Reflections on Shots

1. Analyse your chosen shot and identify in what way it could be described as signifying your chosen TV Drama genre/subgenre.

Our chosen shot was a still from a mystery TV drama. It shows the character looking nervous as he peers around a corner. He appears to be looking intently at something and his expression connotes that he is observing an event at which he is not comfortable with or not welcome at. The fact that the audience is unable to see what it is that character is looking at is a genre convention of mystery dramas, as the audience has to try and find out what is going on from the character and his reaction. The character appears as though he is trying not to be seen through the way his body is partly hidden behind a wall and the way he seems as though he has just appeared from a darkened corridor.

2. What did you actually do to achieve the effect?

The mystery drama genre is further signified through the shot type and lighting. The LA MS makes the character appear slightly imposing and clearly shows both his facial expression and body language, which allows the audience to connote that he is hiding and viewing something that he finds shocking. It leaves the audience to question what it is the characters is hiding from and what he has seen, which is a signifier of the mystery drama genre. The low-key lighting is used to create shadows on the character, especially around his hands and face, which further heightens the characters fear and emphasizes the idea of him emerging from the shadows. This connotes that he is trying to find information about something which is a common plot-line in mystery dramas.

3. Identify what what is successful about your shot?

The things that I believe make the shot successful are the use of lighting to create shadows and the choice of MS to show the right amount of the character needed to allow the audience to find the meaning the shot is trying to convey. They audience can interpret both the meaning of the show and the genre from these two things.

4. What would you do differently in hindsight?

In hindsight I would make the character more central in the shot so that more attention can be focused on the expression of the character. I would also ensure that the face of the character is focused rather than the wall in the shot for the same reason. I believe this focus would allow the audience to interpret more from the shot.