tv drama conventions

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Sitcoms/Soap Conventions of a Sitcom/soap drama

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Page 1: Tv drama conventions

Sitcoms/Soap

Conventions of a Sitcom/soap

drama

Page 2: Tv drama conventions

Sitcom Locations

Sitcoms have identifiable, simple locations:• A pub • A living room• A café• A workplaceThe location usually sets the tone of the sitcom. For example, Scrubs is set in a hospital therefore the plot revolves around medical incidents. Another example sitcom

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-622753960393983743#

Page 3: Tv drama conventions

British TV Drama Conventions

• •It is a serialised drama that usually runs week-in, week-out, all year round.

• •It features continuous storylines (or 'narratives') dealing with domestic themes and personal or family relationships.

Page 4: Tv drama conventions

British TV Drama Conventions

• It generally has a well-known theme tune and intro sequence which has changed little over the years.

• Though the casts for soap operas tend to be bigger than for drama series, there is a limit to the number of characters available at any one time. This allows the soap to focus on a smaller number of characters

Page 5: Tv drama conventions

British TV Drama Conventions

• •The plots are open-ended and usually many storylines are featured or even interlinked in an episode.

• •Soap episodes often begin with a 'hook' in which one or more of the narratives from a previous episode are continued. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00v3kdy/EastEnders_Omnibus_26_09_2010/#

Page 6: Tv drama conventions

TV Drama & Genre conventions• How would you define TV Drama?

• TV drama is a fictionalised account of a narrative in the medium of television. TV drama can be spit into several sub-genres.

• What does genre conventions mean?

• A set of rules that the genre uses repeatedly.• A well used formula.

Page 7: Tv drama conventions

TV Drama Sub- Genres

• What are the sub-genres of TV Drama:

• Continuing Dramas: ‘Eastenders’, ‘Coronation Street’…

• Crime and Police Dramas: ‘The Bill’, ‘The Wire’, ‘CSI..

• Medical/Emergency Dramas: ‘ER’, ‘Casualty’….

• Sci-Fi/ Fantasy Dramas: ‘Dr Who’, ‘Heroes’…

• Literary adaptations: Pride and Prejudice’, Oliver Twist

• Contemporary melodramas: ‘Skins’, ‘Waterloo Road’

• Comedy Dramas: ‘Shameless’, ‘Desperate Housewives’

Page 8: Tv drama conventions

Task : What are the genre conventions of TV Drama?

• Characters• Stories/Narratives• Familiar settings• Dialogue• Particular cinematography style e.g. editing/camera

shots• Music

• Task: watch clip and identify what sub genre it is, which type of drama it falls under and the above conventions.

Page 9: Tv drama conventions

TV Drama and Narrative

• Continuing Series: a series where the narrative or plot doesn’t end. The official title for Soap Operas.

• Series: The main plot or narrative continues and is resolved at the end of the season. Key characters and plotlines are carried over to the next season. (Lost, 24)

• Serials: Are similar to series but each episode is a self contained narrative.( Shameless, Spooks, Hustle)

• One Offs: self explanatory, drama where the narrative begins and ends in one often feature length episode. A variation on this is the two part drama.

Page 10: Tv drama conventions

TV drama stills

• Starter task : annotate the TV drama still shots. What technical aspects are shown and what meaning is created from the shot?

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Page 12: Tv drama conventions

TV pitch• Task : In your groups come up with an idea for a TV

drama series.• Use the genre conventions that you’ve discussed and

consider the following:

• The plot(s)• The setting(s)• The characters• The actors/stars• The technical aspects

• You must make notes in groups and present your pitch to the class. Your teacher will play the role of the network executive and decide whose series gets the ‘green light’.

• You can draw storyboard if you wish to aid your pitch.

Page 13: Tv drama conventions

Name sitcoms that have locations in 1.A house or apartment2.A school3.An officeIn fact, you should notice that most sitcoms contain similar locationformats. Draw a spider diagram that shows how various sitcoms share locations.

Page 14: Tv drama conventions

Comparing and

Friends Two Pints of Lager

and a Packet of Crisps

1.Analyse the logos for each sitcom in terms of media language

2.What can we tell about the content of the sitcom from their logo?

Page 15: Tv drama conventions

Design task

Now that Teachers has ended, there is a gap in the market for a new school based sitcom.

Considering your target audience, and Considering your target audience, and having a basic idea of what this sitcom having a basic idea of what this sitcom could be like, think of a good could be like, think of a good namename for the for the show and come up with a basic design show and come up with a basic design concept for its concept for its logologo. .