Essay

About House of Cards 


House of Cards is an American Netflix original series which is famous for its cinematographer Eigil Bryld and its director of two episodes David Fincher (Fight Club) .  The show revolves around a character called Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) as he strives to gain power in the United States government by any means possible. It is the highest budget for a TV series to be broadcasted straight onto the internet rather than having a channel of origin.



Many people don't know but the genius plot and story behind House of Cards was originally British (as all good things are). The original British series which stared Ian Richardson had a very similar level of critical acclaim. When comparing the two together the British series gets the entire plot over to the audience in five episodes whereas the American is stretched out over two entire seasons and more seasons are to be produced. Originally my opinion was cynical i.e. that the producers of the  American version wanted to make a larger profit but as it is released on Netflix they receive no profit for doing the show other than the Netflix monthly subscribers.  Of course, the reasoning for them making the show in the first place was to attract new subscribers and the award winning cast and crew helped to achieve just that. However it is not just blatant profiteering, the series is exceedingly good and does to suffer for being longer. Quite the opposite I can't wait for the next season.




What is single camera and why do they film like this ?


Single camera is regularly used in the television and film industries for a variety of reasons and in my opinion there is no particular single reason. Others would disagree and argue that cost is the main reason behind single camera. Cost is obviously important as the production will have no need to invest in a second camera and in Indie and low budget television this is very helpful as cameras could be one of the main allocations of the budget. The other main reason behind single camera is that it allows the director much more creative control. For example: take this picture below. It is impossible to get the shot below when using a multi camera set-up as when one camera cuts away it would reveal the position of the other camera. Single camera allows a director to produce many more professional shots which otherwise couldn't be possible with a multi camera set-up.

The last major reason but not the least is that the milticamera technique is often used in shows such as Eastenders which shoots several episodes per week and work on a very tight schedule so they have to use multiple camera to get the work done.  With House of Cards this is not the case. The directors are given time to choose the shots they want very carefully and there in  no hurry to finish as they want to end up with a quality finished product.



How is it produced ?


As with most TV shows and films it is produced a variety of ways. Enormous importance is placed with the actual producers which in this case is Netflix and more specifically David Fincher (Fight Club) as exclusive producer who has had a very active role in bringing the series to life by directing the pivotal episodes.  Other ways which they finance the series at least in part include the terrible constant advertising for Apple, Dell and Sony including one for the new playstation Vita.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHCqw23zU_o

Producers 

Kate Barnow...(11 episodes, 2013)
Rick Cleveland...(2 episodes, 2013)
Andrew Davies...(26 episodes, 2013-2014
Michael Dobbs...(26 episodes, 2013-2014)
Sam Forman...(11 episodes, 2013)
Gina Gionfriddo...(1 episode, 2013)
Keith Huff...(2 episodes, 2013)
David Manson...(1 episode, 2014)
Sarah Treem...(2 episodes, 2013)
Beau Willimon...(26 episodes, 2013-2014)

What technical elements are used such as lights camera and sound ?


This show is famous for its technical elements and  I will start by talking about the multi award including Golden Globe winning  cinematography by  Eigil Bryld which captures beautifully the dark atmosphere which is Fincher's vision .

All the best cinematographers use natural light complimented with artificial lighting techniques to allow for the ultimate natural lighting and the best overall look.  For example: in the image above there is natural light coming from the sun hitting the front of Kevin Spacey's face. On the opposite side I'm guessing there may be the presence of a reflector on the top of his head as there is a clear presence of a daylight fill lighting his hair.


Is the show written on an episode basis or the entire season. How do you know ?


This question has a rather obvious answer. The show was previously written by Michael Dobbs for the 1990 British television series also called House of Cards which has much the same storyline.

Michael Dobbs did the original short story and the screen play for the British version which of course then became the American remake. Some small plot changes were added in by Andrew Davies for the updated American version mainly to stretch out the story slightly in order to allow for a second season.

Writers 

Kate Barnow...(11 episodes, 2013)
Rick Cleveland...(2 episodes, 2013)
Andrew Davies...(26 episodes, 2013-2014)
Michael Dobbs...(26 episodes, 2013-2014)
Sam Forman...(11 episodes, 2013)
Gina Gionfriddo...(1 episode, 2013)
Keith Huff...(2 episodes, 2013)
David Manson...(1 episode, 2014)
Sarah Treem...(2 episodes, 2013)
Beau Willimon...(26 episodes, 2013-2014)

Conclusion 

 Having watched both versions of the show I would have to say that they are equally as good though the British version doesn't include extra money making episodes and embarrassing product placement
Although this is not my favourite TV series it is still compelling and is much better shot and put together that anything that I've seen on television before thanks to the class of David Fincher (Social Network) .  This groundbreaking show has set a new standard of television which is unmatched by anything so far as the production is concerned. The single camera technique which is used throughout both seasons of the show helps add to the production value and gives more creative control to the directors to allow for a better overall product.



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