TEA Essay

In the extract of the tv series “24” that showcases the exchange between a detective and a prisoner, one can infer the most prevalent theme. The theme of the “24” extract is that to overcome evil and injustice sometime people must do whatever it takes, even going against who they are and their norms. Through this extract the director uses various techniques to convey this theme. He also uses certain techniques to convey ideas such as suspense, and mystery that will reveal his/her true purpose.

The primary scene is that of a woman in an interrogation room. Since the setting is in an interrogation room it leads to viewers questioning why the woman is there. It also allows the viewers to infer that the woman is important and hold some vital information that will cause her to be in an interrogation room. All these aspects intensify the scenes and ultimately starts to create a mood of mystery that would be present all throughout this excerpt. Another tool that the director uses is zooming in on a camera that is in the corner of the room when the detective walks in and looks at it. This leads watchers to question why there is a camera and why is the detective looking at it. This also brings up the question on whether or not the detective plans on doing something wrong. The director also uses a close-up of the detective and the prisoners’ faces to show the detective's belief on the severity of the situation. However, the director uses a close-up and zoom on the woman’s face to show her calmness and to also hint that she has a level of power to her that causes her to be calm and confident. Which unconsciously suggest to the viewers that the woman prisoner has something the detective wants.   Another vital part in the first scene is the director uses to showcase his/her message is the lighting, the lighting is dark and dim to further tell the spectator the atmosphere is serious and something unpleasant Is going to take place. The director does this to play on the knowledge that darkness is often associated with evil or unpleasantries which would, in turn, make spectators view the situation in a negative light, which ultimately plays into the agenda of the director.  In the first scene, there is no dialogue, however, the score begins to play hinting to observers’ action is going to take place in the nearby future. The mood of the first scene is mysterious and forces the spectator to ask questions on the situation and ultimately encourage said viewer to continue watching.  However, the main purpose of the scene is to set up the action that will be taken place in the next scenes.

In the next scene, the most prevalent thing is the dialogue between the prisoner and the detective. The dialogue is used to emphasize the seriousness of the situation and later justify what is going to take place as well as give insight to the viewer on why the situation is occurring. The dialogue also creates a noticeable tension in the room between the detective and the prisoner. The shot-reverse-shot that also takes place in the scene signals to the viewers that something bad is about taking place. Since the detectives on the outside look worried and anxious about what is to come. The zooming in on the clock also further escalates the severity of the issue by implying there is not much time left.  These aspects ultimately create a mystic that the director will use to further intrigue the watcher into watching what's going to unfold.

The third and final scene contains the most action and gives some insight to the viewers on what the purpose of the extract is. The action match scene of the detective running toward the prisoner and pushing her to the wall and choking her finally tells the audience the theme of the extract.  This sole event shows the viewers the detective is willing to do anything to stop the bomb even threatening to kill the prisoner which goes against his oath as a policeman. The split-screen further reinforces the point because the detective doesn’t stop even though he knows other policemen are coming which in turn shows how desperate the detective is to stop the evil that is trying to take place.

The director’s vision was to create something enticing and make viewers want to watch it. His/her purpose was to demonstrate to the spectators that we as people may go to great lengths to stop an evil injustice and crime.