Throughout the extract, Mise-en-scene and sound are used throughout, in particular to enforce the location, situation and atmosphere. The most prominent example of this is the sequence after which Sam is hit.
Before this however is the section in which there is a crime scene. We are immediately made aware of this via costume, as the actors behind the lead are wearing typical police costumes; this has denotations of the police and in-turn crime. As for the lead character, he is wearing a suit with a blue shirt and tie, along with the background artists, this suggests he is a part of the police and has more authority than the others. In terms of location, in the background we see council flats, this tells the area could be considered working class; also flats such of these have connotations of rough, crime ridden areas. When the camera pans down we see a blue shirt stained with what appears to be blood resting upon a children’s swing. This blood-like substance immediately brings to mind harsh/dark connotations, such as violence, like assault and murder. As the camera changes to an extreme long shot we see the swing is amongst a children’s play area, and with factories and another block of flats viable, our initial assumptions of the area are enforced.
As for sound in this section, we immediately hear radio chatter and soon after a helicopter is audible. These are both example of diegetic and synchronous sound; particularly the radio chatter, as in the background we can see police talking on their radios, these sounds remind us of crime, hence immerse us more within the scene. In terms of non-diegetic sound we have the score, of which in this section is a very slow melodic drone, played on strings, this at this particular moments conveys a sense of uncertainty and when the shirt is in shot the score alters to a ‘darker’ atmosphere as the music goes down in scale. As the first location begins to change the amplification on the score increases, eventually embodying the entirety of the audio featuring no diegetic sound, this eases us into the next scene.
The use of just the score effectively highlights and emphasises the emotion on screen, in that the mood shifts to reflect a sense of heartbreak, once again via the use of strings. To bring diegetic sound back into the scene a sound bridge is used, in that the sound effect of a car horn and screeching is suddenly audible. The score then fades out and we begin to hear the song ‘Life On Mars’, the camera soon reveals that this is playing through an iPod, making it diegetic.
As Sam is hit by the car, once again a sound bridge is used as the diegetic music immediately stops at the sound effect of him being hit by the car, to leave only the non-diegetic bass noise to be audible, highlighting the moment. A synchronous heartbeat is then audible and suggests the subject is in a life threatening situation. A white flash then fills the screen accompanied by a sound effect of almost lightning, which could suggest a defibrillator; subsequently the heartbeat begins slows-down, supporting this. During the asynchronous soundscape we also hear the noise of an ambulance, once again supporting this notion that his life is in danger. An echo of ‘Life On Mars’ can begin to be heard once more. We hear the dialogue “Charge to 200 joules” then “Is that clear?”, enforcing the idea that the lightning sound symbolises a defibrillator, as well as this we hear beeping, such as we imagine a defibrillator to do. While visuals show out of focus woodland, we hear a child’s whisper say “Where are you?”, which suggests confusion from the characters’ point of view and we then see what looks like a leprechauns shoe, which could suggest he is lucky to live? Also the snapping of twigs to represent motion with this woodland. As he opens his eyes, the beeping begins to slow and diminish in amplitude, leaving just the non-diegetic sound of the song ‘Life On Mars’.
As the camera circulates we see the character in a different costume, of which appears to be from the 1970s period. In the background we also see factories, some which are demolished, reminiscent of the same time period, the same of which applies to the car in the next shot. Again a final sound bridge is used to link the sound back to diegetic once more, as we see and hear the music decrease in quality, seemingly coming from a cassette, supporting the time period. We also briefly see what appears to be a government document, with what could be a metropolitan police logo, suggesting even in this period he is still involved with the police. We then see another subject in what appears to be a 1970s police uniform. In the background we also can hear a police car siren as we see the officer. In the background smoke is coming from the factories, indicating a working industrial period.
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