TV drama analysis

1. TV Drama Analysis
Courtney Fishwick

2. Cyberbully
• Cyberbully follows the plot of a British
teenager being anonymously harassed and
forced by a computer hacker to do his bidding.
If she refuses, the hacker will leak
compromising photos of her to the public.

3. • Channel 4 TV Film 2015
• Format: Single drama
• Cyberbully is a short docu-drama thriller
consisting of dramatised reenactments of real
life events

4. See No Evil: The Moors Murderers
• This drama follows the plot of prolific killer
couple Myra Hindley and Ian Brady and their
crimes that horrified the nation, involving the
abduction, abuse and murder of several
innocent children.

5. • ITV True Crime Documentary
• Format: Serial/Single Drama
• Narrative Structure: Linear

6. • The opening scene of this documentary is
particularly significant through the convention of
foreshadowing. This is because, by opening the
drama with the setting of the Moors, the focus of
the drama has immediately been set.
• Furthermore, the opening scene displaying the
eeriness of the moors which sets the main focus
of the drama is dramatically juxtaposed with the
next scene which is set in the lively heart of
Manchester.

7. This Is England ‘90
• This Is England '90 is a 2015 British TV drama
miniseries written by Shane Meadows and
Jack Thorne and produced by Warp Films.
• The plot follows the main characters
throughout living in the Midlands during the
1990s, exploring the gritty reality of the lives
of the average characters involved.

8. • 2015 Channel 4 Drama
• Director: Shane Meadows
• Format: Series
• Genre: Drama
• Narrative Structure: Linear

9. • One particularly momentous scene within the
drama is set at the dinner table. This scene lasted
20 minutes and was filmed in one continuous
shot with a small number of cameras covering
the full span of the room.
• This scene explored the raw emotion of the
characters, portraying the explosion of the built
up tension assisting the reality of the situation
that the characters are seemingly dealing with.

10. The Missing
• This drama is based around the main
protagonist, Tony Hughes and his fight to find
missing son of 8 years, Oliver.

11. • 2014 BBC Crime Drama
• Director: Tom Shankland
• Format: Series
• Genre: Crime Drama
• Narrative: Non-Linear

12. • This drama uses the effect of flashbacks to
convey a more implied and extended
knowledge to the audience. This is
successfully accomplished via the involvement
of previous events shown through flashbacks
jumping between 2006 and 2014. Effectively,
the audience are able to understand the
progression of the central characters through
they way they act in the difference between
then and now.

13. • Accompanying the flashbacks, there is an
important use of lighting involved. When the
drama jumps back to 2006, before the child goes
missing, the lighting seems to be bright and soft;
emphasising the happiness and positivity that the
characters are feeling in the scene. On the other
hand, the scenes that are shown during and after
the time that Oliver has gone missing seem to be
dark and dimmed. This is to communicate to the
audience the contrast of not only the characters
in these scenes, but the atmosphere too.

14. And Then There Were None
• 2015 BBC Drama Thriller
• Director: Craig Viveiros
• Format: Series
• Genre: Crime Drama Thriller
• Narrative: Linear/Non-Linear due to flashbacks

15. • One particular scene from this drama is when
character Miss Claythorne is seemingly travelling
to Soldier Island via train. The camera focuses on
the rope of the train blinds, and then moves away
to an eye line match with Miss Claythorne,
leaving the audience focused on the rope of the
blinds appearing to look something like a hanging
noose. This is perhaps symbolic of the fate of
Miss Claythorne’s character and therefore using
the use of foreshadowing to convey the potential
resolution to the plot.

16. Bates Motel
• 2013-present American Psychological Drama
Thriller
• Director: Tucker Gates
• Format: Series
• Genre: Psychological Drama Thriller
• Narrative: Linear/Non-Linear due to flashbacks

17. • This drama is a contemporary prequel to
Hitchcock’s Psycho. The drama is an accurate
portrayal of how Norman Bates psyche and
mysterious persona is unmasked through his
teenage years. The drama also focuses on
opposing protagonist, Norma Bates, and the
complications she faces with the involvement
of son Norman’s psychological disputes.

18. • This drama particularly uses the effect of dimmed
lighting in most scenes to emphasise the dark and
thrilling nature of the drama. A lot of the scenes
consist of dark tones contributing to the
atmosphere of the entire drama its self.
• Furthermore, the drama involves many
flashbacks dating back to when Norman was a
child. This is to unveil a backstory to both of the
protagonists and guide the audience in figuring
out just how the characters have became so
psychologically impaired.