'I became quite successful very young, and it was mainly because I was so enthusiastic and I just worked so hard at it.' Francis Ford Coppola

Squeezing the franchise too far?

Popular programmes and films can become ‘franchises’, that is, so recognisable that characters, titles, storylines and so on are trademarked and then licenced for use by others.

The TV crime drama CSI is one such media franchise. The board games could be taking things a bit far, though. Having said that, AQA could be planning a surprise for this summer’s exam…

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Posted: April 15, 2012

How to Measure Success

Beyrl Vertue, one of the independent producers behind Sherlock, has criticised the British TV industry for being too focused on audience ratings. It raises an interesting question, relevant to all aspects of media and film: how should we measure success? How do you quantify appreciation? Artistic merit?

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Posted: March 30, 2012

TV Crime Drama Websites

A web presence is obviously vital these days, and generally there’s the opportunity to watch clips if not full episodes. Have a look, especially if you’re preparing for the AQA TV crime drama exam.

CSI

Visit the CSI website.

Waking the Dead

Visit the Waking the Dead website.

The Bill

Visit the website for The Bill.

Sherlock

Visit the Sherlock website. This one has blogs and interactive quizzes.

Scott and Bailey

Visit the Scott and Bailey website.

Luther

Visit the Luther website.

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Posted: March 26, 2012

Strong Female Characters

Maggie Brown argues in The Guardian that strong female characters have proved popular with audiences. She focuses partly on ITV’s Scott and Bailey. Those of you preparing for the AQA TV crime drama exam should keep this in mind.

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Posted: March 26, 2012

TV Crime Drama Trailers

Here are some trailers for TV crime dramas. Some are for individual episodes and some for the entire season / series. Studying these is sueful for those of you preparing for the AQA TV crime drama exam.

Scott & Bailey

Luther

Sherlock

Ashes to Ashes

CSI

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Posted: March 26, 2012

TV Crime Drama Title Sequences

Title sequences are always a treat, and this selection is no exception. If you’re preparing for the AQA TV crime drama exam, studying these to establish the conventions would be useful.

Life on Mars

Luther

Sherlock

Zen

Waking the Dead

Silent Witness

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRUS9dSHLjQ

Miss Marple

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmQIxN3NA4U

Poirot

Dexter

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Posted: March 26, 2012

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