Spaced Analysis

1. Camerawork to Create Meaning

In episode four of Spaced (Battles) the director, Edgar Wright, incorporates
many different styles of camera work to create meaning. These different styles
of camera work enhance the visual story telling of the episode. One specific
piece of camera work, which Wright employs in this episode to create meaning,
is the close up. Wright uses the close up during emotional and intimate scenes
between Daisy and Tim and between Daisy and Brain when they are
reminiscing about their experiences with dogs. He also uses this technique
when Tim and Duane face off in the forest. He uses this technique during the
intimate moments because, due to how close we are to the actors faces, we as
an audience feel like we are also in this intimate moment with them. If he
would of used a wider-angle shot then this wouldnt have succeeded in making
us feel like we are there with the characters in that moment. Wright uses the
close up for the face off between Tim and Duane because, similar the previous
example, it makes us feel like we are there, facing off with Duane ourselves.
This increases the intensity of the scene, therefore increasing the drama and
the entertainment. This is just one of the ways in which Wright employs
camerawork to create meaning in his work.
2. Editing to Create Meaning
In episode four of Spaced (Battles) the director, Edgar Wright, incorporates
many different styles of editing to create meaning. Wright utilizes these many
editing techniques to enhance the watch-ability and entertainment factor of
this episode. A particular technique, which Wright employs a great deal, is the
cutaway. He uses cutaway shots to show flashbacks, dreams and visualizing
characters thoughts. There are many flashbacks in this episode; Tims
traumatizing dog flashback, Daisys dog flashback, Daisy walking a box and Tim
and Duanes memories. There are also examples of daydream cutaways and
cutaways visualizing a characters thoughts. At the start of the episode, Tim has
a daydream of himself jumping through a window and towards the beginning
of the episode; Daisys thoughts are visualized via two faces on Daisys
shoulders (angle and devil). Wright employs these cutaways to create visual
comedy. The cutaways are usually the punch lines for jokes set up with
dialogue in the previous shot. The characters looking up set some of the
cutaways up, as if they are remembering something. The camera follows them
up, and keeping going into the cutaway scene. Once the cutaway is complete,
the camera pans back down to the character. The visual comedy increases the
entertainment of scenes and also helps the viewer to stay engaged with the
episode and its plot. Cutaways are just one of the editing techniques which
Wright uses to create meaning in his work.

3. Use of Intertextuality
The use of intertextuality is rife in the episode Gone. The episode begins with
a subtle reference to action movie conventions. This reference is the way in
which the gangs car pulls up, the way the gang exit the car and how the gang
comes face to face with Tim and Daisy. The way the car pulls up and the gang
exit the car are shot in a similar shaky cam style to how directors such as Paul
Greengrass shoot their action scenes. Shaky cam and fast paced editing
increases the tempo of a scene and makes the action seems unrehearsed and
unpredictably to the audience. This increases tension within the scene.
Throughout the entire spaced series we see little references to video games
and comics such as Tomb Raider and the X-Men. Tim is often seen playing on a
PS2, playing Tomb Raider. His keys also have a Wolverine key chain on them.
Towards the end of the episode there are several references to iconic films.
These films include; Platoon, The Shinning, Star Wars and Jurassic Park. The
reference to Platoon comes when Tim, Daisy and the gang have an imaginary
gunfight. During this scene the iconic music from Eliass death plays as Tim
dies at the end of the gunfight. Some of the characters in the scene also take
the same pose as Elias does as he dies. Once Time and Daisy make it home, they
are locked out and have to wait all night for Mike and Brain to return and let
them in. Edgar Wright (Director) shows the passing of time by using a smash
cut to Tim and Daisy pulling the same face as Jack Torrance does as he is
shown frozen in The Shinning. The actor who plays Duane in the series, Peter
Serafinowicz also portrayed the voice of Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode One
in the year prior to this episodes release. They reference this by bathing
Duanes face in red light. The same color as Darth Mauls face. Later, Duane and
the gang get into an altercation. Duane confronts the leader of the gang, and
then realizing the rest of the gang surrounds him. He says Clever boys
referencing Muldoons death scene from Jurassic Park.

4. Narrative Plotting
In the episode Gone there are two main plots, however there are also small
sub plots, tied to these tow main plots. The main plot (A plot) follows the
series two main characters, Tim and Daisy as they go out for a night of
drinking and bonding. T The A plot is the plot which has the most screen time,
normally includes main the character(s) and is usually the most fleshed out.
The plot with the second most amount of screen time (B plot) follows two of
the secondary characters, Mike and Brain as they lose Daisys dog, Collin. At the
end of the episode and, therefore the end of these two plot lines, they
intertwine and finish the way thy started, together. The smaller sub plots,
which feature in this episode, are Tim and Daisys interaction with the gang,
Tims ongoing conflict with Duane and those two plots link together when
Duane and the gang meet.