CODES

Characters must he easily accessible for the audience-it must be easy for viewers to relate to.

A form of realisation towards the end of the film

The character has a clear relationship with people and to themselves

Use of realistic storyline

Usually depicting some form of a journey

Use of realistic settingsGuidelines

Verisimilitude within the storyline-there is truth within the story

ConventionsA drama film is a genre build with emotional themes that character represent like poverty, class division, drug

addiction, sexuality, moral dilemmas and so on…

‘Drama is life with the dull parts left out’ Alfred Hitchcock.

Conventions are alternative ways of presenting parts of drama. The conventions or so called rules are mainly known by film makers and actors in order to create drama in film through actions that are linked with characters dealing with emotional issues like struggles or dilemmas…

Characters in drama films are divided in three main groups:

Protagonist Helper and best friend

Antagonist

Protagonist is the main character in the film and is often exposed under trails with determination to overcome evil.

The antagonist provokes other character in the film and get what they want, including hurting somebody, breaking the law or even killing. But rules can be broken and the bad or good character can transform into a different person.

The helper or the best friend is loyal to protagonist, often has moral codes witch can be broken, in order to assist the protagonist to achieve triumph or to support the main character to find a way in life.

Character must be realistic and believable. They are usually average or normal people that fit into reality.

Narrative

Films of the drama genre are typically narrative driven. The narrative usually revolves around emotional themes that the viewer can emphasize with. They are human feelings that can be related to by the viewer. They do not have to be familiar situations, but familiar emotions such as love, hate, greed, or jealousy.

Dramas do not have to have some explosive dramatic themes. All drama films are very tense and it is likely that the music will have mysterious intense scores to provoke emotions on speculator. The ending of the drama film is usually happy or resolved in some way, with exceptions, e.g. Titanic.

Mise-en-scene

The mise-en-scene will support the location of the film with a realistic setting such as an average neighborhood or town. The costuming will also support this meaning that there will be not fascinating costume but regular clothing that matches the character. An example is the Revolutionary Road.

Cinematography

It can be used to impose a specific mood onto the audience. For instance, a slow pan can be used to draw out tension, or fast handheld camera movements could evoke nervousness, anxiety or stress. There is generally little use of dynamic shots and a deep depth of a field can be used to stimulate the images of the human eye.

Editing

Editing in drama films can also be flexible depending on the mood of the scene. For example, it could become fast paced to evoke panic or nerves, or a slow pace in order to get opposite effect. Editing in drama films has a very strong sense of continuity and it should avoid dynamic cuts that do not flow naturally, such as jumping cuts.

Summarizing Conventions:

Focus on real life situations

CONVENTIONS

The theme of character development

Emotionally affect the audience

Particular themes explored

A steady increase and build up of tension

Heart of the Drama is some form of conflict, struggle, mental or physical pain

The end of the film portrays a hard-hitting ending leaving a lasting impression

SUB-GENRES

1. Biography2.Courtroom

3.Dramedy/Comedy Drama

4. Historical

5. Melodrama

6. Period Piece7. Political8. Romance

9.Tragedy

10. Dark Comedy

1.Biography

A Biography drama incorporates dramatic elements into a biographical film. These films are based on true stories . They tend to show a comprehensive and accurate picture of the specific subject and tend to be serious and intense.. An example is ‘Blow’, produced in 2001.

2. Courtroom

Courtroom drama film uses the justice system as the main component of the plot. The story usually involves the prosecutor, judge, jury, and the defense. Tension plays a large part in courtroom dramas . An example is ‘A few good Men’, produced in 1992.

3. Dramedy/Comedy Drama

A genre that has a dramatic tone yet important elements of the comedy. In Dramedy, the amount of drama and comedy are almost equally balanced. An example is ‘Little Miss Sunshine’, produced in 2006.

4. Historical

A sub-genre that examines a specific time in history or group of people. Many Historical films aim to portray true events and people. They are considered to be very educational. An example is ‘Hotel Rwanda’, produced in 2004.

5.Melodrama

A film that appeals to the heightened emotions o the audience. The plot and character often are more unrealistic. An example is ‘Sophie’s Choice’, produces in 1982.

6.Period Piece

Period Piece is a sub-genre that focuses on a specific time era and are often based on a novel. These films tend to have a longer run time than traditional Dramas. Example of Period Piece film is ‘Romeo and Juliet’, produced in 1968.

7. Political

Political sub-genre has a plot specifically about politics and the political scene. An example is ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’, produced in 1939.

8.Romance

A genre that explores the complex side of love. The plot usually centers on an obstacle that is preventing love between two people. An example of this obstacle could be a family disapproval, forbidden love, or one’s own psychological restraints. An example is ‘Titanic’, produced in 1997.

9. Tragedy

A genre wherein the downfall of the character is caused by a flaw within the character. The genre is mainly about the self-destructive behavior of the character. The end is usually a death of the character or other form of degradation. An example of this film is ‘American Beauty’, produced in 1999.

10. Dark Comedy

Has comedy influences and has serious, usually taboo themes, such as rape, murder, war, insanity and terminal illness. An example of this film is ‘Fargo’, produced in 1996.

MonodramaMonodrama Monodrama is drama sub-genre that I have chosen for my 5 minutes short film.

Monodrama drama designed to be performed by a single actor. Monodrama can be also referred to as ‘One person show’. Monodramas include the play-monologue and dramatic miniatures in the form of a conversation with a silent character. The term is also applied to dramatic works having two or more characters whose roles are performed by a single actor. Text in monodrama is assigned to only one man, who speaks his monologue text to himself, imaginary person, without having a real dialogue with a real person we as the audience can see.

This name first appeared in Germany, when the actor Brandes between 1775 - 1780, popularized short piece for an actor or actress, accompanied by music or choir.

Monodramas were shown as part of the play with three dramatic programs, often as parts of longer adapted drama. In the same way incurred so-called duodrama, short pieces with two faces. Monodrama is very popular with theater shows like ‘Pygmalion’ for example.

The realistic monodrama is becoming popular as a means of psychological analysis and as an expression of modern man's loneliness according to Cocteau, Beckett.

Monodrama can be a dramatic representation of a person, in which all characters are only projections of various states of the soul of the hero.