Luther

This clip taken from the TV series Luther shows an example of binary opposition. These two characters show opposition as they are both different genders competing against each other for power. The female character named Alice tries to gain power by making the male character, Luther, feel vulnerable by using his lack of a marriage against him, making him feel worthless and lonely. On the other hand Luther gains power by making Alice feel small and stupid by pointing out the lack of knowledge and experience she has with love, this aggravates her which shows his power as it proves he is getting under her skin.


In this clip there is many different camera shots that are used for many reasons. The first camera shot that is used often is a point of view/over the shoulder shot. This is used to make the audience feel involved in the conversation, due to the speed of the characters replying to each other this shot makes it much easier for the viewers to follow and understand what they are saying. This shot is also able to show the height difference, because of this the audience are able to see the differences between male and female. The angle over Luther's shoulder show Alice to be much smaller portraying her as being delicate and fragile compared to his broad shoulders. Another camera shot used is a close up of both Luther's and Alice's face, this is used when they are standing very close together. By using this the audience are able to engage with the characters expressions and interpret them their own way. Also by having the camera close to Alice's face the viewers can see her feminine features compared to Luther's masculine features e.g. Alice has sharp shaped eyebrows with long eyelashes and Luther has big eyebrows with short eyelashes. The audience can also see their opposition, Alice has blue eyes which contrasts with her red hair but Luther has dark brown eyes which is the same as his hair.



The editing used in this clip is continuous editing. This has been used to make it seem like a continuous scene and make the audience engage with the storyline. Due to there being a lot of speaking and no action the viewers can easily get bored if they don't understand what is happening but by using this type of editing they are able to follow the story and enjoy it. This editing technique also makes it much more realistic which is helpful for the audience as it makes it relatable and not too drastic like many other TV programmes. Cut editing has also been used. This has been used to maintain the continuity editing and continue to engage the audience in the storyline. By using this technique it gives the effect that time is happening quicker then it actually is which stops the viewers from getting bored or tiresome by seeing the same scene for a long time.



There are different type of sounds that is used in this scene. The first one being diegetic sound. This is used throughout the clip when you see the two characters, Luther and Alice, talking to each other and the audience hear the words the same time they see it. By using this they are able to create a narrative for the audience, this enables the audience to understand what is happening and focus on what the characters are saying so they can make sense of it. The dialogue makes it more realistic for the viewers which makes them enjoy the show more, if the TV programme was too unrealistic then the audience would find it hard to follow so would not continue to watch it. There is another sound type that is used which is non-diegetic sound. This is only used throughout the tense scenes when Luther and Alice are talking about being evil. When the two characters are talking the camera moves to others face with the other characters voice talking over the top, this gives the audience time to gauge the characters expression and understand how they feel. This type of technique is used to add to the already tense scene and make it much more intense for the viewers.





The lighting used for this clip is very bright and ambient. This has been used to show that the characters are talking in daylight and to show the transition from outside to inside the lighting changes slightly. At the start of the clip when the characters are outside talking the lighting is extremely bright but when they go inside the building later on in the clip the light goes a bit darker to show the change. The bright light contrasts with the characters being dark and mysterious. The costumes that they are wearing are very plain and simple e.g. Luther is wearing a black suit and tie which is normally situated with being a police detective, Alice is wearing a high quality work outfit which is typical when working in an office. The background shows a urban setting which fits with the crime genre of the TV programme which are usually set in this area. When the two characters go inside Alice's office the decoration of the room fits in with the original setting e.g. the city.