Dramas -
-Sherlock Homes
-My Girl
-The Replacement
-Board church
-Prison Break
-Eastenders
- Orange is the new black
Showing posts with label drama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drama. Show all posts
drama series - waterloo road
Waterloo Road is a British television drama series set in a comprehensive school of the same name, broadcast on BBC One and later also on BBC Three. The first episode was broadcast on BBC One on 9 March 2006 and the final episode on BBC Three on 9 March 2015, Waterloo Road ran for 10 series, 200 episodes and exactly 9 years. The show was usually broadcasted at 8 o'clock and ran for 60 minutes, however sometimes varied between 8-9 and sometimes 9-10, suggesting the target audience is for not necessarily the older generation but the teenage and onwards ages, we assume this as the show revolves around teenagers and their lives in school and at home, suggesting that the similar age group audience could have the ability to relate to the programme. throughout the 9 years of the show, there have been many accidents, deaths, new characters and even the school being moved from rochdale ,England to Greenock, Scotland. each key character that enters the show is given an episode to inform the audience of their back story, and life in and out of school, sometimes stories unfold throughout a certain amount of episodes however something completely unexpected can occur in the space of one episode, these types of structures can keep the audience wanting to watch the next episode and experience thrill and shock when something they did not expect to occur.
I think a lot of the teenage audience watch this programme to receive the pleasure of personal identity, the programme revolves around characters who are presented to be a similar age to them and possibly experience similar situations to the characters in the home environment or school. the audience, especially those of the teenage audience i could imagine watch waterloo road for the pleasure of social interaction, to be able to discuss and gossip about the characters and what happens on the episodes with their friends or family, use the happenings n the show or the programme in general to build conversation. we could say this is conventional to the drama genre due to generally the 'drama' that occurs at the school with the students and teachers on a daily basis, the things we class as factors of a drama series, we can find in waterloo road, ranging from dramatic death scenes, affairs, a villain, a hero, a victim. the plots are open ended and many storylines are featured or even interlinked in an episode.
this particular programme's target audience i would say is fairly obvious, as the show is based on and around teenagers and school, so people of that age group between the ages of 10 and 20, who would be currently in school/education. how could the older generation relate or find it interesting to view. many viewers could watch the programme for entertainment, to escape from their everyday reality, for this pacific target audience that could be school, which is sort of ironic because they are watching the school and its happenings, although this could further engage the teen viewers more because they go to school too. social interaction could also be a possibility, watching the show would allow students and friends to interact and have something to talk about they both parties find exciting and fun to talk about. certain individuals could also view the show for the pleasure of personal identity, comparing their own life with the characters and situations portrayed, this could be easy for student viewers and common school life struggles are represented in the show, making it easy to relate and compare ones self with. however, we could also say the show could attract some middle aged individuals, they could watch the show for the pleasure of information, possibly about the workings and happenings of an average public school, maybe comparing it to what their child might experience in their own school.
this particular programme's target audience i would say is fairly obvious, as the show is based on and around teenagers and school, so people of that age group between the ages of 10 and 20, who would be currently in school/education. how could the older generation relate or find it interesting to view. many viewers could watch the programme for entertainment, to escape from their everyday reality, for this pacific target audience that could be school, which is sort of ironic because they are watching the school and its happenings, although this could further engage the teen viewers more because they go to school too. social interaction could also be a possibility, watching the show would allow students and friends to interact and have something to talk about they both parties find exciting and fun to talk about. certain individuals could also view the show for the pleasure of personal identity, comparing their own life with the characters and situations portrayed, this could be easy for student viewers and common school life struggles are represented in the show, making it easy to relate and compare ones self with. however, we could also say the show could attract some middle aged individuals, they could watch the show for the pleasure of information, possibly about the workings and happenings of an average public school, maybe comparing it to what their child might experience in their own school.
the opening sequence sounds with a loud punchy guitar riff, this could suggest the reckless and mischievous representation of the school and the students withheld
Analysis of TV show - Drama
Typical shows of the drama genre include TV shows such as Peaky Blinders, Broadchurch, Doctor Who, The Missing, Sherlock, Call The Midwife and Sherlock.
Format
TV shows in the drama genre typically run in a series and are generally scheduled to be broadcasted on weekdays. The shows run in a series and the stories are most likely to move closer to a resolution.
Dramas are most likely to appear on channels such as the BBC and ITV so the show can reach a mass audience.
Appeals
Audiences will most likely watch drama shows for entertainment purposes. Some of the TV shows may be unconventional and so these types will reach out to the explorers rather than the mainstream who will watch the conventional drama shows as they will easily be able to watch a drama show without having to find out anything else in order to watch it. An audience may also appeal to a drama TV show by the characters in the show. If they are elite people an audience is more likely to watch it and identify with the show. In drama shows that run through a series, each episode is likely to end with a cliffhanger therefore an audience will be interested to find out what happens next and therefore they will continue to watch the shows.
Target Audience
The target audience using the 4C's model would reach out to the explorer and slightly mainstream. The explorer because they seek for discovery, a story which unfolds within the drama shows through a series or continually will allow an explorer to be interested in finding out what happens next. The reason why the target may be mainstream is because drama TV shows are generally shown through week days and therefore it becomes a routine for a mainstream audience to find time to watch most of time just one episode a week.
Non-diegetic music is used throughout the drama series. This is used to add ambiguity to the show.
The characters you would expect in a drama show are dark with hidden secrets. The purpose of this is so these secrets can be revealed to find the resolution within the show. In most drama shows you will also get the antagonist who is part of the reason to find the resolution and usually is the colporate of it. In this case you have the Peaky Blinders who are a group of brothers using violence to anyone who crosses their path. However, even though they are violent they aren't necessarily seen as the antagonists.
From the opening sequence of Peaky Blinders we can gather that it is set in around the 1920s-30s by the type of outfits they are wearing and the setting itself. The setting also establishes that it is set around a lower class city. From the visuals, the lighting in the sequence is dark which sets the mood and tone of the TV drama series. The slow pace when the child is blowing a red powder into the face of the horses suggests that this particular part is preparing an audience for something dramatic that is going to be unfolded and it puts emphasis on an audience to take it in so it is understood later in the series. The tracking shot of following a man on a horse instantly shows that this person is the protagonist of the drama. The drama will be based upon him.
Overall the typical settings of a drama TV show are those which are depressing, void of any life, lifeless and saturated with dark colours. Especially Peaky Blinders. They are set in what is seen as rural, lower class Britain. Peaky Blinders supports this because from shots of establishing shots and long shots we can gather that it is set in industrialised Britain. It is post war era therefore the country had a low economy and had battered and bombed cities with little to no hope. This is reflected in the visuals. Peaky Blinders was filmed in cities like this such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Dudley and Leeds.
Drama shows leaves an audience each time a show is broadcasted with, what happens next? An audience will be intrigued to get these type of questions answered and therefore they will continue to watch the shows. Enigma codes such as this will help an audience move on to a narrative.
Format
TV shows in the drama genre typically run in a series and are generally scheduled to be broadcasted on weekdays. The shows run in a series and the stories are most likely to move closer to a resolution.
Dramas are most likely to appear on channels such as the BBC and ITV so the show can reach a mass audience.
Appeals
Audiences will most likely watch drama shows for entertainment purposes. Some of the TV shows may be unconventional and so these types will reach out to the explorers rather than the mainstream who will watch the conventional drama shows as they will easily be able to watch a drama show without having to find out anything else in order to watch it. An audience may also appeal to a drama TV show by the characters in the show. If they are elite people an audience is more likely to watch it and identify with the show. In drama shows that run through a series, each episode is likely to end with a cliffhanger therefore an audience will be interested to find out what happens next and therefore they will continue to watch the shows.
Target Audience
The target audience using the 4C's model would reach out to the explorer and slightly mainstream. The explorer because they seek for discovery, a story which unfolds within the drama shows through a series or continually will allow an explorer to be interested in finding out what happens next. The reason why the target may be mainstream is because drama TV shows are generally shown through week days and therefore it becomes a routine for a mainstream audience to find time to watch most of time just one episode a week.
Non-diegetic music is used throughout the drama series. This is used to add ambiguity to the show.
The characters you would expect in a drama show are dark with hidden secrets. The purpose of this is so these secrets can be revealed to find the resolution within the show. In most drama shows you will also get the antagonist who is part of the reason to find the resolution and usually is the colporate of it. In this case you have the Peaky Blinders who are a group of brothers using violence to anyone who crosses their path. However, even though they are violent they aren't necessarily seen as the antagonists.
From the opening sequence of Peaky Blinders we can gather that it is set in around the 1920s-30s by the type of outfits they are wearing and the setting itself. The setting also establishes that it is set around a lower class city. From the visuals, the lighting in the sequence is dark which sets the mood and tone of the TV drama series. The slow pace when the child is blowing a red powder into the face of the horses suggests that this particular part is preparing an audience for something dramatic that is going to be unfolded and it puts emphasis on an audience to take it in so it is understood later in the series. The tracking shot of following a man on a horse instantly shows that this person is the protagonist of the drama. The drama will be based upon him.
Overall the typical settings of a drama TV show are those which are depressing, void of any life, lifeless and saturated with dark colours. Especially Peaky Blinders. They are set in what is seen as rural, lower class Britain. Peaky Blinders supports this because from shots of establishing shots and long shots we can gather that it is set in industrialised Britain. It is post war era therefore the country had a low economy and had battered and bombed cities with little to no hope. This is reflected in the visuals. Peaky Blinders was filmed in cities like this such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Dudley and Leeds.
Tv Drama
Typical Examples:
Format:
The Drama genre typically runs in series. For example, Call The Midwide is broadcast on BBC One and has six series as of March 2017. These shows are typically shown in the late evening, around 9pm, when children are normally in bed but the traget audience, teenagers and adults, will still be up. Usually in each series, there will be a big storyline that will progress throughout the series and will come to a resolution at the end of each season. Quite often, a series of a drama will end with a cliffhanger and which will be resolved at the beginning of the next season.
The opening sequence of Call The Midwife tells us that the show is a period drama. This is shown through the use of black and white as at the time it was set, there were no coloured photographs. As well as this, the use of the images of children and babies tells us that the show is focused around midwives and babies. The setting shown in the opening sequence is a small town in the UK, this is shown by the row of terraced houses in one of the images. The music used is quite upbeat which tells us that the drama is quite positive however it ends with a long note and an image of a baby alone. This tells us that the show also handles negative storylines as well as positive ones.
One archetype that is often used in tv dramas is 'the victim'. 'The victim' is the person who is dealing with a situation, which is either the main storyline to the drama or just a small storyline that is featured in the genre. For example, 'the victim' in 'Call The Midwife' is different in every episode. This is because, for this particular drama, 'the victim' is the woman who is having the baby. She is 'the victim' because a most storylines on 'Call The Midwife' include a woman who has a baby with complications or has complications herself. This is also shown in dramas such as 'Midsomer Murders' as 'the victim' in that drama changes each episode.
Most shows in the drama genre follow a narrative that lasts throughout the series. In most cases, the shows have a seperate main storyline in each season that comes to a narrative resolution at the end of each season. Despite this, some dramas do not come to a narrative resolution and use action codes such as cliffhangers at the end of a season or episode, which will either come to a resolution at the beginning of the next season or episode or at the end of the shows run. The use of cliffhangers in the genre leave an active audience to make their own decisions about what happened or is going to happen. It also leaves the audience wanting more and keeps them on their toes. The drama genre often uses the binary opposition of 'bad vs good' as there is always a character who is against the main protagonist or does bad things.
- Doctor Who
- Call The Midwife
- Broadchurch
- Downton Abbey
- Skins
- Sherlock
- Peaky Blinders
- The Crown
- Midsomer Murders
- Death in Paradise
- Luther
- The Night Manager
- Merlin
Format:
The Drama genre typically runs in series. For example, Call The Midwide is broadcast on BBC One and has six series as of March 2017. These shows are typically shown in the late evening, around 9pm, when children are normally in bed but the traget audience, teenagers and adults, will still be up. Usually in each series, there will be a big storyline that will progress throughout the series and will come to a resolution at the end of each season. Quite often, a series of a drama will end with a cliffhanger and which will be resolved at the beginning of the next season.
Appeals:
People watch tv dramas for entertaining purposes, which is part of the uses and gratifications model. As well as this, tv dramas usually have a large following and therefore people, usually mainstreamers, may watch to allow them to have something to talk about with other people. Watching for social interaction is apart of uses and gratifications. Dramas that are set in the past may attract audiences based on the information they provide about the time perio. People may watch to find out information about that time or may watch because they find that time in history particuar interesting.
Target Audience:
Tv dramas are usually targeted at working class adults and older teenagers. I would say that they are aimed at the mainstreamer as dramas tend to handle things that could happen in everyday life. As well as this, tv dramas run at the same time on the same day of the week for a certain period of time which will help with the daily routine that is fundamental to the mainstreamers way of life. Dramas such as Downton Abbey may appeal to the traditionalist lifestyle category as it is set in the early 20th century, which had different ways of life that the audience may feel are better than todays. Dramas may also appeal to the utopians lifestyle category as many dramas contain violence and murder. For example, the main topics in Death in Paradise is death and murder, as shown by the title. Utopians may want to widen their knowledge of certain subjects related to that in order to fulfil their want to make the world a better place.
Opening Sequence:
The opening sequence of Call The Midwife tells us that the show is a period drama. This is shown through the use of black and white as at the time it was set, there were no coloured photographs. As well as this, the use of the images of children and babies tells us that the show is focused around midwives and babies. The setting shown in the opening sequence is a small town in the UK, this is shown by the row of terraced houses in one of the images. The music used is quite upbeat which tells us that the drama is quite positive however it ends with a long note and an image of a baby alone. This tells us that the show also handles negative storylines as well as positive ones.
Setting:
Tv dramas a typically set in small towns or villages in England, often London. They are often filmed on location rather than a studio as most scenes are shot outside. We often see characters interact with each other in communal places, peoples homes or places with a lot of people. For example, in 'Call The Midwife' the characters mostly interact in Nonnatus House, a fictional nursing convent in Poplar district where the midwives and nuns live. Most of the scenes are shot in this house, which is an old college rather than a studio set.
Tv dramas a typically set in small towns or villages in England, often London. They are often filmed on location rather than a studio as most scenes are shot outside. We often see characters interact with each other in communal places, peoples homes or places with a lot of people. For example, in 'Call The Midwife' the characters mostly interact in Nonnatus House, a fictional nursing convent in Poplar district where the midwives and nuns live. Most of the scenes are shot in this house, which is an old college rather than a studio set.
Technical Codes:
The drama genre often uses close up shots of the characters faces which creates a relationship between the character and the audience. This also allows the audience to see how the character is feeling at specific moments. As well as this, the genre includes montage clips in order to pass the time. These montage clips have non-diegetic music playing alongside which matches the pace and atmosphere of the scenes taking place in the montage. The use of non-diegetic music is also used in sad scenes in the genre. For example, in season two episode four of 'Call The Midwife' there is a scene where the midwife is talking to a mother whos baby was born with complications. During this scene, the editing is slow paced and non-diegetic music is used to match the tone. This is used often in the genre as a whole, during sad scenes, non-diegetic music is used and the editing is slow whereas during happier scenes, faced paced editing is used.
The drama genre often uses close up shots of the characters faces which creates a relationship between the character and the audience. This also allows the audience to see how the character is feeling at specific moments. As well as this, the genre includes montage clips in order to pass the time. These montage clips have non-diegetic music playing alongside which matches the pace and atmosphere of the scenes taking place in the montage. The use of non-diegetic music is also used in sad scenes in the genre. For example, in season two episode four of 'Call The Midwife' there is a scene where the midwife is talking to a mother whos baby was born with complications. During this scene, the editing is slow paced and non-diegetic music is used to match the tone. This is used often in the genre as a whole, during sad scenes, non-diegetic music is used and the editing is slow whereas during happier scenes, faced paced editing is used.
Characters and Representations:
One archetype that is often used in tv dramas is 'the victim'. 'The victim' is the person who is dealing with a situation, which is either the main storyline to the drama or just a small storyline that is featured in the genre. For example, 'the victim' in 'Call The Midwife' is different in every episode. This is because, for this particular drama, 'the victim' is the woman who is having the baby. She is 'the victim' because a most storylines on 'Call The Midwife' include a woman who has a baby with complications or has complications herself. This is also shown in dramas such as 'Midsomer Murders' as 'the victim' in that drama changes each episode.
Narrative:
Most shows in the drama genre follow a narrative that lasts throughout the series. In most cases, the shows have a seperate main storyline in each season that comes to a narrative resolution at the end of each season. Despite this, some dramas do not come to a narrative resolution and use action codes such as cliffhangers at the end of a season or episode, which will either come to a resolution at the beginning of the next season or episode or at the end of the shows run. The use of cliffhangers in the genre leave an active audience to make their own decisions about what happened or is going to happen. It also leaves the audience wanting more and keeps them on their toes. The drama genre often uses the binary opposition of 'bad vs good' as there is always a character who is against the main protagonist or does bad things.
Researching and Analysing specific genre of TV Show
Drama
Typical examples of the Drama TV Genre are:
- Broadchurch
- Skins
- Holby City
- Casulty
- Call the Midwife
- Pride and Prejudice
- My Mad Fat Diary
The genre drama, is broadcasted through series mostly, for example Broad church is broadcast on ITV and has only 2 series up to now, and Skins has 7 series. When these shows are mostly shown on TV is around 9pm/10pm which is the times where children are mostly in bed and is known to be appealing to adult/teenage audiences. The format of the narrative of the show is shown through a progression of the show, by revealing more things and building up to the resolution of the problem that is being faced in the show. The actual time period that these shows are broadcast are mostly presented to the audience each year.
The appeals of the Drama genre as to why audiences watch these shows are purely in my opinion for entertainment, which is apart of Uses and Gratifications. People watch drama shows in general though, as by putting observations together and it seems that humans are attracted to dramas as it is seen as stimulating. It stimulates our minds and bodies, and leads to the encoders on getting a reaction out of the audience. Another reason as to why people watch Drama shows is down to social interaction, as friends may watch it also therefore, audiences are able to discuss the programme as a talking point. Another way that social interaction is the reason as to why audiences watch Drama based shows is so that they can use the likes of social networking sites like Twitter, to look at trends on the topic in the show at the time. Another thing as to why audiences may watch Drama shows is because of Personal Identity. There could be a something in that specific show which is relatable to an audience member and relevant at a certain time in their lives- audiences are able to create a bond with the characters because of this due the relevance of the topic for the two.
The target audience of Drama TV Shows are mainly targeted towards a Mainstream audience, as the shows usually consist of reality and everyday obstacles in some sense and also in most cases appeals to the Struggler if we're talking of Dramas such as, Skins and My Mad Fat Diary. Most Dramas on TV consist audiences watching them for entertainment however they can be classified to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and from there it is denoted that most audiences are positioned in the Esteem Needs category and also Social Needs & Love and Belonging.
Lifestyle Categories for Dramas are able to be categorized through Utopians as most Drama based TV Shows, deal with issues within such as, murder, mental health, addiction etc... which an audience could take and educate themselves more on those specific topic areas.
Audience Profiling for Drama TV Shows would mainly be female, in the 16-30 year age group. I would think that the family would consist of a Mother, Father and Children, that are working class, and from the UK. Ethnicity wise I would say all ethnicities watch Drama shows, and are under education in either college/ sixth form and university. The religion side of things I would say mostly Christian and are apart of a labour party in the politics section.
The visuals in this opening sequence of Skins from Series 3 tells us about the setting that it is industrial and has a lot of estates. This has connotations that the area is some what "rough" which soon effects the characters beings, and clearly identifying this being a drama packed show. On the topic of characters, this opening sequence for them, denotes the types of people that is typical of the Drama genre, for example, we see the characters smoking connoting rebellion and also characters kissing which connotes drama that may affect other characters in the narrative of the show. Leading onto themes that this opening sequence that the visuals connote are love, rebellion, adolescence and friendship. The music of the opening titles is the sound of bells which suggests, that the audience may feel as if panic has surfaced as bells are alarming which would make an audience feel anxious as it is a sign that something is wrong or something is about to go wrong, which fits perfectly with the Drama genre. Finally the camera shots in this reveal the characters to us, which enables us audience members to quickly relate to them and/or understand what is happening within the narrative that the opening titles is attempting to denote.
Settings that are typical for Drama genres are usually set in places that are communal also were the characters within the show are close due to this close society. How different characters interact with each other in these areas are usually through in a park, or the local pub, and basically just areas where you go to socialise, whether that also consist of house parties within the narrative of the show. Drama TV Shows are usually set in towns that are quite urban. For example, we have My Mad Fat Diary, which is a drama series of a young girl called Rae who is battling depression, but makes new friends and slowly gains happiness and is on the road to recovery- the whole point of this friendship group she has made in the narrative throughout the show is to socialise at which she does that by going to house parties, the pub, and drives, which reveal the settings of the area.
The technical codes in a drama genre are typical in the sense of camera shots and the use of close ups which enable the audience to create a relationship with the characters and also, they could actually relate to the characters in ways that are relevant in the audience member's lives. For example, in episodes of ITV Drama, Broadchurch, the use of close-ups are common and used a lot for this reason exactly, which is typical of the Drama genre. The editing that is most frequent in dramas, from my own personal experience of watching Dramas are montages of the different character within the show and their lives when separate from each other.
Typical characters in the Drama genre from stereotypes and archetypes are, "The Victim" which is the character that is the one who is dealing with an issue within the narrative, for example we have Effy from Skins battling psychotic depression, which lands her in a mental hospital and in that role she is the victim. Another example is Danny Latimar on Broadchurch and his death and in that respect, that is his character being the victim as they try to find his killer.
Functions of the people in the show are basically "the guiders" in Drama genres as there is always a recognition of disruption in Drama TV Shows as there is mostly always a resolution. How certain groups are represented within the show are based from stereotypes of the Status Quo of society at the time, which reflects on negative topics, however it could also be that they are based from positive topics that are happening in today's reality in society.
Characters are an important element in TV Shows as they have to be there to make a connection with the audience even if an audience member doesn't have anything in common at all with the character(s), there will be certain characteristics at which are linked to an audience member, whether that be the character personally or the situation that the character is in. What does make a good character in this genre however, is the character that actually makes the whole show possible in a sense, as they are the key to either the disruption of the narrative or the resolution to it. An example of a good character in the Drama genre is Rae from My Mad Fat Diary. She is a troubled teenager that has made plenty of friends since getting out of a mental hospital, however she is the character within the narrative that disrupts it (which in this case for her, she relapses on her mental condition, causing her friends to find out and leads to a chain of events throughout the narrative- which denotes my reasoning of certain characters making a show possible), however the character is then the resolver in the narrative to make things better, which for me is vital in this particular genre of Drama in TV Shows.
Active Audiences are widely expected in the genre Drama, as in these particular shows, audiences are more likely to have their own theories and also ideologies of what way the narrative is going or going to go. An example of this is Broad church and it's forever long lasting like build-up to find out who Danny Latimar's killer was. Even after the resolution and the New Equilibrium of the narrative in Drama shows, audiences from my personal experience with the genre, are still having and making theories of the shows narrative by taking an Oppositional Reading to the whole resolution within the narrative.
Action/Enigma Codes in Drama TV Shows are most definitely the most important element within the narrative as it adds to the suspense that comes along with the genre in particular, for example the cliff hangers which encourage and attract audiences to continue watching that particular show to find out what is going to or about to happen, examples of this are Skins and the series 4 finale where Cook and the Dr fight as Cook finds out that the doctor has killed Freddie (one of his best friends) and it abruptly stops, which leaves audiences in ore and wanting to continue watching the show and feel the anticipation of the next series.
Dramas in general and their narrative's all depend on what type of drama that it is specifically as there a bunch of sub-genres for the Drama category, such as: Crime Drama, Historial Drama, Horror Drama, Docudrama, Psychodrama, Comedy Drama, Melodrama, and Romantic Dramas.
Finally, themes, Ideologies and Binary Oppositions in the Drama genre often tell us about the world that Friendship is a key factor as in most Drama TV Shows, there is always an involvement in friendship, which provides teamwork in resolving the actual drama in the narrative of the show. A Binary Opposition for the Drama genre is Bad vs Good, as there is always the villain character type in Dramas and there is always the hero character(s). What is valued by the genre Drama, is that in my opinion, it is one of the most relatable genres to a mainstream audience as they always battle real-life situations and suggest ways in which they can be resolved.
UK Drama Research and Analyse
The UK television dramas are apart of the biggest TV genre's to run on. UK dramas air around the whole of the world. These shows usually run on the 3 main broadcasting networks in the UK; ITV, BBC and Channel 4.
Some examples of these would be:
Drama shows usually run in series shown after a few months or even a year (in the sense of Sherlock 2 or even 3 years) break from being on ours screens. Its is normally shown on telle durning the winter periods of the year so mainly at the start and they end; they also mainly have christmas special episodes where the characters have a completely different plot line to what is usual within their series just for the soul purpose of fitting into christmas. Examples of these are: Doctor Who, Sherlock, Downton Abbey, Merlin. They would usually broadcast at this time because it is more likely that people are going to be in the house on the couch in front of the TV and can't watch a heavy drama. There is usually a continuos story that runs through all of the series with the same characters going through something which is usually a tragic event until the whole programme comes to a close. In Skins it is a bit different. It follows 3 groups of friends going through the two years at the same college; as one group graduates the next group come in for their time. These are known as the different generations in skins.
Some examples of these would be:
- Doctor Who
- Sherlock
- Downton Abbey
- Happy Valley
- Granchester
- Skins
- Poldark
- Misfits
- Merlin
- Being human
Format
Drama shows usually run in series shown after a few months or even a year (in the sense of Sherlock 2 or even 3 years) break from being on ours screens. Its is normally shown on telle durning the winter periods of the year so mainly at the start and they end; they also mainly have christmas special episodes where the characters have a completely different plot line to what is usual within their series just for the soul purpose of fitting into christmas. Examples of these are: Doctor Who, Sherlock, Downton Abbey, Merlin. They would usually broadcast at this time because it is more likely that people are going to be in the house on the couch in front of the TV and can't watch a heavy drama. There is usually a continuos story that runs through all of the series with the same characters going through something which is usually a tragic event until the whole programme comes to a close. In Skins it is a bit different. It follows 3 groups of friends going through the two years at the same college; as one group graduates the next group come in for their time. These are known as the different generations in skins.
Appeals
Some may use drama in different ways. Some may use it for personal identity from the subplots within the show. Like in Doctor who the person watching couldn't really identify with the fact that he is a thousand year old alien whose face changes and travels through time and space. However, they could identify with the struggles that he faces and the emotion that him or his companion feels. They could also identify with the character in skins more as it is a realism series. Information is another one of the uses & gratifications that someone could use dramas for, especially when watching period dramas like Downton Abbey and Poldark. They would get information from these shows
Television - Drama
- Luther
- Sherlock
- The Office
- Downton Abbey
- Misfits
- Life on Mars
- Peaky Blinders
- Shameless
- The Musketeers
Format
Typically, this genre runs in series' consisting of varying amounts of episodes in each. The shows are usually scheduled to be broadcast from 7pm as this allows families to watch it as they will have finished school or work. Throughout the series, there is a large, often complex narrative that is resolved more and more as each episode passes yet every episode has its own narrative that is resolved or may even end on a cliffhanger to keep audiences coming back. As a series ends it is common for a larger twist or cliffhanger to occur in order to prepare the audience for what is to come when the show comes back.
Appeals
Drama series offer the audience a form of escapism from everyday life and transport them into more exciting worlds filled interesting characters and scenarios. On top of this, the fact that the shows are often broadcast on mainstream networks means that a large number of people will watch them which gives people something to interact with others about. As well as this, the characters offer us a chance to compare our own experiences with theirs which helps you to relate to the show more and have more interest in the events that transpire. The shows are often unconventional in the way that they all offer something original to an audience as a unique selling point and they need this in order to market themselves more effectively however they do follow familiar conventions such as problem and then a resolution in order to remain familiar to the audience.
Target audience
The target audience for UK drama would be the mainstream audience type. As UK drama shows are very popular and watched by many, people would want to keep watching in order to fit in during social situations with others which they would not be able to if they didn't have the talking points from watching the show. As well as this, the shows broadcasting schedules offer the chance to sit down with your family and watch them together, something the mainstream audiences profile would want.
Depending on the show the age of a viewer can vary greatly yet typically they are at least teenagers as the topics discussed within the shows are usually serious topics. Families could watch them together yet so could individuals, the fact that the genre can be watched by so many people is a staple of the genre itself as they offer something for everyone.
Opening Sequence
The opening sequence for Sherlock is fast paced and instantly establishes the setting as London through the use of iconography such as the London eye and Big Ben. The fast pace tells us that the show is going to be tense and adds mystery and suspense, this is enhanced with cut in shots of blood, guns and voyeuristic shots of the public.
Setting
UK dramas often take place in cities and busy environments because the shows focus on relationships between people and what better way to have plenty of people than to set your show in an urban environment. Also, the majority of people watching will be from urban or suburban backgrounds and therefore they can relate to these environments better than they could do a with a rural setting. These shows also use studios to reproduce highly controlled environments with perfected lighting and mise-en-scene.
Technical Codes
Often the shows use fast paced editing to create tension in the audience as this helps to increase the suspense that the show gives off. Common shot types are close ups in (order to relate to characters) and shot reverse shots to show the relationship between characters on screen. Combine this with plenty of wide shots to showcase the environment and you have easily identifiable characters and the setting they are within. Non-diegetic music is often used to help add energy to certain scenes and build tension as the music builds.
Characters and Representations
These shows often blur the lines between 'good guys' and 'bad guys' as the protagonists always have a flaw that gives them edge and makes them more interesting to watch. UK drama has taken a likeness to the crime genre and due to the modern trend of darker, grittier themes as it is no longer as entertaining to watch a wholly innocent protagonist go about his business as it is seeing the character struggle with the blurred line separating good and bad. However, these shows do of course use stereotypes in order to create characters that are easily identifiable by an audience such as the chav and the wise old mother figure. As well as this, when a show changes era they use costume to stereotype what type of class the characters are with often drastic differences between the lower, middle and upper classes.Narrative
Binary oppositions presented in UK drama are often good vs evil and law vs crime, however sometimes they may be mixed up so that the protagonist does not necessarily follow the law and so we are rooting for the criminals. Following Todorov's stages of narrative, TV series often begin in a state of equilibrium and it is here that we are introduced to the characters. As the series progresses, the disruption, recognition, and the attempt to repair will all take place across many episodes. However, the series may not specifically end on the reinstatement of the equilibrium in order to create a cliffhanger that causes people to want to watch the next series. Internal conflicts that characters have to go through during the disruption and the attempt to repair the disruption tell us a lot about the world we live in as these problems reflect everyday issues and can be presented as microcosms to relate to the audience. Each episode will usually end with an enigma code in order to raise questions with the audience that to answer they will need to keep watching. The main bulk of the episodes will therefore take the form of action codes in order to move the narrative forward and answer the questions that have been prominent across the series. UK drama values the enigma code as they often challenge the audience and can often help to shatter expectations.
Television-Drama
Research and Analyse of Drama Programmes
Typical examples
Format
Each show runs in a series with episodes lasting about 45 mins and having from 13 to 20+ episodes each series.Adding a new episode once a week in some cases, others do thing like Christmas specials, e.g doctor who who adds one hour long episode at christmas. The start of a new episode will always recap the last few episodes before so the audience can catch up on anything they missed or to re-cap as the episodes are a week or longer apart. In every episode there is always a problem that the main characters will need to solve, the problem is always solved in one episode and a new one arrises in the newest episode.
Appeals
The appeals of the genre are mystery as every time a new episode is released is a follow on from the one before. The episode before the newest one is always left as a cliff hanger giving hints as to what could be the plot line in the next one. One of the main reason for why the audience may watch these types of programmes would be to gain entertainment/ escapism purposes. As a form of escape from everyday pressures and a source of entertainment.
Target Audience
There are many different audience types for this type of television genre. The drama programs will normally entice a certain audience type, which would be the explorer. As they are often the first to try something new out ideas or experiences. They respond to brands that offer new sensations, indulgence and instance effects. The seek out the difference in society, new shows, new ideas and new ways of entertainment, their core need in life is discovery. This also means that they would fit in to the self actualisation section in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Meaning their sole purpose would be to find new discoveries and to find enlightenment.
opening sequence
The Doctor Who series 8 opening sequence that is shown at the top on the page doesn't exactly who a certain setting but we see an object falling or flying passed clocks and roman numbers. When the opening sequences starts the camera shows different size clocks around the out side of the framing. All the cogs interlock and all are ticking while the camera moves through the scene. 7 seconds into the opening sequence we see a bright orange light, once that light dies down we see a spiral of roman numbers spinning with he Tardis flying out of the centre. The opening sequence doesn't really tells us much about the show but it does gives us hint, the clocks that are present throughout the sequence tells us that the show revolves around time,past, present and future.
Setting
For shows like Causality, The Bill and Holby City all have similar settings. Which would be a small village or city. In which the main characters all live and work, their everyday lives revolve around all the problems and issues that happens in the town. Eastenders and Emmerdale also take place in towns but they are a lot small, where everyone knows each others problems. Call the midwife is a British drama series which follows around a group of nurse midwives working in he set end of London in the late 1950's, early 1960's.
Technical codes
Different camera shots are always used in all of theses different shows. Close ups are used to show how the characters are feeling, we see all the raw emotion on their face. Medium/ long shots are used to establish the setting for background of the scene. They can also be used to shows who else is in the shot with a character. Fast pace editing used in the opening sequences of drama shots to show short clips of the problems that happened in the episode before the newest one. Slow pace editing it also sometimes used when a problem is about to unfold e.g. a car crash, when are person is confessing to a problem or when a character dies. Music is always used in more dramatic shots that keeps the audience eon the edge of their seats. Loud and fast music can be heard when we know some thing bad is about to happen and soft quiet music will be heard when a touching moment happened, between close friend, family or main characters.
Characters and representations
Typical examples
- causality
- Eastenders
- Doctor Who
- Happy Valley
- The bill
- Call the midwife
- coronation street
- Luther
- Emmerdale
- Holby City
Format
Each show runs in a series with episodes lasting about 45 mins and having from 13 to 20+ episodes each series.Adding a new episode once a week in some cases, others do thing like Christmas specials, e.g doctor who who adds one hour long episode at christmas. The start of a new episode will always recap the last few episodes before so the audience can catch up on anything they missed or to re-cap as the episodes are a week or longer apart. In every episode there is always a problem that the main characters will need to solve, the problem is always solved in one episode and a new one arrises in the newest episode.
Appeals
The appeals of the genre are mystery as every time a new episode is released is a follow on from the one before. The episode before the newest one is always left as a cliff hanger giving hints as to what could be the plot line in the next one. One of the main reason for why the audience may watch these types of programmes would be to gain entertainment/ escapism purposes. As a form of escape from everyday pressures and a source of entertainment.
Target Audience
There are many different audience types for this type of television genre. The drama programs will normally entice a certain audience type, which would be the explorer. As they are often the first to try something new out ideas or experiences. They respond to brands that offer new sensations, indulgence and instance effects. The seek out the difference in society, new shows, new ideas and new ways of entertainment, their core need in life is discovery. This also means that they would fit in to the self actualisation section in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Meaning their sole purpose would be to find new discoveries and to find enlightenment.
opening sequence
The Doctor Who series 8 opening sequence that is shown at the top on the page doesn't exactly who a certain setting but we see an object falling or flying passed clocks and roman numbers. When the opening sequences starts the camera shows different size clocks around the out side of the framing. All the cogs interlock and all are ticking while the camera moves through the scene. 7 seconds into the opening sequence we see a bright orange light, once that light dies down we see a spiral of roman numbers spinning with he Tardis flying out of the centre. The opening sequence doesn't really tells us much about the show but it does gives us hint, the clocks that are present throughout the sequence tells us that the show revolves around time,past, present and future.
Setting
For shows like Causality, The Bill and Holby City all have similar settings. Which would be a small village or city. In which the main characters all live and work, their everyday lives revolve around all the problems and issues that happens in the town. Eastenders and Emmerdale also take place in towns but they are a lot small, where everyone knows each others problems. Call the midwife is a British drama series which follows around a group of nurse midwives working in he set end of London in the late 1950's, early 1960's.
Technical codes
Different camera shots are always used in all of theses different shows. Close ups are used to show how the characters are feeling, we see all the raw emotion on their face. Medium/ long shots are used to establish the setting for background of the scene. They can also be used to shows who else is in the shot with a character. Fast pace editing used in the opening sequences of drama shots to show short clips of the problems that happened in the episode before the newest one. Slow pace editing it also sometimes used when a problem is about to unfold e.g. a car crash, when are person is confessing to a problem or when a character dies. Music is always used in more dramatic shots that keeps the audience eon the edge of their seats. Loud and fast music can be heard when we know some thing bad is about to happen and soft quiet music will be heard when a touching moment happened, between close friend, family or main characters.
Characters and representations
- The bad boy
- The quite girl
- The trouble maker
- The mean girl
- Innocent child
- The helper
- The villain
- The heart breaker
- Loyal friend
These are they types of representation, characters and stereotypes that are normally found in drama programs.
Narrative
For each episode the problem that occurs is always solved in that one episode and a new one will occur in the next episode. Problems that happen in these types of programs will not normally happen in day to day live. Problems that do happen in these types of programs , will not normally happen in day to day life as they have been largely exaggerated, for the purpose of entertainment for the audience. In drama series family is always valued, telling us that in every day life we should also spend tim with family and enjoy the time that we do have with our family. Also relationships are seem to be important in drama programs, suggesting that in everyday life we, the audience, should also value relationships.
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