Crime/Police drama exam question

Ashes to Ashes

This extract is from the police drama series Ashes to Ashes. The series is set in the 1980's with the main character, Alex Drake being from the present day and is trapped in 1983, trying to get back to 2010.

The opening shot of the scene starts with a shot of the ceiling and then pans down to reveal the police office. Although Gene Hunt is informing them of their next important case the officers seem to have a very casual attitude to their job, highlighted by them casually sitting on desks, instead of holding their meeting in a more formal environment and manner. Their unconventional approaches to their jobs are also clear because of the messy desks and smart/casual clothes that they are wearing.

The mise-en-scene makes it easy to identify that this series is set in the 1980s because the decor of the office is fairly representative of the era and the characters clothes make it easy to establish what era this police drama series is set in. References to Margret Thatcher and her members of parliament also reveal that this show is set in 1983.

To clear up any doubt that this series is a police drama, there are close up shots of different suspects and photographs of evidence that they will need to be able to solve the crime. These shot’s help clear the viewer to learn more about the crime and the people that Hunt is talking about. Whilst Gean Hunt is explaining to his officers the case that they are investigating we see mid shots of some of the main officers, which reveal their reaction to what they are being told.

When Jim Keats enters the room it is clear that the rest of the officers do not like him. A close up shot of Ray Carling’s face shows that he is disappointed to learn that Keats is not yet leaving and the station are making him stay an extra week. Not only is it obvious that Keats is seen as an outcast by the other police officers because of their urgency for him to leave but his clothing also shows that he is different from them, as he has turned up to work in a suit, meaning his appearance is very different to the other officers. It is in this scene that there is an element of comedy introduced as the other officers have prepared a party with food and drinks to celebrate that he is leaving. The way that Gene talks to Keats also shows that the two men are different kinds of police officers. Keats is more formal and answers to authority, whilst Gene Hunt has more of a moral conscious and for him the most important thing is to discover who committed the crime regardless of weather or not the authority want him to or not.

The establishing shot of the burning building shows the audience for the first time the problem that Gene Hunt has been talking about. This is the first instance when the audience get to see any action, which adds to the excitement of a police or crime show. As Gene and his team arrive at the polling station there is a long tracking shot which follows the car entering the site and the officers getting out of the car. Because this shot follows them all fairly quickly it shows the sense of urgency the characters feel about getting to the scene of the crime. Keats is already at the scene of the crime, which again highlights that the other characters do not want to interact with him. This scene also shows that Gene Hunt is an unconventional police officer as he is sending his officers to look around the polling station whilst there is still a fire going to be put out.

A two shot between Ray and Jim, with Jim in the foreground, shows that Keats is trying to cause a rift between the group as he encourages ray to disobey the orders of Gene. For a viewer that has watched that is familiar with the show, this could possibly create anger towards Keats as we know how close the bond between Gene and his officers is. Ray chooses not to listen to Jim on this occasion but because the camera is positioned close to Ray we can see a look on his face that what Jim has said has clearly affected him.

Once the officers have gone off to look around the building Ray hears the screaming of a woman, there is a shot of the door, which indicates that the noise is coming from inside the room and then a close up of Ray reveals that he has the intention of going into the room to save the woman. As Alex Drake tries to talk him out of going into the burning room, close up shots of Carling and the door, along with diegetic sound, build tension and show that Ray wants to go into the room to save her. As he runs into the room the shot lingers on the door and DCI Carling runs into the room and is eventually disappears in the flames. The camera zooms into the door and the room but because we cannot see Ray the audience panic.

When Drake is standing outside the building trying to get someone to help her get Ray out it cuts to the title sequence where Drake tells the story of how this woman from 2010 has ended up in 1983. There is the same opening titles from every one of the episodes and all of them explain why Alex thinks she has been sent back to the 1980s. Following this there is a soundtrack and images of shots which introduced all of the characters and actors in the show. These series of close up and mid shots reveal what the characters are like, for example Gene Hunt’s shots show that he can be forceful and moody, which as the show progresses we learn he is.