How textual elements of mise-en-scene create representation of the past and present in "Life on Mars"

Representation of place
British Television - Life on mars
Date - 2006
Place filmed - Manchester

Sound

• Drum,drum machine,synth (computer)


• Tense music when we see the shot of the moving police cars

Costumes and colour palette

• Criminal wearing a hoody represents anti-social behaviour.

• The police officer who is chasing the criminal is wearing cold coloured clothing the same as the criminal, this shows that they are all part of the same society and they are all part of one organism/machine.


• The grey colour scheme shows new technology and connotes bleakness and post-modern buildings.


• Grey steel is a reference to technology, unforgiving textures, washed out colours.

• Blue and Navy are typical police colours, which are the colours that are mainly used in the programme.

• The use of white in the police headquarters office: a uniformity of colour. Ths image shows that it has been shot in the present day because of the technology with is shown in the shot; the mobile phone and computers.
  
  
  
  
  The colour palette changes when the time period changes (after Sam is ran over), the colour palette changes to sepia: sepia is a cinematic technique device to connote a different time period. In this time period alot of brown has been used which tells us that we are in the 1970`s as this was a very popular colour in this time period.



















• The buildings and surroundings are all of a blue or grey colour palette.







Shots and camera angles











• Close up shot of the car wheels, emphasise on the wheels creates a rule of thirds in the image. This close up shot of the front of the moving car has been used in the opening squence of episode one which cuts between this shot and the credits, the road is in the present day.
  
  

• Medium close up shot is used to show the terraced houses.


• Low angle shot is used of the Police Headquarters, which tells us it is an important building, grey and metallic.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The rule of diagonals creates a sense of movement and the dimension of perspective, eg. the lighting above the clouds creates a perspective.

Other observations





















• The shot of the terraced houses and the tower block in the background creates feeling of hostile and comforting, it feels hostile becuase of the crime and feels comforting because it is modern and gives a community feel to the image. The tower block shows reality and the `mars` is showing another dimension which is represented by the terraced housing.

• Represents that police are quite frequently critisised for not caring about the criminal just about the victim, life on mars represents this.












• "Look around, what use of feelings"








• The present is represented as a Distopia when there is a close up of a childs swing in the park with Mia`s shirt laying across the seat with blood on it suggesting she has been murdered or kidnapped, a tower block is shown in the background, the modern building is associated with violence.









• Sam is upset because when he visits the crime scene he finds out that his girlfriend has been kidnapped/murdered, we can see he has regrets because his last words to her were very cold, this is shown by the close up shot of him in his car.