Lesson 07: TV Drama Analysis

Lesson 07: TV Drama Analysis G322

First trial on TV Drama analysis

20/10/12
MWE

Analysis based on "OCR G322 - Merlin (Class & Status) - June 2011"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbZdHx1jQZo


OCR G322 - Merlin (Class & Status) - June 2011

From the extract, it is clear that the protagonist of the story is the first character in the frame- Merlin. The scene opens up with the main character entering a chamber cautiously; from here we learn that through his careful movements that he should not be there- he’s invading someone’s privacy. The music used in the background helps create an atmosphere, the low tone and slow tempo helps construct suspense and anticipation.  The character acts vigilant (the medium shot gives us a clear view of the characters facial expression.)The constant shift of the camera between the door, the objects he’s fiddling with and the character further supports this idea. When the focus of the story turns to the 2^nd character that’s stood outside the door in the hall, the lights are used along with the music to create a dark sinister aura for the character. She inspects the door and when she enters the room to find Merlin, her dialogue says “What are you doing here?” which indicates the idea that this room belongs to her. As a result, Merlin acts like a deer caught in headlights as the actor stammers his words. Due to the fact that the setting belongs to the 2^nd character, the 2^nd character automatically gains status as he’s in her territory. Looking also at the Mise En Scene, comparing the characters appearance, the lady is dressed sophisticatedly unlike Merlin whose clothes are less extravagant which indicates that Merlin belongs to a lower status than the women.

The scene changes and shows Merlin walk down the streets of the kingdom, unlike the hall of the castle where it was decorated with tainted windows and many luxuries where he stood out like a sore thumb. He blends in with ease amongst the other characters as they all seem to be clothed similarly. He travels by himself shown by the panning camera, a group of actors enters the scene and they stand out due to the way they’re dressed. We can easily categorize them into a stereotype, the nobleman. They are not dressed in great fancy clothing but they’re not also dressed in earth coloured linens. This suggests that they are much of higher rank than Merlin. The group centres around one man who we presume as the prince as he fits into the archetype- tall, blonde and handsome. He also acts with much arrogance and has an armed escort who stands not only a defence but a barrier from the commoners, he’s untouchable. Which supports this idea further as Merlin’s dialogue says “Look I’ve told you you’re an ass; I just didn’t realize you were a royal one.” The reference to the monarchy, calling him a “royal” helps determine these assumptions.

Merlin: “Wow, and how long have you been trained to be a brat?”
Prince: “You can’t address me like that.”
Merlin: “Sorry, how long have you been trained to be a brat, my lord?”

During their conversation, we learn that there’s a dispute between the two as the scene progresses and recorded with shot-reverse-shot between actors. When the Prince demands to be addressed in another way, the camera focus shifts back to Merlin (with an over the shoulder shot) using the following camera shot, it gives the audience a sense of involvement and little more view on the character upper body.  He replies with “Sorry how long have you been trained a brat, my lord?” he refers to him as “lord” and lowers himself subtly as he does so. Even though the action is pure sarcasm, the action clearly showed the difference of class and status between the two. The Prince is of much higher status than Merlin.  The fight then begins and the Prince stands on a platform, not only giving him an advantage in the duel but emphasizes his status and power he has and Merlin remains on the ground.