C2 TV

 Tuesday 14th January 2025  

The Sweeney 1970s

-broadcasted in the 70s

-produced by euston films

-location in parts of west London

-used new techniques which has influenced the way tv dramas are now

-mains actors are John Thaw and Dennis Waterman

-show ran through 1975-1978

-broadcasted at 9pm on weekday evenings on itv

Fast paced music to give more suspense towards the chase.

suits representing power

women are either someones wife girlfriend or mother and if they have jobs its a cleaner and in a shop

the girlfriend is represented as very weak and innocent however not represented as stupid.

the use of music to build tension

Friday 17th January 2025

do now

1- parts of west London

2-9pm weekdays

3-watershed is when adult content can be shown

4-more violence

5- Reagan and carter

Luther 

produced by bbc

written by neil cross

aired on bbc one at 9pm Tuesday 4th may 2010

it was then available on I player

Luther is the main detective

Tuesday 21st January 2025

do now

1- john

2-bbc

3-4th may 2010

4-mystery and thriller

characters- 

alice morgan- murderer

zoe luther- 

justin ripley-

Propps character functions

-he was a folklorist researcher

-he looked at old folk storytellers

1- the hero, leads the narrative

2-the villain, conflict with the hero

3- the donor, gives the hero something

4-the princess, a prize or reward for hero

5-the helper, helps hero complete there quest

6-princess father, reward to the hero for completing there quest

Villain- alice morgan

Hero- Luther

Princess- Zoe luther

I see alice as the villain as she committed the crime of murdering her family and continues to interrogate Zoe Luther as she realises Luther has figured her out 

I see Luther as the hero as he figured out alice was the murderer and he didn't give up while his detectives around him where telling him that she was innocent and telling to let her go

I see Zoe Luther as the princess because she had to deal with Luthers bad ways and then was threatened by alice just because her husband had found alice out however she also couldn't be because her affair happened whilst luther was struggling

Friday 24 January 2025

do now

1-8

2-doner, dispatcher, princess

3-hes also done bad stuff and has weaknesses 

4-gives the hero something

Genre and narrative

THEORY

Genres are dominated by the repetition of codes and conventions- they have a system of expectations

Genres change, develop and vary over time

Genres borrow from and overlap with one another e.g thriller-crime

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DEVELOPMENTS

Technology has changed

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

References to the horror genre

The characters in luther are far more complex and developed, particularly female roles

Filming styles are much different 

The Maverick Detective

-brilliant detectives, able to solve crime sand understand clues no one 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

He wont let people tell him what to do

In the interview when she portrays herself to seem heartbroken

The pre-title sequence summarises the previous case and explains why luther has been on leave

Tuesday 28th January 2025

1- codes and conventions

2- unique selling point

3- maverick detective

4- typical characters you would expect in different genres

5- psychopathic killer and femme fatale

Representation means the way in which people places issues and events are portrayed in the media

-is it positive or negative

-are there aspects which conform to traditional stereotypes in that area

-are there any aspects that challenge any traditional stereotypes

-what evidence can i use to support my case

John Luther

he has been represented as both positive and negative

negatively shown as he had a somewhat breakdown however hes a police officer which stereotypically is meant to be saving people and doing the right thing.

he is ambiguous

Hegemonic masculinity

-manhood being seen as white, heterosexual, largely middle class males

in the opening scene luther is represented as an aggressive tough man

violence 

courage

rose- in denial of luthers ideas

zoe- fragile

alice- smart, thought through

Tuesday 4th February 2025

Industry and Audience

do now

1-alice

2-violence and aggression

3-emotional restraint

4-alice

5-tv named over something

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-bbc produced luther

-shown on bbc1

-aims to appeals to wide audiences

-britishness and reflecting the diversity of life in britain

-talk ability

diversity-  the first black detective reflects the diversity of uk

challenging- the stereotype of police are good and criminals are bad however luther challenges this

engaging 

In 2012 following the success of first two series, bbc america started co producing.

Audience appeal

episodes, clips, meet the characters

The website shows episodes, clips and getting an insight of the characters 

genre is an appeal 

the unconventional elements in luther are a variety of things e.g. letting the man fall 

star appeal- both men and women find attractive

representations- characters are shown to challenge there stereotypes

Friday 7th January 2025

do now

1- high-quality, original

2- bbc america

3-trailer, previews, behind the scenes

4- genre, star appeal, representations

5-violence 

-one of the biggest changes is streaming

-when The Sweeney was on tv there was no way to re watch television

-programmes would be shown once a week at the same time

-allowing more complex storylines and development

The less gender equality is shown in the Sweeney by the fact there is only one female police officer seen and shown to be very unimportant and an 'babysitter'

The ethnicity was only white British people with no diversity 

The economic problems, set in London which has a high crime rating

Gender equality is easily shown differently as a start luther has much more female characters who hold much power e.g. luthers boss is a women

EXPLAIN how crime dramas reflect the time in which they are made? 

In the 1970s british compared to these days are very much different, for example the representation of gender can easily be viewed as adapted over the years. For example, in The Sweeney there was only one female police officer shown and she was represented as quite un important and used to be a somewhat babysitter with the wife until the males sorted the crime out. However, this stereotype of women has changed over the years and Luther is an example of this, 

Tuesday 25th February 2025

do now

1- medium long shot

2-movement 

3-visual

4-scenes to create tension

5-90 degree tilted

-messy desk- lots of responsibility

Visual codes (mise-en-scene) in luther 

-dull lifeless setting

-psycho ward

-miserable feeling

-blind look like bars trapped

Explore the representations of gender in this extract (10)

luther is presented as strong

luther shows his aggression when it comes to zoe which shows his jealousy 

homework  due 4/03/25

1 (a) Explore the connotations of the costumes of two characters in the BBC Crime Drama Luther. (8) HINTS! Write two DEL paragraphs – one per character There should be a brief description of the costume Your analysis should pick the costume apart, discuss connotations – what do the connotations ‘signify’ or symbolise about the character?

1 (b) Explain how the character John Luther is typical of the TV crime drama genre. (12) HINTS! What character type from ‘Propp’ is Luther? Is he a stereotypical hero? What makes him conventional as a detective for crime drama? What makes him unconventional as a detective for crime drama? Write about gender and ethnicity!

1a) In the crime drama Luther, the character Luther's costume represents his high up job in the police industry. Luther is seen to be wearing a suit which indicates an individuals professionalism and importance which gives others a reassuring message that he can be trusted instead of someone with a lack of discipline and no consideration. 

The appearance of Alice Morgan creates meaning for example, Alice is seen to be tight-fitting suits which could challenge the stereotypical women character in a crime drama however this depicts the fact that she is a mysterious, villainous character. Earlier in the crime drama Alice is shown as having very messy and short hair whilst acting innocent from the death of her family which contrasts to the fact that now she is seen as looking very put together which illuminates the evil and dangerous character she is.

1b)In the crime drama Luther the character John Luther is typical of the tv crime drama genre this is shown by the question of if Luther is seen as the hero or the false hero. As stereotypically Luther could be seen as a hero with the job industry he is part of and the investigations he has resolved however he could also seen as the false hero because of his uncontrolled anger outbreaks which challenges his stereotype of being the hero. Although, Luther is the seen as the stereotypical man as he is shown to be a very strong, aggressive individual that can handle things alone even with no help alongside. His mental outbreaks on Zoe could also build questions. Audiences expect this sort of questioning and have expectations of the narrative and themes.

Friday 28th February 2025

do now 

1- gender representation and is it positive or negative

2- costumes, lighting, props

3- twice

4- two

5- 3-4 paragraphs

Costumes 

all in suits representing wealth and importance

alice in dark clothing representing disguise and not standing out

Location 

yes are typical

no cctv where the threat happened so theres another investigation 

police officers all discussing

police station

1a) In Luther, costumes create meaning by expressing the situation they are in. In the first scene, luther and his work partner are outside dressed in suits looking stereotypically very formal and smart. With it being that they are investigating the crime this represents there character as a whole and they can be looked and seen as high up and there importance in the situation. It could also show there wealth as they look presentable and put together whilst taking into consideration the serious job they have and not slacking the identification they need to live up to and dressing poorly with no care.

Later on in the extract, Alice Morgan is shown to almost be unfeminine this could be shown by the dark clothing which could supposedly represent as being a somewhat disguise and to be unseen and not stood out but also stereotypically not how a women would dress. This shows her personality in a wide perspective as she is to be seen as a closed book who is always suspicious and you never know what to expect next. The colour black impersonates evil traits and power which could foreshadow the fact that alice is a very thought through character who knows how to overpower the high up investigation team to believe she is innocent.

1b) In the extract given the locations used are seen as to be very typical and not surprising. The scene showing alice's threat towards zoe is a small secluded space where you wouldn't think to just stay this is an obvious choice of location and this is where there is no cctv which then allows another of alice's plans to go underway of her being thought to be innocent by the investigators. The scene being used represents crime drama as a whole as it sets your eye on one thing and doesn't give you a wondering eye to anything behind or next to them. These scenes don't challenge the stereotype of crime as it is to be represented to the watchers eye as very important and wanting to fid out what happens with the feeling of suspense which overall is the aim for a crime drama series.

Straight after this scene, it goes straight to scenes of luther being in his office and then making his way to all his other work employees which they discuss what he has just been told and his reasoning of why hes confident its alice. This isn't a surprising choice of location straight after the scene has just occurred as the watcher needs to see every side of the story to get the full understanding of the crime drama. With switching locations it allows there perspective to widen as there's more conversations which is extremely typical.

NOT FINISHED