Textual Analysis of Broadchurch

Broadchurch is one of ITV's most popular and best known crime drama series. It originally premiered in March 2013, and was commissioned to have 3 complete seasons, with the last season premiering and ending in 2017. Series 3 was ITV's most watched crime drama ever, clocking in 11 million views.

The premise of the show is the mysterious murder of a 11 year old boy, Danny in a quiet, closely linked British village on the coast of Dorset. The first season, which was so amazing that I watched it all one sitting, in one night, follows how the family of the child, the mother of which, Beth, is played by Jodie Whittake, deal with the death of a family member, and the relationship between the two lead Detectives, played by the much acclaimed actors David Tennant and Olivia Colman. It's obvious that the star billing for this show is one of the key attractions. As too is the location, an ordinary, but perhaps rather cliche "small town" with a nosy judgemental community, quite reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel. The beautiful scenery of the cliffs and the expansive fields are frequently used as b-roll, either setting shots or as a cutaway between different story sequences. The characters are wonderfully crafted, with depth and mystery to each of them. I don't think they were trying to break representational stereotypes with the roles each character plays, but what's important is that you can empathise with all of them, regardless of their flaws.

Broadchurch struck me as incredibly well filmed and written television programme, at points seeming to demonstrate features usually seen in high budget film. There are some sequences I particularly remember that stand out, not for being particularly expensive but because they are well thought out.

The scene where characters are shown through a mirror (Episode 4)

Beth is hugging the child who is one of Danny's best friends

The doorbell rings and Beth leaves to open the door and the camera moves up to the mirror

The focus pulls through the mirror to focus on the door being opened

We get to see who rang the doorbell and Beth's conversation with them in one swift movement

This sequence, although not the first time I've seen it executed, really struck me as beautiful. In the context of a rather tender moment, the use of this camera movement was so smooth and fluid that it didn't break the mood too abruptly. I also have a particular love for techniques like this that are making a sort of TV inside TV effect (basically frame in frame, I think). The exchange between the two characters shown through the mirror (Jack and Beth) is shown as separate drama within the drama we are watching, a decidedly post modern concept, and I absolutely love anything post modern.

The sequence where the sister looks out of the window (Episode 6)

Sister is looking out of the window

An eyeline match as she sees children her brothers age playing outside

Sister tears up and as a tear drops from her cheek

Camera sort of cuts on action to this shot where the picture of Danny is wet with raindrops, or metaphorically, tear drops.

This sequence, it can be argued is quite cliche. I wouldn't disagree. But the simplicity of the transition and the connections drawn are so fluid and well thought out. I'm not particularly sure where the cut away of Danny comes from, but I love the way the idea is conveyed so succinctly and simply. 

The sound (and music) in both these sequences is absolutely integral to the mood conveyed. In the first scene, the complete lack of music over the subdued environment sound allows the viewer to completely form their own feelings. The music, in the second scene is incredibly powerful and emotional, and it is half of what makes that scene so memorable to me.

The show has a complex narrative structure, and I would mark it down as a flexi-narrative as it follows some narrative threads that aren't actually related on the surface that make sense at the end of the series. It's not as complex as, say,  the Bridge, which follows much more diverse storylines that seem to have absolutely no relevance to the main till the end, but the story in Broadchurch keeps the audiences on their toes without overwhelming them- the Bridge I despise personally for this reason. Broadchurch doesn't try too hard to be different; it's aware (in the first season at least) that the story being told is something audiences are used to, but it seeks to stand out by doing that so much better than we've come to expect from a typical "whodunnit" crime genre drama.

Broadchurch's season 1 has cemented itself as one of my favourite crime dramas, and I'm very inspired by what they've achieved with the show. I hope to use many of the features they've demonstrated in this show in my own.