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How are genre conventions expressed during the opening scene of Sherlock Holmes (2009)?

In depth analysis of opening scene of Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros 2009)

The first publication of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, was in 1887. The author and inventor Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock as a quick witted, highly intelligent detective, and the 2009 remake by Guy Ritchie, also utilizes the same characteristics in Sherlock Holmes (played by Robert Downey Junior).

The genre of the movie is Action/Mystery as opposed to the simple crime drama genre in the previous television series based on the detective. This is due to the direction of Guy Ritchie, who normally directs typical violent, masculine action thrillers that appeal to a male demographic, such as; his feature film debut “Lock, stock and two smoking barrels”, “Revolver” and “RocknRolla” this guidance intensifies the entertainment value, as well as bringing the character Sherlock Holmes to the modern day despite the film being set in 1891 London, because of this added action, a wider ranged demographic would appeal to the film, despite maybe not being aware of the prior novels or drama series,  obviously an intention as it is a big-budget Hollywood movie being financed by Warner Bros; a leading studio producer of film and television.

The opening scene of the film starts with cobbled streets, a distinctive use of semiotics, as they were a

key feature in London streets during the 18^th century; the logo’s of the key institutions are imbedded in the cobbling as the camera uses dolly movement to capture the different emblems. The track "Discombobulate" compiled for the film by German composer Hans Zimmer begins to play which sounds dramatic yet slow, however begins to build up. This is a crucial convention in action/mystery films as music is continuously used as a signifier, the music playing in the opening scene represents anonymity and generates apprehension in the viewers from just the first few seconds.

The camera moves upwards in a follow shot of a horse and carriage; the sound of the clomping horse hooves momentarily dominates the soundtrack, the camera moves rapidly towards the carriage and zooms inside, revealing two male characters with grave facial expressions and loading up pistols. This is another convention as weapons are fundamental in action films, because they project power and authority, as well as danger if used by a different character. Cut-in shots of the weapons in the hands of the men in the carriage are used, and a panning shot introduces us to a man running, it appears as if he is a suspect and the carriage is following him as he is taking short cuts and jumping over walls. The camera then close-up’s to his face and the audience realise it is the protagonist. A voiceover and flash forward is used as the leading character stands against a wall in a building, the scene flashes forward to when he leaps out and attacks a man using the fight moves stated in the voiceover, this attack scene is in slow motion and the music is muted this expansion of time exaggerates the detective’s strength and his line in the voiceover “full faculty of recovery, unlikely” represents the character Sherlock Holmes as a witty yet ruthless as opposed to the original highly intelligent pacifist character, however after attacking the man guarding the building he then takes the man’s hat and places it on his own head, the original Sherlock character was also a master of disguise and this action relates to the original Sherlock’s characteristics.

 The camera then uses an aerial shot to track Sherlock descending spiral stairs and hiding in a shadowed corner of the crime scene; a man chanting in an eerie demonic language and wearing an oversized black cloak and is stood over a woman tied across a table wearing a full white gown and reacting possessed to the chant. The white gown of the woman is presenting a virgin, pure appearance, portraying the woman as a victim which is a common representation of women in this genre.  The mise-en-scene in the scene parallels a demonic, church like setting, the framing reveals numerous altars around and four fire stands around the tied woman, the lighting is limited with a lot of shadows concealing the background symbolising an occult or satanic ritual. A close up of the demonic chanting man’s face and an extreme close up of his mouth reiterates his intimidating persona.

The camera move’s upwards into the shadowed pillars where Sherlock Holmes is hiding, a man slowly appears behind him and is about to attack him when Sherlock’s partner Dr Watson arrives and grip’s the man in a headlock; this presents Dr Watson as loyal and dependable, always saving Sherlock. The two characters’ then begin the first dialogue of the film; their conversation of Sherlock forgetting his revolver and leaving the stove on portrays them as a bickering couple (“bromance”). Although their relationship is not equal, Watson takes commands from Sherlock and is later called Sherlock’s “dog”. The pair then descend a staircase with the camera using a close-up on their feet and enter the demonic crime scene where another typical action convention is explored; a fight scene with the “bad guys” outnumbering the protagonists, whilst Dr Watson and Sherlock Holmes are successfully defeating the adversaries, one opponent fires a bullet towards Sherlock which momentarily mutes the dramatic "Discombobulate" track and is another use of slow motion.  Only sounds of screams of pain and truncheon battered against bodies are heard, Sherlock pushes another man in the direction of the bullet, and the music returns. Meanwhile, the demonic man is still chanting to the hostage woman, who is reaching for a dagger and aiming it to her torso, Watson aims his pistol to the back of the demonic chanting man (Lord Blackwood) then the scene is continuously edited to Sherlock grabbing her hand back, this suggests Watson as inferior or weaker to Sherlock, as he aimed a weapon whereas Sherlock was faster in intervening in the scene. The track "Discombobulate" has reached its crescendo and then ends as the fire is blown out of the torch stands surrounding the table; this suggests Sherlock has saved the day and the danger is over.

Lord Blackwood uses patronising dialogue towards Dr Watson to provoke him, and when he approaches him Sherlock hold’s him back from Lord Blackwood’s trap, holding a thin strand of glass towards his eye. This reiterates Sherlock as more intelligent as he states he knew he had the glass because he was looking for it, and Watson is depicted as impulsive. Inspector Lestrade and his troops finally arrive and Sherlock states “we have one for the doctor, and one for the rope”, after Lord Blackwood is taken away by the police the Inspector says to Sherlock “You didn’t wait for my orders” and Sherlock replies, “If I had, you would of been cleaning up a corpse and chasing a rumour” the dialogues continues Sherlock’s witty one-liners as well as inferring Sherlock is arrogant, he tells the inspector he was hired by the girl’s parents and not working on behalf of Scotland Yard, and sarcastically says “Why they thought you would require any assistance is beyond me” inspector Lestrade takes the comment as a compliment as Watson says “Congratulations, Lestrade” and hands him a cigar, a photographer then takes a photograph of the three men, as Sherlock quickly covers his faces with his sleeve, and the photo is then shown as the front cover of a newspaper with the headline “Scotland yard catches killer” and a subheading of “Sherlock Holmes aides police” the photograph and behaviour towards the Inspector portray Sherlock as modest and humble, a characteristic common in action film protagonists. The conventions used in the opening scene of Sherlock Holmes blend the original mystique of the novels with a new found “Hollywood” action theme that creates a successful hybrid without losing its origins and focus.

Click Here to watch; Sherlock Holmes - Official Movie Trailer 2009 [High Quality] - HD

Female Representation in British Crime Drama's

Researching representation of gender and ethnicity in crime drama's. Focus on "Luther" staring Idris Elba as protagonist, unique factor as Black males are not conventionally cast as main roles in crime dramas. 

Task; Watch and analyse representation of females in a British crime drama of your choice.

Spooks BBC One. (Series 9 Episode 1)

• ·       Was the violence integral to the plot?

Violence was the recurring theme in the programme, as it is based on the British Security Service and their efforts to keep the nation safe; scenes including explosives and gunshots were continuous.

• Was the violence shown extreme and shown in detail, or was it mainly off-screen?

The violence was mainly on screen and extreme, I think this type of portrayal of violence in television drama add’s to the intense drama/thriller genre. Characters fighting without weapons also creates tension and conventionally the protagonist in the TV show wins the brawl, emphasizing the “hero’s” power

•  Did the victim have to be female?

The victim in the programme was not female, although there was violence towards several females in the drama; for example:  As Somali pirates hijacked a boat containing explosives from the port of tangier in Morocco, a woman appearing to be a blonde Russian woman kidnapped for prostitution was manhandled and degraded on the boat, yet towards the climax, she was revealed to be a fellow agent working for a private security contractor and ends up saving the protagonist’s life. This is a typical portrayal of females in the media depicted as prostitutes and scantily-clad, whereas in this drama the female was the vital factor in ensuring safety and ‘saving the day’. Another example, in the same episode was the hunt for an Al-Qaeda computer hacker, who was tracked to a residence in south London, when the m15 arrived they arrested the father. Unaware that the real culprit was his teenage daughter.

• Would it have changed the meaning and impact of the narrative if the victim had been male?

Yes, I think that if all the characters were male and presented in a conventional  chauvinist way, then it would not have been as interesting as integrating female characters with equally important roles. It also breaks the barriers of sexism and display’s females and males equally in the media.

• ·       Is there too much violence against women on TV?

I don’t think there is necessarily too much violence towards women, but I think there is prejudice towards them because of the conventions of a woman as a homemaker as opposed to males as a dominant sex. Despite this, women are gradually being represented in a parallel way in the media industry, (for example Angelia Jolie as Agent Salt and Lara Croft/Tomb raider and Uma Thurman in Kill Bill) Even though women as central characters in crime drama’s have existed since the 70’s and the introduction of “Bionic woman”, “Charlie’s angels” and “Wonder woman”

• ·       Think of the reasons why writers depict violence against female victims in crime dramas.

It is based on the stereotypical views since the beginning of life; women carry the children and continue to carry the rest of the burden. During the feminist movement in the 70’s the media industry began to accept females as powerful characters, yet I believe in present day we have slipped back into narrow-mindedness because women are seen as easier targets, which correlate to crime rates, women are vulnerable in society and are still represented as vulnerable in the media. The media industry is stuck into a conventional ideology, but i don’t think the providers of media should be the ones to blame because they are merely showing us what we want to see and what we will accept, for example would a homosexual male as a lead protagonist in a crime drama be as well received as an attractive ladies man?  I disagree with this and believe that genders, nationalities, sexualities should be equally represented, because it seems even though our society and technology are advancing, our views and attitude are still stuck in the past. 

  Click here for the latest series of Spooks (Series 9) on BBC iPlayer 

This Is England '86

This Is England '86

Episode 1

-       How are the characters introduced?

In the first episode of This is England ’86, the characters are not reintroduced in any way, as the TV drama is a continuation of the 2006 film “This is England”, the viewers are expected to already know the characters and there role’s, but for first time viewers, names are frequently called for clarity. As a viewer who has watched the original film ‘This is England’ it was interesting to see how the characters aged individually, yet their persona’s and behaviour remained the same.

-       Detailed description of two characters

Lol- Lol is a main female character, the girlfriend of Woody and sister of Kelly. She is portrayed as a very serious person through her actions and behaviour. The other female characters costumes are feminine and revealing yet Lol is always dressed in more formal, masculine attire, this is also expressed through her body language and facial expressions. I believe that the character is dressed in this way as a result of her abused childhood she may feel vulnerable in feminine clothes and has adopted this style as a protective barrier.

Shaun- Shaun is the main character in ‘This is England’, and is introduced to viewers as an impressionable, mischievous 12 year old boy who seeks companionship after being constantly teased at school, I believe Shaun to be an emotionally complex character this may be due to his depression following his father’s death. Shaun is also quite secluded; in “This is England” and also in the beginning of “This is England 86” it is evident that the friends have drifted apart over the years from past events.

-       Key differences between film and drama series

“This is England” was more dramatic as opposed to the added elements of humour in the drama series (This is England ’86), almost making it a hybrid of genres. The film had clear objectives to raise awareness of rising gang cultures, the “skinhead” movement and the racial implications of the National front, thoroughly encompassing the lifestyle of the 1980’s, whereas the television drama series focuses on developing character lives and backgrounds.

-       What dramatic conflict is created? How? What is the impact?

In the first scene we are re-introduced to a teenaged Shaun, about to take his GCE examinations, Shaun is misbehaving in the exam hall, throwing paper around and from this we can infer he is a rebellious character, the following scene is an argument with his mother over what he plan’s to do with his future, This mild dramatic conflict emits anticipation within the audience as we believe he will rebel his mothers wishes and create more havoc during his summer holidays.

The wedding party scene, on board a bus, for Lol and Woody’s wedding also has some underlying dramatic conflict, as the camera moves to the groom (Woody’s) face, with a solemn facial expression this is unexpected for a man who is about to be married to his girlfriend of five years and we the audience expect a twist of events to bring to a halt to the upcoming nuptials.

-       How is music used as a signifier? Provide two or more examples.

At Lol and Woody’s wedding scene, as Lol is walking down the aisle, Johnny Nash’s “Guava Jelly” is playing, a mid-tempo r’n’b song this suggests a happy, celebration mood. Despite the song being released in 1972, the rhythm and genre is similar to Lol and Woody’s skinhead roots and love of Ska and reggae style music. Meanwhile, this contrast with Meggy’s heart attack in a bathroom cubicle, the music in this scene could signify a turn of events, the end of a celebration that will ruin the wedding ceremony.

Gagdet, Kel, Trev and Harvey’s wheelchair racing scene at a hospital is a comedic scene that portrays the group of friends as carefree, young and living in the moment, which is a change to the stressful personal lives they all enclose. “Happy Hour” by the Housemartins is playing, and the punk rock song suggests rebellion and high energy. The scene ends with Harvey accidently knocking over Lol’s mother with a wheelchair, which is an instantaneous climax of the comedy in the scene, as the music abruptly stops for dialogue.

(Left to Right; Woody, Meggy, Shaun, Smell, Banjo, Milky, Trev, Gagdet, Lol, Harvey and Kel)

Officially on Blogger..

Hello! .. Bon Jour.. Buenos Dias.. G’day.. Guten tag.. Konichiwa.. Ciao and Shalom! I am officially on Blogger, where i will be (hopefullly) keeping you all up to date with my AS Level Media Studies work.

Stay posted for my essays and research on different aspects of Media; including key conventions, british television drama analysis and more. 

Follow me On Twitter @Dee_x2 for more updates.

-TheDigitalDiamondDiary.

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