Introduction to TV Drama

Introduction to TV Drama: Blog tasks

Use our Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) or on Google Drive here.

1) What is serial television drama? Write your own definition.

-A TV split into a series of episodes where the plot unfolds after each episode, this plot will be finished by the end of the series.

2) List five of the TV dramas discussed in the history of the genre on page 1 of the factsheet. How has the genre evolved over time?

-The Avengers
-The Sweeney
-Minder
-Starsky and Hutch
-Danger Man

3) List the sub-genres of TV drama featured in the factsheet. Come up with your own example of an existing TV drama to fit each category.

-Medical: Greys anatomy 
-Teen: Euphoria
-Science-fiction/fantasy: All of Us Are Dead
-Police Procedural (crime): Brooklyn Nine-Nine
-Period (costume): Downton Abbey.
-Family: Friday Night Lights

4) Why is setting so important for TV drama?

-The viewer can be influenced by or make decisions based on when and where the piece is set. The setting also shows them what type of drama it is as a bright and crowed setting would shoe the audiences it is a happy drama, whereas a dark and isolated setting may show them it is an eerie and cold drama.

5) How do TV dramas typically use character? What audience pleasures can be linked to character in TV drama? (Hint: Uses & Gratifications theory!)

-To reflect modern audiences, there is a greater presence of strong females as well as black and ethnic minority characters. Increasingly, gay, lesbian and transsexual characters are also represented in television serials, notably in Orange is the New Black.

6) What is a multi-strand narrative? Give an example of a TV drama that features a multi-strand narrative.

-It is when two or more stories running concurrently in an episode, in addition to any serial beats.

7) What is a cold opening?

-A cold opening is when companies employs a teaser at the beginning to hook the audience and keep them watching.

8) How can Todorov's theory of equilibrium be applied to TV drama serials?

-Generally, stories move through Todorov’s narrative stages though often without the return to equilibrium at the end of each episode.

9) What is the typical form for TV dramas and how are the programmes typically distributed to an audience?

-Many serial dramas fill one-hour or a commercial hour, with some dramas commissioned to span a two- hour slot.

10) How have subscription channels (such as HBO) and streaming services (such as Netflix and Amazon Prime) changed the form and content of TV dramas?

-Drama serials presented on subscription cable channels, such as HBO, AMC and Showtime are not governed by the same considerations as commercial networks like ABC & CBS, Cable channels and services like Netflix and Amazon Prime commission shorter runs and do not need to stick with the same run times as subscription channels.

11) Choose a TV drama and do your own analysis of it using the SETTING / CHARACTERS / NARRATIVE / FORM headings as featured on page 3 of the factsheet.

-Brooklyn Nine-Nine

-SETTING:
-Police station in Brooklyn 

-CHARACTERS:
-Follows the professional and personal lives of a team of detective, mainly Jake Peralta, Amy Santiago and many more.

-NARRATIVE:
-Each episode is focusing on  catching a new criminal and solving the crime they has committed.

-FORM:
-Distributor: NBC Universal Television Distribution and Netflix
-Running time: 30 minutes

12) How might the TV drama genre evolve in future?

-As audiences consume content in different ways serial dramas may become more diverse and targeted toward niche groups. Online programme makers are starting to create more short form content, leading to drama serials that run for much less than 60, or even, 30 minutes.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Music Video introduction

Music Video introduction blog task This week's work requires  Media  Fact-sheet #69: Music Video . You'll need to log in to Google using your Green ford Google account to access this.  Read the fact-sheet and answer the following 10 questions: 1) What is the purpose of a music video? -The purpose of a music video is to sell products, music videos are a form of marketing  as they allow the audience full access to the product they are selling. 2) How has the digital age changed the production and distribution of music videos? -Before the digital age music videos were only available to audiences at specific times and only in certain places. Now, new media technologies meant that music videos, and the songs along with them, were more widely available at any time. Producing music videos was much harder and complicated before but now are much cheaper and easier to produce. 3) Which three major recor...
Read more

mise en scene analysis

Image
  1) Find a distinctive   still image   and write an analysis of the mise-en-scene. Use each of the aspects you've learned in the lesson. -The windows of his car have bullets holes in them, which may show that bad guys are after him and are trying to kill him. The man in the far right corner with a gun has connotations that he is the bad guy trying to kill the innocent man driving the car. The gold light shining on the man in the car shows him to be the main character and he is a nice man as he is so is the centre of attention. The serious facial expression on his face also promises the audience drama and action. 2) Find  TWO  film or TV extracts on YouTube from different genres (e.g. horror, sci-fi, costume drama). Embed them in your blogpost and write a comparison of the mise-en-scene in each. -The first clip is a horror film, and the clips the little doll which appears to be a child's toy is actually not ...
Read more

The British film industry: blog tasks

1) Write a one-sentence definition of what makes a film British. -I think that a British film is one that is made with Britain's money and funds, despite the fact that's its cast may or may not be British. 2) What is the difference between a Hollywood production context and production context of a British film? -Most films made by Hollywood studios have high budgets, a heavy reliance on celebrities both in the cast and crew and spectacle driven stories. The British film production context does not have as many clearly defined characteristics. British films can be large budget and high concept. 3) When did the James Bond franchise start? -1960s 4) In terms of film censorship and graphic content, what began to change in British film in the 1970s and 1980s? -In the 1970s, British movies often dealt with censorship, which continued into the 1980s with the banning of "video nasties." In recent decades, the BBFC has worked to connect more with the public by making its guide...
Read more