Over the half term I was given the task to analyse the opening five minutes of Life on Mars, a popular TV series about the life of a man who is hit by a car and then wakes up back in time. In the opening scene the lighting is low-key and begins by showing the reflection of himself in the mirror, additionally displaying everything around him which reinforces the idea that he is in the 70s, where the TV drama is set. The only sounds used are diegetic and coming from the radio, which are calm and soothing. The editing used also expresses these ideas, as it is simple, slow paces cuts with a switch of shots, as well as simple pans which also reinforces and gives the scene a calming mood. The radio then begins to produce diegetic white noise and the pace of editing becomes quicker, which creates tension. The white noise signifies that something bad, unexpected and unwanted is about to occur, which foreshadows later events. It also projects that something is happening, but the obvious answer isn’t correct.

A midlong shot is used to display the TV, which reinforces the idea that the series is set in the 70’s. As the actor speaks is displays where the series is set as he speaks with a northern accent. The lighting of the room he has entered is still low-key as the curtains are pulled which makes upcoming events more powerful. There are shadows cast over him, signifying negativity and someone is with him. After the audience has a feel of what the room is like, there is then a strange happening on the radio and television as they start to speak to him. There is a focus pull in a mid-close up which draws the attention to a radio where it is more focussed upon than he is. There director also cross cuts from the TV to the radio. All these used together effectively have an emotional impact on the audience where they sympathise for him. As the radio and television continues their conversation, non-diegetic, eerie music starts, which over time gets louder and starts to get faster, which ends when his voice over powers both of them as he screams out. This allows the audience to understand his anger by the loudness and fierceness of it. The use of him being small on the floor allows the audience to visually see how small he feels in the situation that he’s in.

   In the next scene, it begins with a tilted camera frame, displaying a long shot of two cars driving on a pebbled road. Again, this displays to the audience the time setting of the series and sets the scene for upcoming events. Following on, it shows 5 officers in their car, which is not a normal police car as well as not being in normal police uniform, makes them stand out and signifies they are the real brains in the business. There are then two close ups, one of the main character and another one of another officer, who proceed to argue about the job in hand. The cross cutting used creates tension once again and relates to the speed everything is happening at and is building up to a bigger, final climax. The main police offer has black, leather gloves on throughout the scene as well as being behind the wheel of the car. This signifies he is in control over not only the car, but other people too. The awkwardness inside the car ends as car tires spin, which foreshadows later events with the car. This also represents his self-centred and ‘bad cop’ attitude.

 Next, the scene starts with children and adults shouting whilst the camera pans throughout a large crowd of panicking people. The diegetic sounds of the people add tension and highlight the seriousness of the situation. During this, a dispute is happening between the main character and a fellow officer about whether they think the bomb is real or a hoax. He is wearing a leather jacket which displays him as confident and tough, whereas the other officer is wearing a jacket on made out of a material. The pace of the editing speeds up and cuts to them both almost hidden behind their car for protection. An over-the-shoulder shot is used to show the pair of them, signifying how one of them will be responsible for later mistakes in the series.

The build up breaks down as the officer walks towards the car which is suspected buy the main character to be a ‘hoax’. The sounds die down and it silent as the officer approaches the supposed bomb. This creates tension and adds to the drop of the explosion, giving it a larger effect and feels as if the characters were sub consciously suspecting it, as well as the audience knowing it was going to happen. The diegetic sound of the explosion breaks the silence and is loud and sudden. The sound of glass smashing and flames igniting also adds to the impact as is signifies how much of an explosive impact this will have on the series and relationships between the officers.

The explosion is displayed from a birds eye view, displaying to the audience the full impact of the explosion. Slow motion is used to intensify the effectiveness of it, giving time for the audience to witness everything that has happened and to sympathise for the officer. The main character feels most guilty as you can see through his facial expressions, because he encouraged him to go towards the vehicle, just to see who could prove themselves to be more masculine and manly. After, a shot of the officer laying on the floor, again back to slow motion, with other officers approaching him. The final shot displays the main characters awkward facial expressions and body language as it is all his fault. Still in slow motion, non-diegetic music begins to play. Overall, the scene contrasts with the type of day it is as it is sunny, with blue skies and looks a warm temperature.