Analysis of Homicide: life on the streets

For this task I will be analysing Homicide: life on the streets. which is a seven series hybrid between a crime and a drama made in 1993 about a homicide department in Baltimore. Surrounding numerous murders and a detective on the task of stopping them. Being aired on the NBC network it quickly gained praise and notoriety as it lasted for more than seven years in production, in many hands such as:

.Baltimore Pictures Reeves Entertainment (1993, Season 1) 

.MCEG Sterling Incorporated (1994–1999, Seasons 2–7) 

.Fatima Productions NBC Productions (1994–1996, Seasons 3–4) 

.NBC Studios (1996–1999, Seasons 5–7)

The show uses elements of mise-en-scene such as the setting to show that they are in an average New York style block, this is used to connote a sense of wonder in the audience as you question if they are on an important mission already which needs them to meet outside instead of at their work place. this is enhanced through the next scene which is inside a café. while the previous scene was shot outside this scene is shot inside of a studio as we never get a 360 of the café we just see the side the characters are on. Throughout the clip the diegisis switches from evening to night as the detectives are taken into care. Plus the verisimilitude is well done through the scenery and choice of setting, during the scene where they all investigate the building. The use of the shadowed, ere building foreshadows the events that are about to happen. during this scene the use of props and guns connote fear for the antagonist who we see hidden in the shadows shooting from above. Also during the hospital scene the props such as the abundance of medical tools and machinery being used to keep them alive is used to contract empathy from the audience while also being used to enhance the drama of the show as the audience don't know if they will make it out alive. At the start of the show we can easily draw out who the detectives are through their costume design. The suit and tie show that they are higher up in the workforce as we also see policemen with police clothing walk with them. The use of blocking is also used to great effect when the antagonist of the episode shoots at the detectives. They deliberately hide the mans face in the shadows or only show clips of him walking at feet level. this connotes fear and foreshadows the bad events that took place. This is also used in the hospital scene as it shows a lot of nurses and doctors surrounding the bodies which connotes empathy and fear for the audience, immersing the audience into the story as it is eye level a lot of the time.

throughout the start of the show we get a flashback scene which provides us with context  and also introduces some of the characters and different drama style events that took place. During this we get a lot of close up shots of characters which helps the audience understand better. Many camera shots are handheld though this and at eye level so that we feel empathy for the character. Wile the detectives are walking towards the building it shows a wide shot of one pair then pans to the left to show the other pair showing the audience where each characters are going. Also we get a shot from a room looking down onto the detectives. the use of blocking in this shot also connotes a sense of fear as if allures that someone is watching them and knows they are coming. During all of this the pacing is very moderate and fairly slow, using a lot of wide angle shots and master shots to show the characters talking. During the hospital scene the use of handheld and steadi cam are both used and there are alot of shot of the hospital equipment and the patience.

during the start of the clip the editing is very slow paced and steady as they are just dialogue scenes. Many cuts are used during a beginning of a knew scene or at the end. They use this as it presents the day as just another day on the job which then subverts our expectations in the next few scenes. During the main action scene the editing and cuts are more fast paced. The editing goes back and forth from the shots being taken to the shots hitting the detectives which gives it more impact. plus while in the hospital a lot of the cuts were fast and showed each detective being operated on, This was used to create a feel of tension and to make it feel as if time was running out. The cut at the end which transitions to the other detective back at their workplace is used to show their reactions at being told the information and is also used to dive into a B plot while the A plot is still happening.