Texts 8 Luther - Narrative

Learning Objectives: To study Luther, TV series with consideration given to narrative issues structure, conventions, key codes.

• Key words: Structure, Conventions, Key codes, Binary opposition.

In television crime drama, as with other media texts, there are two types of narrative structures, linear and non-linear (or circular). With linear narrative, the audience is introduced to the hero/heroine and the world in which he/she lives. Then that world is disrupted. Linear narrative was an idea considered by the theorist Todorov; he decided that the narrative progressed through certain chronological stages: 

During the narrative, the characters undergo a transformation as a result of what happens and the equilibrium at the end may be very different from how it was at the beginning. Sometimes the ending produces a closed narrative, but in other examples the main strands are left unresolved resulting in an open narrative. 

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Following on from your look at Narrative Conventions in Audio Visual Texts (at the bottom of this post), 

It is important that you recognise the narrative codes that are used within TV Crime drama. 
Here are some codes you need to be familiar with:

Flashbacks. These are used to give the audience additional information. They may also involve the audience with a character by seeing some of their past, this helps to understand the narrative. They are also a way to manipulate time and space within the narrative. For example, Life on Mars where most of the narrative takes place in the past.

Apparently impossible positions. Where the camera gives the audience a view of the action from an unusual position., for example in the air or behind a wall. Audiences tend to accept this view if the narrative itself is believable as this makes them feel more involved. In crime dramas you may be watching the crime from above. This will clearly add tension to the scene.

Privileged spectator position. Here the audience are shown parts of the narrative that other characters cannot see. For example, a close up shot showing the audience a character taking a knife out of their pocket. The audience can then anticipate the action that will follow later in the narrative.

Point of view shots. These allow the audience to see the action from different perspectives. The camera may position the audience as the eyes of the murderer or the victim or between the two in order to build tension.

Enigma codes. These are used in both audio visual and print based texts. In television crime drama the camera may only show some of the narrative, leaving the audience with unanswered questions. This is part of the appeal of crime drama, as the audience take pleasure from working out the clues and solving the crime along with the detectives.

Action codes. These are shorthand for moving the narrative along quickly. The packing of a suitcase means a journey, the placing of a gun in a bag suggests action will follow later.

 A jump cut is a cut in film editing in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly. This type of edit gives the effect of jumping forwards in time. It is a manipulation of temporal space using the duration of a single shot, and fracturing the duration to move the audience ahead. This kind of cut abruptly communicates the passing of time as opposed to the more seamless dissolve heavily used in films.

Crossing the line. Scenes are usually blocked for the sake of continuity and keeping the audience focused. This involves the 180 degree rule. When this rule is broken it is usually to make the audience feel uncomfortable or disoriented.

Task 1: 
Watch Luther episode one and identify how technical codes help to involve an audience in this crime drama.

Characters in Luther

The BBC’s new crime drama Luther is the first major drama series to have its eponymous hero played by a black actor. DCI John Luther, played by British actor Idris Elba, is familiar from his role as ‘Stringer’ Bell the drug lord with business acumen in The Wire. He was also in the US version of Extras. A dark psychological crime drama star.

In this psychological crime drama the strong man maverick detective John Luther is brought back into the serious crime unit because he is intuitively capable of solving difficult crimes, and his female boss (Saskia Reeves with a terrible London accent) believes in him although he is known as a loose canon. Luther has paid a heavy price for his dedication and has recently suffered a mental breakdown.

On his return to duty, Luther struggles to balance the psychological demands of his work at the same time as trying to save his marriage to his wife, Zoe. Luther is not able to stop himself from being consumed by the darkness of the crimes he deals with and this has pushed his wife away. He wants to get back with his wife, but she is having and on/ off relationship with Mark (Paul McGann).  With Luther, the job always comes first and his dedication makes him both obsessed and obsessive sometimes leading to violent outbursts.

Luther’s first job is to investigate the horrific murder of a family leaving one survivor, the mysterious Alice, wonderfully portrayed by Ruth Wilson.

She was a child prodigy and is an exceptionally clever astrophysicist.  She is attracted to him through the darker more spontaneous sides of both their personalities.

Also in the mix is Luther’s apparent friend DCI Ian Reed an Iago-like figurewho in the last episode turns out to be a self interested, conceited and very dangerous man consumed by envy.