3. Series
A series is set of episodes of a particular TV show. Each series can
have a number of 8 – 30 episodes it just depends on the TV
show, normally TV shows will have multiple series, which makes
them very popular with audiences as the like to follow the stories
shown in the show. Most TV series will be shot using both a single
camera technique and multi camera technique depending on what
type of programme they are. For example most soaps such as
Eastenders and Coronation Street will use multi camera techniques
as they need to meet busy time schedules and using multi camera
techniques allows the process to be a lot quicker.
There can be many different genres of series, for example there can
be dramas such as Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, crime series
such as Criminal Minds and CSI. Also there is teen drama series such
as 90210 and Skins. As well as a series there is a serial, this is
normally a single series that lasts about 3-6 episodes and is not
continued on with following series. This normally works for small
crime dramas such as The Guilty.
A TV series can be viewed on different publishing platforms, the
most common is on a television as this is where most of the shows
are first published. They can also be found on different streaming
sites such as Netflix and LoveFilm where you are given the
availability to view every episode of every series. Most TV series
have also been released on DVD which means you can purchase the
series and watch it whenever you would like to.
4. Single Drama
A single drama is a special part drama. It is normally a ‘one off
drama’ which will last for a few episodes and will not be carried
on afterwards into other series. An example of a single drama
would be ‘We'll Take Manhattan’ which was aired on BBC Four
about the love affair between photographer David Bailey and
sixties supermodel Jean Shrimpton. I expect that the series
would have used a single camera technique when shooting for
the drama as they have the budget and time to shoot using only
one camera. This allows them to get the shots that they want
and they can retake a lot of shots and put a lot of time into each
scene. A single drama can be viewed on a number of different
publishing platforms, they will be able to view on the television
firstly as this is where they are mostly first published. From
there you may also be able to view them on websites such as
LoveFilm and Netlix, and some may also be released onto DVD.
5. Documentary / Docudrama
A documentary film is normally focusing on something that has
actually happened and it tells the story of what happened. It is
very non-fictional, normally documentaries are filmed using
both a single and multi camera technique depending on what
the documentary is about. If the documentary has used a single
camera technique then they have more of a budget and more
time to film as it can be a very tedious process. If the
documentary has been filmed using a multi camera technique
then they would have used multiple cameras meaning they
would get more footage of a wider range. Documentaries
normally focus on something specific, an example of a
documentary ‘Imagine: John Lennon’ which spoke about John
Lennon’s life. Documentaries contain a lot of facts. They can
also be viewed on many different viewing platforms, they can
be viewed on the television and many will be released onto
DVD. Some may be able to view on websites such as Netflix and
LoveFilm.
6. Soap Opera
A soap opera is one of the most popular things that is
viewed on the television. Soap operas are very fictional
and scripts are written specifically for the audiences’
entertainment. The storylines normally follow things that
can happen in everyday life, which makes them very
appealing and addictive for the viewers as they want to
follow the stories to see what happens. Normally soap
operas are filmed using a multi camera technique as they
follow a strict schedule and new episodes are needed very
quickly, if a single camera technique was used this would
not happen as it is a very tedious process so a multi camera
technique is used instead. It is also less expensive for soap
operas to use a multi camera technique. Examples of soap
operas are Emmerdale, Eastenders, Coronation Street and
Hollyoaks. Soap operas are normally viewed on the
television as this is where they are first published, they can
also been viewed on website such as Netflix and LoveFilm.
A lot of them can be found on catch-up TV as well, and on
things such as the BBC iPlayer.
7. Feature Film
Feature films are normally a full length production, the majority
of films last between 70 minutes to 210 minutes. Whereas
feature films for children can be between 70 minutes to 105
minutes. There are a lot of different genres of feature
films, they can be things like
romance, thriller, horror, action, comedy and many more. An
example of a feature film would be Mama Mia, which is based
on the musical production and music from ABBA. Feature films
can be filmed using single camera technique as they have a lot
of time to make them which means they can reshoot as much
as they want to and get the right shot, they also have a big
budget to allow for single camera shooting. Feature films used
to only be able to be viewed in cinemas but they are now
available on DVD. They are also available on viewing platforms
such as Netflix and LoveFilm, they can even be viewed on
mobile phones which are portable and you can watch them on
the go.
8. Music Video
Music Videos are made to go along with music artists songs, they
are created so that the audience have something to watch if they
are listening to the song using a viewing platform. There are
different types of music videos, firstly there is a narrative, which
tells a story. This could be linking to the lyrics in the song and it is
normally fictional. There is also a performance music video where
the band is playing constantly and they are the main focus of the
video. Some artists may even choose to combine the two and
have both a narrative piece and a performance piece in their
music video. Music videos can be filmed using both single and
multi camera techniques, it depends on what style of music video
the artist is going for. For a narrative piece, single camera
technique is normally used and for a performance piece, multi
camera is used to film. An example of a music video would be
Arctic Monkeys – Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High. The
video follows the lead singer of the band Alex Turner where he is
obviously experiencing a bad trip after taking drugs, which links
bad to the lyrics and the title of the song. Music videos can be
viewed on a number of different viewing platforms, for example a
lot of them are viewed on websites such as Youtube, which also
allows them to be viewed on mobile phones if you use the app.
They can also be viewed on the television on music
channels, both YouTube and the television are the most popular
viewing platforms for music videos.
