Analysing the Different Types of Sounds

When analysing sound you have to take into account the different types of sound which are:
Diegetic
Non-deigetic
Contrupuntal
Pleonastic

Here is a clip from Misfits Season 1 - Episode 6 - The Gear Up Scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzv50hxtt3k

In this clip the sounds heard all represent something with teenagers:

Pleonastic:

The sound of the ipod music is exaggerated here to show that they are typical teenagers who like their music loud and the choice of music is a popular genre with teenagers. The fact that the song is fairly new and in the charts shows that they keep up-to-date with their music as regular teenagers do. The fact that they each have an ipod of some sort shows that they are all into music. In this scene they are listening to music to get them pumped for what they are about to do. The sound of the rubber gloves being pulled and let go and the sound of the zip being pulled up are all pleonastic. This shows that they are getting prepared for something and that everything has to go right. They then put another song on and this song is more upbeat and more adrenalin pumping which relates to teenagers' spontaneous and impulsive nature.

Diegetic:

The ipod changes from pleonastic sound to diegetic sound when the characters out their ipod earphones in their ears. Again, this shows they are trying to get pumped for what they are about to do. The dialogue used is straight forward, aggressive and slang is used. This again represents teenagers because they like things done quick.

Non-diegteic:

The second sound track chosen by the character in the middle (Nathan) is then used as the sound track for when all three of them start walking in slow motion. The slow motion and sound track go well together showing that teenagers live in the moment.

Analysing A Period Drama - Little Dorrit

A sub-genre of drama is period drama. In period dramas we always see a social group presented and this is usually juxtaposed with another social group. Some examples of period dramas are:
Pride and Prejudice
Forsythe Saga
Ashes to Ashes

When analysing period dramas you should always look at:
Sound
Camera movement
Shot types
Colloquialism
Mise en Scene
Camera angles

Another period drama is Little Dorrit. Little Dorrit was a British period drama series on BBC ONE and set in 1805 - 1826.

Analysing this clip of Little Dorrit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkbIHqwQbHU
(00:00 - 1:30)

Immediately at the start you can tell that Little Dorrit is set in the 1800s because of the Mise en Scene showing old, wooden houses and the style of dress the first character is wearing. The first character we see is called Arthur Clennam spotting a lady in the distance, crying. As soon as he spots her and the camera looks at her, non-diegetic background piano music starts playing in a sad tone. This suggests that something is bad has happened to this lady. We then see Arthur walk fast up to her. Just before he reaches the lady, the camera shows a long shot. This long shot shows Arthur running past a few hanging weaved baskets. This shot helps show part of the Mise en Scene because only in a poor area would a stall like that be on th street.

As Arthur reaches the lady he says "Excu...It's you!" and she replies "Mr Clennam". This language and formality shown here suggests that he is more relaxed although looks well educated and also suggests that she is of lower class and shows respect. We find out that this lady is actually Little Dorrit. Arthur realises that she is mourning the death of somebody and says "Oh, you're in mourning". This language shows further that this period drama is set in the 1880s when they spoke differently to how we speak now. Arthur still calls her "Little Dorrit" even after being friends in the past, this shows that he still thinks of her the same way and hasn't changed. However, Little Dorrit feels differently and tells him to stop it because she isn't a kid anymore.

When they get talking Little Dorrit says "I am a lady now and it is my business to do nothing". Here we can see that the stereotype of women is being shown. The stereotype that women must stay at home. The camera angles here are from the 180 degree rule, using over the shoulder shots. When the camera is looking at Little Dorrit, the camera is looking down and when it is looking at Arthur Clennam, the camera is angling up. This is obvious due to the height difference but at the same time represents the emotional state that they are both in. Arthur Clennam is apparently happy with the way things are going, as we see at the beginning when he uses his arm to swing around a pole to walk up some stairs, and that he has found an old friend. In contrast, Little Dorrit is in mourning because of the death of her brother and father in Venice.

The BFI

The BFI is the British Film Institute. They hold world-renowned archives, cinemas, festivals, films, publications and learning resources and promote understanding and appreciation of film and television heritage and culture.

On the official BFI website says that:
"The history of the bfi can be seen as a succession of great achievements and innovation intermingled with periods of crises and criticism. The issue of who controls the bfi has seldom gone away with the government, the film trade, the 'educationalists' and other cultural pressure groups all expressing their opinions at one time or another."

British TV Dramas

There are many British TV Dramas which are popular but why are they so popular? What makes an audience want to continue to watch it?

There are many types of drama like:
Series
Soap Opera
Serial
Drama trilogies
Single dramas
Partners

Goodnight Mister Tom
Goodnight Mister Tom is a single drama. The common themes are discipline, reality, cruelty and relationships. Many people find this drama very interesting and attention grabbing because maybe some people can relate to how the protagonist is treated.


Sherlock
Sherlock is a three part series crime drama. The common themes are death, crime, mystery, suspects, evidence and solutions. The fact that it is a crime drama promotes enigma which proves suspenseful to it's audience which hook them to keep watching it.

Dr Who

Dr Who is a series drama. The common themes in Dr Who are time travel, companionship, good and bad guys, death and suspense. All of these are put together well to make an excellent and popular drama series that has many fans. Everybody views Dr Who as the true hero and he is shown as a character to be liked by the audience as well as his partner.




Spooks
Spooks is a British spy serial drama. It's themes are crime, spies, murder and mystery. Many people find it entertaining because it's all to do with secrecy and mystery just like Sherlock. The element of suspense is also what attracts the audience to watch it again. Spooks also has major twists where even main characters are killed off.


Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a soap opera. The common themes are relationships, reality, friends and enemies, problems and conflicts. Many people find Coronation Street very interesting because there is suspense between episodes because of the problems and conflicts going on between many characters with multiple story lines. Also people can identify with other characters and feel happy and/or sympathy for them when an event happens to that character.

Holby City & Casualty
Holby City and Casualty are drama partners. They both have common themes such as relationships, problems and conflicts and real life emergency situations. Again just like coronation street, people are entertained by the characters and their problems and conflicts.