Director - James Strong

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James strong is a British writer and director. He has directed episodes of Torchwood, Doctor Who, Silent Witness and Broadchurch. 

Broadchurch:

Broachurch is a British TV crime drama created and written by Chris Chibnall. It follows the death of 11-year-old Danny and the impact his death has on his family and friends as two detectives (Olivia Coleman and David Tennant) work together to try and find his killer. 

Broadchurch has a very blue tone which creates a cold and gloomy atmosphere, emphasising the story line to the audience. Strong uses lots of the natural sunlight to not only show the beach location but to cast shadows on the characters which makes it more mysterious and keeps the suspense going and the audience guessing who murdered Danny. 



Gracepoint: 

Gracepoint is the American remake of Broadchurch which did take off and was cancelled after the first series. Gracepoint used all the same shots and dialogue as Broadchurch and even had David Tennant play the same character, so for anyone who has already seen Broadchurch, it was boring and repetitive. 
Broadchurch is very British in terms of its location and characters, and Gracepoint tried to make it more Hollywood which did fit the raw and gritty story. The original story was told very slowly over 8 episodes, revealing small clues here and there. Gracepoint speeds up the process of finding out who the killer is, removing all the suspense and tension from the original. 

Although James Strong's directing style in replicated in both shows, it's clear that Gracepoint wasn't loved as much as Broadchurch. I like Stong's use of lighting in both shows and how he uses it to convey the atmosphere and tone of the story. I also like that he makes use of natural sounds, for example having the sound of the sea and waves crashing in the background to remind the audience it is set on the coast without the audience having to see the beach. 

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