C2 TV

      07/01/25

L/O: To explore the content and format of the unit

TV Drama

DO NOW:

• There are 2 media exams
• Each exam is 1h 30 minutes
• Genre means a piece of media specific to a theme, e.g. horror, action. A type of media form that involves a particular set of characteristics
• The target audience for The Archers are older women audiences who live in rural areas White British, middle class
• The BBC's remit is to inform, educate and entertain

Crime Drama

Genre: A type of media form that involves a particular set of characteristics

Sub-genre: A category that is a subdivision of a larger genre

Hybrid genre: A media form that share the conventions of more than one genre

Crime drama codes & conventions

• Low-key lighting, gritty, realistic settings; handheld camerawork, fast-pace editing, diegetic sound
• Urban settings
• Enigma codes
• Use of illegal substances
• Story begin with a crime committed, normally with a victim
• Protagonist is intelligent and determined to solve a crime, but also flawed
• Antagonist is also intelligent and craft, seems to be one step ahead constantly
• Lots of suspects with motives and reasonable opportunity to have committed the crime
• Clues and red herrings that help or hinder the investigation
• Story has a continuing narrative arc that unfolds over multiple episodes
• Typical character types: villain, hero, helper and a dispatcher
• Representation of characters and themes can challenge pre-conceived ideas

These conventions create a high amount of tension between characters throughout the show, along with a large amount of suspense for the audience which engages viewers to see the outcome of the events. These conventions also create several enigmas continuously throughout the show, and therefore keep the audience hooked on watching each episode to discover the truth; this also allows viewers to make their own guesses at the antagonist and/or criminal subject to the current crimes, which often last throughout 1-2 episodes at a time (unless it's relevant to the narrative), in which this fast pace also helps to encourage audiences to continue watching to see the next crime.

The Responder:

Narrative

• A troubled police officer who wants to be 'normal'
• Attempting to stop a crime

Setting

• Daytime 
• Therapy
• Urban
• Aerial views

Characters

• Police officer
• Therapist
• MC wife
• MC daughter

Mise-en-scene

• Police cars
• Fire
• Sirens
• Car wrecks

Happy Valley:

Narrative

• A female police officer who has no family
• Attempting to stop a crime

Setting

• Daytime 
• Rural
• Aerial views

Characters

• Female police officers
• Katherine

Mise-en-scene

• Low-key lighting

Line of duty:

Narrative

• Attempting to stop a crime
• A group of officers attempting to shoot and arrest dangerous man
• Enter the wrong flat and shoot an innocent man next to his family
• They find the correct flat and the wanted man is gone

Setting

• Daytime 
• Block of flats
• Aerial views
• Urban

Characters

• Police officers
• Innocent man
• Wife and baby

Mise-en-scene

• Police cars
• Sirens
• Radios
• Guns
• Explosives
• Low-key lighting