AS Media Studies:-

‘Life On Mars’

The BAFTA award winning ‘Life on Mars’, is a British science fiction and police force drama. The show follows Sam Tyler, who works for the police force in modern day Manchester; before being hit by a car and finding himself in the year 1973.

There are many differences between the police force in the present to 1973. The main difference being the ‘macho’, laddish culture of the police, and their sexist views on female workers. The police do jobs in groups and appear threatening and intimidating. The camera work also makes the police look dominant and in charge, as the camera is often taken from a low angle shot, making them appear tough and not to be messed with.

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The attitude to work is forceful and unprofessional, which Sam Tyler finds unbelievable. The DCI, Gene Hunt disapproves of Sam’s tactics and thinks he’s too soft for the job. However, the work is more ‘on the streets’ than in present day where it is office based; which over the course of the series, Sam greatly appreciates.

When women appear on the show, the majority of shots are high angle shots, especially when cross cutting between a man and woman. This is done to represent that women were not taken too seriously, and are seen as inferior. The dialogue ...

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