Life On Mars

Cinematography, mise-en-scene, sound and editing can all contribute to the way people are presented in programmes. In life on mars the main character Sam is presented as a masculine, dominant character. Cinematography is used in the scene when Sam chases the suspect. The first establishing shot is the police cars with the sirens on outside the estate. The first character we see in the episode is Sam, who goes and bangs on the door to show his authority. We immediately know he is the main character and he is in charge. When Sam is chasing the criminal a hand held camera was used to make it seem more realistic. We can tell this because it wasn’t smooth, the scene was bumpy. The sound in scene 1 is what attracts the audience attention, as the sound creates suspense. Sound effects were used, as the dog barking was louder than it usually would be. This makes the scene seem more dangerous for Sam; he is taking the risk which makes him seem more masculine. There is some dialogue in this scene when the kid says “Smash his face in,” this also emphasizes his masculinity as fighting is quite masculine. A jump cut is used when the suspect is running away, this builds up suspense and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. In the car journey scene cinematography is used, the extreme close-up shows his emotion as you can see the tears go down his face. This challenges the look of masculinity as men do not really cry; the high angle shot looking down on him outside the car, the car shows his masculinity again. There is non-diegetic music used in this scene when he is crying. This makes the audience feel sorry for him. A car horn sounds and the sound turns deigetic again and brings him back to reality. Before Sam is run over the Life On Mars soundtrack is played, and once he is on the floor the non-deigetic sound of a heartbeat is played to show he has been hurt. Continuity editing is used in this scene when the cinematography changes this creates a smooth cut. It also makes the time seem longer.

By Megan Gorman and Lucy Woods