched was "Birthday Presence", the 86th episode and first of the fifth season.
The plot of that episode was:
Melinda gives birth to a baby boy the night that The Book of Changes predicted. At 11:48pm, time stops and then ticks forward again. Melinda sees a tide of blood seeping onto the floor and then a pair of ashen feet. Then everything is normal again and her baby is okay even though the doctors are puzzled by the fact that when he was delivered he was blue but his color came back before he even took a breath. The episode then cuts to five years later when Aiden is planning his birthday party with Melinda and Jim. Aiden can see ghosts & they try to be as open as they can with him even though Melinda is still wondering what sort of powers Aiden is going to get. She's also worried about his birthday as every year something happens to him - his birthday curse. This year Melinda sees a figure of a woman who warns her to check on Aiden. She runs to him and finds him completely blue & once again at 11:48pm time stops and resumes as color floods back into him. Melinda works to find the ghost that warned her and what is happening to Aiden. She discovers that when she was in labor, another woman was also giving birth but there were complications and she died. Now a ghost, she believes that her baby also died and his spirit went into Aiden's body. Melinda finds out that the baby is still alive, having been adopted by the father, with whom the woman had an affair. Melinda gets to the ghost just as she corners both Aiden and her now grown 5-year old on a jungle gym and convinces her the boy is doing great with his family. In the aftermath, Melinda confronts Carl the Watcher, knowing now that she and Aiden have a connection - visions come from him and go through her and that he's an empath who can share others' feelings and experiences.

Flashbacks were used when the ghost was talking about her past and how she died

This hybrid is different from typical crime dramas as it does not have the conventional characters such as police or detectives. However Melinda acts as the good cop/detective who tries to get justice for both the ghosts and their friends and family.

Narrative

Give examples of opening teasers in the shows you've seen (and explain why they're important)
What examples of enigma's have you seen?
How would you describe the 'quests' of they key protagonists of crime drama?
How have shows you've seen used either open or closed narratives?

Opening teasers are exteremely important in shows as now there is a wide range of channels from which the audience can choose another programme. Therefore, shows like CSI:Miami show the crime taking place within the first few minutes of the show and after that, they show the opening sequence. This is to catch the audience's attention so that they watch CSI rather than changing the channel to watch a different TV show.

An enigma is a puzzle. Enigmas are used throughout shows such as Luther and Sherlock that use the skill of deduction and mind games to solve the criems. In Sherlock, A Study In Pink, Sherlock notices the spray of mud on the back of a woman's leg which leads him to create a puzzle about what happened to the woman. These enigmas create a sense of mystery which attract the audience's attention.

The quests that the key protagonists engage in involve many 'hicups' which are made using features such as red-herrings, multiple suspects and false evidence. All of these twists and turn lead a sense of mystery thoughout the show and therefore make for a surprising and creative ending to the episode. These conventions throughout the quest are what keep the audience intregued throughout the episode and make them want to carry on watching that show.

In CSI:Miami, they use a closed narrative where the criminal is only found at the end of the episode. However, in Luther, the criminal is found near teh begining, however the rest of the episode is about capturing enough evidence to be able to convict the criminal. Both of these techniques are used to capture the audience's attention throughout the episode.

Settings

How is the setting significant to crime dramas that you have seen? E.g. Miami, London, Whitechapel.
- What does this setting connote - what do we associate with the settings
- what opportunities arise from using the setting?

Settings are very significant to crime dramas as each setting gives of a different vibe. For example, CSI: Las Vegas is set in Las Vegas, Nevada which is well known for things such as casinos, burlesque bars etc. Also, Las Vegas is surrounded by desert which gives a sense of isolation to the show. This setting gives many oppertunities for plots surrounding prostitution and gambling. Vegas is also known for being run by large, well-known mobs who would control everything and take the law into their own hands. This is because Las Vegas is a small town which is essentially in the middle of nowhere and therfore the american police decide to let them deal with the crimes themselves.

Differently, Sherlock is set in the upper-class area of Baker Street, near places such as Marlebone. These settings connote wealth and social heierachy. The wealth in the area is portrayed by the fact that Sherlock does not have a proper job with a salary, and instead does voluntary work for the police and detectives. The upper-class setting gives oppertunity for plots surrounding the ideas of money and social heierachy therefore there would be themes such as revenge included in the show.

Alternatively, Luther is set in working class London, showing scenes of terrace houses and council estates. These connote the corrupt side of London and remind the audience of the August Riots which give a sense of fear to teh show. The setting gives oppertunities to film scenes in abandoned flats or alley ways.