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Transcript for English Introduction (Crime Fiction) Ever since the 18th century crime fiction has been considered to be one of the most popular genres for audiences to read and engage with. But first what is crime fiction? Crime fiction is the genre of fiction that involves crimes, their detections, and the motives behind every action of certain suspects. The genre has adapted and has been categorised into many different sub-genres of crime fiction such as detective fiction, legal thrillers, and thrillers. A Popular examples of crime fiction is through the life of Sherlock Holmes and the adaptations of his story. History of crime The history of crime fiction can be traced back to the 1800’s which is around the time of the Industrial Revolution. Before the Revolution, communities were generally small, and people residing within these communities knew and understood the motives of people around their neighbourhoods. But with the increase of jobs during the revolution, people began moving out into the big cities and this heightened the sense of suspicion, uncertainty which led to more crime. In 1841 the publication of Edgar Allan Poe’s story Murders in the Rue Morgue introduced the first ever official crime fiction story to be written. Edgar Allan Poe’s story spread through pout the western world and became popular within countries such as the United States, Great Britain, and France. Evolution of Sherlock Holmes The character of sherlock Holmes was first introduced in 1887 in an annual Christmas publication by Arthur Conan Doyle. Ever since the first publication of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes more than 250 screen adaptations of the character have been introduced and shown to the world. Some Adaptations include Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), The adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984-1985) and many more different adaptations of his character. But the different adaptations of Sherlock Holmes did not take the most important features of sherlock’s Character, every adaptation of sherlock whether new or old had similar things in common, Sherlock’s arrogant nature, Sherlock’s incredible deduction, and observation skills as well as his interest in mysteries and challenges. Sherlock’s character continues to adapt into new cultures, times and continues to be a popular crime fiction character because of how malleable he is to situations and certain time frames. In the BBC’s Sherlock Holmes, instead of being set in old London the setting is in a modernised city of London where technology is abundant and used regularly. This adaptation is extremely popular because of how relatable the setting is to the times and to audiences (teenagers and Young Adults). How has old text been made new through graphics and editing The use of graphics and editing within film has made old text new because of how engaging and interesting the plots and situations within the film become when they are edited. Editing and graphic techniques such as, Montages, supertitles and lighting all bring life to the film that is being watched. In BBC’s Sherlock Holmes the usage of these three was very important and very useful to keep the audiences engage and entertained by corresponding and shedding light unto the crime fiction elements that were involved within the film. Montages were within all the episodes of BBC’s Sherlock Holmes; this technique was used primarily to communicate large amounts of information in such a short period of time to the audience. Montages also increased the excitement, in scenes where Sherlock and John would travel around London in a taxi a combination of montages, exciting music and Sherlock’s personal flash backs created a uniqueness to the film and certain made scenes more memorable for viewers. Supertitles are used in the very first episode of BBC’s Sherlock Holmes, this editing technique increased the tension and mysteriousness of any scene it was used in. In episode 1, detective inspector Mr. Lestrade and his partner Sally Donovan are being interviewed about a recent mystery. As they begin to answer some of the questions thrown at them, text appear on the phones of everyone who was in the interview room, the anonymous texts are shown upon the screen to the audience watching and this increased confusion and suspicion of the situation. Supertitles are in many different scenarios within the first few episodes of BBC’s Sherlock Holmes. Supertitles are used whenever sherlock is using certain pieces of technology such as his mobile phone to find out more information, they are also used whenever sherlock begins to think deeply and deciphering a situation. Supertitles are also used when Sherlock begins to interact with other characters within the film, such as the villains. Different angles from the camera create different perspective of a scene. Within multiple scenes of BBC’s Sherlock Holmes, the use of Lighting is an important technique as it affects the viewers mood and alongside the music, lighting within a scene also affects the atmosphere the scene brings. In the first episode of BBC’s Sherlock Holmes some of the scene was set in the night and the only sources of light that were available where from buildings, cars, and other objects. In the scene where Sherlock and Dr Watson are chasing a cab the only sources of light were from the moon and streetlamps, these sources of light bring a feeling of unsafe and dangerous scenarios. How has old text been made new through music and sound effects Music and sound effects go in hand with the scene and the mood the producers want the audience to feel or what they should feel. In BBC’s Sherlock Holmes, the music used was them to help tap into the emotional of the viewer and helped the audience relate and engage with the scene. Suspense was created within film through the music that was played in the scenes. Suspense creates an atmosphere for the audience viewing the film, within the various scenes of the first couple of episodes of BBC’s sherlock Holmes the music often came up as suspenseful, in scenes such as episode 2 of BBC’s Sherlock Holmes, when Sherlock and Dr Watson are creeping around and are looking for the killer of the museum guard. Soft Music, with slow and low instruments accompanied the lighting and the supertitles that were present in various scenes. In episode 3 of BBC’s Sherlock Holmes, the explosion that occurred at Sherlock’s place of residency taps into the emotional part of the audience, the sound effect created a shock and affected the audience in a negative way. The sound effects used in BBC’s Sherlock Holmes helped audiences decipher the type of environment and helped audience understand the types of situations or understand the next events that were likely to occur. Instances such as when Sherlock would receive phone calls from the victims of Moriarty in episode three, the sounds of the victims showcased the severity and the seriousness of the circumstance, but it also showcased the uncertainty of the situation as well. Related text BBC launched a website for the first season of Sherlock Holmes, this website connected with audience and made them feel as if they were closer to the characters within the film. The website increased the engagement of the viewer and created a feeling a trust and secrecy between the characters within the film and the audience watching the film. Conclusion Crime fiction has come a long and has evolved into different subgenres, but Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes has proven to be one of the most popular fictional characters because of how adaptable and how malleable his character is. This is shown through the production of BBC’s Sherlock Holmes and how modern visuals and the music and sound effects were to the audience and to the world, which made the plots of the film more relatable and easier to understand.