Tuesday 24 April 2012

'Green Wing' is a British sitcom set in a fictional hospital, featuring an ensemble cast. There is so much abnormal and unique about the structure of this sitcom as opposed to many typical to this genre. Firstly, each episode is an hour long, with a special finale 90 minutes long. The sitcom has a heavy use of effects in post-production, including speeding up and slowing down. The show, although longer than typical sitcoms, has somewhat of a fast-paced feel to it.

The scenes generally don't feature cuts, and if so, they're used very subtly. On the DVD commentaries, the editors often use natural sources to establish cuts in the scene. For example, in scenes in the canteen or outside, an effect showing people passing in front of the screen, like extras, will make a cut, in such a way that the audience cannot tell. This style leaves heavy room for improvisation, with scenes like Sue White's office being set-up on one camera in one continuous take. The speeding up used in post-production is a way of skipping through the tedious parts of the scenes to get more of the action.


The structure of the show is mostly very loose. Though it's strictly a sitcom, with all the characters having storylines and the same setting for the shows entirety - the large writing staff often allows it to stray from any anchored down story arcs, and almost function like a sketch show with a consistent narrative. Scenes are separated between cast members and their roles within the hospital, and despite some exceptions, can often be viewed individually without any need for continuity. The scene above demonstrates this.

The soundtrack for the show is often played in the background of scenes that are heavily emphasised with physical comedy. The beginning sequences of the episodes, typically involving members of the cast arriving in their own ways at the hospital, has continuous use of the shows soundtrack. The soundtrack itself is produced by Trellis, and is exclusive to the show. Covers of some songs such as Stayin' Alive and Sparks have been featured.

Overall the show is very unique for it's style. The American style of their team of writers allows them to have a looser narrative, with the majority of scenes being completely unrelated to any long-running themes. This style was later applied to the short-lived sitcom from the same team, Campus. Both were an hour long each, both used single camera, and both employed unique production and narrative styles for their genre.

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