Case study 5.1

Case study 5.1

According to Hollyoaks writer Ian Pike what makes Hollyoaks completely different is the humour. "we often cut from something very heavy and thought-provoking to something utterly silly and light hearted in a way no one else does"

This cut from a serious storyline to a more lighthearted story can be evidence in the episode of Hollyoaks whihc aired on the 13th of march.

Around 3:53 into the opening we the audience see a conversation between two characters; one of which is being held captive by the other character. This storyline is then overlapped by a more lighthearted story of someone at work facing delivery problems. Below is a storyboard I have produced detailing how these two stories are bridged together.

The storyboard






Camera
Many camera angles and movements have been used during production which help to show a contrast between the two mood from watching said sequence. As the sequence opens we the audience a high angle shot of a woman lying on a wall. The use of said shot emphasises how weak said character is; it is apparent that she has some sort of loss of control as we the audience are almost looking down at her from this angle. Furthermore In this shot the camera starts to pan downwards so that we the audience get closer look at said character; we are put on the same level as her by the end of the camera movement allowing audiences to relate to the characters situation and empathise with them. Additionally most of the shots throughout the "serious" storyline feature mid - medium close up shots with the camera zooming in on the characters faces. These shots and movements focus on the characters emotions and further allow audiences to empathise with the characters.
 Whereas the more lighthearted scene at 4:54 uses camera movements such as tracking to follow the characters movements and allow the audience to invest in the characters story. The use of the Medium long shot in the scene allows audiences to clearly identify a shift in environment and story.

Editting
In the sequence all shots have been link via a simple cut to convey a sense of continuity between actions and the conversations between the characters in the serious story. However the use of a cut from the serious story to the lighthearted story may connote a transition of time as the setting of the house/apartment environment is traded for a more workplace environment.

Sound
Throughout the "serious scenes" we the audience can only hear the conversation between the two characters interacting with each other. As the scene opens we hear the diagetic sound of dialogue uttered by the man who is keeping the woman captive, "you've got to believe me I am only trying to protect you from walker". Said line is very dramatic as evidenced by the part "protect you from walker" , this gets audiences to think how bad is this walker person if someone needs to be protected from him and suggest how scared the kidnapper is. The fact that during the course of thier conversation we hear no sounds this emphasises the seriousness of the conversation as there must be no distractions to take away from the drama of the scene. In contrast this dramatic atmosphere is quickly shifted for a more casual tone when the "serious scene" cuts to the "lighthearted" one and we the audience hear one of the characters shout out "well what do you mean you can't make the delivery ?". This piece of dialogue is much more causal compared the conversations of the last scene by focusing on a common situation audiences may have experienced. In addition during this scene we hear the diagetic sounds of the radio playing which connote a more relaxed atmosphere.

Mis en scene
In the scenes of the serious story part of the sequence we the audience can only see the characters pressed to the one door to the room which the woman is locked in; we see very little about this apartment environment except part of a frame and a bit of food and drink in the room the woman's locked in signifying how she is a prisoner of this room. These lack of objects and the closeness of the cameras onto the characters conveys a sense of isolation and depicts a depressive mood which is further emphasised by the use of a cold colour filter which gives the shots a more blue tint to them. This depressive mood is contrasted in the "lighthearted scene" for a more livelier environment as evidenced by the warmer colours that can be seen in the shot. Additionally in the "lighthearted" scene, we the audience can see more than one character in a shot in contrast to the one character per shot feature of the "serious" scene. This connotes a more busy and livelier environment in contrast to the isolated and depressive environment of the serious scene. In terms of props and set the more in the "lighthearted scene" one can see a fire extinguisher implying that this environment is a public place thus once again evidencing a shift of an isolated and sad mood to a more open and happier mood.