Television: Introduction to TV drama

 These are particularly important CSPs as we know they will definitely come up in Media Paper 2. The first 42 marks of this paper will be based on your knowledge and understanding of the two TV programmes across Media Language, Industries, Audiences and Representations.

The CSPs: Doctor Who (1963) and His Dark Materials (2020)

We need to study the following episodes as our in-depth CSPs:

Episode 1 of Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child (1963)
Episode 1 of His Dark Materials (Season 2): The City of Magpies (2020)

Assessment: Paper 2 Section A

Television will be tested using two medium response questions on an extract clip from one of the two episodes we will be studying. One question will be worth 8 marks and one will be worth 12 marks. There will then be one extended 20-mark essay covering the whole of both of the episodes you have studied.

Introduction to TV Drama

Television drama is a popular TV genre. ‘Binge-watching’ series in one go is a recent phenomenon while other dramas have built hugely loyal fanbases (e.g. Doctor Who) over many years.

There are many sub-genres and hybrid genres in TV drama from costume drama to fantasy or science-fiction.

Key conventions

TV Drama has certain recognisable conventions or typical features. These include: 

• Dramatic narrative, usually linear (with continuity across episodes.) This is called a narrative arc where the story goes across the series.
• Ensemble cast (characters with own storylines). Sometimes an episode will focus more on one character or another.
• Specific technical codes e.g. realistic lighting and editing for social dramas to keep it gritty. Common use of flashback, point of view shots, dialogue and voice over, enigma and action codes throughout.
• Use of stereotypical ‘stock’ characters get storylines across quickly.

TV Drama series

A TV drama series is a set of connected TV episodes that run under the same title e.g. Stranger Things, Doctor Who or His Dark Materials. They are usually structured in ‘seasons’ or ‘series’ and often end with a ‘season finale’. (‘Season’ is the American term but you will hear the British term 'series'.)

Genre

Genre definition: a style or category of TV, film, music or literature.

Genre is the term to classify any TV or film media product that has a chosen style and follows certain codes and conventions e.g. comedy, action or crime drama. 

Genres can change over time and there is increasingly a fashion to combine genres to create hybrid genres. E.g. Science fiction and fantasy.

NCIS

We can use the mnemonic NCIS to remember how to analyse the genre of film or television:

Narrative: the storyline and preoccupations / issues e.g an action adventure film usually features a dangerous quest or mission. Todorov’s Equilibrium theory of narrative structure might apply here.
Characters: the people who drive the story. Here you may see examples of  Propp’s character types e.g.  In fantasy there is often a hero, princess, helper, villain etc.
Iconography: the mise-en-scene (CLAMPS) to create a particular look e.g. a horror movie may be particularly focused on blood, darkness and set at night.
Setting: the locations or time period used e.g. in Western movies, you will often see it located in American or Mexican deserts around 1800s.

Introduction to TV drama: blog tasks

Now answer the following questions:

1) How does this His Dark Materials trailer meet the conventions of a TV drama series?

It includes a Dramatic narrative in a linear span of events, this is done with an ensemble cast, who each have their own storylines which ultimately surmount/relate to the overall plot. There is a lot of editing with CGI and dialogue between characters. The realistic lighting makes the footage immersive and the voice over provides context to the dilemma. The multiple view shots are also a key TV drama series convention and it adds a dramatic flare to the trailer.

2) What genre (or genres) are suggested by this His Dark Materials trailer?

Drama action thriller and science fiction are suggested by the His Dark Materials trailer, it is fast paced with high stakes that depend on violence to build tension whilst also utilising fantastical factors which lean further into fiction as opposed to real life.

3) What kind of characters and narratives are introduced in this trailer?

The main character, a girl, appears in a foreign world, she meets a boy who is in a similar situation, there is something called the magistrates which keep the worlds and supposedly enforce a balance which means they are forced to hunt her down, making them the binary opposing forces.

4) What settings appear in the trailer?

The settings that appear are a: city, islands , mountains and landscapes.

5) Who do you think the target audience for His Dark Materials is? Give reasons for your answer.

Young adults and teenagers, the main characters are teenagers which other teenagers can relate to however there is a lot of action, drama and violence which resonate better with older audiences.