Wednesday 4 December 2013

The Wire and A Touch of Frost essay


Examine and compare the way the "law" is represented in The Wire and in A Touch of Frost. Analyse: class/status/authority, gender, race/ethnicity as well as whether the representations are sympathetic, realistic.

How do the producers position the audience in relation to the detectives / officers



The opening scene of both Frost and The Wire establish the social setting where the drama is set. In Frost this social setting is similar in that although it is also working class there does not seem presence of violence initially and instead is just police officers trying to drive through football fans.



The Wire is established as a police drama straight away. This is shown in the first scene as the police cars lights are being reflected in a puddle on the pavement which may be the victims blood. Moreover we can also infer this as a result of the diagetic sounds of the sirens and police radio, which instantly indicate that this is a crime scene. 







This differs to A Touch of Frost because it wasn't as clear that it was a police drama- as the "old man" was undercover and tricked the bouncers into leaving their post to help him out.








The Wire is a TV show based in America whereas A Touch of Frost is a British crime drama. The very fact that the programmes are set in two different countries suggests that there will be different representations, portrayals of the law as the American take on crime differs greatly compared to the British.

The credits also tell us that this is a crime drama due to the iconography which we is associated with the police i.e. crime scene and the police tape. Furthermore, the sound track being played through The Wire wasn't as tense as other dramas (suggesting that it was different) it also had a line that said "If you walk through the garden, you better watch your back." This suggests that crime was inevitable in this particular area, as the song basically says that if you commit a crime or even live in the area then prepare for the consequences and expect something to happen- this is a strong message however was executed in a light touch way, suggesting that they should know better and there will be little or no remourse for the guilty as they've been warned.

The opening scene of both Frost and The Wire establish the social setting where the drama is set. In Frost this social setting is similar in that although it is also working class there does not seem presence of violence initially and instead is just police officers trying to drive through football fans.
The opening of Frost is shown at a slower speed, to create tension and give the viewers an overall look of the location this is when they use a point of view shot, looking out of the window to show the busy crowded streets  Which then cross cuts to a close up of the drivers face, which shows his frustration and annoyance as he then honks his horn. In Frost the crime is not shown straight away because even though we see what appears to be someone hot wiring a car, this scene turns out to be fairly comedic as we then realise that it wasn't someone trying to steal the car but an old man trying to start his car and has to ask to be given a push. 

This particular shot shows Frost as a defenceless old man trying to start his car. The use of CU in this shot creates sympathy for Frost as we the audience feel sorry for him.  Furthermore, from the LS below, the two men are in the foreground which suggests that they take more dominance in this shot, demonstrating once again that Frost is supposed to be a feeble old man.
 This is then heightened even more when the two men first see him as they're quite derogative towards him as they call him an idiot and are quite patronising towards him through the use of the word "mate" in regards to Frost, who's clearly their senior, this sense of familiarity shows their lack of respect for him.





There is also a comedic element, which isn't apparent in the opening scenes of The Wire. This could suggest that the law is not always as serious as you would expect, particularly those in England compared to the USA. Whereas, in The first scene of The Wire, we start of with a panning shot of a crime scene, showing a dead body and a man picking up evidence from the floor and depositing it into a sealed bag. 


Like The Wire there is also the use of police walkie-talkies to suggest that this is a police series, reinforced by the emergence of the police men from the van. This is when the editing in Frost does however speed up and the narrative becomes more engaging, something that doesn’t happen in The Wire, when all the police officers emerge from the van to arrest the two men who had been giving it a push. This simple arrest suggests that the police officers in Frost are not dealing with intelligent and sneaky criminals as they are in The Wire. 

In The Wire, there appears to be a close relationship with the policeman and the criminal, as they're both shown in the same shot, which suggests that there is no need for the policeman to show his authority.


The opening scene of both Frost and The Wire establish the social setting where the drama is set. In Frost this social setting is similar in that although it is also working class there does not seem presence of violence initially and instead is just police officers trying to drive through football fans

    Both A Touch of Frost and The Wire use police walkie-talkies which are clear props to imply that it’s a police series, reinforced by the abrupt entrance of the police men from the van. This is when the editing in Frost speeds up and the story becomes more appealing, something that doesn’t happen in The Wire, when all the police officers emerge from the van to arrest the two men who had been tricked to give it a push. This simple arrest suggests that the criminals in A Touch of Frost are far less intelligent than the ones in The Wire as they’re easily fooled, this also shows the policeman to be quite shifty and crooked as they’re willing to lie and set people up in order to arrest them.


The use of non-diegetic sound, heightens the tension and anxiety, along with using a hand held camera to capture the police officers entrance into  the building thus allowing the audience to experience what they’re experiencing. Once the officers had broken into the building we learnt the nature of the crime, illegal dog fighting and gambling. This highlights the difference between law and the types of crimes  American and British police officers have to deal with. Also, as soon as people see the police in Britain they run, showing their fear of the policeman and the policeman's superiority as these were grown men who were terrified. There seems to be a recurring theme of citizens in Britain fearing the law more because they are not as accustom as the Americans to crime. As in The Wire there was a shot of children looking at the crime scene with blank expressions suggesting that this was a normal event in their neighbourhood. Furthermore, from the race of the children, the victim and the witness I can assume that this was in a poor neighbourhood which is accustomed to crime, especially murder as black neighbourhood tends to fall into this stereotype in cop dramas in America.



The hierarchy of police officers is also something that is present in The Wire and Frost. In The Wire it established by the fact he wears his own clothes and is in charge of talking to the victims and in Frost this is also the case and his importance is also shown by the police cars all going on his command thus showing his leadership and authority, whereas there's only one police officer in The Wire so we're unable to know where he ranks in terms of authority in the police force, however, we do know that he has more authority within the situation he's in, talking to the criminal.

Law is presented in very different ways in The Wire and Frost. The Wire shows a police officers compassion and bond with the witness whilst Frost is very much about the police officers and criminals being two very different groups of people.

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