Sherlock Holmes has always been a great mastermind in literature. He is smart, cunning, and sly and always one step ahead of his suspects. In the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes uses the technology of a well-crafted magnifying glass to assist with his deductions; it was the technology of choice for a first-rate detective in his era. In BBC’s hit television show Sherlock, technology plays an even greater role. It assists Sherlock in his endeavors and it is also used in editing the show to give the viewers an even greater perspective into the classic detective’s mind.
In the episode A Scandal in Belgravia, the first thing that a viewer sees is a cell phone. Obviously when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the original stories from which the show is adapted, cell phones was just a figment of the imagination. However, the use of modern technology is continually present in BBC’s modern adaption. During A Scandal in Belgravia, Irene Adler does most of her major communication with Sherlock via text. Meanwhile, Sherlock is trying to hack into a cell phone for digitally stored, password protected pictures. Watson also uses modern technology in this version: all of his journaling is done on a blog and he is constantly checking his follower count to see how many Internet followers he has! The visual and audio representation of the cell phone and modern technology in this episode particularly keeps the viewers interest and provides additional background information without using dialogue or a voice-over.
That being said, the technology used to edit the Sherlock series also greatly enhances the viewers’ experiences. One of the most prominent features, particularly during scenes with cell phone use and blog writing, is that the text appears for viewers to read on screen. This text allows the viewer to feel personally involved in the plot and almost take on the character of Sherlock or Irene Adler in that instance. Text also appears on the screen for each analysis Sherlock does towards different object or people. It allows the viewer to see the small details that Sherlock comprehends and observe rather than just see. This text has an incredibly important purpose because it explicitly provides information that the viewer may not receive or understand otherwise. The hyperlink below includes a video which illustrates this as Sherlock attempts to analyze Irene Adler and then in comparison, John Watson.
Sherlock Tries to Analyze Irene Adler
The use of technology in BBC’s modern twist of Sherlock greatly differs from the state of the art magnifying glass used in the classic Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Modern technology like cell phones and computers are continually present throughout the show and are used to supplement the plot along with the editing, showing text messages as they appear on screen for the viewer to read. Clearly, modern technology plays a major role in the production and viewer understanding of BBC’s Sherlock.