Codes and Conventions of a Teenage Drama

NarrativeThe plot of any film is the focal point however, for a drama film,

it is very narrative driven as it is exploring genuine situations which makes the audience involved with the film

• The film will typically convey real life situations with realistic characters and storylines in order to allow the audience to relate with the film.

• There will be character development and we will see the journey that the characters take in order to reach this state of development.

• The main storyline will be centred around a conflict that deals with realistic struggles and a point of difficulty that the character goes through that is made evident through intense social interaction like friendship groups or gangs.

• The climax will usually allow the audience to be emotionally involved with the situations portrayed and it will keep the tension going so that the audience can empathise with the emotions in the plot.

→ The audience don’t need to be familiar with the situation but they need to be familiar with the emotions in order for the empathy to occur.

• There will be some form of realisation, resolution or a happy ending that makes the audience feel satisfied.

Camera Shots and MovementA range of camera shots can be used in a teenage drama

however, there a certain camera shot types and movements which add emphasis to the narrative.

Close-up shots will be frequently used in order to captivate the emotions and feelings behind the character. Also, this helps the audience to create a personal attachment with the character as we feel closer to them rather than distanced which shows were are becoming more in touch with character.

Point of view shots will be used so that we can get the characters perspective of the situation. Also, this allows us to be put into the characters shoes which therefore gives us the opportunity to empathise with the situation and see how they feel. As a result, we are again building a personal attachment.

There will also be various cross-cutting between shots to show the character having a flashback or for the audience to see a certain event that happened previously which isn’t necessarily shown in the film as an individual scene but it allows us to be more informed of what the character is going through and past experiences.

Mise-en-SceneThe overall mise-en-scene of a drama film is that it reinforces the nature of the narrative and typically, it will try to enhance

the authenticity behind the storyline.

The location of the film will reflect the situations the characters are in. For example, if the storyline is based on a teenage character who is involved with a gang, the setting will be at a council estate to emphasis the fact that the character isn’t wealthy and that there is a certain stigma attached to a council estate as being looked down upon and is seen as ‘trashy’ to society. Therefore, this reflects the character as being in a gang is seen as bad and threatening.

The clothing of each character will usually be kept quite casual yet it will have to represent their personality and add a sense of identity to them as this allows the audience to differentiate between each character. Also, the clothing can reflect how the character acts and is treated which therefore determines how they deal with certain situations.

Lighting will be natural and authentic as the narrative cannot be overpowered so by keeping the lighting natural, it adds a sense of realism to the narrative and since a drama film is narrative driven, the less complex the visuals are, the more the narrative can speak volumes. Although, the lighting will be quite de-saturated in order to make the emotions effective. → Allows film to look as natural as possible.→ Makes it true to life and fulfils aim of achieving a realistic look.

EditingDrama films will tend to step away from the dynamic transitions and editing types and try to focus on the pace of the scene to

highlight the intensity behind the scene

Slower paced scenes will be primarily used so that this can emphasise the emotions within the scene but also, it allows the characters and audience to create a personal attachment because by slowing the pace, we are able to fully see the intensity of the emotions and this gives us a reason the sympathise with the character.

In contrast, there will be scenes which are fast paced to evoke panic or nerves. This will generally be made effective when the tensions are running high or when the storyline has reached the climax because this gives us the indication that the situation has reached another level.

Dynamic editing like jump cuts will be avoided as it takes away the authenticity of reality of the film and it reminds the audience that they are watching a film, therefore it defies the intention of engaging the audience’s emotions.

SoundSound will be a vital part of the film as this can present emotions and

feelings more clearly for the audience as it gives us a deeper look into how the character is feeling. Moreover, with music being

essential for a teenager, this lets us into the characters mind as we are almost given an insider look into their thoughts and feelings.

The use of an asynchronous voiceover will allow us to see the perspective of the character as they would essentially be narrating what’s happening to us.

Melancholy music will be used during scenes where the emotions are running high and this will help to accentuate the deep feelings the character has. Also, music will generally be played during shots where little or no dialogue is used so by using the music, this can inform us about the way the character is feeling.

There may be little non-diegetic sounds used because it adds to the effect of the film looking more natural and realistic. This adds to illusion that, as an audience, we are getting a closer look into the characters lives.