Doctor Who - Mise-en-scene/Camerawork/Editing/Sound

How does this extract from Doctor Who represent gender?

Mise-en-scene:

The Master is in a suit and tie, which indicates a high status/power. All men in the scene are dressed in black (and white). The women in the scene - except for Martha of course - are dressed as maids which implicates stereotypes of women being workers and the slaves of men. The guns that the guards hold implicate power (over Martha and the others). Captain Jack is dirty and he is seen wearing blue overalls that display an idea of a working class, manual working male stereotype. The red dress of the Master's Wife emphasizes her difference from the others and alienates her with a loner status, the colour implicates connotations of love or danger. The dress itself is very feminine and sexual in comparison to Martha's clothes. Martha is wearing military clothes to suggest her equality of power alongside the men, displays a fighter, strong, status, power, etc. The set design links to the science-fiction nature and genre of the show, as does the props such as the Master's 'sonic screwdriver', as does the lighting. the lighting in the scene is very bright and exposed. All of the security guards in the scene are men to further implicate a higher status as a sex/gender than women. Colour grading/alterations in saturation, to indicate flashbacks.

Camerawork:

Low angle shots on the Master to suggest a higher power and status. High angle shots on Martha to indicate a lower status, in comparison, within the scene. This switches towards the end of the scene when the Master is defeated, and the (in)balance of power is reversed when Martha - and the Doctor - obtain power. The Tracking/POV/Eyeline shot on Martha's family, Captain Jack and The Doctor indicates Martha's vulnerability in the scene. The level of the camera balances midway through the scene when Martha begins to obtain and balance out the power and status between her and the Master. The ticking clock is constantly referenced through insert shots and focus pulls to display The Master's power and create tension, within the scene. There is a use of master shots, long shots, mid shots, medium close ups, close ups, extreme close ups, to focus the audience on particular points of action and what is most important in indicating representation within the scene. A use of shot/reverse shot during conversations; The Master has the most screen time in this which further implies power - he is the center of the action, etc. 

Editing:

Shot/reverse shot during the conversation between The Master and Martha to show the dialogue and reactions of the characters. The Master has the most screen time which further implies power and status as a male. insert of the ticking clock,l constantly referenced throughout the scene, to emphasize and remind us of The Master's power over everyone else within the scene. Similarly, the use of a cutaway further implicates this power that he has, showing his arsenal (the shots of the missiles and the alien creatures above Earth). All of the latter are used to implicate power and to give tension.

Sound:

A diegetic sound that his often over amplified for the effect of tension, is that of the ticking clock. The over amplification emphasizes The Master's power by constantly reminding us of this, to establish tension for the audience. The Doctor's voice is old and whispery to show his age and a lack of power in comparison to his usual self. There are transitional (sci-fi) noises to indicate flashbacks. The non-diegetic sound of the music in a dramatic and hopeless theme to indicate The Master's success over The Doctor and Martha. When The Doctor and Martha regain their power/status in the scene, the music swiftly alters into a dramatized, heroic theme which implicates their ever-nearing victory over The Master. The voices of the alien/robotic creatures are that of women, and they are slaves of The Master, which could suggest symbolism of male power over women. Throughout the scene there are sci-fi noises to link with the genre/theme of the program and to become normal within the fictional aspects of the scene.  

Discuss the use of Sound and Mise-en-scene in the extract from 'Life On Mars'. Make specific reference to examples from the sequence.

Mise-en-scene and sound are used throughout this extract from the T.V show, to enforce portray location, atmosphere and character status. The most evident example of this during this clip is shortly after the character Sam is hit by a speeding car.

At the very beginning of the clip, we open up with what is made out to be a crime scene. We immediately establish this through the use of character costume choice, (exemplified with the police officers lingering in the background of the frame ; this presents denotations of the police service and crime; in this case murder. Sam, the lead character is wearing a dark blue suit jacket and a blue shirt and tie, contrasting with the uniforms of the other officers, this suggests that he has a higher literal status in power. the fact that the color coding of the dark and light blues may be symbolic to make known that he is a police detective. The location is clearly defined as a group council flats stand nearby in the background, which suggests the area is interpreted as working class. Also council estates and flats - such of these - have connotations of dangerous, criminal based areas. The camera then pans down to reveal blue shirt, stained in the blood of its missing owner, sitting on a children’s swing in a public playground in the council estate. The use of blood is subtle and not overdone, however it does its job by immediately bringing to mind dark connotations of violence, pain and murder. As the shot cuts to a high angle extreme long shot we see the swing is indeed part of a children’s play area, and we can tell that by the geography of the location that everyone could see down (from their flats) at the crime scene- enforcing this idea of the residents and how "they don't care".

As for sound in this section, we immediately hear police radio chatter and talking officers. These are both example of diegetic and synchronous sound; particularly the radio chatter, as in the background we can see police talking on their radios, these sounds remind us of crime, hence immerse us more within the scene. In terms of non-diegetic sound we have the score, of which in this section is a very slow melodic drone, played on strings, this at this particular moments conveys a sense of uncertainty and when the shirt is in shot the score alters to a ‘darker’ atmosphere as the music goes down in scale. As the first location begins to change the amplification on the score increases, eventually embodying the entirety of the audio featuring no diegetic sound, this eases us into the next scene.

The use of just the score effectively highlights and emphasises the emotion on screen, in that the mood shifts to reflect a sense of heartbreak, once again via the use of strings. To bring diegetic sound back into the scene a sound bridge is used, in that the sound effect of a car horn and screeching is suddenly audible. The score then fades out and we begin to hear the song ‘Life On Mars’, the camera soon reveals that this is playing through an iPod, making it diegetic.

As Sam is hit by the car, once again a sound bridge is used as the diegetic music immediately stops at the sound effect of him being hit by the car, to leave only the non-diegetic bass noise to be audible, highlighting the moment. A synchronous heartbeat is then audible and suggests the subject is in a life threatening situation. A white flash then fills the screen accompanied by a sound effect of almost lightning, which could suggest a defibrillator; subsequently the heartbeat begins slows-down, supporting this. During the asynchronous soundscape we also hear the noise of an ambulance, once again supporting this notion that his life is in danger. An echo of ‘Life On Mars’ can begin to be heard once more. We hear the dialogue “Charge to 200 joules” then “Is that clear?”, enforcing the idea that the lightning sound symbolises a defibrillator, as well as this we hear beeping, such as we imagine a defibrillator to do. While visuals show out of focus woodland, we hear a child’s whisper say “Where are you?”, which suggests confusion from the characters’ point of view and we then see what looks like a leprechauns shoe, which could suggest he is lucky to live? Also the snapping of twigs to represent motion with this woodland. As he opens his eyes, the beeping begins to slow and diminish in amplitude, leaving just the non-diegetic sound of the song ‘Life On Mars’.

As the camera circulates we see the character in a different costume, of which appears to be from the 1970s period. In the background we also see factories, some which are demolished, reminiscent of the same time period, the same of which applies to the car in the next shot. Again a final sound bridge is used to link the sound back to diegetic once more, as we see and hear the music decrease in quality, seemingly coming from a cassette, supporting the time period. We also briefly see what appears to be a government document, with what could be a metropolitan police logo, suggesting even in this period he is still involved with the police. We then see another subject in what appears to be a 1970s police uniform. In the background we also can hear a police car siren as we see the officer. In the background smoke is coming from the factories, indicating a working industrial period.

Evaluation - Questions 6 & 7

Evaluation - Questions 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Evaluation - Question 1.

Mise-En-Scene

 Here in this snapshot taken from Life On Mars, we can spot various things (some subtle and some more obvious) just from this preview that can indicate the context of a scene and its period and setting. The fact that the two men in the background are wearing blue shirts, ties and trousers indicates the fact that they are police officers (linking to the context of the program). one of them also appears to be drinking, and from the background (to the right of John Simm) we can see the end of a bar and its shelves, stacked with alcoholic drinks. Also, we can interpret the time period through the use of the dark, moody lighting and the light and dark shades of brown and black- all indicating the time period, and perhaps our protagonist's perception of the setting. From the large, stylish trench coat, worn by Philip Glennister, we get a sense of power and dominance that he possesses.

In this fragment of Merlin, we can already gather a lot of information by looking carefully into the details of certain aspects of the scene. The costumes that all three characters pictured in frame are quite clearly medieval and establish the time period from just one glance. The fact that the male in the center possesses a sword, and drawn at that, we can tell that he has the highest authority and he is the most dominant - and perhaps the most dangerous - of the three. They also appear to be in a cave, ill lit, but the important part is the fact that they are holding torches. This indicates a sense of perhaps daylight, mood, but also the time period as it would be extremely rare today if anyone was to be venturing through a cave with a torch instead of a flashlight.

From this screenshot taken from Doctor Who, we can immediately establish many things within this scene by taking into account many different details. It is clear that Catherine Tate's character, from the costume, that she is a bride (or a bride to be). From The Doctor's suit, we can feel a certain sense of power he has and knowledge, but also with a sense of style with the way it is worn - to add to our likability of the character. The contrasting of the brown and blue colors, within the interior of the TARDIS, gives us a real sense of homeliness and safety- but also a sci-fi feel, at the very same time.

From this screenshot, even with me being mistaken as to what TV program it is taken from, I can already interpret certain details within the scene to help me to gain and understanding of the characters and the environment  around them. From the blue curtain I can already imagine this place to be a hospital ward (with the characters looking down at a patient). The characters' costumes are obvious, they are clearly doctors or nurses (either way a form of medical staff) and we can also judge this by their props; their stethoscopes around their necks.

This screenshot from Waterloo Road can tell us a lot about the scene, the characters within them, and the setting around them. Judging from the uniform, they are quite clearly school children/students (secondary school) - from their ties, jumpers and shirts - all of with follow a pattern of color coding. Now we can't really see where they are in terms of geography, but they are quite clearly outside. and because the frame is so packed with students (and teachers) it could possibly be the playground, with everyone overseeing some form of incident.

Psychological Thriller Screenplay

‘UNTITLED PSYCHOLOGICAL

ACTION THRILLER’

Screenplay by

Will Tollerfield

Based on

absolutely nothing.

BLACK SCREEN

FIRST TITLES UP

We hear heavy breathing; slightly muffled.

We FADE IN to…

1 EXT – WAREHOUSE – DAY (19:01).

Our character, DONOVAN, walks towards us as we ourselves pull back; IN SLOW MOTION.

We hear a phone ring as we CUT TO:

2 INT – HOUSE – DAY (15:47).

We see as well as hear the phone ring; DONOVAN picks it up and answers:

DONOVAN

Hello?

CALLER

Hello Donovan.

CUT BACK TO:

3 EXT – WAREHOUSE – DAY (19:01)

DONOVAN continues to walk towards us as we hear:

DONOVAN (O.S)

Who is this?

CALLER (O.S)

(breathes very heavily)

DONOVAN

Who is this?!

CUT TO:

4 INT – UNKNOWN – DAY (15:48)

We see the mouth of the caller.

CALLER

The answer I give you will mean nothing, the more important question is, not “who”...but “why?”

CUT TO:

5 INT – HOUSE – DAY (15:48)

DONOVAN

I’m putting this phone down. Goodbye.

(goes to put the phone down)

CALLER

Donovan, you put down that phone and I’ll be thoroughly inclined to redecorate the kitchen with your brains.

DONOVAN

Excuse Me?

CALLER

I have a 25mm Bolt Action Sniper Rifle, with a specialised hair trigger aiming straight at your head.

CUT TO:

6 INT – UNKNOWN – DAY (15:48)

POV of the sniper’s crosshair; aiming straight at DONOVAN.

CALLER (CON)

You put that phone down and I can guarantee you, the CSI will be moping up pieces of your face with a fucking sponge!

CUT TO:

7 EXT – WAREHOUSE – DAY (19:02)

DONOVAN stops dead in his tracks.

DONOVAN (O.S)

(pauses)

I’m listening.

CUT TO:

8 INT – HOUSE – DAY (15:48)

DONAVON (CON)

What do you want?

CALLER

Be at the abandoned dairy factory at 7pm, I have a gift for you.

DONAVON

And if I refuse?

CALLER

Well if that be case: then picture me (as you imagine me to be) taking a stroll to your sisters, trying to play the boyfriend. It all goes horribly wrong, she won’t look at me, I cut off her eye lids. She won’t pull a smile, so I carve one into her face. She won’t offer her body to me, so I-

DONOVAN

-No, no, no, no, no, please!

(begins to cry)

Not my sister, she’s all I have, please!

CALLER

You will be followed, to make sure you complete your task. Are you willing to comply?

DONAVON

Yes.

CALLER

Good. As I said, be at the abandoned dairy factory at 7pm, I have a gift for you- it’s to die for-

He hangs up, we hear the tone...

DONAVON slowly puts down the phone.

CUT TO:

9 EXT – WAREHOUSE – DAY (19:02)

DONOVAN looks into the distance. There is a small box.

He moves closer towards the box. It’s wrapped in a bow.

It appears to be a birthday cake box. He can tell by the imagery on the packaging.

DONAVON

(mouths)

What the hell?

He kneels down to open it. He’s not so sure about this. There appears to be red smudges on the wrapping.

It’s blood.

The label on the box reads:

“To Donovan,

Open Me…”

He begins to unwrap the bow. He lifts up the flaps of the box, we can hear the sound of flies buzzing, the smell is awful.

DONAVON fully opens the box. He takes a good look at “the gift”.

Be briefly take a look at the severed head.

He throws himself back in horror and cries as we...CUT TO BLACK.

SECOND TITLES UP.