How does Bleak House build up tension and mystery in this extract?

Bleak House is a television adaptation of the classic Dickens’s tale shown on BBC One. Although it conforms to some of the conventions of the period drama genre, it also brings ideas and techniques from other genres and creates drama in a modern and contemporary way.

The music plays a big part in building tension and mystery in this piece, with eerie sound effects and rising pitches coming in at crucial points in the drama. It is appropriate for the genre and time period, with classical instruments like violin and piano. There’s also a faint heartbeat sound effect in the background, a concept taken from the hospital drama genre to add suspense and predetermine that something fatal may happen, this sound effect comes in just before Lady Deadlock faints.

Bleak House creates a realistic sense of voyeurism through the composition and mise en scene, this engages the audience making them sit on the edge of their seats and allowing them to feel more involved as if spying on the characters. There are frequently objects in the foreground of the scene obscuring full vision and giving the impression that the audience are spying where they shouldn’t be. This also makes have to concentrate more, almost as though they have to work out the mystery themselves. Lady Dedlock walks straight across the camera at one point, suggesting she is out of vision and out of the picture now; at the end of the clip, Lady Dedlock is seen looking into a mirror, with objects in the way, this shows her reflection and again creates voyeurism.

As Lady Dedlock is about to faint, the camera work becomes shaky and has a handheld effect; this reflects her state of mind and predetermines what is about to happen. The handheld camera effect is taken from the thriller/horror genre, used to engage the audience and keep them on the edge of their seats. It allows the audience to relate to the feeling of being dizzy and light-headed. Effects are also used to blur the handwriting of the letter that Lady Dedlock looks at, a point of view shot to again show her state of mind and physical state. Extreme close ups are also used as Lady Dedlock looks at the letter, the camera sharply zooms into the ‘J’, showing her focus and allowing the audience to piece together the plot puzzle themselves.

As the lodger, Nemo, comes into his room, throwing his money onto the desk the editing repeatedly cuts, missing out pieces of action and showing his frantic search for money. A sharp zoom is also used as soon as Nemo comes through the door, predetermining him as some sort of villain and supporting his frantic and hectic state. A much slower zoom is used on the character of Mr Tulkinghorn, this contrasts his character as different to Nemo, a higher class and status but still one of ‘the bad guys’ in the episode.

Overall, the combination of camera work, composition and music contribute to building tension and mystery, the purpose of this programme genre. It keeps the audience well engaged and in suspense.

Realism and Drama in Soaps

Many soap operas try to generate a balance between realism and drama to keep the storylines as realistic as possible and therefore relate with the audience. Realism presents the emotional side of characters, showing their feelings and situations. Drama/Naturalism is heightened reality, showing the more physical and exaggerated side of stories. It is vital to maintain this balance so the soap opera is believable, if too much naturalism was used, it would be far too over the top and the audience would not be able to relate with it as well as they could. However with a lack of realism, there would be no real drama, nothing to keep the audience's attention and keep them on the edge of their seats.
For example in Hollyoaks, there was a storyline based on the issue of homosexuality, with John Paul coming out and having a relationship with his best friend Craig. This story was then extended with the arrival of a Catholic Priest, Kieron who ends up having an affair with John Paul and eventually becoming engaged. The issue of homosexuality is an everyday issue in our society, something the audience recognise, however to keep the audiences attention with a shocking storyline, the Catholic Priest is brought in, to overexaggerate and create drama.
Coronation Street on the other hand, aims to attract a more mature audience, with it's realistic setting, use of real time, and sense of close community and family.

Skins Representation

‘Skins’ manages to attract a large teenage audience by showing youth in a stereotypical yet quite realistic way, using a variety of characters that the audience can relate with. Through the micro aspects of mise-en-scene, sound, camera angles and shots, the characters in Skins are shown as typical teenagers, through the ideas of sex, appearance and religion. In the opening sequence, the character ‘Sid’ is shown laying in bed, in a messy room with his phone ringing. This mise en scene shows Sid to be a lazy, untidy person, reinforcing the stereotype of teenage boys. The constant cuts between the different phone calls, the talk of a party and the pace of the footage, of Tony constantly walking demonstrates the hectic social lifestyle, another typical teenage trait. The calls that leader Tony makes

Character Profiles

'The Gay One'







Stereotypes of Homosexuals:

• highlighted hair
• physically fit
• bitchy
• hairdressing
• dancing
• feminine
• concerned with appearance
• gossip
• high pitched voices

The character of Maxxie in the first and second series of Skins conforms to the stereotype of gay people, we are first introduced to him tap dancing in a dance studio. He has quite a high voice and is wearing tap shoes and a patterned beret on his head, this adds to his femininity.
He is presented as very feminine, as a dancer and performer. We also see him high five his 'coach', however it is clear that the coach is also gay, by his posture and outfit as well. The audience assumes something is going on between these two characters. These conventions allow the audience to recognise Maxxie as 'the gay one' in this programme.

Most of the storylines attached to Maxxie's character are about Maxxie having homosexual relationships, falling for his straight friend Tony, arguing with his Dad about leaving college to become a dancer and getting agro from some gay-hating, ASBO boys on his estate. Although some of it may be exaggerated and unrealistic, these storylines are also very typical of a gay persons circumstances, falling for straight people and getting confronted by homophobic people and a traditional society.

'The Geek'








Stereotypes of Geeks

• Clever
• Outcast
• Poor at sports
• Awkward and weird
• Glasses
• Video games and computers
  
• No social life

The character of Sid conforms to some of these stereotypes of geeky/nerdy teenagers, we are introduced to him when he is lying in bed surrounded by an extremely messy room and he is presented more as the typical teenager at first, than the geek, with his Dad shouting at him as well. However when he's on the phone to friend Tony, he puts on his glasses and we hear that Sid is a 17 year old virgin and will even go as far to sleep with his best mate's girlfriend. His glasses and virginity add to the geeky stereotype represented by Sid.

The storylines attached to Sid however, reverse his geeky character label, he is connected with more than one girl and eventually finds himself a girlfriend, who is also very weird. He has many family issues, like divorce and the death of his Grandad and Sid finds himself failing college. As geeks are supposed to be academic geniuses, this goes against the typical geek label, also being associated with girls shows him as much less of a geek although the relationships he has are very awkward and he finds it hard to show his feelings.

Changes to Thriller Plan

Our first shoot was following our original planning of an immigration thriller. By using the issue of immigration, we were making the film relevant to today and drawing in an audience keen on current affairs and news. We were influenced by thrillers such as Dirty Pretty Things. The plot involved two immigrants coming in, being greeted by a gang leader and his two henchmen, and being separated. The male immigrant fought back at being separated from his sister, and ended up being beaten and thrown into the river. It was shot at the docks in Great Yarmouth, using a number of actors. This shoot didn’t go very well as there was no variety in camera angles and shots and the lighting was too dark to see any action. Therefore, in a short space of time a member of the group, Lauren, came up with a new plot and idea. It was a completely different storyline, location and different actors were needed. But we went ahead with it and got it done as soon as we could.

Unit G321: Evaluation of Snatched

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our thriller is influenced a lot by urban thriller films like Essex Boys (2000) and The Third Man (1949). The locations mirror these films, being unglamorous and isolated, as we shot the film on an empty car park roof in a rough area of the city. This location of the run-down car park gives the film the edgy look we wanted to achieve; the lighting there allows the action to be seen well. Our editing, although quite choppy and messy at a few points, allows the film to flow smoothly. The use of cross dissolves and dip to blacks signifies the confusion and chaos at certain points in the film. There is also some slow motion clips we used, I think this has a really strong effect on the film, making it more lively and intense. The characters themselves reflect generic conventions of the thriller genre, with a young vulnerable girl being targeted and a dodgy looking man taking her away. This idea is seen in films such as Along Came a Spider (2001), with the small girl, Megan Rose, being kidnapped and also in The Vanishing (1993) where Diane is stalked and kidnapped before she is finally killed. The music used, the soundtrack of ‘Nu Piano Project’ by Grime Unearthed, adds tension and uneasiness to the atmosphere, predicting that something bad is going to happen, the music changes with a rocky electric guitar coming in as the bad guy enters the scene. It has an edgy tone and keeps in with the urban theme. We used shadows and close ups in our thriller, influenced by The Third Man (1949) scene when Harry Lime appears for the first time in the doorway. For example: the close up of Mary’s face screaming and the shadows as Grace is lifted into the car. We also used tilt shots at this point, as is seen in The Third Man, when Harry Lime is chased through the streets and the sewers. Tilt shots are used in that scene to demonstrate the trouble Harry is causing. We used them to show the corruption of the characters actions and the injustice of the crime taking place.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Our thriller represents the victim as helpless, vulnerable and in danger, although trustworthy of her friend who betrays her. The bad girl, Mary, was good but has fallen – here archetypes are utilised. As a false friend, she has the power and ability to sense her friend’s weakness which is drugs. Thus in a sense females are stereotyped negatively as stupid and untrustworthy. This is seen in other media texts, such as the character of ‘Nile’ in the Hollyoaks Television series. The bad guy, Tom, is shown as a considerate stranger at first, although this twists as he puts the girl in his boot and the audience discover he is in ultimate control connoted by him driving the get-away car. Thus the film conforms to conventional gender representations. The two girls are unsensible, thus the film exploits the risky nature of youth, experimenting and exploring new experiences. The costume supports the idea of the two young girls conforming to antisocial cultured groups, with both of them dressed in hoodies and jeans.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Our film would be shown on an internet outlet first, to get an initial audience reaction. We have uploaded the film to ‘YouTube’, a popular video sharing website, where users can comment and rate other films. If our film was developed into a full-length feature and script of Mary and Tom continuing their criminal lifestyle, this could attract the attention of Warp Films or Working Title, as our ideas are new and original. We would need funding from these companies, so by sending them a script and posting our film on internet sites like ‘YouTube’ and social networking sites like ‘Facebook’ and ‘MySpace’ we could gain attention and interest. As the film has no well known actors and a very low budget, it wouldn’t be big enough to show in a mainstream cinema alongside other kidnapping thriller films like ‘Taken’ or ‘Along Came a Spider’. It is also produced by our independent film company, ‘MTL’ who aren’t well known. Like ‘This is England’ the film would rely mainly on its fresh faces and gripping plot. The film would have to be shown after the watershed if it was shown on Film4, as the violence and drug use is not suitable for a younger audience. We could also encourage people to download the soundtrack ‘Nu Piano Project’ from the internet download store iTunes, for people to listen to on their Mp3 players or iPods, as some may have an interest in it after watching the film. This would target a younger audience who are up to date with their modern technology and enjoy downloading and listening to music from internet sites.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Most thrillers are aimed at a higher audience due to the extent of violence and language used, this is shown by my thriller research; my case studies on the films Fight Club, Along Came a Spider, Lucky Number Slevin and The Client are all over a 12 certificate. Snatched wouldn’t be much different, however the drug use, may appeal to an older, more mature and experienced audience, as they may be able to relate to it more, in the demographic of 17-25. However I think the audience would be quite a large range, from about 17-35, as young people can relate to the younger cast with Tom, Mary and Grace all being under 25, although an older audience will enjoy the twisting storyline ,with the false friend and betrayal, and also realism of teen drug use and crime.

Gender wise, I think ‘Snatched’ appeals to male and female audiences. The female audience can relate to Grace’s vulnerability and Mary’s betrayal, and will be intrigued by the relationship between Tom and Mary. The male audience will watch it for the violence and exploitation of the masculine desire to control; male may be hostile to any abusive relationship between Mary and Tom. Our audience demographic would be mostly C-demographic, as they are the largest group and may understand the issue of drugs and rough street life and youth more. Audiences, male and female aged between 18 and 25 can relate to the characters situation more and therefore find the issues of drugs, crime, betrayal and relationships more relevant.

How did you address/attract your audience?

By using quite contemporary music, in the alternative/drum and bass genre, the modern location of a run down car park roof and the issue of drugs, ‘Snatched’ appeals to the younger audience, also drawing in an audience concerned with current affairs like drug use and youth crime. The audience can relate with the young cast and their situation in the film. Through thriller research questionnaires, I found that kidnapping was a popular thriller crime for young audiences to watch. The target audience would also enjoy Along Came a Spider (2001) and Kiss the Girls (1997), both films by Gary Fleder. Audience feedback from Year 12 indicates the soundtrack and cliffhanger were popular and the film held their attention well.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Throughout this project our group learnt many camera and editing skills. The main lesson we learned was to include a variety of shot types and camera angles, rather than focusing on capturing all the action. Matthew took this task on well, including all the action whilst still changing camera angles and distances. I also learnt how to use Adobe Premier Elements to edit film clips, using transitions to ensure smoothness and cutting out any unnecessary clips. I learnt how to slow down and speed up certain clips, for example in our film we sped up the car driving off at the end, to make it more hectic and desperate to get away, and we used slow motion when Mary and Tom were carrying Grace to the boot to highlight the crime and emphasise the victim being kidnapped. I have learnt that a tripod comes in very handy when you want smooth filming, if you can’t keep the camera steady handheld.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

We have learnt that planning is key, our preliminary task had little planning behind it and didn’t turn out as well as planned. However, producing storyboards and a simple storyline for our thriller worked well. We also found that assigning different roles within the group affected how well our product was filmed. For the thriller, Lauren and I performed and Matthew filmed it all as he managed to capture a range of shots with varying camera angles and shot types, whereas I did not manage it so well during our first shooting. All of us directed the film; we learned to flow together as a team, making group decisions and all having an input. As Lauren is a drama student, this advantaged us having her as a character in the film. The preliminary task gave us some good practice with the camera, which was well needed for our thriller. Whilst our first cut of our original thriller film was abandoned as it was all shot at medium range in the dark and thus unreadable.

Compare the ways in which ‘This is England’ and ‘Hot Fuzz’ were packaged, marketed, distributed and exhibited in the UK.

This is England and Hot Fuzz are both successful British films which target different audiences through their packaging, marketing, distribution and exhibition.

Hot Fuzz is an action comedy directed by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg. Edgar Wright and Pegg directed ‘Shaun of the Dead’, a comedy spoof, starring Simon Pegg as the main character. Pegg is also the star of Hot Fuzz; therefore audiences were attracted to Hot Fuzz based on ‘Shaun of the Dead’s success and Simon Pegg’s acting. Wright used other well known actors such as Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Bill Bailey, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton and Paddy Considine. Shane Meadows, however, (This is England’s director) is not as recognised, and has only produced about ten films in total. Meadows uses actors like Stephen Graham, Jo Hartley and Perry Benson, who have not been heard of before, to introduce fresh faces to the screen.
Instead of using the actors and producers names to attract an audience, This is England uses a location, music and genre relevant to those familiar with England in the early eighties. They filmed in Northern Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, creating the generic Northern background, using abandoned RAF bases and old villages to show the working class setting and youth cultures of the time. The music used in This is England also reflects the British eighties impression that the film has, songs like ‘Tainted Love’, ‘Come on Eileen’ and artists including U.K Subs and Wayne Shrapnel. Hot Fuzz however uses artists like The Kinks, The Fratellis and music from Bad Boys II, attracting a younger audience or fans of Bad Boys; it uses 80’s bands to draw an older generation, making the music overall very versatile to attract a wider audience.
Shane Meadows is also greatly influenced by ‘Kitchen Sink’ realism; This is England presents British life as it really was. This honesty may attract a larger and mainly British audience, the film is packed with history and meaning. Although Hot Fuzz is packaged as a comedy, it also attracted other audiences. Its humour is aimed at the British, mocking the accent and lifestyle of people from Somerset.
Hot Fuzz is produced by British production companies like Working Title and Big Talk Productions, yet also has input from the large USA company- Universal Pictures. This company can be related to films such as ‘King Kong’, ‘Atonement’ and the ‘Bourne’ films, therefore showing it is a high quality and Hot Fuzz will be of good quality. This is England is produced completely by British film companies, Warp Films, Film4 and Big Arty Productions. The film could attract Warp fans, as they will expect the film to be of the same quality as ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ and ‘My Wrongs 8245-8249 and 117’.

The Hot Fuzz team used a variety of marketing techniques, including the internet, TV advertising, posters and teaser trailers. The trailers reflect those of other crime/cop films like Bad Boys and Miami Vice. They are kept short but ensure to show the comic moments in the film. It is emphasised that Hot Fuzz is brought by the same team as Shaun of the Dead, to attract a similar audience. Trailers were shown in cinemas before films of the crime genre, some were posted on youtube and some were shown on television shortly before the film was released. The adverts also emphasise the actors as one of the focus points of the film.
The posters that Hot Fuzz released, on billboards and around cities and cinemas, each had reference to similar police movies- Miami Vice, Magnum Force, Bad Boys I and II. The positions, poses are replicated in each poster, as well as the lighting and colouring. The title block is nearly perfectly positioned in every one, also a rough take with the two lines, one above and one below, from Bad Boys.
Along with Working Title, Hot Fuzz toured to promote the film, travelling to Wellington, New York, Amsterdam and Stockholm. Here they partook in photo shoots, Q+A sessions and interviews. They also went to the MCM Expo convention in London, where they gave away free merchandise and also talked about the trailers, mingling with fans and promoting the film.
Hot Fuzz created a website where fans or potential viewers could play games, listen to music and find out about the production companies.

Conversely, This is England did not use such mainstream marketing techniques. Instead they kept to the media of television. There was no advertisement in cinemas, because the film was not released on cinemas, it was shown on Film4 and therefore was only allowed to show trailers on Film4 and Channel 4. The trailers illustrated the history behind the film, focusing on the director, storyline and awards won. It was also premiered at various film festivals, where it picked up some awards. The premiere on Film4 attracted an audience of over one million viewers. This is England, also had a website where fans or those interested could look up actors, music and the background to the film, much more subtle and informative compared to the Hot Fuzz website.


Hot Fuzz had a total of eleven distribution companies including Universal Pictures, Rogue Pictures, Studio Canal and Motion Picture Distribution.This is England did not show much difference with seven distribution companies however they were much smaller companies, and not as high quality as Universal. Unlike many other films, This is England was premiered on Film4 rather than in the cinema, this could be because it is more of an arthouse film and is aimed at a smaller target audience. Hot Fuzz however was shown in cinemas worldwide where it was a huge success.