Analysis of a clip from Sherlock

This clip tells about Sherlock kill a evil man to help John's wife Mary escape from the dangerous situation.

This clip resorts to two representation modes.One is visual mode.It's utilizes the contrast of light and shadow, the postures and gestures of characters, and scene transitions to convey information and create an atmosphere.The other is auditory mode.The dialogue of characters propels the plot forward and conveys emotions and intentions.


Establishing shot: An open lawn, a white building, and a helicopter hovering in the air.
Reaction shot: At the moment when Sherlock pulls the trigger, his elder brother, who is sitting in the helicopter, shows a shocked expression. He immediately shouts into the intercom for the shooters to put down their guns and not to aim at Sherlock. Only when the soldiers put down their guns does his elder brother heave a long sigh of relief. He puts down the earphones and stares at Sherlock below.
Point-of-view shot: In one scene, from Sherlock Holmes' perspective, it shows the nervous John and the complacent enemy.

This clip uses many shooting techniques.The first is camera angles.This segment uses a long shot to show the environment where Sherlock and John are. There are helicopters in the sky, shooters all around, and the enemies standing nearby.In the close-up part, before Sherlock decides to shoot the enemy, the camera focuses on him. He takes a look at John, showing his reluctance to see his friend in a difficult situation. Then he turns his head and ponders for a few seconds. In that instant, he makes up his mind.
The second is camera movements.Techniques such as pushing, pulling and tracking are employed.The camera takes Sherlock as the central focus and cleverly connect the sky and the ground.

The third is lighting.Backlighting, sidelighting and other methods are used. For example, when Sherlock raises his hands and turns his back to John, backlighting is employed. This scene vividly demonstrates Sherlock's greatness.The fourth is color. The overall color tone is cool, such as a blue-toned sky, which enhances the sense of crisis and tension.

In terms of music, solemn and stirring background music is used to set off the sense of heaviness that Sherlock may be facing great danger or even sacrifice. This enables the audience to better understand his determination to protect Watson's wife and the solemn and tragic meaning behind it.
The open lawn, the white building and the helicopter create a tense visual environment.The characters' expressions and actions are matched with sound effects such as the elder brother's shouting and his breathing sounds, which strengthen the emotions. The point-of-view shot allows the audience to be immersed, accompanied by tense music. Lighting effects like backlighting and sidelighting, together with the solemn and tragic soundtrack, comprehensively create an audio-visual experience that is full of crisis, heaviness and shock.