How is Regional Identity presented in the opening sequence Doc Martin?

How is Regional Identity presented in the opening sequence Doc Martin?

In the opening sequence of the TV drama Doc Martin, mise-en-scene is presented throughout. Firstly we are introduced to the stereotypical large Cornish plumber, who is working on a tap in the doctors surgery. This plumber is very slow at his job and very relaxed, this is a representation of how everything is much slower in the part of England. In contrast to this plumber, we are introduced to the doctor who had just moved here from London. This doctor is shown to be getting very stressed at times, and getting very frustrated with how slow the plumber is working; This is because in London everything is much quicker and jobs happen faster than in this rural part of England. Therefore, this Doctor is represented to be the binary opposition, moving from a fast paced city to a slow paced village. The setting of this village is in Devon, it has a very old fashioned style with the small cottages and cobbled streets, and everyone has a typical Cornish attitude of being very laid back and relaxed. We can also learn that this village has a very low crime rate, almost non-existent, due to the police officer who spends his time hoovering in a small office which is the village police station. In this small  village, we can see how everyone knows everyone ad everything; for example when the older woman stops the Doctor in the middle of the street in quite an unprecedented manner, just to ask for her prescription of her HRT. This alone tells us that there is an ageing community, and this is a typical representation of the regional identity. Later on we are taken back to the doctors surgery, where we see the plumber sitting down, taking his time on the job, this again representing the slowness of the area and region. We can also see the regional identity in mise-en-scene by the part of the scene where a stray dog runs into the surgery. The doctor then takes the dog out f the surgery, using his scarf, this indicates to us that the doctor doesn’t have a pet because he is used to his city life and hasn't quite adapted to this rural life in a small village. These are some ways that regional identity is presented in the opening sequence through mise-en-scene.

Regional Identity is also presented in the opening sequence through the camera techniques. One way this is done is through the medium close up of the large plumber, who is sitting down, showing even where there is a water leak, he doesn’t move quickly and instead just chats about other less relevant topics. We can also see a close up of the doctor getting very angry and annoyed at the girl employee. This is because whilst havoc is breaking out in the surgery with a leak and a dog running around, the girl is gossiping about her ex boyfriend. This close up shows how the doctor is getting very short tempered with her because he isn't used to this messing around in the workplace, he is used to fast workers and it is a shock to the system to fin out that they are all very slow in this village. This shows again how the regional identity of the village is very slow paced. We later see a wide shot of the village. This shows us the setting of the small pastel coloured cottages, cobbled streets and small market stands. This wide shot shows its rural location of a bucolic landscape, with all the mountains and fields in the background. Finally we see a tracking shot of the doctor whilst walking around the village on his first day, and you see how everyone already knows who he is because in small villages like this, word travels fast. This shows how regional identity is represented through the use of the camera.

The use of sound is also used in the opening sequence to present regional identity. At first we hear the diegetic dialogue spoken by the doctor of ‘treat yourself to a noun’, insinuating that the doctor thinks they are stupid because they are messing around in an office when he’s not used to that in the city. Also through the use of diegetic dialogue, we can learn how the doctor is getting very angry and the policeman in a short conversation because he feels that unlike in London, nobody is doing their job. This is where regional identity is introduced because the doctor can see a difference between these two locations because of how slow paced and played back they are in the village. We can also learn that through the use of synchronous dietetic sounds of the birds, we are in a small, rural, mountainous location unlike the big city of London.

Editing techniques are also used in the opening sequence to present regional identity. One main feature is the slow pace editing, this highlights that nothing much happens in this small village, this is reinforced through the use of sound techniques. However, in contrast of this, there are the occasional quick cuts that portray the doctor getting very angry about the leak and lack of organisation in his office and surgery. Also, the shot reverse shot shows us the small tiff between the girl employee and the doctor of how he doesn’t like all the small town gossip that goes on. This technique is used again when we are introduced to the police officer and how he already knows who the doctor is because of this small town gossip. This outlines the regional identity in the opening sequence and how the sow paced scenes with lack of cuts show a slow region, and this therefore represents the slow pace of their lives.

Overall, Regional identity is presented through the use of mise-en-scene, camera techniques, sound techniques and editing techniques. We can see how the main theme of this programme gets at the slow pace of life which is reinforced in all of these areas.