Analysis Of Existing Crime Dramas

The Shield is an American television drama series . The storyline of the drama shows the inner-city of Los Angeles police precinct where some of the officers aren't above breaking the rules or working against their associates to both keep the streets safe and their self-interests intact.

Whilst watching the Shield you can see the use of sound effects meaning the use of non-diegetic sound. The background music used actually reflects the mood of the atmosphere for example in the Shield when the officers are chasing the criminal the music is upbeat and livelily. Latin music is played it starts of in the background then it dominates the chase because it’s a chase and very energetic for the audience it creates suspense as your on the edge of your seat wondering if the criminal is going to get away also the impact it can have is that of an enjoyable tension a feeling of tense excitement about how the chase will end. We also hear diegetic sounds at the start we also see the car shid which shows there is going to be a police chase. We also hear the criminal breathing as he runs this adds to the realism representation of people and the world without any idealization.

There is also a montage sequence which is used it shows the officers getting ready to go and make an arrest interestingly we also see other officers in their home environment but the mood of the surroundings seems cold and dark it also seems intense but expressed and shown in a controlled way as it‘s carefully regulated. When the officers are slowly moving in to get the criminal they walk confidently the reason for this is because to slow the action down then there’s more effect, emphasis and significance to add to the drama. The background music playing was hip hop to enhance the mood and reinforce the message being conveyed. The symbolic meaning portrayed was to visually recognize the lives of officers being put in dangerous situations in order to do their job. In addition the montage was set during night time which adds to the effect as you would usually associate the time of darkness as being more frightening and a sense that more crimes takes place and something bad is most likely to occur. The fact that the montage was set at night add more anxiety to the drama.

Vic Mackey is one of the main characters we see ideology on a set of values on law and order is when Vic Mackey and his boss disagree on how to handle a case where as Vic is more temperamental but later we see how his boss calls upon him to uses his sense of brutality which is usually directed towards the criminals whom he considers deserving of his harsh treatment for example when he beats up a child molester to get information out of him this shows even when he has broken the law himself like when he bribes the prostitute with drugs to find out the information he needed for solving a more serious crime he genuinely wants to keep the streets safe and catch the criminals even if that means resorting to a low level. He also shot a member of his own team who was secretly working to expose Vic and his unit. So this suggests that Vic Mackey sees his tactics to get rid of the obstacles facing his way .

We see flashbacks been shown back into the past to justify why he shot him. The change of colour empathised that we were taken back into time as the colour was more dim. The ensemble of the other characters in the Shield are all equally as important as Vic Mackey is the leader of the strike team which is a anti gang unit the methods they use to bring the criminals to justice is that they use a number of illegal methods in order to bring peace and tranquillity onto the streets.

The location for the Shield is set in LA. The way in which we visually see and describe LA is as being a celebrity local hot spot, the home of the rich very upmarket and a place for upper class people. But in the Shield we see a different side of LA we see a run down area which is impossible to say it is LA as we normally consider LA as being very anti - crime as you don’t really hear any criminal activates or incident associated with LA. The effect this can have on the audience is that it can educate them in the knowledge that there is a rich and poor side. It was cleverly done to have the location set in LA as it is a spin on things and creates a twist to the drama.

At the start of the episode we see a cross cutting scene, where the police officer is talking about how crimes have been reduced and then we see a criminal being chased while the officer is speaking. The effect this has is that we see a contrast of what’s been said and what’s actually happening . This can therefore hook the audience as it makes it exciting for them so accordingly they’ll want to continue to watch it. There are moments where the camera is handheld and shaky at times this engages the audience and makes the drama seem simulating realistic and also in the Shield they use handheld camera when we are shown the criminal being chased the effect this will have is that it will make the audience feel as if they are in the action with the character. It brings a new life into the scene that may have not been there otherwise.

Analysing this crime drama made me realise many things such as how sound can mirror what's happening. The effect this has is that it gives it a emotional stance. It changes the audience's feelings which give them a more positive view on the drama by varying the music, to make the audience feel the emotion such as showing unhappiness, grief, or sorrow. The background music we intend to use for our crime drama will be slow and spooky. So I realised the background music used helps heighten a suspenseful moment in a drama.

Another key thing I noticed while watching The Shield is that it contrasts with our Crime Drama as this shows the difference of representation about gender as the males in the Shield seem like criminals themselves for instance the way they dress is very casual and they act thuggish and the use of language is very inappropriate and ill-mannered at times.

Where as in our Crime Drama the female will be the killer which is unusual because the way in which female detectives are portrayed is very stereotypical because for instance in Prime Suspect a female police detective is investigating a series murder case while dealing with sexist hostility from her male comrades.

One of the main representation was gender. DCI Jane Tennison is put in charge of a murder case but her team who are all male are hostile toward her and don’t see it as being ideal that a female is more superior than them as she is in charge of them as well as the case. So they may feel threatened by her, as they refer to her as a ‘tart’ which suggests they don’t like seeing her having a higher position or status than them.

Also when Jane takes over the case she re-examines everything over again and when she is interviewing the suspect she is very calm even when the suspect starts yelling the tone of her voice is welcoming and soft spoken. Where as the male officers were more aggressive. So she is using her feminine side to get what she wants which is very cleverly done as the suspect does eventually admit to the crime.

The character of Jane is powerful as it focuses on the internal and external confrontations and contradictions faced by a leading female character who in most circumstances is a police officer first and a women second.

There’s also a close up shot of Jane after the killer admits he committed the crime. The effect this has is that we finally get to see Jane’s reaction as the case is over after her hard work and with her surviving and thriving in a male dominant profession. We don’t see her with a happy face as we would typically expect because she still seems in shock as it’s her case and she got her criminal, its also like a sigh of relief for her as it’s all over with as she’s done her job.

We as well see an over the shoulder shot when the male officers are discussing the case and waiting to hear the verdict. With the over the shoulder shot it personalise it more with the viewers as it’s engaging with the audience as it feels like you are actually there with them so you feel more involved.

Jane’s costume of clothing is very formal and professional as it is with the rest of the officers. She tends to wear dull colours such as browns and blacks like the men and not any feminine colours. This shows she wants to fit in with them and show them she is also just like them.

The setting is mainly set in the police station in the interviewing room. This creates suspense as the interrogation is under way so your on edge wanting to know if the suspect is guilty or not it creates an enjoyable atmosphere as you see first hand how the methods of policing are done.

When interviewing the suspect Jane’s figure of movement is very assertive and her facial expressions are not very visible for example when the suspect starts to shout directly at her she does not even flinch and remains professional. This shows how females are seen as being more assertive and she remains calm natured where as a male would be more angered, as this proves in 'Life On Mars'.

Having a female detective murderer in our crime drama is something different to bring into the world of crime dramas. As you would presume males are more dominant and overpowering as the Shield and Prime Suspect portray.