Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
life on mars - Coggle Diagram
life on mars
context
-
-
-
conventions in lom include detective protagonist, city setting, crime scene, cold colour palette
atypicalities in lom include elements of comedy, female as detective & time travel
contextual clues in set episode include costume (flares, leather jacket), old car (rover), lack of tech, misogyny ("pc cartwright will kiss it better"), soundtrack (bowie's life on mars)
-
-
analysis
reps of femininity
maya
- initially presented as a strong female who is equal to men (through the lack of uniform & involvement in interviews just as much as male officers), showing progression in the police force in
- maya = androgynous costume but her shirt is left behind when kidnapped, so her power is taken
annie
- referred to in derogatory terms by the male police officers as a ‘nice little plonk’ & psychology degree is dismissed
- feminised uniform (eg skirt instead of trousers) emphasises the inequality
- partakes in first aid work over typical police work, reducing her to her domestic role
- however, she helps sam through her nurturing role (eg talking him down from jumping from the building)
reps of ethnicity
- 1970s = under-representation of minority ethnic groups in the police force, representing the situation of the time
- nelson is constructed stereotypically with an accentuated jamaican accent, bright clothing & jewellery
- also his role of bartender reinforces cultural power relations which assume his inferiority
- "you catching flies brother" is a stereotypical jamaican catchphrase
- maya as an asian woman has risen through police ranks is positive
reps of mental illness
- colin's behaviour influenced by edward kramer, & waving to each other in the 70s suggests kramer was a role model
- sam's face is half-lit during conversation with hypnotherapist - darkness could suggest disengagement with life & lightness could suggest his desperation to escape, as though he's the bridge between 2 worlds
reps of policing
2006
- professional setting established through mise-en-scene (cctv, bagged evidence)
- eye-level shots = equality
- supporting staff (psychologist, lawyer, social worker)
- cold colour palette
1973
- unprofessional room ("thick walls")
- no equal respect, as gene intimidates through physical dominance & high-angle shots
- sepia, darker colour palette
- unequal gender balance
- negative attitude to police
reps of masculinity
- sam's crisis in his car in 2006 after maya's abduction reflects progressive modern views towards masculinity (eg breaking down/crying)
- gene hunt in 1973 demonstrates hypermasculine traits of dominance & power & this is shown through iconography, eg darts board in office & refers to office as 'my kingdom'
- sam both subverts & conforms to typical reps of masculinity - 1973 = confronts macho behaviour of gene, but 2006 = masculine traits of control over maya
- after his first convo with gene, framing constructs a representation of sam as vulnerable with closed body language
dvd cover for box set
- coloured rainbow shades could represent entering another world ('over the rainbow')
- beige tones link to 70s, giving older audience nostalgia
- bbc logo gives credibility
- sam's costume is all black, standing out from the 1970s world
- sam on spine shows his role as protagonist
reps of britain
2006
- urban setting is established through long shots of buildings
- mise-en-scene = rubbish, broken windows & normalised violence ("smash his face in")
- short shot duration = fast-paced city
- northern accents
1973
- soundtrack = 'caveman' is synergetic with 1973 world (different world to 2006)
- establishing shot of industrial site (smoke & rubble)
- 360 panning shot shows sam as out of place & change in setting
- more sepia/dated colour palette
theorists
neale = lom includes features that are conventional of a police drama (eg detective protagonist & crime scene), but also features that are different & in this case sci-fi elements (eg time travel) to keep audiences interested
jenkins
- lom fans are prosumers who act as textual poachers
- the fandom make edits of the show, blogs, fan art, facebook pages & merch
- they've created an online community of lom fans
todorov
- equilibrium = 21st century policing
- disruption = sam's time travel to 1973
- resolution = not present, as episode is left on a cliffhanger
- lom has a flexi-narrative = layers of interweaving narratives
gauntlett
- 2006 scenes show a progressive view of women with female police officers, allowing a female audience to identify
- sam crying in car shows progression with masculine vulnerability & identity
- however, we are still being presented with a narrow view, eg female as victim
hesmondhalgh
- media products are bought once & continually used, so companies have to make a lot of money out of their products initially
- this leads to large companies making products that are safe in order to guarantee success
baudrillard
- we've left reality behind, we're in a world of hyper-realities & we prefer it
- hyper-reality = can't tell difference between simulacrum & reality
lom as postmodern
- intertextuality = eg the sweeney
- fragmented narrative = 1973 vs 2006
- loss of reality = not realistic going back in time
characteristics of postmodern texts
- irony
- intertextuality
- fragmented narratives
- loss of reality
industry
bbc
how does lom obey bbc 1's remit?
- original = breaks away from typical structure of crime dramas
- broad audience = 1973 vs 2006
- engaging = through many enigma codes
- taking creative risks = time travel narrative
how does lom fit the 5 public purposes?
- diversity = set in manchester, not just conventional london
- broadcast in 14 countries aside from uk
- all ages with 1973 vs 2006
- a sequel = ashes to ashes
why is drama an important part of the bbc?
- high ratings = popular genre
- loyal fans = guaranteed audience
- justified licence fee
- easy to market
- global market
genre hybridity
- keeps existing audience engaged while bringing in a new audience
- advantages for bbc = more revenue & 2 genres can fulfil public purposes more
- advantages for audiences = educates people & uses & grats
marketing techniques
- star appeal = john simm from dr who (intertextuality)
- hybrid genre (sci-fi links with dr who)
- posters
- bbc trailers (show off public purposes)
- merch
- intertextuality (eg bowie)
scheduling
- same time every monday (9pm post-watershed - regulated by ofcom in the uk)
- zoning is used (programmes of a similar genre are shown one after the other)
- after eastenders at 8pm & before bbc news at 10pm
- average viewing figures = 6.1 million
global industry
- broadcast in 14 countries, eg bbc canada
- means it reaches a global & wide audience
- american version of lom copies narrative
- risk of this international distribution = out of the sphere where ofcom can regulate
- this high quality has led to its global reach
audience
primary
- abc1 to c2de
- reformers & mainstreamers
- aged 20-40
- male & female
- targeted through shots of annie appealing to male audience
- targeted through enigma codes typical of the genre (eg "why am i here?")
secondary
- fans of sci-fi
- mainly young men
- targeted through transition between cars as its unrealistic & feeds into sci-fi genre
tertiary
- fans of period (70s)
- over 30s who'll get pleasure through nostalgia
- targeted through visual codes & iconography, eg velvet jacket & ford cortina
- targeted through colour palette change between blues & cold colours of 2006 to warm colours of 1973