CONVENTIONS IN TV DRAMAS

By Nathan Francis, Ollie, Sophie and Beth.

TV drama mainly looks at four aspects of life. These are crime drama, medical drama, costume drama and soap operas.

GENRE

A category of artistic composition, as in music or

literature, characterized by similarities in form,

style, or subject matter.

A sub-genre is a sub category in a particular genre,

for example, in TV crime-dramas, the genre would be

drama and the sub-genre would be crime.

SOAP CONVENTIONSIn most TV soap operas there are certain aspects of them that are

the same, for example, A British soap opera almost always features

the following conventions:

It is a serialized drama that usually runs week-in, week-out, all

year round.

It features continuous storylines dealing with domestic themes

and personal or family relationships.

It generally has a well-known theme tune.

Small cast, allows more screen time for each character.

The plots are open-ended and usually many storylines are featured

or even interlinked in an episode.

They are often set around a small, central area such as a square

(as in EastEnders).

SOAP CONVENTIONSSoaps often have special episodes for events in the real world such as

Christmas or the Millennium.

British soaps most often feature common, ordinary, working class characters,

reflecting the preferences of the target audience.

As a rule, British soaps are realistic or, at least, aim for realism.

Soap operas usually end on a cliff hanger with a close up reaction shot of

someone's face and the next episode will usually begin on this shot too.

Todorovs theory does not apply to soap operas as he says that the end end of the

episode there will be equilibrium.

Three, four or even five storylines will be in progress during any one episode,

with the action switching between them. As one narrative is resolved, another

completely different one with different characters will already be underway.

CONVENTIONS OF COSTUME:

Costume/period drama’s are often adaptations of a famous

'classic' novel or play but can also be original works.

They dramatize different points in history and can be quite

different from contemporary dramas.

This type of drama is normally part of a series.

These drama’s are old fashion/can be set in tutor times and

traditional.

A typical period drama is set in a large country mansion

house.

CONVENTIONS OF TV CRIME DRAMAS

A TV crime drama will be identified and portrayed in a certain

way, so that the viewer will immediately recognize the category

in which this TV drama falls into (crime). The conventions that

are essential in creating a convincing crime drama are:

Character types, Setting, Narrative, Style, Themes.

Crime dramas can focus on many different people within or

outside of the law. For example Police, lawyers, criminals, a

team of detectives, or even a vigilante.

TV CRIME DRAMAS Long drawn out TV crime drama will likely have many sub-plots,

in which characters will from friendships or become enemy’s.

Here are some of the key elements to a crime Drama:

A mystery/problem that needs to be solved

The resolution to a mystery/problem

Question or morality

Debates about innocence and guilt

Conflict between modes of policing

Different characteristics of villainy

MEDICAL TV DRAMA

Medical dramas can also be similar to crime

dramas as often doctors get police involved as they

realize an accident is always quite an accident or

they realize the reason someone is in hospital is

because of their own dodgy mistakes.

Medical TV Dramas always hold emotional or life

changing moments to a doctor or patients life e.g. a

patient dying.

MEDICAL TV DRAMA

Conventions of a Medical TV Drama:

Usually set in a hospital or a doctors which is the point of

interaction (where everything happens).

The characters often witness horrific events, due to it being set in

a hospital there is usually a lot of blood and gore.

Similar to a Soap Opera but a Medical TV Drama is believed to be

more educational by using more medical terms and showing what it

is like to work in a hospital in a way, but it is more dramatized. (It

relates to soap operas in the way that there are usually 2 doctors

that fall in love and there are usually tensions and arguments

between doctors.)

VLADIMIR PROPP

Vladimir Propp says that there will always be a

hero and a villain in soap operas. His theory is that

there will be a struggle between the two but in the

end, the hero will overcome this villain, for example,

during the present Eastenders storyline, Carl White

is the villain while Phil Mitchell is being seen as the

hero because he is fighting back against him.

TODOROV ’S NARRATIVE THEORY

TV crime drama follows Todorov’s theory. He believed that the

formula for most dramas/story’s started with little action at the

equilibrium, then comes the disruption of the equilibrium by some

action. Next he believed there needed to be recognition of the

disruption and after this an attempt to repair the disruption.

Finally a reinstatement of the equilibrium.

However as often can be seen in TV Crime dramas, you can be left

on a cliff hanger which goes against Todorov’s theory.