Luther Textual Analysis

Background

In this clip, gender stereotypes are shown in numerous ways and the usual stereotypes aren't followed as they would be expected to be. The woman in this clip is the heroin and ends up killing a villain which would quite typically be a man's job as it would be seen as too violent for a woman to take on.

Sound

The way that she speaks is very taunting and patronising which you wouldn't expect as women are usually only placed in Film and TV Dramas as a decorative to make the men look good but in this clip, the man that later enters is the decorative because she has full control and power. This would also be seen s a counter stereotype because she is taking control and threatening a man which is not what is expected from a female. There is also music that is building up at the start of the clip which could show that action is about to start and a huge change in the plot or disastrous event is about to occur. It is continuous throughout the duologue and shows a continuation in the action and scene. There is also synchronous sound as once Ian has been strangled, he is struggling to breathe and he shows this within the sound that he makes afterwards. It is an expected sound to what has just happened. There is also non-diegetic sound as there is continuous music in the background throughout each section of the scene, even though the music does change based on the different action that occurs. At the end of the clip, the music changes and signifies that he is now gone and it is the end of previous action and continuous hatred. Diegetic sound was also used in the clip as dialogue is used throughout and noises within the clip also have a source on screen.

Editing

One of the only editing techniques that was used was shot-reverse-shot. This was shown at the start of the clip when both Ian and Luther are talking to each other and the camera switches between them as they are saying something to each other. The camera moves very quickly which increases tension as what they are saying becomes more intense and compressive. As the scene carries on, the camera moves much slower which would suggest that somebody is in control.

Mise-en- scene

The blood splattered all over Ian after her has been shot is spread quite excessively and does look very unrealistic. It does not show realism within the techniques that are shown to have been used to splatter the blood. the men are also wearing suits which is typical dress suit in London of a professional male. It shows them as being ordinary males and they don't stand out as dangerous murderers. It shows a deeper message that anyone is different and not everyone is as they look. They are also wearing jackets as it is cold outside and yet again it shows that they are just ordinary people and they do ordinary things. Alex is wearing a hat which also makes her seem completely normal and could even give her a motherly effect as it is comfortable clothing. It is only until she pulls out a gun and starts threatening Ian and eventually kills him that we see her psychopathic side and intentions.

Camera

At the beginning,the camera passes between both characters faces to show that they are having a conversation. As one person says something, it then switches to the other character as if waiting for a response. An establishing shot is also used after Ian has been shot and is lying on the floor dead. The camera shows the setting of the scene whilst all characters remain stood still. It shows the whole building setting an adds an atmosphere to the scene. Another shot that was used was a point of view shot. This was used when Luther had been stabbed and he was talking about how Ian shouldn't be killed so we can see his opinion from his perspective and his angle which helps to make us relate more with his character. Hand-held camera was also used when the characters were fighting so it added a shaky feeling to the scene and added more tension to the fight. It helps the audience feel as though they are involved in the action. The camera also zooms in closely on their faces so the audience can tell from their facial expressions and eyes, just how they are feeling and what they maybe planning on doing next.