LOCKED DOWN FILM POSTER

 

01 CUFFS EXTENDED ANALYSIS

The opening scene of Cuffs used diegetic sound to contribute to the verisimilitude of the police procedural. The sound of seagulls and waves crashing on the beach can be heard. This creates realism as it immediately lets the audience known where the show takes place as it is a familiar sound that it typically heard at a beach. Also, the sound of police sirens over-lap the seagulls and waves as Ryan, one of the protagonists, races through the streets of Brighton. The non-diegetic sound contributes to the scene as the percussion and deep strings create tension and propels the action forward. The superintendent's speech creates a sound bridge over the opening scene as well as the scene that follows in which we meet the different social groups which are typical in Brighton.

Cuffs reflects the social, historic, and cultural contexts of the 2010s. Superintendent Vickers’s speech describes the ideal police interactions with the public and emphasises the dangerous situations they will have to find themselves in. This is ironic as we see on screen that Ryan is trying to take control of an unflattering brawl between a drunk group of men, most likely part of a bachelor party, and a nude couple on the beach. Modern Brighton is represented as being a bustling sea-side resort that hosts stag groups as well as quiet middle-aged holiday makers and a place with a diverse community with black police officers as well as an equal number of female police officers; it also features representations of gay officers which would not have been the case 50 years ago. In the course of this episode of Cuffs, the superintendent's mission statement for the police is challenged and tested because the force is not always shown to receive the respect and support of the public that he hopes for, for example: the rudeness of the stag-do to Ryan, the way that Benson threatens Ryan with a screwdriver and the lack of support from the shop owner in witness crimes.

In the uses and gratifications model, Blumler and Katz suggest that audiences use media to gratify needs. In Cuffs, audience pleasure comes from the way which we empathise and identify with the characters which are fully rounded, rather than one-dimensional figures.  In the early interactions between Jake and Ryan, the audience learns a lot about their relationship and how they talk to each other. Viewers know that Jake isn't as professional as Ryan and that he hasn't had as much experience as the other new officers. The audience also notices that Ryan isn't fond of Jake because he looks him up and down while talking to him. This tells the audience that Ryan has the impression that some people have to fight for what they want, while Jake seems to have gotten his position solely because he is the Superintendent's son. It is obvious that Ryan would be harsh with Jake because he does not want to give him special treatment. However, Ryan's response is still a bit surprising because most people will assume that because it is his first day, he should assist him and be gentle with him, but Ryan was extremely harsh with Jake. Ryan's dialogue is stern and judgmental, indicating that he isn't playing around and that he expects Jake to learn and become a professional police officer. Jake's dialogue is very soft, and when he does utter something, it is light-hearted and innocent. Another thing the audience sees is that he laughs and doesn't appear embarrassed or phased by something Ryan does. He has no idea what he's doing, but he doesn't want Ryan to think less of him because of it.

Watching Cuffs provides audiences with entertainment and diversion; audiences consume media to escape from their everyday lives. Cuffs provides entertainment and diversion because the film language is so convincing. The use of sound creates meaning as when Amit, a young Asian teenager, enters the corner shop, you can hear diegetic pop music playing on the shop speakers. This music is upbeat, energetic and bouncy. This reflects his current mood as he had just spoken to his mum and so was happy to hear from her. However, when Amit is looking for what to buy. A group of racists enter the shop, with Benson being the leader. As they enter, the diegetic pop music gets drowned out by sinister and dramatic non-diegetic music. As the group gets closer to Amit, the music gets louder as the threat increases. This creates a lot of tension as the viewer knows something bad is about to happen, and the rise in volume creates a rise in suspension. It also shifts the entire tone of the scene from being a regular day where a teenager is going out to buy food, to a soon-to-be crime scene where violence is inevitable. Also, the dialogue from Benson immediately tells the audience that he is a racist, looking to trouble this innocent boy. For example, he uses slurs such as 'raghead' and 'musi'.

Also, in that scene, camerawork is used to create meaning, especially at the very beginning of chapter 4. In this chapter, the boy is stabbed by the racist with a screwdriver. However, because of the use of camerawork, the audience do not see the murder happen, but instead the camera tracks-in to the only witness, a young boy in the back of the shop, who has importance later in the episode. Because of the fact that Cuffs is a series shown before the watershed at 9:00 p.m. it means that there cannot be any scenes which are unsuitable for children and families. This means that the series cannot show the actual stabbing occur on-screen, and so they imply it by showing the after-math of the boy falling to the ground with blood spreading around him. This tells the audience that the boy has been stabbed and has had serious injuries, yet doesn't scare children by showing the brutal crime on the screen. In that shot of the boy on the ground, the camera slowly rotates clockwise to a canted angle as the racist, Benson, steps on his curry packet. Benson stepping on the packet represents the fact that the boy has been murdered, as when he does step in it, all the insides of the packet burst out the bag and spread around the floor, just like how the blood seeps out of Amit. The next shot of Amit from above also includes the same rotation. This matches this shot with the last one as they both rotate at a simultaneous speed. It is also in this shot that the viewer can see blood spread across the ground, leaking from Amit.

The demands of policing are extremely high in today's society.  Firstly, Jo is trying to get permission to interview the shop owner's son, the only witness of the shop stabbing, yet cannot due to the fact that the shop owner is upset with the police. This is because, firstly, he had to wait three days for the police after his shop was vandalised, secondly, his son was shouted at on the bus and thirdly, his mother was abused on the street, yet the police never did anything. This shows that a demand of policing is being able to be patient and tolerant as Jo has to deal with the fact that she couldn't speak with the only witness of a stabbing. Also, another demand of modern policing is being able to take abuse from the public, even if the police are trying to help. This is evident in the scene where Jake, Ryan, Donna and Lino are chasing a shoplifter through Brighton. After catching the criminal, Jake is shouted at by a member of public who is also filming him. He tries to get the phone away from him and calm her down, but she gets even more angry and spits in his face. This shows how, even if the police are trying to help the public by catching a thief, they are stilled abused and shouted at. Also, in the scene before that, Ryan spots his son out in Brighton on his free period instead of being at school. Ryan then has to get out the car and tell his son and friends to return to school. This shows that, even at work, Ryan still has personal demands he must deal with.

We learn a great deal about Jo during the press briefing scene about the incident in the corner shop. We learn as much about her personality and private concerns as we do about how she handles her professional life. The two shot of Jo and Vickers entering the press conference allows the audience to see Jo's concerned expression. You can see her searching Superintendent Vickers face as she wants to get closer to him and understand what he is thinking. This leads us to sympathise with her not only at a police detective but also as a human being who feels lonely and rejected. The body language of both police officers show how tense they are. This allows the audience to see that Jo's private troubles are weighing heavily on her mind. Jo's heart drops when Superintendent Vickers asks any witnesses to come forward. The next shot cuts to the shop owner and only eye witness in their home, watching the press conference on television. This makes the audience sympathise with Jo as we feel bad for her and they fact that she wasn't able to get any information out of the boy. We are seeing Jo at second remove on the TV screen performing; she is very empathetic as she reads out the parents' statement about the stabbing. We also know that Jo is extremely brave when it comes to dealing with scary or difficult situations. In the next few scenes where the crew have to raid Benson's house, she is seen to take charge and head straight into the building, even though backup is yet to arrive. This is because she has gained emotional attachment to Amit and wants to find the stabber as soon as possible, and also because she is extremely professional and wants to do her job at a high level, even if that means risking her own life.