2. Genre
Genre, is a film theory refers to the method based on similarities in the narrative elements
from which films are constructed. They are then classified into films or genres. Some popular
genres in Hollywood include Comedy, Chick Flick, Horror, Romance, Drama, Musicals etc.
Films are then subdivided by their characteristics and the content shown in the film. For
example: Family movies, children’s films, cult films and silent films. Genres are basically
used by film makers to appeal different audiences classified by either age, ethical
background, region etc.
Drama:
Drama describes a genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious
than humorous in tone, focusing on in-depth development of realistic characters who must
deal with realistic emotional struggles. A drama is commonly considered the opposite of a
comedy, but may also be considered separate from other works of some broad genre, such
as a fantasy. At the centre of a drama is usually a character or characters who are in conflict
at a crucial moment in their lives. They often revolve around families.
The purpose of a dramatic storyline is to move the audience emotionally. Dram films depend
mostly the development on normal character(s) that is dealing with a conflict or dilemma.
Dramas often give actors a chance to stretch into a role that other genres wouldn’t allow
them to do. This is because drama films focus on building up characters that the audience
can engage with. Drams typically portray a character(s) journey and developments as well
as exhibiting real life characters, situations, settings and stories. They also typically have
dramatic sounds and exaggerated performance
Drama is a very broad genre and sub-genres of drama often overlap, e.g.
Crime Drama – Generally follows a character(s) involved in criminal activity or law
enforcement and the justice/legal system
Historical Drama – Films that focus on dramatic events in history particularly in war films.
Comedy Drama – A drama film that uses an equal, or nearly equal balance of humour and
serious content
Romantic Drama – Drama film which dwells on the elements of romantic love
3. Common characters in Drama films
The protagonist
He/she is generally the main
character in the film. The audience
feels sympathy towards this
character that always triumphs
over the villain. The character also
has such as bravery, determination
and a desire to overcome evil. This
characteristics often put under
trails so that these characteristics
can be exposed to the audience.
Drama is the genre who is not only
engaging the audience into the
protagonist's journey, but also
participates into the character's transformation inviting the public to wonder and put
questions upon their life, becoming an inspiration and an opportunity to get connected with
our imagination and inner self.
The antagonist
The antagonist goes to extreme
lengths to get exactly what he/she
wants this could include breaking
the law, hurting someone or
potentially killing someone. The
character primarily looks out for
themselves and seems to posse
little empathy towards the
character. There us always a feud
between the protagonist and
antagonist which makes the
antagonist determined to ruin the life of the protagonist
4. Film Examples
A drama film is a film genre build upon the journey and
development of realistic characters dealing with
emotional themes like poverty, class division, drug
addiction, infidelity, sexuality, moral dilemmas, and
alcoholism or representing a model or artist's biography.
Dramas are produced re-presenting a reality
(like history drama) or
creating a new one,
overreacting
sometimes the facts
to induce more
emotion, usually
evoking in a profound
way meanings of life.
Films like comedy-
drama (Forrest Gump
– 1994 directed by
Robert Zemeckis),
historical drama
(Titanic – 1997
directed by James Cameron, including war
drama (Inglorious Bastards – 2009 directed
by Quentin Tarantino. These are just a few of
the hundreds of top hit drama films that have
been released.
Typical Actors Staring in Drama Films:
Leonardo DiCaprio:
DiCaprio has stared in many critically acclaimed during his career, most of which have been
titled as “Drama Films”.
Wolf of Wall Street is a story of a man who started a brokerage firm. Driven by greed and
corruption, his business, family, and life as a whole went downhill. Jordan Belfort (Leonardo
DiCaprio) is a shy young adult from Queens, New York, who lives with a girlfriend he is
madly in love with.
