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What is “old” in terms of genre and what is new, “innovative and imaginative”? Make specific reference to Life on Mars to back up your response (15)£8.39
A 15 mark essay discussing genre, with reference to the A level media set text Life on Mars. Achieved full marks. Refers to theorists and uses a large amount of contextual evidence and examples from the set episode. High-level and sophisticated language.
What is “old” in terms of genre and what is new, “innovative and imaginative”? Make specific
reference to Life on Mars to back up your response (15)
Genre, according to Steve Neale, is fluid and likely to vary over time, programme to programme,
and depending on the economic, political and social contexts, blending genres to create hybrids
and taking slightly different points of view on traditional conventions of a genre while also
including staple and defining elements of repetition within a genre. For example, an “old”
convention of British crime drama is the overly masculine politically incorrect detective, as shown
in The Sweeney through the character of Detective Inspector Jack Regan, who smokes and
drinks heavily and treats women according to the gender stereotypes of the 1970s. This
convention is both conformed to and subverted by Life on Mars. Gene Hunt is a perfect
representation of this code and can be seen day drinking, being overly boisterous and
aggressive whereas Sam Tyler, a Detective Inspector from 2006, shows a more emotional and
considerate representation, much more in line with modern male stereotype. They are effectively
binary opposites of each other, highlighting how the stock characters of a genre can develop and
vary over time according to social norms.
Furthermore, in “old” genre, there tends to be easily recognisable and familiar storylines. New
“innovative and imaginative” genre tends to refer to twists and new additions to the old genre that
keep it interesting and relevant to modern audiences who may become bored with the genre
repeating the same narrative patterns continuously. Life on Mars illustrates this blatantly with the
inclusion of time travel - DI Tyler is hit by a car in 2006 and wakes up in 1973 - blending elements
of more fantasy and sci-fi genres. This is definitely an unusual variation to traditional British crime
drama and adds an element of excitement and interest to new audiences. It illustrates Neale’s
idea of hybridity and the merging of genres. This variation also gives the creators the opportunity
to explore the idea of seeing an old world representations through new eyes and to exaggerate
certain aspects to give the audience something more engaging to think about.
Similarly, Neale’s theory highlights how genre can change in accordance to the historical and
social contexts. This could mean that as new ideas become popular and more discoveries are
made the more can be included in a programme. This can be seen in the emergence of
psychology playing a large role in the narrative of Life on Mars, Annie Cartwright, one of the few
female constables, has a degree in psychology, through the mention of Freud’s Id and other
discussions on the psyche. This field was rapidly growing in popularity during the later half of the
20th century, and with our current knowledge and its usage in the police force and criminal
justice system it is a good technique to expand the genre in new ways to keep it up to date and
relevant. This use of psychology is unlikely in old examples of the genre as it was not as relevant
to the British police force and not accepted by everyone as a useful scientific field. As well as
this, the changing role of women can be clearly evidenced in the programme through the
character of Maya in 2006 and Annie in 1973. Maya is a key partner in solving the crime whose
expertise and opinion are respected and utilised. Whereas Annie was often mocked and tossed
aside. It highlights the juxtaposition between 70’s cop shows and modern ones.
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