Top Boy
The first
two minute scene I decided to watch was in Top Boy series 1 episode 1. I
believe it relates to my groups work as it has similar things going on such as
weapons and killings as well as innocence and guilt.
Mis – en
– scene
So first of
all from the settings you can see that it is in a rural and urban of England
due to the fact that you see estates and rundown buildings being shown straight
away, this will give you an idea of where everything is going to be shot and
what is going to be happening preferably gangs and crime as you wouldn’t
associate stuff such as romance and love in place such as this. The props are
also an indication of what the plot could be about as everyone is mainly
wearing dull colours such as grey and black which could connote something
gloomy and eerie about to be happening, this also links to lighting has you can
see that is not bright and is cloudy which connotes the opposite of happiness
and maybe even fear. The facial expressions and body language also show you
that it is going to be about drugs and violence due to the fact you see this
happening in the very first two minutes, you see some people more scared than
others which gives you an insight of different characters and their mentalities
as some characters are laughing whereas others are the exact opposite. We also
see that in the market the butchers are slicing fish which could connote that
something else might get sliced up eventually and also you see images of dead
types of animals which could also happen in the programme leaving the viewers
in suspense.
Sound
There is
diegetic and non diegetic sound being played in the opening two minutes of this
episode. The non diegetic sound is an instrumental type of sound and it is like
it is building up steadily to an ultimatum and from the build up sound you see
the first part of action appear when a range rover comes to one of the estates
which also gives you an idea of what is going to happen. The diegetic sound is
sound of the market where you hear different people talking this may be to give
us an insight of their reality and what goes on in their everyday life. We also
hear diegetic sound towards the end of the two minute scene when you see some
people phone others to come and help and them and you also hear swearing which
shows us what is going to be happening and gives us a fair idea of the plot.
Also to take note the sound was parallel sound has it linked to what was
happening however it wasn’t rap or grime music which you would associate with a
programme such as Top Boy.
Camerawork
We see
camerawork take place in Top Boy straight away as we see an establishing shot
of the different estates, so this may be where the different characters live.
We then start to see various different shots of many different people; these
may be the main characters in the story. The characters are also in different
places in these shots. Most of the shots are medium shots of the people however
some are long shots of the people has they also want to introduce the scene to
us. We then get an idea of who the main characters may be has the camera starts
to focus on three main characters. One character is in his house who can see
everything and at one stage we see an over the shoulder shot of him and also
various other shots such as close ups to see his emotion, but from this we see
no emotion from the camera. We also then start to see the other two main
characters who are introduced who are in the market and there are various close
up shots of these two males.
Editing
In the
opening two minutes of the scene we see a lot of quick cuts being taken place.
By this I mean you only see a character for no more than five seconds in which
then the camera cuts to the next character, I would call these cuts quick
straight cuts due to the quick cutting of camera on characters. Even at the
start when the estates are introduced the estates are only shown for less than
five seconds and then we move on this could be called continuity editing in
where shots are in a ordered style in which everything we see is going in order
this takes place at the end. However I believe before this a montage is taking
place as the camera is switching from certain people to other people in the
market and you don’t know what is going on, but this soon changes as it becomes
continuity and everything adds up.
Target Audience
I believe that the target audience to Top Boy would be mainly males between the ages of 16-34. I say this as the programme as to do with gangs and violence and this may appeal to teenagers. However it also may appeal to females as there are also story lines to with families within Top Boy.
Luther
Mis – en
– scene
In the
opening two minutes of Luther we see similarities to those in Top Boy. I say
this as the lighting again is also very low and there aren’t very bright
colours to be seen which suggests a gloomy atmosphere and a build up of
tension. However the setting is different to Top Boy has this is filmed in the
city and has nothing to do with gangs it has to do more with the police. In the
first minute it is dark and you see dead people however you are proved wrong
has these people are alive and then kill the police which straight away draws
the viewer in to see what will happen next. It is then the next day where you
see characters who aren’t smiling and look depressed, Luther himself looks like
he is struggling due to the fact he his thinking about committing suicide. This
could show that he is weak to us and that he is vulnerable. When you are seeing
Luther the setting is also introduced as you can see the city life and the fact
that he is wearing a shirt shows he is in a well paid job which could also show
us something as the viewers.
Sound
In the
opening two minutes of this scene we also hear diegetic and non diegetic sound.
We at first don’t hear non diegetic sound which makes us feel calm as nothing
is happening and then we hear diegetic sound which is a gunshot which could
scare us as the viewers. Non diegetic sound then comes in to place where we
hear the music building up to seeing that something might happen and it also
relates to what is happening as the guy who shot the people is rushing whilst
the music rushing so it is parallel to each other. We also hear it when we see
Luther which could show us a build up to a sort of climax of something
happening however this sound in the background is a much smoother sound as if
it doesn’t want to disturb Luther in his thinking. We also hear diegetic sound
such as dialogue happening and also the hearing of gunshots which shows us what
Luther is going to be about. The dialogue we hear about Luther is interesting
as he is a police officer and someone is getting questioned about Luther which
is weird as police officers should be characters who are going against the
right morals which shows that Luther is a unique and different type of
character.
Camerawork
We first
straight away see a medium shot of a train going by so we see that this part of
the storyline is taking place near train tracks which could get the viewers
worried to what just might be happening. The camera then goes down to other the
train tracks where we see a tunnel sort of like an establishing shot and this
is where we see the police car arrive and also the dead people appear, this
shot is a wide shot as it allows us to see everything happening in the shot.
The camera is then getting closer and closer to the policeman who is speaking
until we see gunshots happen and we then see close ups of the individuals and
what is happening as if we are in the action with them, the person who is
killing all the police officers then gets up and looks as if he coming to get
us until we see a over the shoulder shot of the character. There is then a
tracking shot of the guy and it is as if we are following him like we are
trying to solve what is happening. We then next see a high and low angle shot
of him as the camera is on the ground and it makes him look big as if he has
all the power and he looking down at us. We then see a behind shot of Luther
and this is where you can see all the buildings and settings so it is a
combination of wide and medium shot so we can see him in middle of everything.
There is then a close up of Luther’s face so we get to see the emotion he is in
and then a close up of shoes to show he is on the brink of jumping off. We then
see a shot where we underneath him and he is looking down as if he going to
jump down on us which shows how weak is as he may have done something bad.
Editing
The first
part in which we see editing happen in the opening two minutes of Luther is
when the guy who is pretending to be dead shoots the police officers and the
camera is quickly switching from both characters to see what is happening,
these shots could be seen as a jump cut as the audience could be forced to
focus on something unexpectedly which in this case was the shooting. We then
see cuts from the character who done the shooting in many different shots. We
then see shots of Luther where we see him from different angles and the camera
cuts from close ups to his face and feet to long and wide shots. In the close
up of his feet we also see a dissolve shot where we are focusing on his feet
and then is blurs in to the next shot which is the ground where you see buses
and cars driving. You could also say continuity editing is being used as
everything is going in a sequence as you can see why Luther is on the brink of
committing suicide due to the fact that people are getting questioned to see
whether he is guilty or not, so it all adds up.
Target Audience
I believe that the target audience for Luther would be 16 and above. I say this as there is violence within Luther and also you have to be switched on at all times as things are always changing. It would appeal to all genders as there is violence as well as relationships within Luther.
Misfits
Mis – en
– scene
In the
opening two minutes of Misfits we get to see the different characters which
would be involved in this programme. We see that the setting looks like it is
in a normal place in London where the city is. Not bang in the city and not
bang in the urban side of things either. We see that the people are wearing
orange clothing to make them be noticed for something and stand out to show
they have something. We automatically as the viewers would believe they would
have done something wrong. The lighting is like the other two programmes I have
discussed about in where it is dull colours and the lighting is low to show
some sort of damage has been done, where you can see that the orange clothing
stands out the most as it is bright. Each individual character had different
types of hairstyles and acted in different ways in the opening two minutes this
was done so each character gets their own character identity showing they are
different from each other. The facial and body expression also showed that they
weren’t happy and it was a serious tone to it which showed that something
already has happened and we are straight away in to the plot, some of the
characters didn’t even look like they were bothered which could be
stereotypical as in all teenagers are like this by portraying them like that.
Sound
In the
opening two minutes of the Misfits you can hear both non diegetic and diegetic
sound. You can hear non diegetic sound as if it is like a build up of all the
characters and this is leading up to something, the non diegetic sound sounded
as if it was parallel to the Misfits as it related to what was happening in
that moment. We then towards the end of the opening two minute sequence also
hear diegetic sound where we hear dialogue and we hear the characters speak. Some
characters are quite loud others are more quite, so this straight away gives us
an insight of how each of the characters are sort of like an introduction of
them.
Camerawork
In the
opening two minute sequence of Misfits we see close up used a lot to introduce
the different characters and how different they are from each other. We see
close ups of the boys and how they are on their phones or looking serious as
boys are stereotypically known as ‘the superior’ race and you then see the
girls sorting their out and sorting out the way they look, which again is
stereotypical of what you see girls doing. This also gives us an insight of the
different characters. When they go outside you see a wide shot of all the
characters sort of lined up beside each other and again you get to see how
different each character is due to their different poses. You then again start
to see close ups of different characters to see their emotion being shown and
yet again see another insight of each character. You could also say a panning
shot is being used due to the fact the camera goes from side to side of the
characters to see what they are saying to each other.
Editing
In the
opening two minutes of Misfits you see a lot of cuts being taken on from the
characters, sort of like in Top Boy. I say this because I believe cuts that are
quick and fast are being used so that you get to see each character but not for
a long time as the producers do not want to give much away. You see each
different character for a maximum of five seconds and then it cuts to the next
character. There is then a straight cut where you then see the characters lined
up outside where you see dialogue happen. I would say this would be continuity
editing due to the fact that it is all going in a sequence where the characters
are getting introduced at first and then we hear dialogue which again gives us
an insight of what these characters have done wrong.
Target Audience
The target audience of Misfits would be similar to that of Top Boy in the age category of 16-34 olds. I say this due to the ages of the main protagonists who are relatively young and teenagers could relate to these characters. I would also believe that it appeals to both males and females due to the protagonists being a mixture of males and females and again they could relate to these characters.
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Dexter
Mis – en
– scene
In the
opening sequence of Dexter you get a setting which is inside of his house. But
due to the camerawork and editing it makes us feel as if he is somewhere else.
As it is in the morning the lighting is bright and looks like a normal day for
him in which he is having his daily routine: having a shave, having breakfast
as we all would. We only get to see one character in this scene who is Dexter
so obviously the main character is Dexter. We get to see him properly at the
end of the two minute sequence where he looks normal and smiles, so there is
nothing really suspicious thus far, but also this could mean he is good at
hiding and lying about things. This is his facial expression and body language
which looks confident. We see lots of things such as him eating and cooking as
well as shaving which also gives us an idea of what type of guy he is, so far
you would think he is a normal guy.
Sound
In the
opening two minute sequence of Dexter we hear both diegetic and non diegetic
sound. We hear non diegetic sound throughout most of the sequence and it is a
sound where it is building up to a certain thing happening. Also has this is
playing in the back ground we hear diegetic sounds such as him slapping an
insect which is on his arm, to him shaving and to him cooking. We hear these
sounds over the non diegetic sound at it makes you worry has readers as if you
weren’t looking at the video clip and you could only hear what was happening
you might think something drastic is going on. I think the non diegetic sound
is also parallel as it is morning and it is calm but also at the same time
contrapuntal where this music is smooth and calm from where you see the
diegetic sounds being violent so it doesn’t go together which adds to the
tension of what is going on.
Camerawork
In this
opening sequence of Dexter we see extreme close ups of Dexter and everything in
his daily life, we see a lot of attention to detail. This might scare and worry
the viewers as we are sucked in to the detail of him and the close ups and then
all of a sudden he slaps the insect which might scare you (this happens in the
start of the sequence). We then see extreme close ups of him shaving in which
he starts bleeding this could be connoted in he has made someone else bleed and
he then covers it up with a tissue which could mean he is covering up what he
has done to someone. We then see him slicing up meat and other types of food
such as oranges which could also signify something such as he has done
something in sort of slicing stuff, these all give us hints of what Dexter
might be about. We also in the sequence see him with some sort of laces or rope
where he looks as if he going to strangle someone, this could have many
meanings which the producers are trying to send to us. We also in this sequence
see an over the top shot of food being grinded sort of as if something else is
being grinded and it looks as if he knows what he is doing like he some sort of
expert at this which could also mean something.
Editing
In the
opening sequence of Dexter we see a lot of straight cuts going from one shot to
another. So has soon as we see Dexter do an action it goes on to the next
action where we see him doing something else. There are smooth cuts which are
continuously going from one shot to the other to see different types of things
Dexter is doing. I also believe it is continuity editing due to the fact that
it is going in a sequence such as he is waking up going have a shave then eat
his breakfast which is everything a normal person would do in their lives. We
see that these types of edits create a certain type of atmosphere as to him it
is his normal daily routine but due to the fast editing we see a lot more than
we should do which draws the reader in and make them want to watch more.
Target Audience
I believe the target audience of Dexter would be similar to that of Luther. I say this as the story line of Dexter would be complexed and you would have to know what is going on at all times so I would say again 16 and above. I would also say it appeals to both genders due to the violence and relationships but more so males due to the protagonist being a male.
My Murder
Mis – en –
scene
In the
opening sequence of my murder you can see that a black boy has been stabbed but
you don’t know why. Also during the opening sequence you can that other
characters are being introduced gradually. A mysterious girl is introduced
first and at first sight us the audience may believe she’s the one who stabbed
him. The setting looks as if it similar to that of Top Boy in urban and rural
parts and places where it is hard to make a living for yourself. The lighting
is similar to those I have already mentioned such as dark and dull colours and
that nothing in the opening sequence is happy or bright so they want us to feel
a certain mood towards the show. The facial expression and body language of the
different characters tell different stories there is a black woman who looks as
if she is blaming someone for something and then towards the end of the opening
sequence you see a black boy who looks confident and is happily telling his
story.
Sound
There is
both non diegetic and diegetic sound in the opening sequence of my murder.
Straight away as we watch the show we hear diegetic sound and it is someone on
the phone to the police and we then start to hear screaming to show that
someone is struggling. We then hear a black woman saying ‘I thought she cared’ numerous
times as she wants to get that certain message across to us. We then hear a guy
who is about to tell us a story of something and he looks confident whilst he
is telling it. There is also non diegetic sound throughout the opening sequence
and it is a song, if you listen to the lyrics is contrapuntal to what we are
watching however the song is slowed down in to a slow pace so it is as if it is
parallel to what we are watching so it sounds as if it is going with the
sequence. There is also a sound bridge that takes place where we see a black
girl not speaking and showing no emotion to another girl who saying he trusted
her, so you can tell from this that the black girl who had no emotion was the
girl who he trusted.
Camerawork
In the
opening sequence we see many medium and close up shots of characters being
introduced. At first we see a type of clothing in a garden and then a black boy
struggling for strength on the floor in the garden this is to show where the
setting is. We then see a upside down shot of the black boy where it could
connote to us that this black boys life is now turning upside down due to his
stabbing. We then see an over the shoulder shot of someone who is phoning the
police about the stabbing and see the guy on the floor at the same time. We
then again see a close up of the black boy to see his emotions and how much he
is struggling at this moment. We then see a close up of black girl who is
showing no emotion and it makes us think she is the one who killed him. We then
see a side tracking shot of a black boy where it is as if we are following his
tracks and following his story. The camera then stops and he walks off crossing
the road and we then a wide shot of him and in the back ground you can see a
setting being introduced which is like an establishing shot.
Editing
In the
opening sequence of my murder we see a lot of straight cuts taking place. We
see shots happening for longer periods than other shows which I have talked
about, so we get to see the full emotion of the different characters. We then
see a fade out from one character to the other where the screen goes black to show
that something has happened. After the titles we see the screen go black again
and has the beat drops another character we see is walking, so it creates some
sort of tension that makes us think what is happening. We then see another
straight cut from where the guy is introducing himself to a school hall, so
another place is being introduced. This straight cut was to change the type of
scene so we see something different to make sure the story progresses and moves
on.
Target Audience
I believe the target audience to my murder would be 16-34 year olds but mainly teenagers due to the characters being teenagers and being about their lives. This could relate to many teenagers, so it would attract a more younger audience. It would appeal to both males and females due to the fact of families and heartbreak as well as violence which would appeal to both genders.
