Stylistic Influences and Post-Production in Utopia

Utopia is prominent for achieving its comic-book style and the requirement of sharp colours, it also has a different use of colour which is unlike any other show on TV. It is very rare that these effects are natural, so it takes a lot of editing in post production to get the scene to look the way it does when it is finalised.
The whole series of Utopia is based around a global conspiracy in a comic book, so it is very clever how the producers achieve an actual comic-book style throughout each episode.

Director of Utopia, Marc Munden, uses a Technicolour palette from 1950's Hollywood to achieve the unique style. Normally a piece of cinematography is constructed by blues, reds and greens whereas Utopia uses yellows, cyan and magentas to push a distinct element to the series.

Marc Munden and his colourist Aidan Farrell precisely colour-correct each shot in the process of post-production using a grading software called Nucoda Film Master instead of a brush or pen. This was so they could choose certain colours and then paint them into a scene afterwards. They used post-production to enhance the colours in a shot to make it look more vibrant.

It's been said that the colour palette for series two (and onwards) of Utopia is even bolder - with production now aided by sets that are pre-prepared and ready for grading in post-production. The producers and the members that work in post-production - successfully combine the vivid colours to produce a very well executed comic-book effect.

What is effective about the opening to Utopia? Series 2, Episode 6

In 'Utopia' there are a wide range of camera shot used to create dramatic effect throughout the opening scene. A close-up shot is used on the assassin when he speaks of killing the young boy, this shows the blank expression on his face which allows the audience to see his evil personality. It also makes you focus on the words he is saying closely, as everything around him is blurred out, this shows specific detail of mise-en-scene. A reverse shot is then used to show the conversation between the assassin and the mother, this shows the character's expression towards the conversation they are having. For example, the mother looked very shocked and taken back by what was being said to her about her son, whereas the assassin looked very calm yet serious about the conversation he was having. A low shot was used when the young boy was looking up at the assassin and as the assassin stood up to leave, this was used to make the male character look very dangerous and powerful.

The representation of gender is very important in identifying what type of programme 'Utopia' is. The assassin is portrayed as a very intelligent man, who dresses in all black to make his character seem more dangerous. However, the mother is portrayed as very innocent and naive, who cares greatly about the environment and her son as opposed to the male character in this scene. The representation of gender in this opening scene is very stereotypical of how males and females are presented in society. Women are viewed as a lot more insignificant to men, this is shown throughout the scene as the assassin continuously speaks over the mother but he does it in a passive aggressive way, emphasising the idea that we live in a patriarchal society.

The zeitgeist is very effective in an opening to a scene as it reflects what is problem/what is happening in the real world, at the time Utopia was aired on TV. In the scene they talk about how people are expected to look after the world by recycling to reduce the carbon foot-print, this shows how the issue of re-using products is ongoing in our own society. The idea of killing a child and speaking of it in such a way shows that it can be very brutal for the audience to hear. However, this unfortunately has become a norm in society and it is not unusual for many viewers to be shocked when talking about the death of a child.

It is an effective opening to a TV series as it uses non-diegetic music to create suspense and tension in the scene, this will entice the audience and make them want to watch more, which boosts ratings and makes the series more successful.

Preliminary Brief; Continuity Task

As our next assignment, we got set the task of creating a small clip using continuity techniques. The clip must show a character opening and closing a door, crossing the room and sitting across from another character where they will exchange a small piece of dialogue. The techniques that must be included are: 180 degree rule, examples of reverse shot and match on action.

The 180 degree rule:

This refers to a basic guideline that states two characters in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship with each other. This rule refers to spatial awareness of the characters that are in the scene, the aim of this editing techniques is that the camera must stay on an axis in order for this shot to be successful.

Shot Reverse Shot:

This refers to a continuity technique used in conversations that are being conducted in a scene or simply characters just looking at each other or objects. This shot cuts from one person to another as the conversation keeps on progressing. This technique makes the scene look more natural.







Match on action:

This refers to film editing and video editing techniques where the editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shots action. These shots will more than likely be shot separately and not at the same time but match on action gives you the impression that the characters are having a conversation in that moment. This technique is very difficult to perfect.




Story Board: