Peaky Blinders- Media Language

Examples of crime drama TV programmes:

Sherlock, Breaking Bad & Luther

Main conventions of TV crime drama:

1. A lead character with a flaw

2. A criminal investigation

3. A team of investigators

4. A close or sexual or past relationship

5. A sidekick character who's less experienced & looks up to lead character

6. scenes of crime scene, police station or interview room

7. Iconography of blood, weapons & police cars

8. An overall outlook that crime doesn't prevail over justice

Main characters of Peaky Blinders:

Thomas Shelby, Arthur Shelby, Detective Inspector Chester Campbell & Aunt Polly

Describe Thomas Shelby:

He's a quiet & ambitious protagonist who uses intelligence & violence to ascend the ranks of his criminal family

Describe Arthur Shelby:

He's a stock gangster genre character who's less smart & more violent sibling of hero

Describe Detective Campbell:

The antagonist is a lawmaker investigating the organisation of the hero & threatens the status quo established by him

Describe Aunt Polly:

She's a member of the Shelby family & possesses the dominance of matriarchy within fam

How are enigma codes used in narrative of Peaky Blinders?

- Will the Shelby family find out about Ada's relationship with Freddie Thorne?

- Will the police find the weapons they're looking for?

- Why was Grace talking with Detective Campbell?

- What's going to happen to Danny when going to London?

Theories to apply to Peaky Blinders:

- Todorov's Narratology theory

- Steve Neale Genre theory

- Levi-Strauss structuralism theory

Narrative stages:

1. Equilibrium

2. Disruption

3. Recognition of disruption

4. Attempt to repair disruption

5. New equilibrium

Where does Equilibrium happen?

- Thomas Shelby is a powerful man in 1919 Birmingham as the boss of bookmaker

- The Peaky Blinders go about what they're doing as Thomas looks to use the stolen guns

Where does Disruption happen?

- A crate of stolen guns is discovered after a mistake at a routine pickup

- Campbell coming to Birmingham from Belfast to find the stolen guns & catch the Peaky Blinders as he appoints team of investigators to watch every member

Where does Recognition of disruption happen?

Campbell coming to Birmingham by Winston Churchill's order to find the stolen guns

Where does Attempt to repair the disruption happen?

Aunt Polly wanting Thomas to get rid of the gun & him lying about doing so

Where does New Equilibrium happen?

Thomas deciding to keep the guns

Example of Peaky Blinders conforming to 1st crime drama convention:

Thomas having PTSD symptoms e.g; having trouble sleeping & nightmares regarding the war in France

Examples of Peaky Blinders conforming to 2nd crime drama convention:

- Campbell investigating the stolen guns & Peaky Blinders when going through their fact file sheet

- Campbell confronting Arthur

Example of Peaky Blinders conforming to 3rd crime drama convention:

Campbell appointing a team of investigators to watch each member

Examples of Peaky Blinders conforming to 4th crime drama convention:

- Freddie's sexual relationship with Ada

- Thomas' close interaction with Grace e.g; scene where's she singing to him

Example of Peaky Blinders conforming to 5th crime drama convention:

John looking up to Thomas for being fearless against enemies

Example of Peaky Blinders conforming to 6th crime drama convention:

Investigation room with Arthur

Examples of Peaky Blinders conforming to 7th crime drama convention:

Investigation room, use of weapons, detective costume, blood & police station

How does Peaky Blinders deviate from crime drama genre expectations?

There's a flipped perspective where the detective is the antagonist & the hero acts villanious & wanting him to win

1st example of Binary Opposition & its ideological sig:

• Thomas Shelby & Campbell

• Evil doesn't prevail through illegal actions but there's no clear triumph due to Campbell's unorthodox methods within law enforcement

2nd example of Binary Opposition & its ideological sig:

• Arthur Shelby & Aunt Polly

• Women holds more wisdom & strategic thinking than men's impulsiveness

3rd example of Binary Opposition & its ideological sig:

• Thomas Shelby & Freddie Thorne

• Violence ceases more power than the idealism of fighting injustice through resistance

4th example of Binary Opposition & its ideological sig:

• Crime & Law & order

• Disrupts social order which creates a power struggle between them & sets the stage for characters' motives

5th example of Binary Opposition & its ideological sig:

• Machismo & Compassion

• Thomas tender & vulnerable interactions with Grace & Danny & his PTSD challenges trad masc traits

6th example of Binary Opposition & its ideological sig:

• Heaven & Hell

• Represents contrast between morality: the virtuous Grace & Thomas' violence & engaging in illegal actions or poor conditions of post-war Birmingham with aspirations for a better life

7th example of Binary Opposition & its ideological sig:

• Men & women

• Challenges trad gender roles

8th example of Binary Opposition & its ideological sig:

• War within streets & War within selves

• Reflects landscape full of crime & unrest with the Thomas struggle with PTSD

Characteristics of Post-modernism:

1. Irony or knowingness

2. Reflexivity

3. Intertextuality

4. Hybridity & Eclecticism

5. Parody or Pastiche

6. Hyper-reality

Definition of Irony or knowingness:

The show being aware of its genre & conventions

Definition of Reflexivity:

Being aware of own emotions, beliefs & judgements

Definition of Intertextuality:

References to other texts

Definition of Hybridity & Eclecticism:

Combination of more than one genre

Definition of Parody or Pastiche:

Constant mockery of a genre & its conventions

Definition of Hyper-reality:

A created copy that perceives more than real than the original

Elements of hyper-reality:

The portrayal of a criminal gang that did exist in Birmingham is exaggerated cuz it's a TV show for entertainment purposes & engaging narrative

Elements of hybridity:

There are references to Western genre e.g; Thomas's horse ride through the city street, townpeople dashing to hide when he arrives and linger to watch the drama & peaceful living room that hides a busy gambling den?

Elements on intertextuality:

Story of a crime fam, battles with rivals & 'rise of the foot soldier' narrative arc from working class to mob boss resembles Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Godfather'

Application of Steve Neale's Genre theory:

- Contains familiar tropes e.g; anti-hero, scenes of suspense & violence & aesthetic costumes

- Shows variation compared to period dramas throguh adding depth to 'tough guys' characters e.g; Thomas and Danny's PTSD, industrial & unpleasant setting

Visual codes:

- Setting: reflects industrial period through smoke, machinery in the background & poor working class enviro

- Iconography: weapons, blood, police car, investigation room & religious necklace of Jeremiah

- Clothing: Fitted waistcoats and razer blade caps are a trademark of Shelby fam, formal attires of inspector & police, simple & practical clothes of working class & elegant dresses

Audio codes:

- Dialogue: less dialogue from Thomas fits his sinister and authoritative character, inspector's long-winded speech fits his high position & words don't carry much weight

- Music: Punk & rock songs gives modern feel to period drama

Musical contribution:

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds sinister theme song 'Red Right Hand' & other 14 songs over 6 seasons