In this essay I will be covering examples of the main types of T.V drama formats as seen on television in the 21st century. As a result this essay will be split into three parts each dedicated to a different type of a T.V drama format. The topics are as follows:
Series.
The series I have chosen to write about is Family Guy which is a very popular adult cartoon series that is based in the town of Quahog, Rhode Island. This programme is an American production and includes in its cast some very famous and popular voice actors. Due to the type of drama format, the series airs once a week and has been making and releasing new episodes since 1998. Now with a total of 289 episodes in 16 seasons. The main cast includes; Seth MacFarlane as Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Brian Griffin and Glenn Quagmire. Alex Borstein as Lois Griffin, Mila Kunis as the voice of Meg Griffin and Seth Green as the voice of Chris Griffin.
The format of this television show is a series, this is because the main cast consist in almost every episode with each episode containing a independent plot that keeps to itself. Family Guy is an comedy consisting of adult humour and as a result the age rating for Family Guy is age 15 rated.
The basic plot of Family Guy is set around the family called the Griffins who live in a small town. The episodes include the adventures they have in this town and because of this, the show echos a realistic view to situations some people in the world live in. The comedy very frequently uses something known by the directors as 'cut aways' this is very like a flash back or flash forward and is used to show what the characters in mind mean by what they say. This element allows the audience to connect more with the characters through by what they are saying. In parallel with the shows genre is the how random some of the cutaways can feel, this helps the show to feel more comical and unique.
The central character of the series is Peter Griffin who you as the audience often follow around through each episode. His narrative is one of the most important in the show as It allows the audience to see the struggles in his life that build up his relationships with his family. As this series is a comedy, there is no specific villain and only from time to time characters for that role will pop up. The main purpose of the characters in the show is to give the audience someone to relate to and for them then to be able to follow this persons life. An example of this comes from the huge amount of personalities within the show. For example Chris Griffin is seen as the unpopular teenager at school and for many viewers that is a feeling that they can bond over. Therefore because of these well developed characters a main theme in this show is about the social lives of characters both popular and not.
An example of an interesting use of audio came from the Christmas special episode in 2011 where the episode began with a unknown character in an hut on the mountain side while its snowing. He begins to introduce a story which then turns into just his voice as the camera view takes the audience to the setting. Throughout the episode the narrator cuts in to add detail. In Season 14 when the Guys have a road trip to the Trafalgar waterfalls, a very intense piece of music is played when Peter is struggling to swim. This music started at first as a rumble that blended in with passing cars and so suddenly hit the viewers with shock.
An Interestingly filmed or animated shot was in the first season of the show during a car chase. It was as if the camera was placed on the road as the car pasted, giving the sense of how fast they were travelling to the audience.
The serial I have chosen to write about is the television show Game of Thrones which is based on the book series called a Song of Ice and Fire that was written by the author George R.R Martin. Released in 2011 but set in medieval times, this fantasy genre television show combines the glory of fiction creatures with the realism of empire ruling politics. Watching this show really immerses you in the fictional land known as Westeros. Game of Thrones is Directed by David Benioff and Dan Weiss.
Game of Thrones has a complete all-star cast; the majority of whom soared to stardom due to the phenomenal prosperity the show has achieved. Game of Thrones is based around different houses that rally for who will become king. There are five main houses or family names. Starks are the house that the series is mainly about. Kit Harrington plays the character Jon Snow, a bastard of the house Stark. His character is a member of the Nights Watch, an organisation that guards a gigantic ice wall, that is over 300 miles wide and 700 feet tall, from the terrible creatures that exist outside of the wall. Houses fight over who should be king and therefore who sits on the Iron Throne. The king at the beginning of the show is known as Robert Baratheon, who is played by the very talented Mark Addy. There are many characters in Game of Thrones. Only a few however are characters the audience follows. This would include the Stark house and seldom others. Throughout the eight seasons set to air there has been handfuls of villains who have come and gone. Joffrey Baratheon was a young king who was brutal to his people. Ramsay Bolton came later and was a psychotic, animalistic and a crafty human being. The current villain in the fantasy show is the Night King who is the leader of an undead army set to destroy the human race. The purpose of the characters in this show is to give the audience something to be interested in, for this and this alone there is numerous story lines with multiple characters. So that no matter if the audience love debates or violent battles there is something for them to look forward to seeing.
The narrative elements in the show are very linear based and often follows different perspectives around the country that are happening at more or less the same time, with time progressing after each episode. The show only breaks the order of events every now and again. One way they have broken the flow and used a flashback was by using a character who can seen into the past. This character is called Brandon Stark.
A huge theme that undertones the show is loyalty. In almost every episode you can identify who gives respect and loyalty to each contender for the throne and as the plot processes loyalty can change. A great example of this was in Season 3 and 4 where one major villain of sorts, known as Ramsay Bolton who captured Theon Greyjoy and tortured him until Theon's loyalty changed to the Boltons. By the end of this process Theon was no longer himself and more of a persona given to him by Ransay called Reek who now obeyed him.
An interesting use of audio was in Season 3 episode 9 where during a wedding the song "rains of cashmere" was played. This song was significant because it foreshadowed the death of the guests at the event. The house who was hosting used this song before to lure prey into a sense of security and ambush them with their guard down. This song was being played live at the wedding by an orchestra.
In season 5 episode 9 there was a huge battle between two armies. At one point Jon Snow was knocked down and bodies piled on top of him. This scene visually was amazing but also excelled with the audio. As he regained consciousness the audio implied through a high pitch whine that he had lost part of his hearing and so was beginning to panic in the situation where he was surrounded and smothered in dead bodies, blood and mud. When Jon pushed himself to the top an aerial shot pictured the situation and his emotions perfectly. This use of angle allowed the audience to see the devastation of the battlefield and how closely packed everyone was together in order to feel emotional for the main characters in the battle . This aerial shot is shown below.
The single drama I have chosen to write about is called Boy A and was originally released on the channel film four. Boy A was released in 2007. Based on a real tragic story, Boy A follows a character who recently was released from prison after part taking in a murder of a minor when he was only a child. Boy A is given a new identity and a new town to live in to protect him but after the past once again finds Jack Burridge. (Boy A) This single drama was directed my John Crowley. The main cast includes Andrew Garfield as Jack, Peter Mullan as Terry and Katie Lyons and Michelle.
This drama followed a linear narrative for the most part but used a total of five flash backs to show to the audience clips from Jack's past which help to suggest why he did what he did. An example of this is when Jack and his friend discuss their family issues. These include Jack's mum having cancer and the friends father raping his son.
The character roles in this drama are difficult to identify, this is because the protagonist of the story is also a child murder so the respect and opinion the audience is completely split down the middle with people on one side believing he deserves a new start where others believing he actually should spend 'life' in prison and not just a life sentence. Other characters are easily to identify as you could put all of what happened down to the poor parenting Jack had so his father who also beat him could be seen as the villain despite only have a feminists of screen time. Michelle is the love interest in this film and through her character the audience gets to feel whats it is like to find out what its like when someone lies to you about their entire life. This left Michelle devastated.
The main theme in this film is redemption. After rejoining society Jack tries his hardest to be the best person he can be to make up for what he did as a child. He managed to conqueror the fear of asking out a colleague and even manage to save a baby girl when seeing that a car had gone off the road. This also played a part when the audience had to decide for them selves whether of not he deserved a new start at the end of the film.
This one off drama used several pieces of similar slow paced music to illustrate the pain of segregation Jack feels at the end of the film when everyone finds out his true identity. The use of these songs brings out the hatred the audience has for Jack and instead the music leaves you forgiving Jack for his horrible past.
Homework week 2: Narrative of film
Fishtank was a 2009 one time drama that received an overall 7.3 out of 10 from IMDB. The narrative of this drama was of a linear structure as the points of the story followed after each other in a chronological order. This allowed an easy viewing experience for audience members, keeping them involved without any potential confusion. This production was created in a realistic format, as the situations and contradictions that unfold as the film progresses, feel natural and common to similar societies that the audience would likely know about in their day to day life. For example the characters in the film could be people from rough areas in real life, and the area the film is based on is likely to be based on a real area outside of the film industry. The ending of the film is very open, the last thing we see is the main character leave in a car. An open ending like this allows the audience to speculate and come up their own idea on what happened next, with no suggestion being confirmed. An example of this would include; the audience wondering what the main character will do in her next stage of her life.
Homework week 3: Narrative structure
Building a story.
Make notes from the PowerPoint on what makes a good story in the contexts of a short film you have watched.
The short film I watched was called Albert, and included a very interesting story line which covers a topic which is less and less looked at in today's society; people in a retirement home. The short film, gave the impression that "Happy Valley" was a prison for the retired and everybody especially the main cast wanted to escape.
The first act focused on establishing the main characters, and the mysteriousness of the character Albert.
The second act had rising tension as the characters escaped.
The third act had a climax at first with the manager of "Happy Valley" taking a hostage, but all was resolved when Albert's friends cause a distraction.
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