Textual analysis of a Tv drama title sequence.

Title sequence:
-Attract people with the theme tune-signature identity.
-So people know what they are watching.
-To show where the programme is set/time.
-Name of the show.
-Alerts people that the show is starting.
-Shows the characters.
-People in the setting.
-Tone/style/pace.

Dexter title sequence:
-Normal morning routine filmed to make it look wierd and scary.
-Normal with a hint of sadisium.
-Dexter-Name of main character.
-Dark tone.
-Theme of murder.
-He looks miserable/empty.
-Associates him with death.
-Casual killer.
-Music-sneaky but casual/jaunty.

Sound (digetic):
-Emphasising sound.
-Foley music- when he is eating.
-Shaving.
-Cooking.
-Slicing orange.
-When he killed the spider.
-Blood dripping.
-Flossing.
-Pulling out keys.

Sound (Non-digetic):
-Creepy music.
-Jolly music but the sounds he's making makes it sound creepy.
-Ding at the end.
-Music tune fades away when he gets outside (matches his facial expression)
-Odd sounds within casual tune.
-Casual/Jaunty.
-Rattling shakey noise makes it creepy.
-Music anchors the meaning of the image and the other way round.
-Tings, rattles-dischordant.
-Unnatural,wrong.

Cinematograhy:
-Start-focus on mosquito. Kills it. Camera refocuses onto Dexter's face (smile)
-Extreme close-ups. Eg. Cleaning blood, cooking, cutting orange-shows intimate detail.
-Close-up on face before leaving house-air of mystery. Don't see his face properly until the end.
-Mysterious- There is a dark side and a light side to his face- Represents that he comes across as a normal guy but he has a dark side to him.
-When you see the meat it's like the camera's in the pan.
-Focus on the lock, showing he is locking away his dark side.

Editing:
-Dexter is written in blood.
-Jump cuts-normal things have been cut out to emphasise death related things.
-Meat has been sliced loads of times-connotes slashing flesh.
-Way he eats- sounds crunchy-connotes meat is raw, cannablism.
-In control-doesn't seem like a crazed killer-calm killer plans well.
-Crushing grounding-coffee beans.

Mis en scene:
-Blood-A lot of red; Blood orange, Ketchup, Title, Murder, Violence.
-Clothes-White t-shirt (normality) - T-shirt is used to show smothering when being put on.
-Facial expression-Creepy and seems like a physco, but is the total oppisite when he leaves the house (again shows his locked his dark side away when he leaves the house).
-The way he shaves-shows the first sign of blood.
-Normal things-morning routine; but the way they are used and anchorage of music suggests murder and violence.
-His actions-Eg. Putting knife in egg and twisted, eating meat straight off a knife etc. shows evilness.

Wide-shot/establishing shot.

Long shot.

3/4 shot.

Mid-shot.

Mediam close-up.

Close-up.

Big close-up.

Extreme close-up.

Textual analysis.

Textual analysis is the process of breaking down a text into its various elements and studying them to analyse how meaning is created. When analysing moving image media (such as film or television) we must examine the following areas:
- camera work (shots, angles, movements)
- editing (how shots have been put together)
- sound (both digetic and non-digetic)
- special effects (if there are any)
- mise-en-scene (costume, make-up, facial expression, props, setting, performance)

In this trailer, teenagers are represented to be violent, hormonal, rebellious, rowdy, promiscuous and aggressive. There is alot of energy, showing them to be youthful and energetic. They look out of control. No respect.These representations are constructed by an aggressive dog, showing that the teenagers are violent. You also see the teenagers fighting showing they are violent. You see two teenagers having sex, showing they are promiscuous and hormonal. They show no respect as when the police show up, they fight back. They are rowdy as we see them break things.

textual analysis-moving image texts

Different things that can be represented in television drama;
- gender (masculinity/femininity)
- race (white, asain, black)
- religion
- age
- sexuality
- appearance eg. blonde, tall, fat.
- disability
- class
- wealth
- regionality
- ethnicity

Ways in which teenagers/young people are represented in the media;
- hormonal
- emo/depression
- 'hoodies'
- teenage pregnancy
- american teenagers
- bitchy
- promiscuous
- 'broken britain'
- violent
- 'happy slapping'
- stupid, hormones, alcohol, pregnancy
- moody - 'am i bovvered'
- alcohol
- binge drinking

Eastenders.

* It comes on, on BBC 1 from 8.00-8.30pm on Mondays and Fridays and at 7.30-8.00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The repeat is on Sundays and airs all 4 episodes all in one.

*It was first aired on Tv on the 19th of February 1985 and is still running.

*The executive producer is Diederick Santer.

* On Christmas 2007 Eastenders gained 13.9 million viewers on the episoide when bradley found out about his wife stacy cheating on him.

*The BBC made EastEnders lower the age of their target audience a few years back. Its now aimed at 14 year olds up. Its about getting younger people onto the BBC network.

* Critics. Valerie Coleman; "I can't help myself. "Eastenders" is the best thing since fork-split English muffins." EastEnders is often criticised for being too violent, most notably during a domestic violence storyline between Little Mo Morgan and her husband Trevor. Most critics think Eastenders is a great soap but the storylines were more effective before.

*Eastenders is a long running soap opera set in a fictional part of London, in walford. it is set around the Queen Vic, and the market in the middle of the square. A lot of the same familes have been in it for years such as ;The Mitchells, the Slators, The fowlers and many more.

By the end of this project i must have:

• A thorough, detailed research and planning blog.
• A textual analysis essay,analysing an existing television drama programme.
• A storyboard for the title sequence for my own, original television drama programme.

I must also have:

• A filmed and edited DVD of my own, original television drama programme.