sherlock holmes

How similar are the genre conventions used in the 1968 episode of 'A Study in Scarlet' to the 2010 'A Study in Pink'.

The quality of filming is clearly different from the beginning of ‘A Study in Scarlet’ to ‘A Study in Pink’ this is because of the velar time difference between the airing of these 2 episodes. At the start of the 1968 episode the non-diagetic sound builds up tension when you see the dead body which is the same as a study in pink. There Is also the clear convention of death which is the same in both episodes and is clear in both from very near the beginning if not in the opening shots.

Unlike a study in pink, a study in scarlet is clearly set in the past, you can tell this straight away from the opening shots in the bedroom. The interior in the room is old fashioned, quite grand but garish which is not the type of interior you tend to see in TV programmes set in present time. There’s also the costumes, the women are in grand dresses whereas in a study in scarlet most of the women are dressed in professional clothing such as suits. You can also tell its old fashioned by the actual narrative of the episode, it’s about asking for hand in marriage to parents and it being rejected which is not really a problem you would see now a days unless you were of a certain religion.

The low key lighting of the scenes is a similarity of the 2 episodes but seems to be a convention of the overall genre rather than the series. The non-diagetic music throughout the episode is quite similar but I felt the music in a study of pink was quite old fashioned anyway and I think this worked well with the more modern story line. In a study of scarlet there is exaggerated diagetic sound when the doors squeaking. I feel the low quality of filming in this episode actually helps build up tension as there is a sense of eeriness about the actual filming.

I also found there was a similarity in storyline as in both episode the word ‘rache’ comes up. In a study of pink it is etched into the floor where the woman is dead and in a study of scarlet the policeman finds it on the wall in blood. I think this is a definite sign of a reboot, they have tried to take certain aspects of the old episode and transfer it into the new one but changing it slightly to fit in with new times. There is also the link between episodes with the police as they are featured in both but seem to have been portrayed certainly in the newer episode as incapable of dealing with the crime that has been committed.

Overall I think there are quite a few differences and similarities but I think the way they have taken aspects of the old episode and recreated it into the new episode is definitely effective and works really well. 

Dr who analysis

I looked at dr who episode 2 series 1, I focused on the camera, editing, mise-en-scene and sound. In the opening sequence there is an establishing shot of the earth to inform the audience straight away of the time and geography, this shot of earth is a sci-fi convention. Throughout the programme there is a series of long of mostly long shots and mid shots, along with some extreme close ups. Extreme close ups are used to show the emotion or expression on a characters face or a specific detail or object that the audience should be aware of.
The editing includes fast pace cross cuts that help speed up the passing of time and also shows the movement from scene to scene.
The mise-en-scene setting I found was a sci-fi convention when the characters doctor and rose were in the tardis I found this a convention because in most sci-fi there is a lab or a base. The props are linked to the costumes, there is different props used throughout mainly the laser pen, this is also a sci-fi convention as these gadgets don't normally exist. The actors doctor who especially use scientific terminology when speaking to make it sound like they know what there talking about. The lighting is quite low key I think this is because it's meant to look quite eary and mysterious as if it was bright and colourful it wouldnt be a sci-fi convention.
The sound in this programme was both a mixture of non-diagetic and diagetic, throughout there is a robotic metallic sounding non-diagetic sound bridge of music which is a typical sci-fi convention. The dialogue for the characters is diagetic sound but there is a non-diagetic sound that turns into a diagetic sound when a CD is put in, which is quite unusual.