In this question you will be rewarded for drawing together elements from your full course of study, including different areas of the theoretical framework and media contexts.
How far does the extract try to create a sense that it is portraying "real life"?
In your answer you should:
- analyse aspects of the extract, giving detailed examples
- judge how far these aspects create a sense of watching 'real life'
The asterisk (*) is there to signpost that this is an extended response answer (see p.86 for more details on extended response answers).
The extract tries to portray real life throughout the show in sections such as when they were having lunch and it takes ages for Jake to receive his food. This portrays real life in the fact that everyone has lunch and some places take ages for food to come and that there is no special treatment for police. This shows them having normal lives and living a normal part of society because they aren't getting food quickly and it is a daily part of life to have lunch. Also when they have to rush off and leave can be shown as "real life" as many people do not have the time to take out of there day to take a break and eat lunch.
Another way that this extract portrays "real life" is through the part when they rush off into action leaving whatever they're doing behind. This can be contrasted to real life because the police are often in a rush and don't get much time to focus on what they're doing. In this scene when they are chasing the digger drivers Josh, seems to do something which anyone can do, anyone that has not had the proper police training and it is just a normal thing to do. He misses the road sign and they place the car spikes on the wrong road meaning they have to continue the chase.
