Life On Mars Characters Flashcards
1
Q
SAM TYLER ROLE IN NARRATIVE
A
- When he is chasing Colin down the alleyway there are children cheering him (keeping evil away from the general public;almost heroic as he is protecting these young children
- main protagonist - often see his reaction to comments and actions by his colleagues, eg. As Gene pushes the desk away, it cuts to a mid shot of Sam looking concerned (Sam is representing a 21st century, concerning character in which the audience is to side with Sam. Modern- man how he reacts to sexist and racist comments is progressive. Likes to apply science to validate theories, unlike Gene with gut feeling)
- he hits Colin with a bar to get him to comply (contests how he is against violence against suspects throughout the rest of the series. Slightly aligns him to be ready to go back to 1973, where he will fit in; but when he is in the interrogation room, and after for that matter, he doesn’t press Colin much so that he will not get in trouble with 21st century laws
2
Q
SAM TYLER CINEMATOGRAPHY
A
- Low angle shot when Sam jumps over the wall, when chasing Colin is contrasted with the slight high angle shots after the interview with Colin (Representative of how confident he is before they are shut down after Colin is confirmed to not be there on the night of the murder, contrasted with how vulnerable and back to the start they are with their theories. )
- Mostly shot from eye level and central in most shots (Helps the audience to side with Sam throughout the series, as the audience are likely to be thinking similarly to Sam. Also allows the audience to place themselves in the scene with Sam to be able to side with him, and to experience Gene’s dominance)
3
Q
SAM TYLER MISE EN SCENE
A
- Hair is 21st century. Quite messy (Career minded and puts more effort into his career rather than his appearance. Could also make him more appealing to the audience as he is career driven, perhaps somewhat relatable.)
- Often lit with artificial or high key lighting (Suggestive of how he has been brought to the 70’s to shed light and to expose the inequalities between minorities in 1973. The artificial lighting helps to reinforce the idea that 1973 is all constructed within Sam’s mind.)
- Black and slightly coloured clothing when in 2006, compared to the beige coloured suits in 1973 (Shows that he is highly ranked throughout time. The colours helps the audience to differentiate between the two eras, and show further contrast between the two)
4
Q
SAM TYLER EDITING
A
- Often Sam is used in shots prior to racist, homophobic and sexist comments (Emphasises that he is from the 21st century and highlights the differences in society between the characters)
- Camera is often on Sam (This is because, not only is he the protagonist, but he is also acting as the eyes of the 21st century, looking back to 1973. So as the camera is on Sam more, we see his reactions to situations, reflecting the viewpoint of somebody from the 21st century)
5
Q
SAM TYLER SOUND
A
- Life on Mars by David Bowie plays when he is hit by the car (Foreshadows that when he wakes up from his coma he will be in 1973. This was a popular song in the seventies, by one of the most influential artists of the era, which could also suggest Sam enjoys this music, and that the BBC are paying homage to Bowie.)
- The sound of Sam’s breathing is enhanced (Emphasises the terror and panic he would be experiencing. Also helps us to side with him, as we feel a sense of empathy towards him, perhaps because of the unusualness of his situation)
6
Q
SAM TYLER PERFORMANCE
A
- Often seems sheepish in how he carries himself (Perhaps this is because he feels vulnerable to his new surroundings, especially to Gene as he is charge and makes sure of it)
- In the interrogation scene he is quite quick and very eager when displaying the evidence he has against Colin. (Portrays Sam as a keen and confident character who is extremely sure of himself. This is all contrasted when he wakes up in 1973, where we see him as sheepish, and unsure of himself. )
- He doesn’t wait for the lower ranking officers to go after Colin when he runs away and goes after him himself (This shows his investment in his work and that his position doesn’t limit him. Represents him as a practical man who goes after the things we wants in life
7
Q
ANNIE CARTWRIGHT ROLE IN NARRATIVE
A
- Lead female role. We are not positioned with Annie. (Not seeing the show from the viewpoint of Annie means that we are seeing her from the view of an outsider living in the 21st century. Can also see the oppression Annie faced as a woman living in 1973)
- She is never alone in a scene, and rarely alone in a shot (Represents the ‘princess’ type of character from a Propp point of view. Also reflects the view that women were incapable of looking after themselves, and that they needed a mans help to do so. Could also represent the role of women in society - they were not important enough to support high powered roles in society, so these were dominated by men, as can be seen in the police force)
- Annie is the only character who straight away is willing to help Sam and listen to what he has to say (This gives her an important role and also creates a positive representation of her. Also reflects the idea that women’s place in society was to play the role of nurturing mother, which is what Annie could be argued to be doing here. )
8
Q
ANNIE CARTWRIGHT CINEMATOGRAPHY
A
- Shot from eye level when with Sam Tyler. This is from the POV of an outsider. (Reflects how there is more gender equality in the 21st century and how Annie is more equal to Sam Tyler and the audience because we’re seeing her in the same way that Sam Tyler sees her.)
- She is positioned in front of Sam for most of the introductory scene between them (Reflects how she is to be an important character, not only in driving the narrative forward, but also for Sam’s sanity and to help him wake up)
- The POV will mostly be from Sam Tyler’s perspective when she is with him (As we are positioned with Sam throughout the episode, we will most likely share the same viewpoints as him. This could also reflect his and the audience’s views on women compared to those of the other characters in the 70s)
9
Q
ANNIE CARTWRIGHT MISE EN SCENE
A
- She’s dressed very smartly, with her hair and makeup neat and tidy (Suggests that her appearance matters to her, as it is one of the only things she has control over. Also shows that she can’t be as casually dressed as the me demonstrating the lack of gender equality in the 1970’s and the ironic hypocrisy between the genders - women must look neat and pretty for men, but males can dress as they please)
- Annies clothing is quite light, specifically when she is wearing her uniform, her shirt being white (This creates a lighter atmosphere for her compared to the other characters who wear formal and dark coloured suits, e.g when she first meets Sam, the lighting and atmosphere is very dark whereas she almost lights up the scene)
- Annie is also the only main character that we see in uniform within the police station (This could reflect how the women were treated, with Annie being restricted in a uniform while the other male characters are free to wear what they want, further emphasizing the gender inequalities in our history)
- Her hairstyle is brown and is cut short (This is unconventional, even in the 21st century, were beauty is seen as being blonde with long straight hair. Despite this, her male colleagues still time find to sexualise her beauty for their own pleasure)
10
Q
ANNIE CARTWRIGHT EDITING
A
- Always cuts from her to a shot of a man’s reaction, whether it be Sam Tyler or someone else. (She is not an important character at the start and does not require an introduction or a reflection of her opinion in regards to important policing topics)
- When Annie is in the shots and scenes, the editing is relatively slow, keeping her within the shot for (Further emphasises her importance in the narrative and also the her importance to Sam as she is the only one who will attempt to try and get him to talk)
11
Q
GENE HUNT ROLE IN NARRATIVE
A
- Throughout the narrative Gene is seen to be in control and exerts power over Sam. (This belittles Sam but also makes it obvious that Gene is in charge. Represents the power that the 70s ironically thought they had, and highlights the difference between the two eras of policing)
- Gene Hunt plays a big role in the narrative however the narrative is not always seen from his point of view. Gene hunt is seen as a dominant character in 13:58 this scene demonstrates that Gene is the boss and he can control over everyone (This often represents Gene in a negative way as the audience is supposed to have a similar reaction to Sam and think that Genes actions are wrong. Therefore Gene’s character is seen as sexist aggressive and rude due to Sams reactions to Gene because of Sam’s representation of how men should behave. )
12
Q
GENE HUNT CINEMATOGRAPHY
A
- Gene is often seen as a low angle to show his domination. (Represents Gene as the dominant figure within the narrative. Could also be argued that it makes him look more powerful, and highlights the differences of power between the suspects and police force. Low angle shot also accentuates his size)
- Gene often fills the majority of a shot, and is also often central (Highlights the fact that he is a key character in the narrative, but also reminds the audience of his position and power over the other officers )
- When his behaviour changes and he begins to get aggressive he becomes the centre of the frame. In addition to this In the interrogation scene although Gene is not the focus of the camera for the whole thing he is still in the background in the dark. In the scene where he is talking to Mrs Raymes he is leant on the table and is bigger than her and the rest of the detectives therefore showing that he is better than Sam as Mrs Raymes only listens to Gene. ( The fact that Gene was in the background of Sam’s interrogation and then takes over because Sam isn’t making progress shows that Gene is strong and Sam is weak. It also suggests that he is asserting his authority and is the alpha male. It also reinforces the typical ideas of police detectives at the time being aggressive and authoritarian, and that there was a hierarchy in the police station and you therefore don’t question his authority. For example when he asked them to leave they did so without question. )
13
Q
GENE HUNT MISE EN SCENE
A
- Gene Hunt is wearing a shirt and a tie. It is not tucked in properly and the top button isnt done up. The tie is also very loose. (Could reflect the fact that he cares more about protecting the city, but also himself, so dresses scruffily as to not care for his appearance.)
- Gene Hunt comes out of his office smoking a cigarette in the office. He is also often drinking whiskey (Highlights the difference between contemporary and 70’s policing. Could also represent Gene as only half caring about his job as he seems to be putting himself first. To a modern audience, this could be seen as lazy and only half heartedly doing a job to pay the bills. )
- Low-key dull and dark lighting, artificial (Helps to suggest he is dark and ominous character. Also helps the audience to question his intentions and actions from the beginning, with their modern perspective. Moreover, this could foreshadow the tail end of series two with all the complications surrounding Gene’s arrest and looming downfall)
- He has a suit and tie on which suggests that he is there in a professional role however this is in contrast to his actions and attitudes towards the women. His tie is slightly loose which is more casual, suggesting he cares more about his line of work than his appearance, or he is the boss, thus doesn’t have to look good for anyone (His clothing and appearance also reinforces the idea that he is the boss because although he is wearing a suit and tie his tie is loose and his shirt is always tucked in but emphasises his stomach. Gene fits the typical stereotype of a detective in the 1970s due to his appearance and the stance he normally takes of his arms on his hips which broadens his overall stance making him seem bigger than he is. )
14
Q
GENE HUNT EDITING
A
- Quick fast paced editing (Helps the audience to understand what is happening in scene. But this could also reflect Gene’s mind in the way he tries to collate his thoughts around crime, to piece them together and frame someone)
- Many over the shoulder shots ( This could have been done so that the audience can experience 1973 as Sam may be seeing it in regards to Gene and his behaviours)
- The shot of Gene Hunt getting up and coming out of his office is 9 seconds long. This can give the audience enough time to recognise who he is in the scene and his reaction to Sam in the office. (It represents him as being the boss as it focuses it on the fact he is in his own office and comes out to join the rest of them being in the point of view of the officers and most specifically Sam Tyler.)
- In the interrogation scene although Gene is not the focus of the camera for the whole thing he is still in the background in the dark, he is also looks really tall and powerful and is stood in a way to make him look dominant. In scenes he is in he is mostly made to look bigger and more powerful than them, when he is standing in front of the woman in the interrogation scene he looks bigger making her look more fragile and weak. ( The effect of the editing is that after the camera has been on Gene it tends to go to other peoples reactions of him suggesting that he is an important character and his opinion matters. It also puts forward the view that he is a harsh aggressive rude 70s man, compared to the other 70s detectives. Therefore showing he is the macho man. )
