C2 TV

 Friday , 17th of January 2025

DO NOW-

1-where were the Sweeney location-based scenes filmed- (west) London

2-what time was the Sweeney broadcast- 9pm

3-what is the WATERSHED?- 9pm: the time after which adult content can be shown

4-name one thing that made the series groundbreaking- camerawork 

5-what are the names of the two main characters- Regan & Carter

Luther 2010

• produced by BBC
• written by Neil cross, who has previously  written show like spooks
• first series was aired on BBC one at 9pm on Tuesday 4th may 2010
• it was then also available on iplayer
• there have been 5 series and a Netflix film
• it is one of many crime dramas that takes its title from the main protagonist, implying and central to narrative
• the writer drew on different sub-genres 

Tuesday, 21st of January 2025-

DO NOW-

1- what is Luther first name- John

2- who produced Luther- BBC

3- when was Luther series 1 scheduled- 9pm Tuesday

4- what two crime sub-genres does the writer incorporate- mystery/detective

5- what examples of crime drama conventions were used in the episode- murder, action, use of guns, detective/police

Luther: characters

L/O: to explore the characters of set text

Propp's character functions--

-vladimir propp

-he was a folklorist researcher

-he looked at old folk tales, like cinderella and snow white, to try and find out more about the characters and stories

-he found something amazing-all stories have exactly the same type of characters

1- the hero- tends to lead the narrative , is usually looking for something or trying to solve a mystery.

2-villan- has a conflict against the hero and tries to stop them from succeeding.

3-the donor- gives the hero something- a clue a weapon something lucky.

4-the princess- is usually a prize or a reward for the hero.

5- the helper- helps the hero complete their quest , often acts as a sidekick.

6-the princesses father- an authority figure who offers a reward to the hero for completing the quest.

7-the false hero- the false hero takes credit for the hero's actions or tries to marry the princess.

8-the dispatcher- early role who sets the story/quest in motion.

1- John Luther

2- Alice Morgan

3- Justin Ripley

4- Zoe Luther

5- DCI Ian Reed

6- Henry Madsen

7- Mark North

8- Rose Teller

1- Mark North is represented as the false hero and shows this by the time where Luther turns up to Zoe's door begging to talk t her Mark answers and punches Luther in a way trying to defend Zoe which didn't work because he made her scared by the whole situation , this then can result in people then thinking that he is the hero , however he doesn't fit this characterisation because of the way he reacted he is trying to find a way to get Luther to go away but with violence which isn't very heroic.

2- Alice Morgan is presented as the villan which is shown by during the first half a hour of the first episode she brutally murders her family with a handgun using one bullet each on both of her parents and four bullets to the dog and hiding the gun in the dogs stomach, she easily gives this away during her interview with Luther by not yawning , however this also doesn't fit her character because her only reason for doing it is because she hated her parents which could be multiple reasons on why she did it.

3-

Friday, 24th of January 2025-

DO NNOW

1- there where 8

2- the helper, the princess, the donor

3- he has obvious flaws and weaknesses

4- gives the hero something like a clue

5- Justin Ripley

LUTHER: GENRE AND NARRATIVE

Genre- C

Sub-genre- A

Hybrid genre- D

Codes and conventions- B

Theory: Steve Neale

Genre - repetition & difference

-Genres are dominated by the repetition of codes and conventions - they have a system of expectations (the things audiences expect to be included).

-Genres change and develop and vary overtime.

-Genres borrow from and overlap with one another - this created a hybrid i.e. thriller-crime.

-USP= unique selling point

-action

-western

-crime

technology has allowed better views and camera work

-Luther contains many familiar elements of crime drama, but it also shows deveoplment in the genre when compared to the Sweeney.

-what developments can you think of-

. there are many elements hybridised from other genres:

- conventions from thriller genre is visual and audio codes - low key fighting , intense non-diegetic music

-reference's to the horror genre- graphic shots, jump scares

- elements of police procedure , but with an increased focus on physiology

-the characters are far more complex and developed, paticually female roles

-real life developments in forensics are reflected in the show 

stock characters- these are typical characters you would find in particular genres; a convention of crime drama.

the maverick detective- brilliant detectives , able to solve crimes and understand clues that nobody else can. not afraid to break the rules if it ,means catching the criminal. Often damaged individuals who struggle to hold together their personal lives.

- holding himself together (when the guy falls )

- catching on to things that most people wont pay attention to (yawning )

- isn't afraid to break into someones ( Alice ) house to find clues ( gun in dogs ashes)

-The psychopathic killer, deceitful characters who pretends to be normal, capable of horrific crimes. Enjoy playing mind games with detective

- crying to trick them that she doesn't know anyone that could do it.

- not yawning when Luther pretends to yawn

- chasing Luther with a knife after finding parts of the gun in the dogs ashes

The femme fatale. a mysterious & dangerous female character. uses her sexuality to expert power over male characters. a character more often seen in film noir. 

Backstory-Narrative ARC

Inverted narrative

CRIME

Narrative strands

Visual codes, iconic signifiers

HOMEWORK-

The repetition and difference in Luther using Neales genre method, The roles throughout the series some are not determined and as steryotypical as you expect it, one reason for this being the fact that the main detective throughout every series is John Luther who is also containing multiple racial comments towards him due to his dark coloured skin tone and most of the characters of colour do not bring a bad reputation towards , and for steryotipical measures you have Alice Morgan creating a serious first degree murder while taking four shots to the dog and one shot each to both her parents heads , we do not realise this until later the episode but during the scene we claim her to be the "princess " of the series Luther is classes as the "hero" throughout the entire series, the repetition throughout this episode shows genre involving, action, western and crime genre creating a mad thriller , multiple twists and extreme tension through out the series

Tuesday, 04th of January 2025

DO NOW-

1. Alice Morgan

2. Violence, risk taking and achievement

3. Emotional restraint 

4. Zoe Luther - Alice

5. used to describe someone who has given their name

INDUSTRY & AUDIENCE

L/O: to explore industry & audience response in the two set texts

Luther: PRODUCTION

-produced by BBC

-shown on BBC1, corporation primary channel . It offers a range of programme types and genres and aims to appeal to a very wide audience

-BBC1 remit. to create a high proportion of original programmes and to reflect the diversity of the uk

-2016-2017, BBC1, aimed to exhibit some or all of the following ; high-quality , original, challenging, innovative and engaging, and it should nurture uk talent

-talk ability

-topicality- relevance to audiences

-britishness - reflecting the diversity of life in Britain

• reflects diversity of the uk
• a range of ethnicity
• challenging
• stereotypes
• all cast is british
• nurturing uk talents
• crime drama
• engaging

LUTHER; DISTRIBRUTION AND SCHEDUILING

-series one was broadcast in may 2010 - BBC1, 9pm

-also available on iplayer

-it as re-commissioned following the first series 

-in 2012, following the success of first two series , BBC America

-Luther broadcast on BBC America ; broadcasts a mixture of US & UK programmes

-BBC America is part of BBC studios 

-BBC is not funded by the uk licence

-crime drama brings in a large part of BBC STUDIOS revenue and Luther has been distributed to many parts of Europe , Africa and Asia

-it is also available on prime video as well as bbc box sets 

-reason for the popularity- britishness - set in London 

AUDIENCE APPEAL

-the marketing of series one was important in reaching a range of audiences

1- a trailer was released on 16th of April 2010 on BBC's youtube channel

2- a longer preview was shown at the end of April showing the scene where Luther and Ripley meet

3-  additional footage and behind the scenes footage for each episode where released on the website giving exclusive insights

4- an inside look video was produced for BBC America when launched in the US

-Episodes- the audience gets more intriguing and keeps then watching

-Meeting the characters- learning about their role , what it took

-Graphic novel- they depict the scenes from series 2 and series 3 of Luther

-watch clips and key moments

-access to the social media

-interviews

-behind the scenes footage

• genre- crime drama is popular and it includes familiar conventions, along with an interesting and unconventional elements
• star appeal- Idris Elba is well known and popular he is an attractive and potentially aspirational persona , appealing to both male and female viewers
• narrative- the Morgan murders and the ongoing Madsen case are engaging 
• representations- the range of complex male and female character appeals 

-first episode had mixed reviews but mostly positive

-the complex features could generate both positive and negative responses

-might admire Luthers crime solving skills but disapprove of the methods and violent responses

-might respond positively to Alice and how intelligent she is 

-might agree that the ending reflects reality but be disappointed by the lack of closure

-characters from the series one were appealing audiences cold relate to many of them

- police officers were shown as flawed and human, although they still caught the criminals 

-modern audiences respond 

-the Sweeney was extremely successful with up to 19 million viewers per episode

-DVD box sets 

-re-runs have been broadcasted 

HOMEWORK-

How far are the characters in Luther typical of the genre?

-The character John Luther is a stereotypical A-team hard action, gun blazing misfit type, who 

character as a viewer, you are drawn too. The workaholic cop who just masking his own problem .

As in Episode 1, series 1 show in the case of Alice Morgan. Luther was having personal issue with his wife and he cover his emotion in work. Luther is also  typical character for a crime genre and this is shown by how he is stereotyped he is a black male which gives indications that he is a criminal which in reality he is extremely intelligent and being able to solve crimes and stop major criminals which nobody else is able to do.

-Why is Zoe Luther more of a complex character? she was a strong spirited character who admired Luther until work destroyed the spirit of the person she loved. i believe she felt torn mentally and emotionally and also to letting go. she shows signs where her emotions are betrayed, so she ends up finding a new love Mark North however its clear that she is still in love with Luther. She is shown as a less conventional character by this.

-Alice Morgan is shown as a well known crime drama characteristic showing her major intelligence and how she knows a lot about history, crimes, police department, detectives and laws so during her interview with Luther and with him asking for any evidence she shows her intelligence in the second time because she ends up clicking onto that Luther has suspicions that she done it but then further shows her inteligence and begins research on him, showing typical criminal moves but unusual , she is the role of the criminal/villain .

-conclusion- 

In television, genres are not static, but rather quite fixed together and always changing.

Firstly, the eponymous Luther is very stereotypical as a Maverick detective, a stock character for crime drama. This representation is best shown through his intelligent skills on clues and how a singular object is able to become a major clue, Furthermore, Luther also can deal with a lot of pressure in large situations which makes him a hard working and a multitasker.

Secondly, Alice  is also a very stereotypical character for crime drama in her representation as a female fatale. This is shown primarily through how she speaks to Luther after he found the gun in the dogs ashes and the words she was saying 'kiss me' 'kill me' , Furthermore, Alice also is very intelligent like Luther knowing her research and being able to be a clear and hiden psychopath.

In contrast, Zoe is a more complex character that both conforms to and challenges stereotypical femininity. she is represented as a vulnerable woman who doesn't know where her love life is at but is also still stuck to Luther and always calls for  him when she needs help and has to deal with a lot of things such as Alice turning up in her house and scaring her.  This is shown through the way she is presented overall as a character.

overall, the characters in Luther are very conventional for a crime drama , with some small variations . the characters are very well played and bring tension in ever scene. However , less conventional is that it is always so much tension you are not able to get a break from it its constant , yes it keeps the audience but it can be too much , it keeps  it going ill admit that but it might draw away some audiences.

 

Friday, 07th of February 2025

DO NOW

1. Name two things that BBC1 needed to show in their programme- high quality, original

2. what channel was Luther broadcast to the US on- BBC America

3. how did they market Luther- interview, trailers, previews

4. Name two of four programme appeals- genre, star appeal

5. what might modern audiences respond negatively to in the Sweeney- violence, patriarchal attitudes

-led to Eusten developing many more TV dramas and two-spin off films

                                                                         -CONTEXT-

                                    L/O: to explore the context and its impact on the two sets

-one of the biggest changes in how we watch tv is streaming .

-when the Sweeneys was on television, there was no way to pause or re-watch television, you had to be there when it was on.

-programmes where shown once a week at the same time.

-because of the long gap in between episodes, they contained closed narratives, where all elements of the story were wrapped up by the end of the episode.

-this meant audiences did not have to remember week to week what had happened , and if they missed an episode they could still watch the next week and the programme.

 -modern services, such as BBC iplayer where Luther is shown, allow audiences to watch on demand.

-this has changed how we watch television , with viewers now able to binge watch whole series at a time.

-smart phones, laptops, tablets have further enabled this, as we are no longer need to be at home in the living room to watch television.

-this has led to far more open narratives in crime dramas , where parts of the series will unfold over several episodes.

-this allows for far more complex storytelling and character development.

-contemporary audiences can also be relied upon to have a greater knowledge of a programme .

-less gender equality- reflects in the structure of the police force.

-Britain was becoming more racially diverse and multicultural but racial discrimination was still very high at the time and due to social media they where un represented.

-the Sweeney was based on the real flying squad which has been involved in a highly publicised corrupt scandal.

-1970s was a period of upheaval, strikes, shortages and economic problems.

-less gender equality- mainly male or female for example only one female in the police force but used as a baby sitter for his girlfriend.

-racial comments- discrimination all across the streets wherever they go.

-flying squad- the detectives would threaten and get their way very often.

-strikes etc- high crime rates are often hand in hand.

-the Sweeney reflects 1970s values in relations to gender, especially gender roles in the workplace, the flying squad is male dominated.

-the Sweeney represents british society as a completely white culture.

Explain how crime dramas reflect the time in which they are made (10)

-they reflect the time in which they are made due to how the cast are represented in this , they start off by the Sweeney in the 1970s without technology and with more detail on catching crimes and criminals , they Morley so show how crimes where in the 1970s however they still had major discrimination towards any coloured civilian , in the series they didn't have any coloured people thought the series and only one female in the police office , which means less gender equality, however, in Luther the discrimination is much less and have much far better technology but without catching some of the criminals such as Alice Morgan she is a running case through out every series but then end up getting close with Luther which is very unexpected but like i said they dont always catch every criminal.

Tuesday 11th of February 2025

DO NOW-

1. editing, sound, mes, camerawork

2. shot type, angle, movement

3. any sound that comes naturally

4. where the editing cuts between two scenes 

5. how a shot is composed

EXTRACT ANALYSIS

- sound - to create more tension

- angle shots - to show the different sides and facial expressions

- cross-cutting - showing the tension between the two characters 

Friday, 14th of February 2025

DO NOW-

1. when analysing media language, it can be split into four areas, what are they- camerawork sound editing mes

2. whats missing camera shots, angles- movement

3. what is non-diegetic sound - any sound that has been added on

4. what is an EYELINE-MATCH edit- where the editing cuts from someone looking at something to what they are looking at

5. what is a canted angle- when the camera is tilted

                                            EXTRACT ANALYSIS : MEDIA LANGUAGE

                   L/O: to practice analysing extracts for media language and representations     

dark colours can show his 'dark side' to his character

ML Revision guide.

miss i tried to put my flashcards up on here but both me and mum have tried and there must be an issue with uploading the images as it now wont let us delete them either , but me and my mum are both confused on why i got a point when the homework is due tomorrow 

Tuesday, 25th of February 2025

DO NOW-

1.extreme close up - 

2. camera movement

3. mise em scene

4.to show a conversation or an interaction between two people

EXTRACT ANALYSIS : REPRESENTATION

1- the connotations are that he is not bothered by what he wears he would rather be much more comfortable creating a confused audience , Luther is in his wife's office, as you can see its a normal office with chairs and a table which shows she's with business however Luther is in there in a long coat which shows his role as a detective as they are known for wearing these long coats and he is wearing jeans with a loose not fully tied tie. 

-emotionless

-resting/ lounging outfit- dressing gown

-constapation

-thoughts

-trauma

-chess set

-smooth corner on edges to prevent harm

-miserable

-psychiatric ward

-the clothes hes wearing shows he must be cold

-2 heaters

-hes slouching

-he looks drained

-guilt

-violence

-force

-multiple men vs 1

-men and woman

-fights over a woman

-facial expressions- crying and angry

-shows how they block out the only black officer

-stereotypical representation 

-Luther is shown as the 'bad guy' in this

Friday, 28th of February 2025-

DO NOW-

1.what two things can we look at when analysing representations-  stereotypes, positive or negative 

2.name three things that mes includes-  costumes-props-setting

3.how many times will you be shown the extract during the exam-  2 times

4.how many questions will be based on the extract-  2

5.how many paragraphs should you write for a 10/12 mark question-  3-4

EXAM STYLE QUESTION

-jeans

-long jacket

-tie loose

-office departments

-classic old money style

-detective office

-agression - flipping tables in anger

-unbuttoned button

-shirt tucked

-threats

-ally behind office

-hat pin

-phones ringning

-open area

-close up on Alice and Zoe

-1b- showing streets which crime normally happens

-showing more people of colour

-racial comments

-stalking

-trying to keep Zoe quiet

-Luther being Alices next target

1a- the way how costume has meaning in this extract can consume wealth and business by what most females are wearing for example Alice Morgan and Zoe Luther they are both wearing suit jackets and pleated or strait silk skirts showing that they mean business not always meaning well in this case but they are there to get whatever they need done , done. The way that John Luther is dressed in this he has one button undone on his neck and his tie loose which can indicate tired but also quite frustrated and needs air , he always has his shirt tucked in to look presentable and show that he means well and that hes not dressed all scruffy all the time, he puts himself together as a detective. The fact that Luther is always wearing a coffee brown long jacket which indicated his job through out every crime series or films you watch the detectives always wear a long jacket and smart looking trouser but for in this case Luther is wearing blue jeans , baggy but freely fitting. The way that Luther is wearing his clothes and quite loose clothes makes it much easier to do his job and allow him o chase after criminals if needs be which by the extract you can tell how he freaks out when Zoe calls him up, if he was wearing suit trousers they would of ripped.

1b- The locations in this extract suggest a very typical crime drama as such as behind offices or workplaces, in street ally ways or even plain site when nobody is around as a normal crime drama you will see that criminals will strike any time and any where to get what they want and to satisfy them , this even means leaving them with a threat or leaving a mark on them from a weapon, in this case its happened because Alice threatened Zoe and said that Luther hurt her for the response of Zoe calling Luther as he is now Alices next target, this evaluates the extract from Luther and showing how criminals will do a lot and go so far for the tiniest of things. Talking about the setting is key as its where most mysteries happen . during this Alice places a hat pin in Zoes ear creating her stressed and panicked for a response.

2-The way how Digital technology change the way in which the audiences consume television is by creating effects during each of the scenes, making them more hyper realistic and draw in a much further audience they common technology that brings more audiences to consume what they are watching is when something is free.  but the way how they show all the effects the close up camera angels all the intense scenes creating a large section of tension throughout any movie or series. The new technology allows it to also reach further audiences as well and this is by having trailers and adverts shows and people being hired to advertise it such as famous influences or even celeberties which would encourage the audience to stay consumed in the series.

HOMEWORK

1a) Explore the connotations of the costumes of the two characters in the BBC crime drama Luther - For this i am choosing to do Zoe Luther and Alice Morgan , i have chosen these two because they dress slightly similar but extremely different and with total different meaning behind them, To explain my theory Zoe Luther is always well put together because of her job and the representation and reputation she has to keep hold , her job as a business woman keeps her very uptight and always in control meaning she wearing a tight skirt with a fitted jacked normally in the colour black or royal blue showing representations of wealth and higher priorities and status. However, when she is at home she is normally in a knitted sweater creating an image to the audience that her formal wear is uncomfortable. For Alice she is put together 24/7 because she is trying to stay of the polices case from the murder of her parents and her childhood dog, she normally wears a mid thigh straight skirt with a tight button up jacket , even in her own home just to keep her image up, the audience may question why she does this but it can also be the representations of that she is trying to lure the detectives in and only Luther, she also keeps a high profile like Zoe because she is quite well known for her intelligence and her award winnings as a child and a teenager.

1b) Explain how the character John Luther is typical of the TV crime drama genre - John is very typical in crime drama due to his detective and intelligence skills he also can figure out crimes in seconds by just one clue for example the gun that his old partner gave him , his imminently figured out that the gun was in the dog and made it even more obvious because of the four shots to the dog. This can also be seen in the scene which Luther turns up to the crime scene and figured that something was missing and not everything was being told off of Alice and then he suddenly figured that it was Alice that committed the crime all because of the contagus yawn.