'Bernard's Watch' textual analysis

Format: Children's Comedy
Directed by: David Cobham
Original run: 1997 - 2001 – 2004 - 2005



Camera, Editing, Sound, Mise-en-scene:

- calm atmosphere and slow paced
- very little action - establishes the main character and highlights the watch as a predominate focus
- the camera remains still at several points of the title sequence, e.g. the first 7 seconds being the longest, followed by 3 second still shots
- the first 7 seconds show a young male character walking up, and the camera then switches to a long shot of the boy walking
- a low angle shot shows a watch and the boy walking towards it, the low angle shot puts the watch as the focus
- the clock 'sparkles' which symbolises magic and the colour scale changes as the watch sparkles, again reinforcing the magic linked to the watch
- the background behind the boy shows clock mechanisms and the colour scale is dark
- a rainbow directs to the watch, suggesting the happiness linked to the watch
- non-diegetic clock 'ticking' is heard along with the background music
- the title sequence ends with a still shot of Bernard holding up his watch - the boy is positioned on the left and the watch is positioned on the right, showing that they are equal in their importance and focus of the drama

The Bernard's Watch title sequence is similar to Sabrina The Teenage Witch title sequence in that the theme of something 'magic' can be ascertained. The background setting is kept very simple to allow the focus to stay on the boy and the watch, and the camera angles used, such as low angles, accentuated more attention to they boy and the watch. The watch and the boy have equal importance in the title sequence, which suggests that they have an equal role of significance in the drama. For example, the last shot shows the boy positioned on the left and the watch positioned on the right, again reinforcing their equal importance. Moreover, effects such as the sparkle off the watch and the background of clock mechanisms over the boy highlights the importance of the watch and suggests the theme. Therefore, Bernard's Watch has an effective title sequence; action isn't used much and this gives the audience time to establish the theme and ensures that the focus is kept on what's important to the drama - the boy and the watch.