Directions: TV Drama 'Vanished by the Lake'

Vanished by the Lake (2015-) is a French crime drama created by Bruno Dega and Jeanne Le Guillou, with all six episodes directed by Jerome Cornuau. 

It centres around detective Lise Stocker, played by Barbara Schulz, as she returns to her hometown to solve the case of a missing teenage girl similar to one that occurred 15 years earlier and affected Lise personally. 

Jump cuts:

Throughout the mini-series jump cuts are used to create mystery and confuse the audience. These usually occur when Lise is reliving her memories of the crime from 15 years ago, such as in the scene where she is questioned by her father, who is a police officer, working to solve the case.

Not only does this eliminate the audience having to see Lise's father walk toward the camera in the slowness of real time, it also enables selective focus to be used to blur the background, creating mystery of the unknown figure as at first the audience do not know this is Lise's father. This means that the audience are much more firmly fixed in Lise's point of view as see things as she does, so are more likely to sympathise with her about the new case she so desperately wants to solve in the present, therefore making the audience want her to succeed as the hero and main character of the show. These cuts could also symbolise the reluctance of Lise to dig these memories of the past she has tried to leave behind back up, as both the jumps and the blurred background make them seem hazy and quickly played out. 

Detached viewpoint:

As the genre of the show is crime, a detached viewpoint is used when the audience is unsure of the character's motives or intentions.

An instance of this is when Lise goes to the missing girl's school to talk to her teacher. The audience is not sure if the teacher could be a suspect in the case or not, or whether he is responsible for the fact the girl missing in the present has written an essay about the girls who went missing in the past, which has been found at the crime scene. Therefore, it has to become clear to the audience what questions Lise is going to ask him, and if she is planning to arrest him. However, this could also symbolise that Lise is trying to blend in with the crowd at the school so as not to draw attention to herself or the case, as otherwise the criminal could realise she is on to them, and destroy vital evidence. 

This detached viewpoint is also used in the past, when the prime suspect in the missing girl's case is arrested. The audience see this moment when he is arrested through the back windscreen of the police car. However, the blurriness and distance between the action and the camera make the audience question whether he is guilty or innocent as the only evidence they are given as to him being guilty is through a flashback of Lise telling her father it was him. As the action gets closer to the car it becomes clearer, but this only makes the audience focus on the suspect's worried expression as he gets into the car, causing them to further question whether or not it he is a criminal. 

 

The other detective working on the case with Lise in the present, Clovis Bouvier, is mostly seen through this detached viewpoint, usually framed by a window. This gives the audience the impression they are on the outside of the crime looking in, but also on the outside of his mind as what he is thinking and his reactions are hidden from the audience. The fact that he is both at work in the police station and at home during these scenes also represents to the audience that he never stops thinking about the case, and could even be said to be obsessed with solving it. However, he could also be hiding something, such as guilt under this obsession, which is why the audience don't see him close up, but instead framed wide through windows in the dark, meaning much of him and the environment around him is concealed. 

Middle of the action:

As she is the main character, the only character that is frequently framed close up is Lise. In the picture below, the camera is placed in her car, placing the audience here as if they are on the journey with her. The mirror is also used to show them her reaction, showing she is the emotional point of identification for the audience. 

 Even when Lise gets out of the car, shown in the shot below, the audience remain behind with the camera inside her car. This signals that the phone conversation, although about the case, is private, even though the audience see Lise's reaction to it later close up again when she re-enters the car. By placing the camera in her car it is almost as if the audience become part of Lise's personal world, although with the distancing during the phone call it could be inferred that she attempts to keep the case out of her personal life as much as possible, because of what happened in the past.

 Also, during emotional and vulnerable moments in Lise's personal life is when the camera is placed into the action. For example, when her mother, who suffers from a form of dementia, is looking for her father Lise must break it to her that he has been dead a long time.

The positioning of Lise at the top of the stairs and her mother at the bottom symbolises the power Lise possesses of knowledge, and highlights how vulnerable this can make her mother. The contrast between the two is more effectively shown than if this had been framed wider as the angle would have had to have been from the side, rather than straight on. This also places the audience in Lise's personal life, and almost makes what she says about the case more credible as it is seen how she is truthful with her mother as she reminds her of things, using her power for good in an attempt to protect her mother's feelings. 

Influence on my work:

Scene 1

Jump cut when Emma runs away from Cleo after realising she is aware of what Emma has done, highlights Emma's confusion and the sense of urgency, but also places the audience in Emma's point of view as the slowness and choppy nature of the cuts put together symbolise the rush of thoughts Emma probably experiences in this moment (also influenced by French New Wave). 

Scene 2

Wide shot creating detached viewpoint when Emma rifles through Cleo's bag to distance the audience as they are unsure of her intentions.

Scene 4

Inside perspective close-ups to show the emotions of the characters, but also to ensure the audience can connect with them by making them feel as if they are also on the journey of the narrative with them. 

(More about these choices in my director statement)