Tuesday 7 May 2013

Textual Analysis of a TV Drama looking specifically at issues of 'Representation'

Unseen Extract

Mise en Scene




Use of the Camera






Shot types





Editing techniques







Sound







Advice from the Examiners

'Go from the specific to the general'

1 - Pick out textual evidence

2 - Discuss connotations

3 - Broaden your point to discuss representation and to explain how meaning has been created


For example,




The actor is framed in mid-shot with a bewildered look on his face. This connotes that he is lost or struggling to come to terms with his whereabouts. 
He is wearing a leather jacket with wing-collared shirt.  When we see him in wide shot he is wearing flared trousers. The costume  suggests that the drama is set in the 1970's.   

The colour palette is brown and almost sepia which also connotes the time period is in the past.

From these elements of mise-en-scene the audience understands that this character is lost, or uncomfortable in this situation. The narrative may be about a character being out of time and place which is common trope in BBC dramas such as Doctor Who. 

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