HOLLYOAKS!!

http://www.channel4.com/catchup-player/player.htm?brandId=hollyoaks&contractId=44579&episodeId=179

In this episode, which took place on Friday 5th September 2008, a very sinister story of drugging, deceit, violence and madness is poetically merged with the trvial story of the reuniting of gay former lovers John Paul and Craig.

Around the 8.30 mark of the second half, the scene changes back to the two guys who have been talking throughout the episode (as I am unfamiliar with the names I will refer to them as 'Red Shirt' and 'Mad Man'.) Red Shirt appears to be sweating violently, and is losing all sense of focus as Mad Man watches on with a calm expression. Red Shirt stumbles off his chair, saying 'I think I'm gonna be sick', but after barely making it to his feet, he collapses, and Mad Man catches him. As Mad Man holds him, he softly tells him of how and why he drugged Red Shirt, beginning to cry maniacally in the process, as sinister out-of-tune-violin music plays increasingly louder in the backround and vomit spurts uncontrollably out of the semi-conscious Red Shirt's mouth, in the culmination of the massive crescendo of a horror movie-like scene.

All of a sudden the scene changes to a bed with the semi-naked John Paul and Craig (who have just been reunited after a year apart from each other)lying beside each other, blissfully pondering their love for each other, and how and why John Paul will be breaking the news to his curent boyfriend Kieran, who I THINK is Red Shirt. The essence of this second scene is the two lovers saying to each other how they have always been the ones for each other, and John Paul putting his trousers on as he gently ponders breaking the news to his soon-to-be ex-boyfriend.

I thought this was a classic example of Hollyoaks typical style of mixing sinister, serious storylines with every-day, trivial storylines. It mirrors every day life, how in one house two lovers blissfully reunite, when just down the street a mad man is drugging someone thought to be his friend, which could lead to a murder situation.

But hey..... THAT'S LIFE, THAT'S ALL PEOPLE SAY!!!!

EDITS:
Camera- For such a dramatic scene as the drugging scene, the camera was changing angles rapidly as the action started to build up and intensify. Even in the part where the two are lying on the floor in one position, the camera keeps in tune with how dramatic this part is, flickering on and off in to black and white images/flashbacks of Mad Man putting the drugs in Red Shirt's drink and back again, as the camera changes from close up to long shot at any given time. Whereas in the lovers reuniting scene, the camera is calm, focused and oftn remains in the same place (long shot) unless there is substantial movement from the characters.

Editing- In the drugging scene the camera is flickering on and off in to black and white images/flashbacks of Mad Man putting the drugs in Red Shirt's drink and back again, telling a story without the dialogue having to change, which was artistically done.

Sound: In the drugging scene, a crescendo of out of tune, increasingly fast out of tune violins play as the action intensifies, until they are going all out in volume and speed as the final horror of this extreme scene is unvieled.

Mise en Scene- these two scenes contrast expansively as the drugging scene is horrific, the camera flickers from angle to angle, colour to black and white, with terrifying out of tune violins building in a crescendo to unveil the horror the scene entails, and all of this compared to the calmness, the lovingness, the stillness of the aftermath of the reuniting of the two lovers makes for quite a contrast of styles and situations, creating a perfect example of the clasic Hollyoaks style of mixing extremely fast paced, serious scenes, with every day, trivial, calm scenes, much like life.