Media Homework

The media extract that is shown here is one of a "Crime Drama" and we know this as the audience by what happens in the beginning and what is shown at the end. The most obvious way of seeing that this clip is a "Crime Drama" is by the speeches at the end of the clip at what looks like the outside of a courthouse. The parents of the victim who are saying their speeches to the crowd of photographers are very emotional. The dialogue that is said here to tell the audience about what TV drama this is, is through the quote "If pointer was dealt with properly by the authorities, our daughter would still be alive today" Through this use of dialogue we can see as the viewer that someone has died and it involves the police, therefore making it a crime drama. 

The different conventions that are used in order to tell the audience that this is a crime drama are placed throughout this extract. The photographers outside the courthouse show that something has happened that relates to crime (due to it being outside of the courthouse) The non digetic music that plays throughout the extract gives of a suspenseful tone and tell the audience that something bad has happened. The use of a forest can show the audience that the man in the car doesn't want other people to see what he is doing which can give off a sneaky and suspicious tone. The banging on the boot of the car shows us as the audience that the person in the back wants to get out and knows that she is in danger. This banging can also be linked to the sound of a heartbeat which can then show the audience that something bad is about to happen to the girl in the boot.  

The groups out of the 7 core media representations in society, would be the difference in the gender and class and status. The difference in gender is shown through the male character kidnapping the female character. This could link to how the male is being dominate over the female. This could is also link to the stereotype of how the males are always the kidnapper and the females are always the victim. This could also link the physical ability difference between the pair and how the male is stronger than the female and therefore is able to kidnap and take the female character. Switching to the courthouse scene, the male is the opposite and breaks down in front of the crowd of the photographers and can't hold himself together. This is where the wife of the male steps in and manages to hold herself up and is able to talk the crowd. The other core media representations that are shown in this extract is the difference in class and status. This is shown through the contrast between the victims family and the villain. The villain is the one doing harm for his own benefit and therefore committing a crime, we could link this to a lower class in society. However the victims family that are saddened by this event shows that they are apart of a higher class and sees the horrific event as it is.

The different conventions that are used in this extract to convey a "Crime Drama" would be through the use of the photographers, victims speech and the actual crime itself that we mainly hear through diegetic sound at the beginning of the sequence. Some of the diegetic sound that is used at the beginning would be the banging on the boot, which could be linked to the heartbeat of the viewer and build suspense. The radio which is actually explaining the events of a girl being missing and tells the audience some of the backstory before the murder actually takes place (almost like a flashback). The birds chirping in the background brings a sense of calmness which contrasts to what is about to happen. Another use of sound is the non-diegetic music that builds in the background. This music starts slow and slowly builds into a creepy arrangement that spooks the viewer and helps the audience understand that what has taken place is not something of joy and happiness. The camera work in this extract varies due to the setting and the context of what is happening in the scene. In the beginning of the sequence, in the forest scene, the shots are very close up to build tension and also show the claustrophobia within the car. Other shots include a tracking shot that shows our villain get out of the car and head to the victim in the boot of the car (0:45) This shot brings the audience almost into the car with the villain due to how the camera shakes and it tracks the villain out of the car. It almost seems that the camera is our eyes as the view and that we are there with the characters in the scene which build suspense and tension. The mise en scene of this extract shows three places, the forest, the car, and the front of a courthouse. The forest bring a sense of unknown and a spooky atmosphere, at one point there is a clearing in the forest that shows abandoned trash and it looks like someone has been there. This can show that because the area has been abandoned, no one will come back and therefore a crime can take place. The car is a very basic car and looks clean and sophisticated. This is very contrasting due to how the stereotype of a criminals cars are very run down and broken. This could point to the fact that anyone could do this and this brings the threat up. The courthouse is a very basic building however the foreground of the shot is littered with photographers which shows the audience the scale of this crime and that it will shown across the nation.