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

It generally has a well-known theme tune.

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)

and have a standardized meeting point like a pub.

Soaps 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.

Soap operas usually end on a cliff hanger.

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

the action switching between them.

EXAMPLES OF SOAP OPERAS

Eastenders

Coronation street

Holyoaks

Emmerdale

Neighbors

Waterloo Road

CONVENTIONS OF COSTUME:

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

novel or play but can also be original works.

They show a specific part of history. For example life in war.

This type of drama is normally part of a series.

These drama’s use costume clothing to show a certain period of time.

A typical period drama is set in a large country mansion house is for

the point of interaction.

Normally involves romance between two characters.

Example of costume drama’s are: Down town abbey, the Tudors,

Arabian nights, Oliver twist and Vikings.

EXAMPLES OF COSTUME DRAMAS

Downton Abbey

The Tudors

Vikings

Wuthering heights

CONVENTIONS OF TV CRIME DRAMAS

Can be set in many different locations. Usually a city.

However most have a three part structure. Beginning (discovery of the crime), middle (solving

the crime), end (usually making a arrest).

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 of morality

Debates about innocence and guilt

Conflict between modes of policing

Different characteristics of villainy

The hero usually defeats the villain

The hero often has a sidekick in order to let the audience see the hero’s thoughts.

EXAMPLES OF TV CRIME DRAMAS

CSI

Criminal minds

Sherlock

Dexter

Hawaii Five-O

MEDICAL TV DRAMA

Conventions of a Medical TV Drama:

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

The characters often witness horrific events,

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

more educational by using more medical terms

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.

Medical dramas can also be similar to crime dramas as often doctors

get police involved

Medical TV Dramas always hold emotional or life changing moments

to a doctor or patients life e.g. a patient dying.

Medical TV Dramas tend to follow Todorovs theory

Full of Mis-En-Scène, props, stethoscope, scrubs, blood and gore

EXAMPLES OF MEDICAL DRAMAS

Holy City

Casualty

Doctors

Call the Midwife

ER

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.