LutherTitle Sequence Analysis

Shot Types and Camera Angles• Throughout the sequence various

establishing shots of the setting are given, the series takes place in London and various icons from the London skyline are shown to emphasize this.

• The sequence doesn’t have any raw moving footage, all moving images in the sequence are edited or extremely short. This creates the effect of a collection of photographs being shown to the viewer which is often what detectives do and this programme is about detectives.

• Whenever a person is shown only their silhouette can be seen, this creates an element of mystery surrounding the characters, in particular Luther, who is often quite ominous throughout the series itself.

Lighting & Colour

• The sequence is extremely dark and its only highlight colours are red and on occasion white or yellow. The red in the sequence gives connotations of blood due to its animation and movement complimenting this interpretation. The only time we see highlight colours is to show the city lights (as it would be confusing for the viewer) to show these lights in red) and a set of teeth which flash up very quickly. The set of teeth was probably intended to make the viewer feel uneasy as it does look as if they belong to a dead person and therefore the colour yellow was used to highlight this frame. The darkness as a whole symbolises the darkness surrounding the role of detectives.

Mise en Scène & Typography• A lot of visual effect has been used in the sequence to give it a unique look.

• In some shots lines can be seen going across the screen, it could be said that these lines could be either symbolising police lines or more interestingly could be representing the red string connecting photos that detectives use when looking into a case. This would relate to the storyline very well and is probably what the creators meant for.

• A lot of the time the character Luther can be seen stood in front of the London skyline which could be indexical for him protecting the city, which he does do in the storyline.

Editing• Practically every shot in the sequence

has had a red overlay put make the sequence seem more intimidating or threatening by seemingly being coated in blood.

• The opening shot stars with a black background with a red tint, then a silhouette of Luther comes into frame and creates a ripple effect, which makes it seem like the previous background was a dark red liquid and the most well known dark red liquid is blood

• There is one series of shots that starts with a picture of presumably an eagle’s eye, then a flash, then replaced by a picture of Luther’s eyes. This is a metaphorical way of suggesting that he has the eye of an eagle, because of how good a detective he is.

Sound

• The soundtrack to the sequence is called ‘Paradise’ by Massive Attack and fits into a genre known as ‘Trip Hop’. The song itself is quite slow and sad sounding, this could be described as asynchronous to the on screen action which seems like it could fit with an faster more dramatic soundtrack. This difference between the music and footage is what makes the sequence so captivating and makes it more entertaining to watch. It does this by almost creating the same effect that the Narcos soundtrack does, it seems quite hypnotic and contradicts the action a little making the series look unstable and unpredictable.

Summary

• Overall I felt the sequence was very effective in intriguing its viewers.

• The use of red throughout made the events seem more threatening and the soundtrack was very good in drawing attention.

• It is emphasised throughout the

sequence that this series is about a detective and therefore suits the rest of the series very well.