By Laura De Gouveia

1. Detective Howard Slater
(House of Embers)
Slater’s appearance is clean, shaved and
with neat hair, highlighting the fact that he
has a high position in society so he is
expected to have a good appearance. Slater
is wearing formal clothes (smart trousers,
shirt and tie) which reiterates that he is in a
working environment.
Slater represents the social group of law
enforcement and justice in ‘House of
Embers’. He is a detective. His role in the
film is to look into a case about two
teenagers (Sparks and Lighter) who burned
down a man’s house (Tyler Stevenson)
Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock
Holmes)
Holmes’ appearance is quite messy and not
shaved to highlight the fact that he is an
eccentric detective for hire, so he does not
have to be too concerned about his
appearance. Although, Holmes does wear
formal Victorian clothes throughout the film
(a hat, a dark coat, smart shirt and trousers
etc).
Holmes also represents the social group of
law enforcement in ‘Sherlock Holmes’ and
he also represents retribution. Like Slater,
he is a detective. His role in the film is to
bring the serial killer Lord Blackwood to
justice.

2. The close-up of Slater’s face with a serious
expression in a low lighting area really
highlights him as a stereotypically ‘serious’
law enforcement character. The expression
on his face tells the audience that Slater will
be involved in a case later on in the film.
I choose this close up of Sherlock’s face with
a serious expression as it is similar to my
screenshot of Slater in House of Embers.
Like, Slater the low lighting highlights that
Sherlock is in a difficult situation and as a
law enforcing character. The serious
expression on Sherlock’s face reiterates that
Sherlock is involved in a case.
The main similarities between Slater and Sherlock are that they are both represent the social
group of law enforcement. Also, they are both the ‘heros’ of each film, reinstating the
stereotypical idea that good triumphs over evil. Also, they both wear formal clothing to
emphasize the fact they have high standing careers. Finally, the low lighting in both of the
two screenshots highlights them as serious characters.
The main differences are Slater’s appearance is more neat whereas Sherlock’s appearance is
slightly more scruffy as he is a detective for hire so he can afford not to be too concerned
about his appearance. Also, in the mise-en-scene of the two shots you can’t see anything
behind Slater whereas you can see Sherlock standing by a brick wall.