Post on 16-Dec-2014
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CASE STUDY: NEW TRICKS
By Eleanor Roberts
(2003 -)
PLOT & GENRE New Tricks is a British crime drama that follows the work of the
fictional Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad (UCOS) of the
Metropolitan Police Service. Originally led by Detective
Superintendent Sandra Pullman, it is made up of retired police officers
that have been recruited to reinvestigate unsolved crimes. The series
title is taken from the proverb “You can’t teach an old dog New Tricks
Genre: Crime Drama
Sub Genre: Comedy
but they are having to deal
with a new police force which
does not always appreciate their
old style policing
AUDIENCE
Aimed at an older audience of both genders. This
has been achieved by using actors and cases from
a time that the target audience would remember.
The sometimes unorthodox way they solve cases
interests the audience. The unconventional female
dominance and the inclusion of red herrings and
plot twists keep the audiences interest.
CHARACTERS
Heroin Cop: DCI Sandra Pullman & Sasha Miller
Both are assigned Head of the UCOS team.
Female. They challenge the predominantly male
‘lead roles’ and play the central role in driving the
Narrative.
They both dress appropriately and use their roles to lead
the team into success. They are both good cops and their
binary opposite are the ‘bad’ people within society.
THE BAD TEMPERED BUT BRILLIANT DETECTIVE: GERRY
STANDING
He often flirts with female suspects and witnesses, usually to
great effect. He was an old-style policeman, not afraid to
circumvent the rules to get a result. He is rumored to have
been corrupt - or at least a bit dodgy.
A ’Jack the Lad', Gerry is an old-school police officer. He was
a top 'thief-taker', who passionately enjoyed catching criminals-
but nevertheless he mixed easily with them. As a result,
allegations of corruption arose, which he angrily denies.
Although he is now a grandfather, he maintains his devil-may-
care lifestyle, but insists that he is "a naughty boy, not a
bastard"
THE QUIRKY DETECTIVE: DAN GRIFFIN
He is a reserved character who can nevertheless provide
surprising insights. His aloof manner rubs the team up the
wrong way in his first case.
His quiet nature and reserved character caused the other
characters to push him out of the group. He hides his private
life and uses unconventional techniques to solve crimes, for
example telling his disabled teenage daughter Holly about
the cases. They use these quirks to create ‘Verisimilitude’ in
the development of complex character relationships with his
co-workers.
GRUMPY SUPERIOR OFFICER: D.A .C STRICKLAND
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Robert Strickland is the team's boss. A
political animal who enjoys basking in reflected glory of UCOS's clean up
rate, his choice of cases is influenced by a desire to make his department
look good. Despite this, he is a strong supporter of the UCOS team, and
has used his influence to protect them when necessary.
Despite the fact that he is considered a somewhat self-serving officer, he
has nonetheless been quite supportive of their actions.
Though he will still discipline the team when they blatantly break the
rules, he is willing to accept their actions if a result is achieved. E.g.
Strickland even subtly gave Brian a chance to explain himself when he was
forced to fire Brian, and it was only when Brian made clear that he stood
by his actions that Strickland finally told him to go.
SETTINGS
Interview Room
London Streets
Squad Unit room
Bosses Office
Council Estates
Victims and Criminals Homes/Hideouts
The Crime Scene
NARRATIVEThe New Tricks Narrative is a Flexi-Narrative
The Narrative includes an ongoing story line but has closed
Narratives within each episode.
However, at the end of a series or special episodes all Narratives and
Cases will close. Then a new Narrative will start up again next episode
and continue through the series, as well as the cases closing in each
episode.
Some episodes have carried on to 2 episodes e.g. Series 10 The Rock
Part 1 & 2
CAMERA SHOTS
Medium close-up
Blur
Close-up
Medium long shot
Low-angle shot
Establishing Shot
Long Shot
Over the Shoulder Shot
Through the Mirror/Long shot
Out of Focus
SO WHY IS IT A CRIME DRAMA ?.. . .
This particular crime drama begins with an opening teaser. We see
someone attacked but we don’t see the perpetrator. This sets up a question:
What happened here? It’s a mystery and another name for this is enigma.
The enigma code sets up a riddle for the viewers to solve. The hero go on a
quest and receive clues to solve the case.
New Tricks use techniques such as : Cliffhangers, Red herrings, enigma
codes and dramatic irony to create story lines which interest the audience
and create drama.