ACTION ADVENTURE: SHERLOCK HOLMES

We watch a five-minute extract from Sherlock Holmes (Guy Ritchie 2009).  

We learn how to tackle exam question 2: Explain how each of the following is used to create effects that fit the action adventure genre:

• mise-en-scene
• camerawork
• editing
• soundtrack

SUPPORTED ANSWER
Mise-en-scene  

1. The genre of this film is...(complete the sentence)
2. The film creates the spectacle of the world of Victorian London in 1891 through its location shots of...(name as many details as possible)
3. The murky lighting is a restricted palette of shades of...(identify colours)
4. The effect of this is to create a sinister underworld and a sense of jeopardy which fits the genre of...
5. An underground chamber seems to be the set for a ritual killing, because we see...
6. We encounter people dressed in period clothes such as...(identify roles and clothing codes)
7. Some characters were clearly dangerous thugs, which was clear from...

Camerawork

1. The representation of Sherlock Holmes in this extract is a very physical one (rather than just a towering intellect) so the camerawork reflects his active qualities: it is dynamic, energetic and constantly on the move.
2. The sequence that we watched was composed mainly of a long tracking shot that took the audience through the London streets, inspiring curiousity but also nervousness because of so many hidden corners, dark alleys and potential traps. This type of camerawork is rather like a thrilling roller coaster ride as we are swept forwards skirting danger. A sense of jeopardy is an important ingredient in action adventure films.
3. The tracking shot conveys speed and motion (essential ingredients of action adventure films) in the race to save a young woman and prevent her ritual murder  Lord Blackwood, who has killed five other young women similarly. They stop the murder before Inspector Lestrade and the police arrive to arrest Blackwood.
4. Close up shots were used to allow the audience to see the expressions on the faces of the central characters such as Sherlock Holmes, such as...
5. Close ups help the audience to identify with the central character, which is vital as we should be on his side on occasions such as...
6. Some of the actions are brutal and shocking, such as when Holmes breaks the neck of his attacker. The shots...
7. Point of view shots included...
8. Low angle shots...
9. High angle shots...

Editing

1. Continuity editing is designed to tell a story and enable the audience to make connections. In this extract there is some very sophisticated and unusual editing, designed to enable us to share in Sherlock Holmes's thought processes. This is important in this action adventure film which celebrates Holmes's needle-sharp powers of deduction.
2. One example is the sequence when Holmes scrutinizes his opponent, analysing his history and therefore his old injuries and weak spots, before delivering a series of blows in the places which will crush him and ensure victory.
3. Slowmo is used during this sequence. Time seems to slow down when Holmes processes what he sees, before he delivers the blows. The effect of this is to allow the audience to share his deductions, admire his intellect and be all the more shocked by the contrasting subsequent speed of his blows.
4. Sound and vision editing really need to be considered together, so at this point I would like to add that Holmes's voice-over represents his inner thoughts as he makes observations.

Sound

1. The opening soundtrack serves to set the scene in Victorian times as we hear music hall sounds, the clip clop of horse and carriage on cobbles.
2. The orchestral musical soundtrack is urgent and rapid, to match the chase through the streets to locate the villain and liberate the victim.