Doctor Who Clip

What does the soundtrack contribute to the sequence?

Through the use of digitally created sounds to give a futuristic feel to the sequence

How does the music create atmosphere?

In the background of the cafe it starts off quiet and mellow which shows that everything is calm, then it gets a tiny bit quicker when they meet to show the confrontation. The music gets more dramatic, in a minor key when they're running to see the dead girl - this gives a sense of danger and mystery. Then when they get chased away its very low key but a bit slower which gives dark atmosphere, like they aren't wanted there. The pace of the music is used to signify what is happening, it contributes to the feel of the scene received by the audience. 

What sound effect are evident?

Tardis - landing 

Accents are used to show the class of the people i.e. the waitresses are lower class

Accordion in the background - relates back to an older time period, european feel

Background chatting

Clinking of glasses

Candles burning

Small talk between characters 

Barking dogs when the tardis lands - gives disrupted feel

Horse neigh - shows the time period

Church bell when the murder is announced which signifies that it is late at night i.e. the strike of midnight

How does the sound signify the mood and/or genre of the                   television drama? 

The sounds make it feel like sci fi from the futuristic sounds i.e. the theme song and the noise of the tardis, we also know its historic from travelling back in time from the sounds like the horse, the accordion - things that we associate with a past time. By changing the pace of the music they can create different feels i.e. by speeding it up its more dramatic and by slowing it down makes it feel calmer - by using digitally created sounds it feels futuristic. 

Eastenders: Sounds We Can Hear

• Theme song
• Footsteps
• High heels
• cars driving by
• brakes of car - pulling up
• chatting in background
• woman's voice - cockney
• male voice - Jamaican - loud - 
• male voice - younger
• woman's voice - sympathy
• background noise
• shouting - two women, high pitched
• male voice - mellow, 
• woman's voice - croaky, old
• male voice - younger, whispering
• closing door, slamming door
• male voice - teen, chav
• woman's voice - middle aged, 
• sigh 

Police Interrogation Scene - Editing

In this clip of a police interview from CSI NY, they have used a crosscut edit. This is where the action is cut to show another piece happening at the same time or showing a flashback. Here it shows a flashback to when he found the victim and the money - this is effective as it shows the viewer what he sees when he is saying it. An insight to the character and what is going on in his head whilst he is trying to explain what happened. 

There are quite a few cuts in this clip; this is where the camera shot moves from one shot instantly to another. Here that is evident when they show the bag containing the money in it and the next shot is showing Mac asking what happened. This is effective as it enables the viewers to understand what is going on within the interview as they can see what Mac is talking about.

This scene uses a shot reverse shot edit which cuts to the view of the opposite direction, here its used as part of the dialogue. It shows Mac talking to the suspect - one speaker to the next- before this there was a master shot showing the position of the characters (Mac standing and the suspect sitting). In this interview it shows the suspect looking at Mac, then shows Mac as he talks back to the suspect. This is effective as it makes it more realistic to the audience, it makes it feel like a real conversation between the two characters. There is an eye-line match here as the suspect looks up at Mac we then follow to where he is looking and his view of Mac talking to him. 

Editing Terms

How is the setting or theme of the television drama represented? ER

Generally in TV drama and medical dramas the setting and themes are established - It tells the audience straight away that it is in the hospital and is very fast pace by the use of props and costumes. However medical drama openings differ in the US to the UK as in the US the characters are shown where as in the UK they avoid this.

The setting is presented in the opening of ER as it is shown different places around the hospitals i.e. wards, corridors, reception, operating table etc. It shows the doctors running down the halls which shows the setting as being very busy and this then establishes the fact that it is based in a hospital. In the sequence the words emergency room flash up on screen which then tells the audience that it is set within that section of the hospital, the fast paced scenes represent how fast paced the ER works. The fact that x-rays, operations are shown in the opening sequence shows that it is in a hospital as it what some of the doctors have to do.

The mise en scene from the title sequence suggests that hospitals are busy, fast paced and hard working. The doctors costumes include the white coats and the stethoscopes around their neck and a clipboard in their hand, the surgeons are seen in their scrubs, the nurse is in pink scrubs - this makes it feel like a real hospital as if we were to visit a hospital this is what we would expect see. The characters are shown in what kind a personality they have i.e. George Clooney is seen as very serious, hardworking, busy where as one of the female doctors are seen as calm, smiling, friendly. From the facial expressions we can establish the type of doctors who are around the hospital, you can see the moods of them in their role. The use of costumes and props establishes the boundaries between the types of doctors and their roles in which they play. The setting is in the ER room but we also see the operating table, corridors which the doctors are seen running down, the reception, therefore all areas which we would expect to see within a medical drama. The lighting is very bright which shows that it is a hospital as they need to be able to see what they are doing and where they are going, it shows that its a pristine place. It all adds to being more believable. The make up of the characters are natural as they don't need to be seen as pretty as they're trying to save peoples lives, the hair is either tied up or if its short enough its let down for the women, the mens hair are very short.

The main medical drama themes include illness, death, problems, promotions, surgery. This is represented by the doctors running down the hall, being in surgery, taking x-rays, attending to the patients etc within the opening sequence therefore it suggests the kind of things that the audience would expect to see within ER. The audience would expect to see unusual things happening or unusual surgery's which they wouldn't see in day to day life.

The edits of the opening to ER is very fast and involves a lot of cuts, some of the scenes merge with other but mostly are cuts - The cuts can show how frantic the ER can get. It is very fast which represents how the doctors have to work in the hospital but this also fits in with the music used. The music sounds like the beeping of a heart monitor but sped up, it is a very upbeat tune which adds to the effect that they're trying to give to the audience of being busy. Therefore by adding this type of song to accompany the cuts this enhances both the theme and the setting.

How is the setting or theme of the television drama represented? Emmerdale

The opening sequence of a TV drama is usually used to show setting and themes; within a soap opera the themes are based on love/hate, it gives a serious feel, it makes us understand that there is going to be a lot of drama in the episode. 

The setting represents where the show takes place i.e. the Eastenders opening shows the River Thames which is in the City of London therefore we associate Eastenders with city life. It represents the key locations and tells the audience the location for example in the Emmerdale opening it shows a small village in Yorkshire, from this it suggests that its a close knit community where everyone is friends. It shows a few different houses and local community locations. The houses show the types of people that live within the community i.e. the small cottage shows its quite cramped and small therefore maybe an older couple live there. Compared to the big, open house which is shown which is very clean which suggests that the family who live there have more money and maybe a better job for example a company owner. We see the pub which is a central location for Emmerdale, it shows the community eating and drinking which suggests that it is a popular place. You don't see any main characters in Emmerdale only the feet or legs, maybe a silhouette of the figure this is so they don't have to change it when the character is killed off. In the bigger house the legs are seen running up the stairs with the clothes discarded on the floor which suggests drama is to unfold.

From the Emmerdale setting it shows that Yorkshire is a picturesque place i.e. beautiful mountains, quiet woods - We see it to be quite peaceful and tranquil in the countryside. It gives the idea that its a small community who are close and know everyone however the scenes in the opening can contrast this for example the couple running up the stairs shows it to be a secretive community.

The typical soap themes include affairs, murder, deceit, love, hate, friendships, backstabbing, things that happen in public places etc. Usually a couple are explored within one episode as a multi stranded narrative. In Emmerdale this would be different as its a countryside location rather than a city location like Eastenders, it would be on a lower key. Some of the story-lines would centre around farm life contrasting the city life story-lines. If some people fell out who were in the smaller community it would have a much bigger scale as it would affect everyone as they would know them in some way.

The audience would expect to find out the private lives of the characters from the shots of the different houses however they would also expect to see the drama unfold from the people running up the stairs, they would expect them to be found out. Also they would expect to see drama take place within the local community places i.e. the pub or the shop.

TV Drama Shot Types