In the kind of video that might actually appeal to the eternally cranky David Simon, Erlend Lavik has created an in-depth analysis of The Wire’s visual style and techniques called “Style In The Wire.” And by in-depth, we mean “36 minutes of pretty brilliant comparison and analysis.” For instance, Lavik, who is an Assistant professor in the Department of information science and media studies at Norway’s University of Bergen, points out that the music in The Wire occurs organically and that any music is also heard by characters and not used as audience cues. Lavik also goes into detail about techniques like the use of 4-by-3 aspect ratio, the influence of documentaries on the show’s style, the use of rearview mirror shots, and how the show actually trusted the audience's intelligence in avoiding obvious visual cues. It’s an absolutely fascinating breakdown of the show that seems to transcend all those surface arguments Simon has railed against. Yes, it’s long, but for fans of the show, it’s worth watching (and still shorter than an episode of The Cape). [via Buzzfeed]
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