What are the key features of certain sub genre dramas ?

What are the key features of certain sub genre dramas ?

Crime Drama

Location

Crime drama' are often set in an urban setting within these settings scene can generally take place within police stations, law courts and crime scenes.

General Plots

Often plots revolve around a crime or a mystery the protagonist has to revolve these crimes tend to differ depending on the type of crime drama for instance a one off crime drama normally focuses on crimes that would create the most anxiety among a viewing audience for example serial killings or murder. Whereas a long running tv drama will have various sub plots over time that builds on character development for example the crime drama "The Bill featured many subplots that focused on the private lives on the police officers.

Key elements and themes

• A mystery that creates tension throughout the viewing type and hooks viewers in ( the mystery is generally established in the first opening scenes i.e  a person covered completely by the darkness murders someone).
• A resolution to said mystery.
• Questions of morality.
• The binary opposition of Good vs evil.
• Struggle in the police department.
• Corruption and betrayal.

Character stock types  

• The troubled detective- this character tends to be a brilliant mind however suffers from a flaw that is sometimes the centre of a plot and the growth of their character e.g the character Monk and his OCD or the character Sherlock and his arrogance and anti- social traits.
• The sidekick - this tends to fill the role of the detectives short comings and serves as a sort of child to the detective e.g. Watson's relationship with Sherlock Holmes in the crime drama Sherlock.
• The crooked cop - this  character tends to be a policeman who uses more unconventional ways of dealing with crime - Detective Gene Hunt in life on mars.
•  The victim -the person who is affected by the crime; these characters serve as a mechanism for the plot to continue and may have a small role in the interaction of characters.
• The criminal -the person who has committed the crime and serves as the main antagonist for the narrative.

Medical Drama

General plots 

Plots based around staff who work in a medical institution and their personal life and relationships. However many character who don't work in the medical field can also be the subject of a plot for example the medical drama causality features many plots that revolve around patients dealing with life threatening disease and implications this may have on their loved ones around them.(This saturday's synopsis of causality is a good example of themes that are conventional to medical drama's)


Themes

• Plots that centre around the medical staff's interaction with each other - two doctors struggling as a couple is very common.
•  Loss - the implications of losing a loved one in the hospital
• Pregnancy - this tends to be a theme revolving around a woman on the verge of giving birth in an awkward location and tension is created here as we see the character hurry her to the hospital
• Terminal illness' or operations- this refers to illness' such as cancer or organ transplant which if not treated right could lead to death. The drama is created here as we see characters worry about losing their loved ones or the implications of living with cancer.
• Drug addiction - the effects it has on family, friends and on us.
• Plots that revolve around the emergency department (Casualty, ER, Holby city, Casualty 1900's) 

 

Fantasy

General plots 
Fantasy drama revolve around characters dealing with supernatural situations. This dramas tend to be set in different time periods such as the medieval like world of game of thrones or depict the present day with some supernatural differences for example the drama being human is set in the modern day however in the being human mythos werewolves, vampires and ghosts are real.

 Conventions

• Mythical creatures that capture the audiences imagination- These creatures tend to be creature from well known texts such as unicorns and dragons and thus allow audiences to easily recognise and identify them.
•  Superhumans or super powers - This theme tends to feature in more modern dramas due to the sudden rise of popularity of comic book figures and themes. An example of shows that feature these themes are the us drama heroes and the UK drama misfits. This serves as escapism for viewers; giving them hope that they can one day achieve said powers featured in these shows and once they do thay can sort out their problems using these powers.
• Magic - This feature is generally used to immerse viewers in the setting and shares a similar purpose with the theme of super powers.
• Good vs evil - a key concept that allows the narritve to continue and engages viewers to see how good will ultimately triumph over evil.

  

Soap

General plots
 Soap opera narratives tend to be open ended and can cross over each other and lead into further developments. An  episode of a soap opera will generally switch between several different story lines that can occur within the same time frame these stories can link and affect one another or may run entirely independent of each other. Each episode may feature some of the show's current storylines but not always all of them. Generally around the Christmas season the years plotlines resolve with new one being conceived as an aftermath of what took place place earlier for example someone dying on Christmas day and in the new year the shows cast must deal with the fallout.

Conventions 

•  Open endings- also known as cliff hangers; aimed at retaining audiences
•  Multiple Plots and Characters - Storyline which are usually interwoven. Scenes and events move
  continuously between different characters and plots.
• Simplified and stereotypical characters - audiences can easliy identify who is who and their role.
• Domestic and social locations - House, pubs, shops and motels can offer a wide variety of situations in which character can interact in. 
•  Stories which allow moral judgement - This allows the viewer to comment on whether what the characters themselves do is right i.e. teen pregnancy and is it right to abort an unplanned child.
•  Strong Female Characters - women shown as relatively powerful either in domestic or
  professional settings e.g. Peggy Mitchel in the soap Eastenders.
• The constant illusion of real time.
• The dominance of digetic sounds .
• Stories that focus on current socail issues e.g coronation streets current storyline on the domestic abuse of men.
• The dominance of two shots and over - the shoulder shots of conversations.
• Highly symbolic costumes and set designs i.e audiences can identify peoples social status can class via the costume they wear - a man wear a suit could connote he is of wealth.    

Youth

General plot 
Youth drama often focus on problems and situations that revolve around teenagers and the youth. This range from dealing with school to gangs, sex, drug addiction and domestic issues.

Conventions

• Social issues of concern - these tend to be issues that generally affect teenagers and allow character to be much more relatable  to their viewing audience. Some social issues include teen pregnancy, crime, relationships and fitting in school.
• Domestic issues and their impact on the youth - This refers to issues such as domestic violence or divorce in the family and how they can impact teenagers. These stories can also serve as aid for teens; showing them that these situations are not uncommon.
• School setting - the school tends to serve as a setting for teen characters to interact, this is also where most of the drama is created.
• Stereotypes of teenagers - These make the character to be easily identified and allow audiences to relate to them easier.

 

Issue Based
General plot
Issue based dramas cover a wide range of topics and contraversial issues that may affect its viewership.

Themes and conventions 

• Debates on ethics and morality
• Political issues - these explore current politcal issues and sometimes political issues of the past.
• Youth issues -these tend to crossover with issues seen in youth dramas. These issues include drug addiction, relationships and teen pregnancy. However in issue based dramas these issues are treated with more care and can sometimes be less sensationalised.
•  Gender representation - the role of men and women in relationships and society. These generally depict inequality and male dominance.
• Social class divisions
• Stereotypes - this helps depict a general idea of certain demographics; these stereotypes can depict certain social groups well but others not so great.