Contextual studies crime drama

The Bill

Set in fictional London police station
 From 1988-2005, became year-round twice-weekly serial.
 Change from being a series to a soap and then back to series.
 Peak audiences of 11m viewers in 2005 rivalled Coronation Street 
 Longest-running UK crime drama (1983-2010)

 Originally 12x60min episodes


Technical conventions 
 Editing: chase scenes, montage, flashbacks
 Usually single camera, but can also be shot on multi-camera
 Camera movement - either handheld mockumentary style or Steadicam, dollies, cranes

Visual devices:
  extreme close up for tension or reveal
 Tilted, low and high angles
 Slow motion
 CG recreation (CSI)
 Graphical text (Sherlock)

Narrative conventions
  typically 60 minutes. Usually self-contained closed narratives.
 relies on returning central cast (team) and location (police station)

Symbolic conventions

Lighting- low-key. Many crime dramas use light-dark contrasts in costume, setting and lightning
 Authenticity - props, costume, settings
 New conventions - detection via computer. Lighting and exposition.

Character, archetypes
 The rebel Detective or senior cop. Usually male. Sometimes corrupt.
 The king  Commanding officer or station sergeant.
 The innocent' : Audience surrogate and empathy.
The villain