Different Effects in the Action and Aventure Genre: Sherlock Holmes

The genre of this film is hybrid of the action and adventure as well as historical. The film is in the historical genre because of the period costumes, historical mis-en-scene such as carriages drawn by horses instead of moving cars, period buildings with no sightings of modern buildings as well as period, eerie fast pace percussion music and the and hand held camera shots make the audience feel like they are immersed in the action. Tracking shots create an ‘action’ and fast pace feel. The film creates the spectacle of the world of Victorian London in 1891 through its location shots of historical London features such as St Pauls Cathedral that anchors the location as London, the cobbled dirty, muddy streets as well as murky gas lamp lighting. The murky lighting is a restricted palette of shades of dirty yellows and oranges. This is called Sepia when the colour blends together to create a unnerving and spooky atmosphere. The effect of this is to create a sinister underworld and a sense of jeopardy which fits the genre of action and adventure as well as the historical genre. An underground chamber seems to be the set for a ritual killing, because we see a desperate woman in distress dressed in long, white dress. She is screaming and is having what looks like a fit or seizure. We encounter people dressed in period clothes such as bowler hats, tweed suits with waist coats accessorised with canes. Some characters were clearly dangerous thugs, which was clear from strong, elaborate, deep coloured costumes with gold details such as sumptuous capes that cover the head.

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. The sequence that we watched was composed mainly of a long tracking shot that took the audience through the London streets, inspiring curiosity 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. 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. Close up shots were used to allow the audience to see the expressions on the faces of the central characters such as Sherlock Holmes and Lord Blackwood when revealed as an evil villain. 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 fighting scenes as well as fast, pace action scenes. Some of the actions are brutal and shocking, such as when Holmes breaks the neck of his attacker. The shots convey the two sides of Sherlock Holmes: the intelligent side and the brutal, harsh side when fighting with villains. Point of view shots included the scene when Sherlock Holmes and his assistant John Watson are traveling in a horse drawn carriage through the dark, cobbled, wet, back streets of London. The shot looks as if the camera is chasing the carriage; it looks like you are in the moment. Low angle shots are normally used for hero shots as well as high angle shots are used for panning angles across distances and landscapes.

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. 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. Slow motion 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. 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. 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. The orchestral musical soundtrack is urgent and rapid, to match the chase through the streets to locate the villain and liberate the victim.