Life on Mars is a BAFTA and Emmy-winning British science fiction and police drama television series. It was first broadcast on BBC One between January 2006 and April 2007.
The programme tells the story of DCI Sam Tyler of the Greater Manchester Police (played by John Simm), who, after being hit by a car in 2006, finds himself in the year 1973. There, he works for Manchester and Salford Police CID as a DI under DCI Gene Hunt (played by Philip Glenister). Over the course of the series, Tyler faces various culture clashes, most frequently regarding the differences between his modern approach to policing and the more traditional methods of his colleagues. Mixing the genres of science fiction and police procedural, the series centres on the ambiguity concerning Tyler's predicament: it is unclear whether he is insane, in a coma, or if he really has travelled back in time.
(Found from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_on_Mars_(TV_series).
The scene begins with a close up of clothes hanging on a washing line in a street. This suggests that the area is quite a poor area. It could also connote the area’s people are a close community and trust one another. From this long shot, we gently zoom closer onto the road- making it a mid shot, where a man carrying the table crosses the road. The shot moves in a tracking movement, travelling forward whilst DCI Hunt drives his car into the shot at a low angle. The car comes to a sudden halt on the edge of the path, carelessly knocking over a metal rubbish bin. This connotes how DCI Hunt does not care for the environment or its residents. There is non-diegetic music played which matches the tough attitude of Hunt. Hunt slams the door once getting out, whilst Tyler is gentler and politely opens the Irish man’s door once also out.
The location is shown through a mid shot, at a low angle, which gives the audience an idea of the setting. The ideas seem to be made up of the area being compact and small. The terrace houses are quite sweet but grim. The shot goes up to an eye level height and a close up is used of the Irish man’s bruises and wounds, that suggest that he has been beaten up.
Whilst the men talk, DCI Hunt apologizes but only after Tyler has forced him to, and this is shown as he says it in an insincere tone. The Irish man tries to make Hunt sympathise for both himself and his fellow Irish people. The camera shots allow the Irish guy to have some importance as it is slightly at a low angle. This gives him look more important and confidence as he is very aggravated. The Irish man gestures to the houses and the audience will notice (if not already) that two men are on the other side of the road. This suggests they are his friends- standing close by him but at a distance. The mid shot continues but also a shot reverse shot is used to make the conversation/argument flow more at ease. The body language of Hunt seems defensive, with his arms crossed and leaning against his car, and as though he does not want to give in. It also appears that he does not have the time to waste as he rarely looks at the Irish man at first.
Hunt’s arrogance is extremely noticeable which makes him seems higher in status – which is true as he is on the police office, whilst the Irish man has to work in low-wage jobs.
The next scene is shot in a pub, where the Police members are regulars. The shot is a mid shot so we see Tyler enter the pub in a very bold way, and he pauses in the doorway. This is emphasized by the bleached- out light, the amount of cigarettes people in the pub have smoked is apparent as the remainder of smoke surrounds the room, making it look dim and misty. He is also made to look like he is a hero- on his high horse after solving the crime. However, we feel like he is slightly uncomfortable because his face expression does not look like he is confident. His colleagues clap and the rest of the pub join to congratulate his success. This shows that the word got around quickly –as a lot of the people seem to know what happened.
The mise-en-scene the pub is quite dull, with creamy- yellow walls, dark brown wooden furniture and a simple bar. As Tyler sits down with his colleagues, they joke around, funnily about the possible future president being a woman. There is an extreme close up to emphasize how much Tyler puts in the money “kitty” (that has been collecting money for DS Ray Carling’s recovery fund) and how generous he is. The shots then return to being at eye level which makes the audience feel like we are one of them- but not quite, as over the shoulder shots are used. The shot then changes to an extreme close up of the drink glasses as they all say “Cheers!”. Diegetic music is used as the landlord puts on a song- we see through his perspective as his hand puts it in through a close up shot. A shot is cast in front of Tyler then shallow focus is used when a bright-red telephone begins to ring. It catches Tyler’s attention, making him turn, the audience also view it through a POV shot. Shot reverse shot is used which helps to build up confusion and create questions by the audience like: “Why has he only noticed it?” and whether or not it is going to be for him or not. The red phone could connote danger as the colour red is associated with that idea. Tyler goes to pick the phone up to end his ever- building curiosity. The shot tracks him so we follow his movement. Once he picks the phone up, the mid shot changes to a close up of his face. The audience hear the voice on the other receiver so we are let in on what they talk about. A diegetic noise is used, a heartbeat. This is an interesting noise to use as it could connote that Tyler’s heartbeat although it was relatively smooth. It also reminds us of his state being in a coma, which confuses him more, as we are not sure whether it is all a crazy dream or not. A heartbeat noise if commonly used to create the idea of a hospital which fits – as it seems to be a doctor talking to Tyler. The conversation between Tyler is short- lived as he is hung up on.
When Tyler returns to the table that his colleagues are crowded around, Hunt tries to take some of the glory by saying about his influence on Tyler’s solving skills. This seems to show Hunt is constantly arrogant and how his ego gets in the way much of the time.
Representational aspects in Life on Mars seem to be that the episodes are a combination of having serious and sophisticated jokes, which add to the programme being comedic. The lack of technology means that sometimes there were some irrational and not completely true convictions. This could be supported by how Tyler stops Hunt from making wrong assumptions about the Irish man being the criminal. The episodes follow a male protagonist which could result in the programme being more identifiable with a larger audience, as he is a middle- aged English man.
Representational issues are shown to be mainly, racism. DCI Hunt is extremely racist, which shocks Tyler as he has come from nearer the present day. For instance, Hunt is racist about the Indian couple and the woman’s clothes and is more violently racist towards the Irish man. It is stereotypical racism as many pubs, such as the one in the extract, were bombed and destroyed by Irish bombers.
Furthermore, sexism is apparent also, as the women in Life on Mars work in offices, as receptionists for example. An exception is that Cartright, a WPC does join in with the other male leads. The Police Force in the 1970’s was not balanced, gender wise, as there is more dominance from the male leads.
The programme tells the story of DCI Sam Tyler of the Greater Manchester Police (played by John Simm), who, after being hit by a car in 2006, finds himself in the year 1973. There, he works for Manchester and Salford Police CID as a DI under DCI Gene Hunt (played by Philip Glenister). Over the course of the series, Tyler faces various culture clashes, most frequently regarding the differences between his modern approach to policing and the more traditional methods of his colleagues. Mixing the genres of science fiction and police procedural, the series centres on the ambiguity concerning Tyler's predicament: it is unclear whether he is insane, in a coma, or if he really has travelled back in time.
(Found from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_on_Mars_(TV_series).
The scene begins with a close up of clothes hanging on a washing line in a street. This suggests that the area is quite a poor area. It could also connote the area’s people are a close community and trust one another. From this long shot, we gently zoom closer onto the road- making it a mid shot, where a man carrying the table crosses the road. The shot moves in a tracking movement, travelling forward whilst DCI Hunt drives his car into the shot at a low angle. The car comes to a sudden halt on the edge of the path, carelessly knocking over a metal rubbish bin. This connotes how DCI Hunt does not care for the environment or its residents. There is non-diegetic music played which matches the tough attitude of Hunt. Hunt slams the door once getting out, whilst Tyler is gentler and politely opens the Irish man’s door once also out.
The location is shown through a mid shot, at a low angle, which gives the audience an idea of the setting. The ideas seem to be made up of the area being compact and small. The terrace houses are quite sweet but grim. The shot goes up to an eye level height and a close up is used of the Irish man’s bruises and wounds, that suggest that he has been beaten up.
Whilst the men talk, DCI Hunt apologizes but only after Tyler has forced him to, and this is shown as he says it in an insincere tone. The Irish man tries to make Hunt sympathise for both himself and his fellow Irish people. The camera shots allow the Irish guy to have some importance as it is slightly at a low angle. This gives him look more important and confidence as he is very aggravated. The Irish man gestures to the houses and the audience will notice (if not already) that two men are on the other side of the road. This suggests they are his friends- standing close by him but at a distance. The mid shot continues but also a shot reverse shot is used to make the conversation/argument flow more at ease. The body language of Hunt seems defensive, with his arms crossed and leaning against his car, and as though he does not want to give in. It also appears that he does not have the time to waste as he rarely looks at the Irish man at first.
Hunt’s arrogance is extremely noticeable which makes him seems higher in status – which is true as he is on the police office, whilst the Irish man has to work in low-wage jobs.
The next scene is shot in a pub, where the Police members are regulars. The shot is a mid shot so we see Tyler enter the pub in a very bold way, and he pauses in the doorway. This is emphasized by the bleached- out light, the amount of cigarettes people in the pub have smoked is apparent as the remainder of smoke surrounds the room, making it look dim and misty. He is also made to look like he is a hero- on his high horse after solving the crime. However, we feel like he is slightly uncomfortable because his face expression does not look like he is confident. His colleagues clap and the rest of the pub join to congratulate his success. This shows that the word got around quickly –as a lot of the people seem to know what happened.
The mise-en-scene the pub is quite dull, with creamy- yellow walls, dark brown wooden furniture and a simple bar. As Tyler sits down with his colleagues, they joke around, funnily about the possible future president being a woman. There is an extreme close up to emphasize how much Tyler puts in the money “kitty” (that has been collecting money for DS Ray Carling’s recovery fund) and how generous he is. The shots then return to being at eye level which makes the audience feel like we are one of them- but not quite, as over the shoulder shots are used. The shot then changes to an extreme close up of the drink glasses as they all say “Cheers!”. Diegetic music is used as the landlord puts on a song- we see through his perspective as his hand puts it in through a close up shot. A shot is cast in front of Tyler then shallow focus is used when a bright-red telephone begins to ring. It catches Tyler’s attention, making him turn, the audience also view it through a POV shot. Shot reverse shot is used which helps to build up confusion and create questions by the audience like: “Why has he only noticed it?” and whether or not it is going to be for him or not. The red phone could connote danger as the colour red is associated with that idea. Tyler goes to pick the phone up to end his ever- building curiosity. The shot tracks him so we follow his movement. Once he picks the phone up, the mid shot changes to a close up of his face. The audience hear the voice on the other receiver so we are let in on what they talk about. A diegetic noise is used, a heartbeat. This is an interesting noise to use as it could connote that Tyler’s heartbeat although it was relatively smooth. It also reminds us of his state being in a coma, which confuses him more, as we are not sure whether it is all a crazy dream or not. A heartbeat noise if commonly used to create the idea of a hospital which fits – as it seems to be a doctor talking to Tyler. The conversation between Tyler is short- lived as he is hung up on.
When Tyler returns to the table that his colleagues are crowded around, Hunt tries to take some of the glory by saying about his influence on Tyler’s solving skills. This seems to show Hunt is constantly arrogant and how his ego gets in the way much of the time.
Representational aspects in Life on Mars seem to be that the episodes are a combination of having serious and sophisticated jokes, which add to the programme being comedic. The lack of technology means that sometimes there were some irrational and not completely true convictions. This could be supported by how Tyler stops Hunt from making wrong assumptions about the Irish man being the criminal. The episodes follow a male protagonist which could result in the programme being more identifiable with a larger audience, as he is a middle- aged English man.
Representational issues are shown to be mainly, racism. DCI Hunt is extremely racist, which shocks Tyler as he has come from nearer the present day. For instance, Hunt is racist about the Indian couple and the woman’s clothes and is more violently racist towards the Irish man. It is stereotypical racism as many pubs, such as the one in the extract, were bombed and destroyed by Irish bombers.
Furthermore, sexism is apparent also, as the women in Life on Mars work in offices, as receptionists for example. An exception is that Cartright, a WPC does join in with the other male leads. The Police Force in the 1970’s was not balanced, gender wise, as there is more dominance from the male leads.
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