Life on Mars: Audience + Industry

Life on mars is a typical crime/sci-fi British television series which broadcasted in 2006. There was a poster and a trailer that helped to promote the tv shows and helps to attract an audience. The trailer began with an introduction to the main character, Sam Tyler who is played by Jon Simm, who was famous for appearing in various other BBC Dramas like State of plays and The Lakes. The trailer is a voiceover from Sam Tyler, who introduces himself as a character and explains his predicament to the audience. This allows the audience to be prepared for watching the main episode, they will go into, having a full understanding of the main plot of the episode, which is that Sam has travelled back in time. The Music used in the trailer is a 70s rock song called Immigrant Song, by Led Zeppelin. The music is from the era of the setting of the Tv shows which is the 70s. The editing pace matches the main tempo of the music, which appeals to a mainstream audience and attracts them to watch the tailer. The music helps to engage with audience, if the trailer didn't contain any music then it would be dull and boring and would attract less of an audience.

From the main trailer the audience can easily identify the main genres of the series, by conventions shown in the trailer.  We can connote that is a crime show, because of the blue police siren and the use of the phrase 'DCI'. Also we can identify that it a SCI-FI, show aw well, due to the transformation of the modern car to 70s style car. The poster contains the main character Sam Tyler and co- star Gene Hunt, which is the man in charge at the police office. It is full body of them both standing in-front, of a classic 70s car. Sam is dressed in 21st century style clothes, whereas Gene Hunt is dressed in 70s style clothing, which connotes what time periods they are both from. The poster also features a positive review from a trusted media company 'radio times'.

Post-Modernism in Life on Mars

Intertextuality- The title 'Life on Mars' is in reference to the David Bowie song 'Life on Mars', with the song and the main set of the tv show is from the 70s. The title coyotes a sci-fi genre theme. 

Parody- References to English 70s cop shows like The Sweeney 

Hyperreality- Sam is stuck in his own hyper reality, made up of his own thoughts and memories based on past TV shows that he is watched. 0 

Irony- The whole episode is based on irony created by facts that it deals with an unlikely event, that is based on mirroring hiss real life. It is also ironic because he is stetted about his ex-partner being dead or kidnapped, but he then puts his own life in danger by nearly crashing his car and then stepping into the road. 

Ambiguity- The idea behind the characters that he meets in his dreams, is so he can learn a lesson and realise his true feelings. It is ambitious as we don't know why he has ended up in 1973 and how he is going to get out. 

Reflexivity- 

Life On Mars

In the first episode of life in mars, they use many conventions of the crime and sci-fi drama. For example, the main convention of crime, is a police investigation, this is the first thing that we see. We see a traditional, cop asking for the criminal to open the door scene, and a classic chase scene, then we have a police interrogation, where the main suspect is interviewed. The female cop then chases down the criminal and harm comes to her, this a classic convention of crime, a damsel in distress, and the ongoing enigma , that the main character will have to solve.