No offence

• no offence- cover

  • police tape- police involved, crime
  • 3 women- wearing black so they look villainous, although they are the police detectives
  • PEGI 15- violence
  • no offence- bold writing
• no offence- opening

  • quick cut edits of a city tower centre
  • Mancunian accents- Dinah and bob in taxi
  • establishes a conflict
  • provides drama
  • dark comedy
  • dinah- hard working, impulsive, stubborn
  • more diverse than ‘the killing‘
• no offence opening

  • editing- in media res- starts in middle of argument. shot verse shot- Dinah and suspect, framed in close up, tension and connection, conflict, binary opposites, western iconography. Framing sequence off to the side, not centrally- show typical british police stations
  • cinematography- POV- outside car window, everyday britain, night time. Close up- removing shoes, removal of femininity, narrative plausibility, quick switch to detective
• no offence opening

  • sound- non diagetic music- western, cowboys, masculine. diagetic- dialouge- Dinah starts. music changes when Dinah sees suspect- cues us. music speeds up when Dinah starts chasing the suspect. pleonastic foly sound- crunch and squelch when suspects head gets squished by bus- exaggerated, dramatic. bus tire’s skidding- exaggerated, pleonastic sound, dramatic.
• no offence opening

  • MES- cant tell Dinah is a police officer- costume- hoop earrings, pink jacket, going out dress, heels. presented as lower class, normal, commoner, makes her relatable. takes heels off- committed to her work. prop of stage bus- rooted in Britishness, typical British town
• deerings red shoes- no offence

  • cinematography- deering kicks the door down with her red heels- different to Dinah who rakes heels off before getting out taxi in opening
  • editing- low angle- makes them look dominant
  • MES- council estate- calverts house, run down, neglected. deering- red heels, rebellious, dress, corporate, jacket, danger, dominant. Can wear heels and still do the job.
• representations of police and crime- no offence

  • Paul Abbott- likes those who are good at their jobs, this appears to come across in representation of police
  • committed bunch of police professionals, who in a conventional sense aim to solve crimes and bring perpetration to justice
  • modern day depictions of police aren’t usually straightforward and characters often embody the binary conflict between who they are as people and rules and regulations they are supposed to follow
• representations of police and crime- no offence

  • police force is made up of those in charge: detective inspectors and coppers on the beat, all of who work together to solve crimes. some characters are rookies and make mistakes of judgement, others appear in suitable for the job e.g. Joy Freers, who is a shambolic mess when called into viv deerings office and then there are the competent side- kicks e.g. spike tanner
• representations of police and crime- no offence

  • communicates ides that in general, the police force as an institution, has a range of personality types working within it but what connects them is a commitment to their job, even if at time their actions are morally or ethically ambiguous. this serves to humanise characters and therefore ideologically aligns the audience with them in a positive way
• representations of women- no offence

  • detective deering- Abbott said the character of deering was particularly influenced by the artists Beryl Cook whose depictions of women are as bog, baudy and beautiful
  • Deerings representation; kicks down door in red heels, dances in offices and sings in the toilet. doesnt care how she comes across and is unwillingly funny. she has self-confidence in abundance without being arrogant
  • represented as the matriarch of the unit. she’s also a subversion of the typical lone-wolf, troubled detective, such as the likes of Luther
• representations of women- no offence

  • deering is strong, prone to using choice and colourful language and isn’t afraid of her boss, Daren McLaren, who she regularly emasculates e.g. she follows him into the men’s toilet to berate him about his treatment of her. she’s also champions her workforce and is ambitious for her staff without jealousy
  • she’s competitive with other police units but also is sensual and loving with her partner. she’s represented as having jurist the right amount of obsessiveness about the job and its rules and regulations but also in getting results
• representations of women- no offence

  • as the series professes her narrative arc develops in unusual ways and we see her chapters respond to personal difficulties with increasingly sub verse methods
• Women and disability- no offence

  • victims in show are Down syndrome girls, but contrary to the stereotypical depiction of Down’s syndrome as dependent people, they’re given a more complex representation
  • one of the victims, Jocelyn Wade, is revealed to have left home after being involved in prostitution and went on to pimp out her Down’s syndrome boyfriend
  • parts are played by people with downs syndrome and as a consequence these aren’t tokenistic
• women and disability- no offence

  • Jocelyn, whilst she’s a victim of a serial killer, isn’t an innocent victim, this complicated out reaction to her as our sympathies lie slightly with her boyfriend not her, but what we see is that it doesn't matter to the investigation, her past is of no consequence to the police other than finding clues that will help them catch the killer
  • the whodunit convention of the crime is maintained through until the resolution at the end, which when you access the show, will shock and surprise all the more
• place- no offence

  • show is shot and located in Manchester providing conventions of cities being places of crime
  • cities allow for anonymity and this implies they have a dark underbelly that muse be brought to light by the police
  • funny scene- search for Cathy Calvert happen upon some individuals indulging in fetish sex in run down warehouse
• toilet scenes- no offence

  • comical, yet also believable, they offer a space for the team to meet in private away from the others involved in the investigation
  • its a space where they share ideas but also where they can subvert the usual protocol of transparency by being away from Viv
  • Viv sings whilst peeing
  • toilet humour but isn't crass- serves to humanise all the characters and its also something that we never usually see on screen
• How does No Offence position itself within a genre?

  By using media language effectively
• What is the CSP identified for No Offence?

  The first episode of series one
• Who produced No Offence?

  Abbotvision
• What is the significance of Paul Abbott in relation to No Offence?

  He created Abbotvision and produced the show
• What was Abbott's previous successful programme before No Offence?

  Shameless
• What themes did Shameless explore?

  Realistic representation of socio-economic struggles
• What is Channel 4's requirement for programming to receive public funding?

  To be innovative and reflect cultural diversity
• How does Channel 4 acquire programming?

  By buying from production companies
• What does the branding of No Offence suggest to audiences?

  It will have an irreverent storytelling approach
• What might audiences expect from No Offence due to its Channel 4 broadcast?

  Use of adult language and themes
• What type of drama is No Offence categorized as?

  Crime drama
• What is the narrative focus of No Offence?

  A police investigation of abduction and murder
• What is a common characteristic of crime dramas?

  Quest narratives to solve a mystery
• What is a sub-genre of crime drama that No Offence belongs to?

  Police procedural
• What do police procedurals typically focus on?

  A team of detectives solving cases
• What are some familiar iconographies in police procedurals?

  Police station, officers, and cars
• What is a typical scene in a police procedural?

  A chase scene at the start of the episode
• How does No Offence break conventions in its chase scene?

  A woman is the active character in the chase
• What does the juxtaposition of violence and comedy in No Offence indicate?

  The programme will explore graphic themes
• What does the diegetic music in the chase scene contribute?

  It adds an element of absurdity to violence
• What should students analyze in the investigation room scene?

  The use of media language and scene construction
• What is a key aspect of representations in No Offence?

  It subverts traditional gender roles
• How does No Offence represent female characters differently?

  Three females lead the investigation team
• What role does Viv play in No Offence?

  She is the superintendent in charge