The Cinematography in Broadchurch

An ITV show directed by Jonathan Teplitzky

I will be analysing the cinematography within the latest episode of Broadchurch.

Broadchurch is an ongoing TV show, currently on its second series, with episodes every monday.

A seemingly calm and friendly seaside town becomes a town wrapped in secrets when the death of an eleven year old boy

sparks an unwanted media frenzy. As the town's locals start to open up about what they do and don't know, it falls upon the

police to catch the supposed killer. - IMDb

The two plot lines are absorbing, the characters are well-drawn and the cinematography is even more stunning

-The Independent

Introduction

Cinematography Pt.1

In Broadchurch they use eye level, out of focus shots to create an unclear reality (see shots on right). Teplitzky uses this to show how life in broadchurch has become distorted and unclear after the murder. Suggesting that no one actually knows anything for sure anymore and they have come to question everything even the people closest to them. This adds to the mysterious nature of the episode. The director also uses wide shots making the characters seem small and alone(see right). The characters now seem immaterial, irrelevant and insignificant, as if they have no control over their surroundings. They could also be seen as vulnerable, in such a way that they are vulnerable to everything around them, enhancing the idea that the entire community is turning on each other and the are not safe from anything anymore.

Cinematography Pt.2

The director also uses fades in and out of reflections to show the characters emotions and suggest that they are reflecting on their actions. You can see this in the shots on the right. These shots are suggesting that the characters are looking back at their reflections to see themselves for the first time, as though the investigation has uncovered more than expected. It is also used to show what the characters focusing on, allowing us to see it from their perspective.In the shot on the bottom right Teplitzky uses angles and depth of focus to illustrate power and ownership. Along with the words ‘chin up’ the creators are giving her the power in the scene and showing heras the most powerful of the courtroom, as if she has ownership of everything that happens.

Cinematography Pt.3Teplitzky also uses wide shots in this scene to show their vulnerability. They seem defenseless and open to the world after the investigation, giving the illusion that nothing is hidden in the town anymore and everyone knows everything about them and they are exposed.They also used a low angle shot to show importance in a flashback, suggesting that this character, Lee Ashworth, even dominates Alecs memories, as though he even has power over Hardy in his memories.This shot on the right is voyeuristic. Making the audience feel like we’re intruding on the girls life. It can also be seen as a PoV shot as it is looking over their fence, suggesting that it isLee who is spying on her. This enhances our suspicion towards Lee. This shot could also be intertextual referencing the voyeuristic opening shot of ‘Psycho’, which implies that the girl is going to suffer the same horror as Marion.

Cinematography Pt.4In the shot on the right the director has chosen to show us the characters through bars implanting the idea of prison into the audiences mind and possibly foreshadowing that the character, Beth, will go to jail. This makes the audience rethink what they think we know about Beth and consider the possibility that she was the murderer.They use another reflection to show more characters reflecting on who they are. These shots are suggesting that the characters are looking back at their reflections to see themselves properly for the first time, implying that the investigation has uncovered more about themselves that they didn’t know before. The repetition of this to more characters suggests that the whole village has been dragged in and they are all questioning what is real and what is not and they are finding more about who they are than they originally expected. The fact that the actor is also looking around in anxiety suggests that he is embarrassed by the person he actually is, so doesn’t want anyone to see who he really is.

Cinematography Pt.5In one scene they use close up, shot reverse shot to show an ongoing power struggle within the relationship of Hardy and Ashworth. however at the end of the conversation the camera pans down to a low angle shot suggesting that finally Lee has taken power and dominance over their relationship and now controls all the information that Alec gets from him.When Beth walks into the church to meet the sex offenders the camera slowly moves closer, zooming in to an extreme close up of her face. This implies that she is being engulfed by everything around her and she is overcome by all the emotions.The shot on the right is positioned as though it is a point of view shot and someone is spying on them. This adds to the voyeuristic feel of the show, as though the creators are saying that police work is voyeuristic.