1. What Is a Cime Drama?

What is a Television Crime Drama? Defining the genre

A television crime drama
Television Crime Drama is a genre (or type) of TV programme.
It always follows certain rules. The rules of a genre are called the conventions (typical elements) of a genre (type of programme).
Watch this trailer: http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v =Fyu413qiOXY&playnext=1&list=PL707CE5DF0C72205B
What tells you it is a television Crime Drama programme?

Is it a television crime drama?
1.Is it on television, or originally made for TV? (it can’t be a film that came out in cinemas)
2. Is it mainly about a crime?
3. Is it a drama (made-up, acted, fictional?)

Are these TV crime dramas?
X-Men
A documentary about drug smuggling
CSI: Miami
Thor
Reality show about police work
Dr Who
Morse
A story on the news about a murder
Pirates of the Caribbean
For each example, say why it is or can’t be a TV crime drama. Use the three questions to help you decide:
Is it on television, or originally made for TV? (it can’t be a film that came out in cinemas)
Is it mainly about a crime?
Is it a drama (made-up, acted, fictional?)

Typical characters
Crime dramas usually include three types of character:
The ones who solve the crimes (detectives, private eyes, police officers, forensic scientists).
The ones who commit the crimes (criminals, murderers, thieves).
The victims (the ones who get murdered, attacked, robbed, beaten up, mugged, stolen from, burgled).
Watch the first 40 seconds of either of these clips - can you work out who is the criminal, who is the victim and who is the crime solver?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vk2lp
http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v = IAUbPFIlFIc&feature = relmfu

Typical plot / storyline
The typical plot centres around solving a crime (the murder, attack, burglary)
The story usually follows those who solve the crime (the detectives, police)
The crime is not usually solved until the end of the episode or programme.

To keep you interested…
One of the pleasures of TV Crime drama is watching the crime get solved. But if it was solved too quickly or easily, it wouldn’t be interesting. So Crime Drama plots usually have:
A mystery or enigma at the start – a puzzle or mystery – who killed the dead man? And why?
Lots of suspense – will they catch the killer in time?
A red herring – will they arrest the wrong person; do the clues point to an innocent person?
Some personal drama – the detective's marriage is falling apart; the detectives fall out with each other; the detective loses his promotion.

Plot devices
Watch these two clips of two very different TV crime dramas. What aspects of the plot devices can you see?
Mysteries or enigmas?
Suspense?
Red herrings?
Personal drama?
CSI:NY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4_HyIc89Wk
Morse: http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v =qukmZgyOQr4

Narratives and closure
If it is a one-off drama, then the narrative will be closed (all the loose ends will be tied up at the end of the programme).
If it is a series, there may be one storyline that gets finished in the episode, for example a crime that is solved, then other storylines that run on through the whole series. These other storylines may end on cliff-hangers to keep the audience coming back for the next episode.

Todorov
Todorov suggested that most stories follow five stages:
Equilibrium – everything is normal at the start
Disruption – something happens: a crime, a mystery
Recognition – people see something has happened and react to it
Attempt to repair – people try to put things right, solve the crime, catch the criminal
Resolution - everything is solved, worked out, fixed, and there is a new equilibrium

Applying Todorov’s theory
Watch a whole episode of Rastamouse (on CBeebies iPlayer) or watch the clip below:
http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v =4ZCvydOxcq0
Try to work out the five stages
Equilibrium: Rastamouse and his friends are playing their music
Disruption
Recognition
Attempt to repair
Resolution

Typical settings for TV Crime Drama
Often in the city (seen as a dangerous place)
But sometimes in the countryside…consider the murder rate in Midsomer!
Within this, individual locations often include police stations, law courts, science labs, police cars, detectives’ houses, alleyways, nightclubs, victims’ houses….

Match these TV crime dramas with their setting.
Midsomer Murders Manchester
NYPD Blue English gardens
CSI: Miami Country houses
Rosemary and Thyme Midsomer
Rastamouse Oxford
Poirot Miami
Inspector Morse Baltimore
Cracker New York
The Wire Mouseland
Can you think of anywhere that wouldn’t work as the location of a TV crime drama?

Mise-en-scene
Mise-en-scene refers to what can be seen in a camera shot. Look at this image: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vk2lp
What are the characters’ positions (facing the camera? Standing aggressively? Sitting shyly?) What does this tell us about what kind of person they are?
What are the characters’ facial expressions? (Glaring at the camera? Smiling? Laughing? Winking?) What does this tell us about what kind of person they are?
What props (things) are there in the shot? (A coffee mug? A new car? A gun? A pencil?) What does this tell us about the person?
What costume does the character have? ( A suit? Jeans? A flowery dress?) What does this tell us about the person?
Where is the location or setting? (in a front room? In prison? In an office?) What does this tell us about the person?
Is the lighting bright or dim? Full-on or from the side? What mood does this give to the image?

Mise-en-scene analysis
Look at these images. One is from a television crime drama, and one is not.
http:// www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl = http://blog.tvguide.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/prime_suspect.jpg&imgrefurl =http:// blog.tvguide
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006v5y2
Describe what you can see in each image:
Characters posture, position, facial expression
Costumes
Location
Props
Lighting
Camera shot type and angle
How does each image have a different mood and feel?

Define the genre
What are the genre conventions of Television Crime Drama?
Explain, using these words:
genre
conventions
plot
character
setting
Teaching TV Crime Drama www.devonldp.org

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1. What Is a Cime Drama?

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1. What Is a Cime Drama? Presentation Transcript