Analyzing Annalise Keating's How To Get Away With Murder

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What will happen when a law professor and esteemed criminal defense attorney finds herself and those around her entangled in a murder and how far will everyone be willing to go to protect themselves?

“Picture It”:
How to Get Away with Murder is Suits (USA Network 2011 - present) meets Scandal (ABC 2012 - present), with thriller aspects reminiscent of shows like Revenge (ABC 2011 - 2015).

Genre:
It is not enough to simply classify How to Get Away with Murder as a legal drama or a thriller; as Jane Feuer notes television tends to “recombine across genre lines,” blurring the classifications of genre all together (119). Because of TV’s ability to merge and combine separate aspects of genres it is pertinent not only to classify shows into different …show more content…

This space is a reflection of Annalise, with very little - arguably no - separation between her job and her personal life. The main floor, similar to what Butler notes with Mad Men, is a reflection of Annalise’s power and control over others (39). She is the only one with her own office, otherwise everyone else is expected to work in one space – notably, this space is the “family room,” drawing a connection between Annalise’s inability to separate the personal and professional – were she can watch them or close her doors for privacy. The concept of privacy or being closed off is also something Annalise’s office/home reflects, even down to the windows. The front door contains stained glass window, which to the outside looks beautiful, but it also obscures their ability to see in. Any standard windows have blinds or curtains that are almost always drawn or partially drawn to obscure the outside world’s gaze. Moreover, the windows in Annalise’s office French doors are opaque, obscuring the view of her from her own …show more content…

All types of movement are encouraged; pan, tilt, dolly, tracking, crane or hand-held (Mittell, 194). On a basic level, this keeps shots visually interesting, even if the objects in the frame stationary. With the exception of the shakiness that comes with using a hand-held camera, camera movement is typically reserved for shots no tighter than a medium shot. On long shots establishing the outside of buildings where interiorly action is taking place, the camera will either pan, tilt, or in some occasions be a crane shot. The night of Sam’s murder is shot entirely using a hand-held camera; this is because the shakiness of the hand-held camera mimics the panic and heightened emotions experienced by each

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