The camera shots of this clip vary to make sure that every
shot allows you to see the feelings and emotions of the characters. The wide
shot, when the two plumbers and Dr Martin are discussing the problems with his
tap, the doctor is leaning against the table and is still towering over the two
other men. This could indicate that due to him being from London he has a
better background and education therefore theoretically is of a higher class
than the two uneducated plumbers from port Wynn. By the producer doing so he is
segregating the men by using stereotypes to portray the region they are from.
Giving the audience the impression that all county men are stupid and simple,
and that hardworking men from the city are pompous and arrogant. Throughout the
clip the scenes are all portraying ‘real life’ events, which is when the camera
shots are at the level of the character that is speaking, giving more of a
realistic feel to the show. For example, when the tap is exploding and the
women walking in complaining about her working conditions. The camera is at a
lower level when he is yelling at the girl and the two plumbers and when she
starts to talk the shot changes to a higher shot of her face and shoulders. By
doing so the audience is able to follow the emotions of each of the characters
as it shows how all of them are feeling as the camera is constantly following
their level of thought. There is also a full body shot included in the clip
where the director uses tracking to capture the doctor walking into the police
station. In this scene he is angry and we can tell this by the tense way that
he carries himself as he expeditiously walks into the front yard of the
building. This is a good technique used by the director as body language is key
when figuring out how a person is feeling, as the full body tracking shot is
used the audience has a clear indication to the stressed manor that the doctor
appears to be in.
The clip is trying to portray reality; hence the pace of the
clip is the same throughout. However, when the doctor is angrily walking into
the police station the camera tracks him and consequently makes the pace of the
clip increase. A fast pace has connotations to mean an intense scene is about
to occur making the audience pay more attention as they want to know what may
possibly happen. The producer has done this to create various differences
between the fast pace Londoners and the slow peaceful life of Port Wynn. In TV
it can become very boring if the past of the show is the same throughout,
therefore changing the pace can keep the audience’s attention and increase the
comparison between the two regions. The lighting also gives us indications
about some of the nice places of the little village and the other parts which
seem run down. In the surgery the previous doctor had not cared for hygiene and
had let it become an unkempt mess. This is shown by the lighting being dark and
dreary, giving the audience the idea that it is dirty and old fashioned. This
is also increased by the fact that the outside scenes that are shot are so
bring and colourful and appear to make Port Wynn a happy place to live.
First impressions and stereotypes are a big importance when
trying to portray a character in a show. The clothing is a big clue towards how
the producers want to bring across their characters. The younger girls of the
village are the only ones dressed in girly pink colours and wearing makeup.
This is the typical stereotype for teenage girls, young, experimental and
dressed to impress. The older on of the plumbers was struggling to use nouns in
his sentence, hinting that he hasn’t cared much for his education. Conforming to
the normal county lifestyle of following your family trade, which is what his
son has also done as they are not working together. We pity this man as it is
obvious he is not living up to his potential, making the audience feel sorry
for Dr martin as he is now living in the town in which people have low
aspirations. The clip also includes a woman with dreadlocks, this is a metaphorical
juxtaposition as in secluded sea side towns they don’t usually have the hippies
with outrageous styles, especially working in the doctor’s surgery. This makes
the town appear even more out there and as if it is a strange place to live. Making
the people that live there more interesting and make the audience what to know
more.
“Down here we just go
with the flow” is a quote said my a resided of the small village, it emphasises
the idea that living in a place as such means you have not cares in the world. The
producer wanted to make sure people saw the village as a different world, as if
unconnected from civilisation. Thus, increasing the divide between the doctor
and other people in the community due to their different background and
lifestyles. They have also added Foley of the dog crying when he is left at the
police station. Dogs cry when they are sad or in need of something/someone, the
clear noise of the dog crying shows he has a connection to Dr Martin, in which
the doctor hasn’t had with anyone else in the village. The producer could have
added emphasis on this as in undermines the intelligence of him as the only
person he is able to have a relationship with is a stray dog in the village. Also,
the tone and urgency of people’s voices becomes heightened when dealing with
the broken tap. The diegetic sound of the water spraying has been increased to
make it sound as though a bigger problem that it is. The high tones, loud
shouting and piercing water sounds all add up to make the scene appear dramatic
and add stress to the doctor’s hectic day. All in all, the main parts of sound
used are all to increase comparisons and intensity of the situations throughout
the clip.
