The Bridge - Media Language - Component 2 Flashcards
What is the bridge?
(Context)
- The bridge is a TV crime drama that is of Swedish/ Danish co production, the text shows series 3 episode 1 first aired in the UK in late November of 2015
Where is the bridge set?
(Context)
The bridge is set in Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmo, Sweden
Which film movement inspires the codes and conventions of the bridge?
(Context)
- Film noir is a cinematic term
- used primarily to describe stylish hollywood crime dramas
- that emphasis cynical attitudes and sexual motivations
- Film noir is associated with a low key lighting, black and white visual style
Where are the codes and conventions of Nordic noir?
(Context)
The typical codes and conventions:
Recurring situations:
- Murder, planning/committing the crime, secrets revealed, autopsy, trial, verdict, street chase, police line up, stakeouts and tailing, gunshots, beating up suspects
Elements of narrative:
- Crime as disruptions, investigation narrative, intellectual puzzles and enigma codes throughout, narrative positioning with detective/investigator as hero on a quest, binary oppositions, flash backs to crime
Style:
- Closed frames, can be gritty, dependant on production values and budget, clear mise en scene , handheld camera, tracking shots, music to suit mood and pace, parallel or contrapuntal, ES of setting , low key lighting, slow panning shots, hard focus
Iconography:
- Police/crime jargon, guns, blood, evidence markers, bullet proof vests, torches, crime tape, tweezers, microscopes, gloves, dust suits, fingerprints, clues, drugs, cars, uniform
Settings:
- Urban or rural, night, interview room, office, morgue, back alleys, abandoned, warehouses, locked rooms
Themes:
- Thematic the quest for and nature of justice, morality, guilt, sociological debates, nature/nurture, sacrifice, morality, sanity and mental health, duty v personal happiness, domestic v professional, conscience, notions of order/ chaos within society
Stock characters:
- Often relentless hero, antisocial, disillusioned old timer, world weary detective, dark past/fatal flaw, rookie cop, partners, maverick cop in conflict with authority, anti hero, bad tempered boss, corrupt authorities, crime lords, supervillain
How is realism conveyed in the narrative?
(Context)
- There is a clear blend of realism and anti realism
- The characters, setting, narrative devices, themes are all realistic
- and comparable to themes in society and in other crime dramas
- However, the hyper-reality element of the serial creates a ‘mean world syndrome’ for the viewing audience
How is the setting of the opening scene typical of Nordic noir conventions
(Analysis)
- The setting of the opening scene is typical of Nordic noir due to conventions such as
- The establishing shot of the cold, dreary and melancholic setting
- are shades of nordic noir style
- The unusual setting parallels the narrative action and themes of the serial,
- whilst also enhancing the dispirited feeling of the show
Why is the tone/mood of the opening scene typical of Nordic noir conventions?
(Analysis)
The tone and mood is melancholic is typical of Nordic noir conventions
- due to most of the characters fighting their own personal battle
- The episode rarely offers a route of positive outcomes or theme celebration and favour’s a more pessimistic outlook on Scandinavian life
How does this colour palette reinforce the themes of Nordic noir conventions?
- The colour palette reinforces themes of Nordic noir through it being desaturated which is a typical aesthetic style of Nordic noir
- Colours of cold blue, murky grey and muted colours all contribute to the melancholic theme
How does saga challenge the codes and conventions of stock characters in television crime drama?
- Saga is not your typical female protagonist
- Saga carries a lot of typical male characteristic that we would see in tv crime dramas
- This is seen through her being portrayed and projected as dominant as she is initially handed her case by her self to tackle
- demonstrating her post feminist qualities as she becomes independent
- Saga also has a massive work obsession resulting in her having social isolation
- These are typical conventions of crime tv dramas that a dominant alpha male protagonist would bear
Study the scene where saga and Hanne visit Natalie (Helle Anker’s wife. Consider how the scene is an example of how codes and conventions of crime drama are challenged?
- The two shot of the dominantly framed female protagonist challenges the stereotypical male partnership
- The pressing delivery of questions from saga demonstrates her intensive approach to policing
- This challenges the stereotypical portrayal of female characters
- Usually represented as weak/submissive (victim) or caring/material (sensitive)
What is the key binary opposition of the bridge?
- We see in the bridge that there are many binary oppositions that invole the audience on many levels create different types of conventions
- An example of some binary oppositions we see are Sweden vs Denmark
- This helps the audience who are from both of these native countries engaged and intrigued as they will both be “forced” to take the side of the respective nations
Why is the stage of resolution for Todorov’s theory not applicable?
- Todorov’s theory is the idea that all narratives follow a 3 part structure where they begin with equilibrium and everything is balance
- All the way from disequilibrium and a resolution where the new equilibrium takes place
-We can not apply the idea of the new equilibrium/ resolution as this is the beginning of a 10 episode serial and there will unlikely be one until the final episode
Why does the bridge qualify as both a restricted/ unrestricted narrative?
- We see that the bridge also qualifies as both an unrestricted and restricted narrative
- the test is restriced on the grounds that there is only so much information the audience are provided with
- On the other hand the text is unrestricted as the audiences positioning is an omniscient one and
- There are instances where the audience “learn “ more and see more than the protagonists themselves.
