House Of Cards: Codal and Textual analysis

House of cards uses a variety of media techniques in order to portray different representations of the main characters, location and politics.

The editing of the show gives us a strong representation of the character, Frank Underwood.  The pace of the editing varies from scene to scene however it all adds up to paint this character, Frank, as a vicious and vengeful character. In an argument between Frank and his wife Claire, there is the use of shot reverse shot. The cuts and changes are very quick to suggest that this argument is heated and this shows the tension in the scene. This represents not only Franks but also Claire as characters that will not back down and will fight until they get their own way. There is also a very similar example that shows Zoe Barnes as and ambitious and arrogant character. In the scene where she is handing in the Education Bill, she is constantly interrupting her co-workers and there for the shot pace is very fast as the camera goes to the co-workers then is instantly back on her as she always has something to say. This shows that her character will make sure that her voice is heard as she want to make it to the top. In the title sequence of the show, there is a series of sped up establishing shots of the city of Washington DC. This represents the setting of the show as a very fast paced and busy establishment. This also sets the tone for the show itself.

Moreover, the camera work also does a good job in the representing of characters in the show. There are many close-up shots on peoples faces in order to show emotion. Peter Russo is portrayed, through the use of camerawork, as an untrustworthy character. In the scene where his meeting is interrupted but his secretary posing as the president elect there are close up shots to his face and we can see that, even though we know he is lying, he keeps a strong, straight face. This immediately show the audience he is manipulative and not to be trusted. This is also reinforced in the scene where he lies to his secretary saying that he was alone the night before. This is a heated scene which uses the shot reverse shot at a fast pace. This shows that he wont crumble under pressure also. It also show that Christina, his assistant is quite a doubting character and is sceptical of his actions. When Russo is finally caught and called out by Frank he becomes worried and paranoid and agrees to everything Frank says. This shows him to be a pushover character being easily controlled by Frank. In the scene where Frank is told that he will not be made Secretary of State there is a close up shot, which shows his slight change is emotion. The change is enough for the audience to know he is hurt by the decision however it also shows him go from neutral to hurt to angry in a matter in a second showing he is ready to fight for his position.

The mise-en-scene of Chapter 1, gives a strong representation of the main character, location and politics. The main character Frank Underwood is seen as a quite sinister character and through mise-en-scene. This is portrayed through the continuous scenes the use lowkey lighting. This represents a sense of mystery and suspense which all conform to the conventions of a thriller. Frank Underwood is always in uniform or dressed very clean and is well groomed which exaggerates the closet and lifestyle of politicians. Frank Underwood is also looking for revenge and is a power hungry character, this is represented through setting as most of the plotting and scheming occur late in the day with very lowkey lighting (normally natural light from the moon) this represents a sinister atmosphere as well conforming to a political thriller conventions it also shows how sinister Frank’s character is. For example, when Frank shatters the plates in his house this can represent the power struggle Frank is going through as he was cheated from being State Senator. Another example of corruption is when Frank blackmails Peter to work for him with no questions asked.

In House of Cards, there is a use of dull and muted colours and with low-key lighting. The dull muted colour offers a sense of realism towards the audience as House of Cards portrays the corruption and power struggles within Washington, which is unknown to the public/audience. The low-key lighting conforms to the genres of a thriller and in House of Cards case the genre hybridity of a drama/thriller.

Also mise-en-scene has a part to play in the character of Zoe Barnes. Zoe’s life has a major contrast from the lives of most of the other main characters who live in large and clean spaces. She lives in a messy apartment with paper and work scattered everywhere this suggests that she doesn’t care about her appearance. When Zoe first meets Frank she was wearing a revealing V-neck to try and sway Frank. This suggests that Zoe will do whatever it takes to get where she needs to be.

Peter Russo is a corrupt solicitation, who is involved in dark matters such as drugs and adultery. Peter becomes one of Frank’s pawns when he gets arrested for drink driving. Through mise-en-scene it showed Peter’s situation through dull/muted colours also when Peter was arrested it was set in the night, which gives it a more sinister feeling.

Another significant part of Chapter 1 is the sound used throughout the episode; there is a use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound within the episode. More significantly diegetic sound is more predominant, this usually occurs from Frank when he is narrating what’s happening within the episode and what he is planning. Frank looks directly at the camera almost if it’s a conversion between Frank and the audience. Despite this there is still non-diegetic sound in the episode, which is mainly the background music, this is more mysterious and it adds to the tension of the episode, it also gets your blood pumping and heart racing through the music. With the background music it conforms House of Cards to a political thriller. During the presidential elect winning party, there was a lot of patriotic music but Frank’s voice was more noticeable. During the episode the characters voices override the background music.

Verbal Codes also help to understand the Frank Underwood is a very