- Learning objective: To study Life on Mars with
consideration given to representation
- Key words: People, Places, Events/issues
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Synopsis of Life on Mars Episode 4 Series 2
When the body of a young woman is found in wasteland, DCI Gene Hunt fears a serial killer he thought he'd sent down in the late '60s may still be at large. For Sam, the victim, a Beauvoir beauty rep like his own Aunt Heather, triggers vivid recollections of his childhood.
Utilising his knowledge of modern surveillance techniques, Sam is led to middle class suburbia where a local car dealer, Roger Twilling, is throwing private parties employing the poorly paid make-up girls to help out when the lights go down and the wife-swapping begins.
Sam and Annie go undercover as a young swinging couple to infiltrate the world of vol-au-vents, Blue Nun and lava lamps. Never one to miss out on the fun, Gene Hunt storms in uninvited with a female 'friend' posing as his other half.
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Task 1: Watch the episode of Life on Mars
List representations of the police within L o M. Be specific about the shots.
Crime has always been a popular TV drama narrative because:
The good vs evil binary opposite is easily recognisable and dramatic
The disruption (crime) and restoration of equilibrium (capture and punishment) offers reassurance that the police and the government will keep our society safe
Dominant (hegemonic) ideologies are upheld - crime and lawlessness do not pay, the law prevails
Typical settings for TV Crime Drama
- Often in the city (seen as a dangerous place)
- But sometimes in the countryside…consider the murder rate in Midsomer
- Within this, individual locations often include police stations, law courts, science labs, police cars, detectives’ houses, alleyways, nightclubs, victims’ houses….
Mise-en-scene
The ones who commit the crimes (criminals, murderers, thieves).
The victims (the ones who get murdered, attacked, robbed, beaten up, mugged, stolen from, burgled).
Dominant British ideology says that the law is good and criminals should be punished but Detective Gene Hunt (Phillip Glenister) challenges this through his heavy handed approach.
In the seventies this approach was accepted as was the sexism and racism that was prevalent at the time. Hunt's dialogue is often politically incorrect. A well known line from LoM is 'What next? Dwarfs?'
The clash between the different historical eras transforms into an abrupt collision between Sam and Gene's outlook on life and their profession, as well as those of the other police officers at the station, with special attention paid to the relationship with the women in the series, in particular, with that of WPC Annie Cartwright - Liz White.
In this respect, Life on Mars engages skilfully in subplots depicting relationships between characters that strengthen and and provide depth to the narrative.
Examples include the romantic relationship between Sam and Annie as well as the confrontations between Sam and the other officers.
Some dominant ideologies about the police:
- Mise-en-scene refers to what can be seen in a camera shot. Look at this image:
- What are the characters’ positions (facing the camera? Standing aggressively? Sitting shyly?) What does this tell us about what kind of person they are?
- What are the characters’ facial expressions? (Glaring at the camera? Smiling? Laughing? Winking?) What does this tell us about what kind of person they are?
- What props (things) are there in the shot? (A coffee mug? A new car? A gun? A pencil?) What does this tell us about the person?
- What costume does the character have? ( A suit? Jeans? A flowery dress?) What does this tell us about the person?
- Where is the location or setting? (in a front room? In prison? In an office?) What does this tell us about the person?
- Is the lighting bright or dim? Full-on or from the side? What mood does this give to the image?
Mise en scene analysis
- Describe what you can see in each image:
- Characters posture, position, facial expression
- Costumes
- Location
- Props
- Lighting
- Camera shot type and angle
Typical characters
- Crime dramas usually include three types of character:
The ones who commit the crimes (criminals, murderers, thieves).
The victims (the ones who get murdered, attacked, robbed, beaten up, mugged, stolen from, burgled).
Crime and the police
Dominant British ideology says that the law is good and criminals should be punished but Detective Gene Hunt (Phillip Glenister) challenges this through his heavy handed approach.
In the seventies this approach was accepted as was the sexism and racism that was prevalent at the time. Hunt's dialogue is often politically incorrect. A well known line from LoM is 'What next? Dwarfs?'
The clash between the different historical eras transforms into an abrupt collision between Sam and Gene's outlook on life and their profession, as well as those of the other police officers at the station, with special attention paid to the relationship with the women in the series, in particular, with that of WPC Annie Cartwright - Liz White.
In this respect, Life on Mars engages skilfully in subplots depicting relationships between characters that strengthen and and provide depth to the narrative.
Examples include the romantic relationship between Sam and Annie as well as the confrontations between Sam and the other officers.
Some dominant ideologies about the police:
- Good
- Authoritative
- Powerful
- Male
- Moral
- Upholders of the law
Equally, dominant ideologies about crime and criminals are:
- Bad
- Marginalised groups (the unemployed)
- Must be punished
- Social decay
However, gradual changes in society, coupled with certain events (Hillsborough) have led to a gradual erosion of respect for authority and different perceptions of the police have emerged...
- Incompetent
- Corrupt
- Racist
- Female
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