Coronation Street

The show is in a realist style - the characters' actions are not dramatised. The Characters talk casually to each other, and have a generally informal way of speaking. They use slang such as "brew", meaning tea, which shows us that it is a casual environment, and this is also a term stereotypically used in the North of England, so the show presents stereotypes of Northern people. This is also shown by the fact that everyone greets each other casually in the street, which conforms to the northern stereotype of communities being closely knit and everyone knowing each other. The target audience would be 40+ as it is "nice" - there is no swearing, extreme violence, or sexual scenes, meaning it is relaxing and easy to watch. The majority of scenes in the show have lots of things scattered around the room and the scenes are not overly decorated - this could be to create a homely atmosphere so that those watching will feel as if they can relate to the characters as their houses look normal, and perhaps like the homes of the viewers. I also feel that the show would be aimed at the working classes instead of the middle and upper classes, as it mainly represents working class characters, which a working class audience could relate to. The overall tone is fairly serious, as it is mainly events in people's lives, but never overly dramatic so that you still get the "nice" atmosphere from the show, which is also presented through the informal tone. The Tone of the Piece is also presented by the non verbal language- the characters move their hands and their head when talking, which is not something you would do in a very formal conversation, indicating that the characters know each other well, and reinforcing the informal tone.

Eastenders Episode Analysis

I  am going to be analyzing this episode of the soap opera Eastenders.
The medium of Eastenders is Television and the purpose of the show is somewhere between light entertainment and Drama. This is because the Target audience of the Show is is older people, perhaps 40 and above, therefore it is set to have enough drama to be exciting, but still sets out to be a relaxing show to watch, so there is no extreme violence, sexual scenes, or strong language. The show has a mostly informal tone; the characters have informal accents, use slang, and shorten/abbreviate words, showing they know each other well. There are also age based stereotypes in the show, as one of the older characters is unsympathetic towards somebody losing their job, and says they he is lazy and should just go and get a new one, whereas the younger characters in the scene are willing to aid the person who has lost their job and do not blame him for it. The show also uses mise en scene to help create a homely mood for the older generation; in the scenes inside houses, the rooms have not been organized so they look clinical as they still have things on the tables and worktops. This is to bring the characters down to earth and make the viewers believe that they are just like them, which means they will care about the characters and feel that they can relate to them. The characters are mostly working class, which is also to make the audience feel they have a common ground with the characters, therefore, they will care about what happens to them and will continue to watch the show.

Downton Abbey Analysis

The medium of Downton Abbey is television and the purpose of the show is to entertain. The show takes the form of a Drama, specifically a period or historical Drama. The tone of the show is very formal, the characters are clearly upper class, judging by their clothes, which are extravagant, and by their well spoken accents. There is a serious tone throughout the most of the show, as the show involves serious events from 1912-1925, therefore the tone is serious to go with this. This Television show has a traditional style; the scenes are neat and clean, which is in order to make the upper class, rich setting seem realistic so that the viewer feels as if the show could be real.

First Section - The servants clearly have different accents to the house owners; this is to clearly show that they are lower class as they are less well spoken. They are also wearing a maid's outfit, which is design to separate them from the house owners, and remind that they are not in charge and do not posses any power. One of the servants is asked to do something but says she can't as she is attending "her ladyship" indicating that tending to the house owners is a priority task. When a paper boy gives one of the upper class characters a newspaper and tries to ask him something, he gets told not to ask, which is because he is in no place to ask, being a lower class than the other character. A similar thing occurs seconds after, when a servant asks a house owners why they have to dry the ink. She replies in a rude manner and says that it was so that his lordship's hands are not as black as hers are; a reminder that she is a subordinate class.
Next section is 2:30 onwards.
Second Section - This section is set in the upstairs part of the house, where the rich, upper class house owners are. We can immediately tell that they are upper class because of their clothes; lots of silk and quality looking fabrics. They are all in very formal clothes; the men in suits and the women in smart dresses. Their accents also indicate their class. They are well spoken and use longer and more advanced words than the servants; this is because they have enough money to be educated, as only those who were rich could get an education in the early 20th century. The part of the house they are in also looks very grand, as it has lots of decorative metal such as mantelpieces and banisters, and paintings in decorative frames on the walls. Unlike the downstairs, it is neat and clean. There are plant pots with well trimmed plants places neatly around, but there are not too many, reflecting the upper class characters' organized nature. When Lord Grantham asks a servant something, she replies by addressing him as "My lord" indicating he is her superior. Also, she pronounces it "m'lord", showing she is less educated in grammar than him due to her class. When he is talking to one of the female characters about the recent event of the titanic sinking, a servant comes in, and she is silent during her duration in the room as it is not her place to comment on their matters. When dismissed, she also doesn't say anything, as that would disrupt her betters' conversation.

Mise en scene - Wolf Hall

Above is an image from the period drama Wolf Hall.

This shot heavily relies on mise en scene to set the scene as being from the period. For example, the man in the the shot has a very baggy, silk shirt, with a fur overcoat, which is typical clothing of the period. He is also is wearing a flop hat, which is typical period clothing too. The silk shirt helps tell us that the characters are likely rich and belong to the upper classes, as does her dress, which also appears to be silk and has jewels around it. She is also wearing a golden necklace, and a golden bejewelled headress; which aids in creating the impression they are from the upper classes. Other parts of the scene also help create a sense of the period. Firstly, taking up the space of the table is a scroll, and on it is calligraphic writing, which are both things that pinpoint what time period this is set in. There is also an ink pot with quills in it and the chair he is sitting on looks royal and antique, which adds to the atmosphere of being in the Tudor period.