P2: TV Drama

Common conventions of TV dramas:

  • Between 30 minutes - 2 hour long.
  • 12 episodes per season on average.
  • Any Genre.
  • Episodes may be self-contained or storylines may continue over episodes.
  • Audience wants to be entertained, informed and to have affairs dramatised.
  • TV drama has specific techniques that are used in storytelling.
  • Storylines/narratives are fictional and have a vast range of themes/motifs.
  • The drama is framed within key locations/settings,which can be linked to historical period or contemporary settings.
Main Genres:
  • Crime
  • Soap operas
  • Drama
  • Mystery
  • Sci-fi
  • Thriller
  • Horror
  • Romance
  • Comedy
Genre conventions:
  • Mise-en-scence
  • Typical narratives
  • Generic/stock characters
  • Themes
Genre Theory Neale:

Neale argues " That genre is a process by which generic codes and conventions are shared by producers and audiences through repetition in media products."
This means that genres are not fixed, but constantly involve which each new addition to the generic corpus, often playing with genre codes and conventions or becoming hybrids with other genres.
This idea is also supported by Bently who argued, "the creative process is the rearranging of the old to create the new" (Bently, 1997).
Generic codes and conventions are not just established in media products but in products that refer to these products such as critical writings or advertising and marketing material, what Neale referred to as 'the intertextual relay'.
Neale's theory intertextual relay is useful but slightly contentious because it is equally as likely writers/producers intentionally follow conventions to represent their audience.
BFI longform TV drama:

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-long-form-tv-drama-platforms-audiences-breaking-bad-tim-dams-2016-07-v1_0.pdf


Applying Neale's genre theory to 'the walking dead' episode 1 season 1:

This episode follows Neale's theory that genre is a process by which codes and conventions are shared by producers and audiences through repetition in media products because the media language share similarities from other zombie films. for example:

The mies-en-scene in the walking dead is SFX make up, this looks similar to other zombie films.
The narrative for the walking dead is mostly set in the city with lots of people around so it makes it feel claustrophobic and gives a more closed in affect.
The camera work in most zombie films are mostly far away shots or ariel shots are show of the characters too make the viewer have more sympathy for them because you can see them as a whole and see what is happening to them in more detail.
The sound which appears the most in all zombie films is a lot of growling/moaning and scuffing of feet.
The editing in zombies films


I think this is breaking conventions of a normal zombie films because as it is a boxset there is a lot more going on. 

Applying Todrov's narrative theory to 'the walking dead' episode 1 season 1:

Disruption: Rick shoots the little zombie girl.
Equilibrium: Rick is with Shane doing his job as a sheriff.
Disruption: Rick is shot.
Disruption: Rick wakes up in the hospital alone, not knowing what has happened.
Disruption: Can't find his family.
Resolution: Goes to find family and finds Morgan and Morgan's son.
Disruption: His car breaks down.
Resolution: He finds a horse.
Disruption: He goes into the city and there are lots of zombies so he ends up getting stuck in a tank.


Camera Work
types of shots:

  • extreme long shot
  • medium close up
  • long shot
  • close up
  • extreme close up
  • medium shot
  • medium long shot
  • cut away shot



  • eye level
  • low angle
  • high angle
  • birds eye shot
  • worms eye shot
  • over the shoulder shot
Why do long form television dramas from different countries offer different representations? Homeland and trapped are both crime dramas set in different countries to each other. Homeland is set in America whereas Trapped is set in Iceland. As they are both made and produced in different countries to each other, it has a big impact on the content of them as they need to appeal to the audience, which will be people of that country. Van Zoonen believes the media portray images of stereotypical women and this behaviour reinforces societal views. The media does this because they believe it reflects dominant social values and male producers are influenced by this. This is a patriarchy (a society ran by men for men) which dominates and oppresses women.

In terms of gender representation for males Trapped gives a positive representation of males in episode 1. The main character Andri is shown to be emotional and caring towards his family like when his ex-wife asks why he is still wearing his wedding ring, when she has moved on and it has been a long time. Andri is also shown to fit stereotypes since he is the top police officer, so he is boss, and he is also a main character. Andri being emotional and breaking stereotypes shows males in a different light to what they are stereotypically seen as dominant and strong. I think this shows that Iceland is much further ahead in terms of equality as the representation of genders is breaking stereotypes whilst also fitting them.

Long form television dramas from different countries offer different representations since gender representation plays a huge part in Homeland and Trapped in episode 1 as women are objectified and made to appear as sex objects. The first scene is of Jessica having sex with Mike in Homeland, which is very similar to Trapped as the opening scene is of Dagny having sex with Hjotur. Both women are shown naked which proves Bell Hooks’s theory is correct, that women are used as sexual objects or in other ways like keeping white men happy. This would appear as appropriate for the American audience as women are generally seen as inferior to men and are extremely stereotyped negatively, therefore appealing to their audience.

Iceland and America have very different cultures in some ways as proven for representations of gender. But other representations such as for teenagers are very similar. In Trapped the opening scene is of Dangy and Hjotur having sex and smoking/taking drugs, which is similar to Homeland when Dana does drugs with her friends. Both representations of teenagers are negative and very stereotypical as they are showing the audience that teenagers are rebellious and risk takers. This is going against Van Zoonen theory that meaning changes with culture and historical context as it is not changing and the representation of the teenagers remains the same for both countries.

In Trapped there is a slight representation of discrimination against a certain race since there is a black chef on the boat who is the first to be accused when they find a dead body with no limbs but then he ends up not being guilty and therefore helps the police which proves that they were wrong to accuse him just because of his skin colour.

There is also more gender representation in Homeland Carries character breaks and follows several female gender stereotypes. This fits Hall's theory is a number of ways, firstly in regard to Hall's idea of 'anti- stereotypes,' Carrie being the main protagonist who excels, and outsmarts, males seem to show the preferred reading is that women should be seen as equal to men. However, Carrie having a mental illness and fitting the stereotype of, 'object of desire' (Mulvey, 1975) as she is, young, blonde and sexually attractive, means multiple meanings can be read by the audience as this could also connote that women cannot handle the same pressure as males and are more likely to succeed if they fit attractive stereotypes. This also fits Gauntlett's theory that representations of gender have moved away from traditional stereotypes to more 'open' representations.




Todrov's Theory

Exam question 2:


  1. Show you know what Todrov's theory is.
  2. The theory cant be applied because its too simplistic but that is good because that means they can apply more different theories and make it interesting.
  3. Theory partly applicable but has limitations because the theory was based on films not long form TV drama.
  4. Say it can be seen in your two case studies (Homeland and Trapped).
  5. Explain the equilibrium in both case studies (Homeland and Trapped).
  6. Disruption example from both case studies (Homeland and Trapped).
  7. Resolutions example from both case studies (Homeland and Trapped).
  8. Conclusion, link back to the point made in the other paragraphs.

Todrov's theory suggests that every long form television drama is the same, he then adds to it by saying that every long form television drama has three different parts to it, an equilibrium, disruption, a resolution and a new equilibrium. The theory can be applied to the TV dramas but only partly since there are limitations as the theory is based on films and not long form TV drama, it is also too simplistic which is good because that means they can apply more different theories and make it more interesting. Todrov's theory can be seen in both Homeland and Trapped.

Todrov's theory states that there is an equilibrium in both long form TV dramas in order to make the disruption more dramatic and give it more impact. America is in a state of paranoia following 9/11 so Homeland may be representing that. The equilibrium in Homeland is Brody's family have all started to deal with the passing of Brody and all started to move on with their lives. The equilibrium in Trapped is when Dagney and Hjotur are smoking weed together and then go to have sex in an abandoned building. 

A disruption then occurs which messes up the equilibriums, the disruption in Homeland is Brody being found alive and the disruption in Trapped is 













































Comments

  1. Where is your essay work on national identity? Please make sure you post all your TV Drama work so I can give you feedback to help you improve/revise.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great first draft of your Nationality essay, well done! You have linked to the question, use relevant theory and used evidence from both shows.
    Targets:
    1) Make sure you always use a capital letter at the start of proper nouns (e.g. names of TV Shows).
    2) Do a conclusion that links back to the question.

    ReplyDelete

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