TV Drama- Crime

•Life on Mars•Midsomer Murders•A Touch of Frost

Life on Mars

An extreme close-up has been used on Sam Tyler when he wakes up in the 70's. This shot adds focus and curiosity. This has been used to inform the audience that something strange has happened. The extreme close-up of his eyes shows his emotion as they are squinted and confused. This shot is conventional to TV Drama as it adds tension and dramatization to the shot.

This shot is very dark even though there is light coming in from outside. This exaggerates the low angle shot as the shadowed characters look more intimidating and powerful. This is conventional to the genre as the storyline appears mysterious.

Midsomer Murders

The high angle close-up of the woman's arm appears as it is from the characters view. This makes the audience see the story through his eyes making them more curious. This is conventional to TV Drama as it adds a sense of panic and vulnerability.

The close-up of the books adds mystery and wonder to the audience watching as they are curious to know what the character is looking for. This adds anxiety as they are not sure what to expect. This is a convention of this genre as it is focusing on an important object that the audience should be aware of.

A Touch of Frost

This mid-shot shows the two characters and the work load they have to deal with. This shot shows the characters costume and we can see that Frost is wearing a hat and rain mac- a conventional detective costume. We can also see that the other character is in a suit and therefore appears more serious. Frost's expression looks mocking and this represents his character as sarcastic.

A long shot has been used to show the character, his motorbike and setting. This creates the scene and naturally adds curiosity to the audience. We can see his body language from this shot and this gives a sense of what his character may be like. This is a convention of TV Drama as although the genre is mysterious and tense, it has to be realistic as well.