Peaky Blinders Analysis

Peaky Blinders - Episode 1 Series 1

The video above is the episode 1 of the TV series called PEAKY BLINDERS and on this page I will be  giving you an analysis about the trailer as well as a few photo stills from the series.

So, as the scene opens it starts of with the (brilliant) actor CILLIAN MURPHY who I think suits this role very well. 

So lets talk about the setting.

The setting of this scene is in the era of 1919 and it's in the area of Birmingham - Small Heath. The way the episode it begins you can tell that it is in the 1900s as the buildings are old and everything is pretty much in dull.

in this image the sky is very dark and it seems like that there is going to be a storm so this shows you clearly that the character in this still is very important yet is negative because he has such a huge impact even on the weather. The way that he is sitting on the horse clearly shows you he has so much authority as a person as he is riding the horse one handed, this shows me that he's very confident within himself riding and he's confident about his horse too as he's showing the viewers that he is the one in power and that he can and will control anything, even the horse. The placement of his right hand which is on his lap shows me that he is in deep thought because the look on his face gives you that instantly, he looks very serious and there is no speck of smile whatsoever, this shows that he's a serious yet determined character and that he is the boss. The fact that he has come on a horse also shows you that he does have power as being on a horse gives you height so this means that he is above everyone there. (literally!) 

If he was brought into the scene in a normal black car, personally I don't think the scene would have been as effective as it is, simply because there would not be any levels in the scene and the fact there is levels in this scene makes it so much better to watch.

The props which are used in the scene are great because they go with the scene very well as they are within the era for example the hat that the character is wearing is a flat cap which were very common to wear in 1900s and they were mainly worn by people who generally where quite important and rich so again this connotes back to him as being an important individual.

The lighting used in the scenes are quite dim and dull and the only thing you can see which is bright is the light from the fire, the fires in these scenes are quite throughout the episode so its shows you that there was a lot of danger and distraction at this time in Birmingham Small Heath. The use of shadows are really good as you can see them very distinctively especially when the main character is riding the horse. This is done to create an atmosphere which is spooky and intriguing and its great because his shadow is the biggest and that shows that he has power over everyone as his shadows overs everything around him.

The costume and make up which is used within these scenes are great as they go very well with the time of the settings because the time that this was happening the clothing that they are wearing is correct. The colour that he is wearing is blue and he also has gold chain on him. The fact that he is wearing a gold chain symbolises to me that he is a very important character as the colour gold is generally associated with importance and royalty.

The space which is used within the scenes is very good and it shows clearly as the people in the village are scared of him so they stay away and hide, this shows the impact this character has on everyone. he also doesn't really socialise with any of the people in the village and this shows he doesn't really care about there thoughts and feelings as he is a negative character which he portrays very well.

The actors. I think the actors play there roles very well. I really like the idea that Cillian Murphy has this negative role as I think it suits him really well as he's done other roles previously such as in the movie Red Eye, where he was the villain and I think that in general him playing these kind of roles suit him.

Colour is absolutely beneficial in a series like Peaky Blinders because it is set in the 1900s, so the colour should be dark and dull because it goes with the scenes. If the colour was bright it wouldn't really make sense in a series like this. The colour is very complimented well as its dark and the fact that the colours in the images are quite dull and muted shows us that it was set in a certain era and again that is good because its given us a feel of nostalgia and that is what we need to see as an audience.

Movement within the scenes is quite important because it shows you how the actors are feeling as well as what they are doing. For example the movement of the people when the main character came on screen was very fast paced and quick, you could see them running away and hiding away as they were very scared of him, so this shows that he has a very superior impact.

I think that these image posters are great as they really show you what the characters are like, for example the first photo of Annabelle Wallis shows me that she looks like a very deceiving character because of her facial expression, the fact that she is not showing her face fully shows you that she is very condescending. I like how you can only see her one eye and the fact that her eye is very wide open thrives you the hint instantly shows me that she is very manipulative.

The Cillian Murphy poster which is in the middle is very good too and I think its great and it shows you so much about the character even before you watch he series. On this image I can tell straight away that he is going to be a very evil, conniving character with a lot of hidden identities  and that he is going to cause so much chaos. The fact that he is looking down and has a very sneaky smile shows me that he is definitely up to something and that he is not a good character, the fact that his eye are covered up as well shows me that he is a bad character because he is not sowing us his full identity.

The Sam Neill image on this poster is the one who you can see clearly out of the three and to me it shows that he must be a very important character with a lot of importance. The fact that he has a very stern look on his face shows me that he is a very "straight to the point" kind of character and will do what he has to do.

  

This image above shows the area of Birmingham, Small Heath.