Research: Sherlock

Sherlock essay

In this clip from the crime tv drama “Sherlock” the mood transitions from heavy to light moods through various production techniques.For Camera, the Establishing shot is of an empty indoor pool at night. This first shot which captures the unusual and airy setting immediately sets the tone for the rest of the scene. The following shots are obstruction shots, wide shots and medium shots which introduces the first seen character as the villain. In the Obstruction shot, a pole blocks the view of one of the characters which gives a sense of the unknown. There is a wide shot followed by a medium shot which shows the villain entering the scene. The wide shot shows the character opening a door but he is still in the darkness and the audience still cannot see him in the following medium shot because it is from behind. This strategic way of hiding the character’s (Moriarty) identity at first makes it obvious from the beginning that he is the villain.The suspense and fear build as the scene continues and suddenly drops into a less serious mood. As Sherlock and Moriarty share intense dialogue, the camera shows their reactions and facial expressions in a series of wide shots, medium shots and close ups. As the suspense builds the camera gets closer to the character’s faces showing the audience their emotions. The camera racks focus on items of significance such as the gun and the bomb to show the danger of the situation and the suspense of the scene reaches its peak. When Moriarty’s phone rings  the mood lightens and the camera mirrors this by slowly zooming in on Sherlock and Moriarty which slows the scene down and lightens the intensity.

Various editing techniques are used such as fade to black transitions, to create a sense of blinking. This blinking sensation makes the scene feel faster and makes the audience feel anxious as they watch. The cuts in the period of building tension are fast and abrupt, adding to the heavier mood. The cuts become longer in the zooming camera shots when the mood becomes lighter. The length of the cuts ultimately reflect the heaviness of the mood in this scene. 

The sound in this extract has many layers. As for non diegetic sound, the audience can hear the dialogue of the characters which always reflects the heaviness of the mood at any time during the scene. For example Moriarty starts off speaking in a more quiet and sinister tone and occasionally raises his voice very loudly. This heightens the audience’s  awareness of the unpredictability of the situation and immediately establishes a sense of unrest. The way Moriarty speaks clearly shows that he is mentally unstable. However when his phone rings and the mood becomes lighter, he starts talking at appropriate tone and volume like a normal person, reflecting the lighter mood. Eventually he shouts again and all the other sound conventions come back in and he makes the atmosphere intense again. He leaves in a similar manner that he entered, leaving the audience with the same sense of airiness and eagerness to know what will happen. Other non diegetic sounds heard are the creaking doors and the water in the pool.. The sound of the doors and the water add to the aerieness as they echo throughout the room. These sounds drop out when the phone rings playing ‘Staying Alive’ which is ironic to the situation because staying alive is exactly what they are trying to do, so it is almost comical. Diegetic  layers such as intense music, a heartbeat and drums which all get faster as the scene reaches the climax, and of course drop out when the phone rings. The diegetic and non diegetic sound seamlessly fade in and out as the mood gets heavier or lighter. 

The mise en scene in this scene is crafted deliberately to make the audience feel a certain way. The first thing seen is the setting which seems to be an indoor pool but at night time. There is contrast here because normally a pool is a happy place where children are playing during the day. However it is empty and dark which helps those watching immediately sense the atmosphere within the first few seconds. When Moriarty is seen hiding behind the pole with half his face in the dark, one can immediately understand that there is something not quite right about him. This could literally mean that this character has ‘a dark side’ and is therefore the villain. Moriarty is dressed  in a black suit which immediately makes him look like a person of power. His attire and stance show that he is at that point in time in a position of dominance. Several props are shown which install fear in the audience. These include the gun, the bomb, and the lazer. The items all signify death and danger which makes those watching feel on edge as the safety of the protagonists (Sherlock and Watson) are on the line. When the mood lightens, Moriarty pulls out his phone, a more everyday item, which once again lightens the mood. But when the lasers are shown to be pointing on Sherlock again, the tension returns.

In conclusion, each of the four technical elements create the necessary tone and mood in the scene according to the plot. Different conventions are used to install fear, suspense, and relief and the minds of the audience. They fade in and out at different times and help the audience to relate to what the characters are feeling and sense the danger or lack of in any given moment. The conventions used help the audience go on a journey with the main characters and the mood lightens and gets heavier throughout the scene.