Assignment 8:
Synoptic Research of Drama genre
Judy
Noor
Leticia
Katia
Genre Decision
History and context
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The term drama comes from a Greek word meaning ‘action’, which is derived from the verb meaning ‘to
do’ or ‘to act’.
The two masks associated with drama represent the traditional generic division between comedy and
tragedy.
Drama is when characters deal with emotional themes. Themes such as : alcoholism, drug addiction,
infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, sexuality, poverty, class divisions,
violence against women and corruption which places them in a difficult place against themselves, others
and society.
Drama is one of the broadest movie genre.
As an example ‘Ordinary’ people goes deep under the skin of everyday life to ask big questions and touch
on the deepest emotions of normal people.
In the 1950’s the arrival of stage actors like Marlon Brando, trained in the area of more naturalistic
techniques, which was slowly changing drama to a more realistic progress.
By the 1970s melodrama was nearly finished being a knowledge genre, as the need for realism dominated
film in groundbreaking movies like Martin Scorsese’s mean streets.
Drama was seen as a way to teach the audience.
Dramatic films focused on characters relationships and development.
Drama was born around the 1950s which evolved from melodramas to mainly drama containing realistic
context that related to the audience as well as the characters always leaving a message for the audience
to think about at the end.
Purpose
The purpose of the drama genre is to move the audience emotionally and to
revolve around everyday life.
This genre has this purpose because the director wants the audience to be
engaged with the story and relate to it.
The effect on the audience is they go through the same emotions as the
characters are going through.
However, some films contain conventions of multiple genres.
Therefore the purpose of the comedy-drama genre is to make the audience
laugh at matters that could be seen as dramatic.
And the purpose of the romance-drama genre is to revolve around romance
that the audience can relate to and the struggles/drama they go through. (eg:
Titanic)
Classic Films

‘Of mice and
men’

‘Borderline’

‘Pride and
prejudice’

‘Titanic’

‘The north
star’

(1940)

(1950)

(1940)

(1953)

(1943)

PG

PG

PG

PG

PG

Conventions:

Conventions:

Conventions:

Conventions:

Conventions:

It contains two
main characters
who wanted to
fulfil their dream
and have hope.
It is based on true
events and can
relate to what
scenario we
choose.

This film contains
violence but also
very dramatic
This could help us
as group
understand that
within the drama
genre there is
romance and
tragedy.

Pride and Prejudice
is based on a family
and 4 sisters looking
for marriage.
This could allow us
to understand that in
the drama genre
there can be a
marriage in the end.

The Titanic is a
love story based on
two characters.
The story ends with
death. This is also
in the drama genre
because there is a
tragedy at the end
which links to what
we might choose.

Within drama
there could also
be gory disturbing
images if it is
mixed with a
drama.
30 Drama films list
Film name

Year

Rating

Subgenre

1) White House Down

2013

12A

Action

2) Elysium

2013

15

Sci-fi

3) Four Lions

2010

15

Comedy

4) Dirty Dancing

1987

15

Romance

5) Magic Mike

2012

15

Comedy

6) Marley & Me

2008

PG

Comedy

7) Boys Don't Cry

1999

18

Biography

8) The Vow

2011

12A

Romance

9) Eat Pray Love

2010

PG

Romance

10) Sex And The City

2008

15

Romance
Film name

Year

Rating

Subgenre

11) The Notebook

2004

12A

Romance

12) Gladiator

2000

15

Action

13) Brokeback Mountain

2005

15

Romance

14) The Shawshank Redemption

1994

15

Crime

15) Good Will Hunting

1997

15

Drama

16) Goodfellas

1990

18

Crime

17) Pride & Prejudice

2005

U

Romance

18) Love Actually

2003

15

Romance

19) American Beauty

1999

18

Comedy

20) Air Force One

1997

15

Action
Film Name

Year

Rating

Subgenre

21) Ben-Hur

1959

PG

Adventure

22) The Other Eden

1959

U

Comedy

23) Human Desire

1954

Approved

Crime

24) The Apartment

1960

Approved

Romance

25) The Great Dictator

1940

Approved

Comedy

26) The Graduate

1967

Approved

Romance

27) Raging bull

1980

18

Biographical

28) Scarface

1983

18

Crime

29) The Godfather

1972

18

Crime

30) Rocky

1976

PG

Sport
10 Contemporary Drama films
Film Name

Year

Rating

Subgenre

1) ‘12 Years a Slave’

2013

15

Historical

2) ‘Never Let Me
Go’

2010

12

Science Fiction

3) ‘The Place
Beyond the Pines’

2012

12A

Crime

4) ‘The King’s
Speech’

2010

12A

Historical

5) ‘The Town’

2010

15

Crime

6) ‘The
Descendants’

2011

15

Comedy

7) ‘Drive’

2011

18

Crime

8) ‘Blue Valentine’

2010

15

Romance

9) ‘We Bought a
Zoo’

2011

PG

Comedy

10) ‘Rush’

2013

15

Action
Subgenre analysis 1
Psychological
Its psychological because
she has a mental problem
that seems to see things
that affect her everyday
life.

Mystery
It’s a mystery because we
are unable to know what
will happen until the ending.
This allows us to start
thinking about what may
happen.

Romance
Horror
horror because there
is a scene where the
woman stabs her self
in the face , scaring
the audience.

There is romance
because in some
scenes there is sexual
contact. For example
when Nina is with
Lily.

Paranormal

Thriller
There is this sense of
excitement
throughout the
movie towards
what’s going to
happen next.

In the movie there is
paranormal scenes
such as the romantic
scene. This made some
of the movie a
paranormal romance.
Drama
The main drama convention
in this film is that the
audience don't know until
the very end what is going to
happen, in this case who was
going to win and survive until
the very end, this keeps the
audience wanting to watch
the whole film.
Romance
It has romantic conventions
as it is stereotypical that
there is always a third
person involved in the
relationship, the main
characters usually end up
together and there is nearly
always a happy ending.

Action
The action
conventions are the
long fight scenes
which keep the
audience intrigued
with the film.

Subgenre Analysis 2
Fantasy
It has fantasy conventions
as there are mystical
creatures that don’t exist
in real life, such as the
‘Unknown Beast’.
Sci-fi
Its sci-fi conventions are
its set in the future with
all these new digital
technologies. The arena
in the film is a
convention as it is able to
produce blood rain and
fire from a computer.
Thriller
The convention of a
thriller film is there’s a
lot of suspense and this
is true in The Hunger
Games as through all the
fight scenes you want to
know who is going to
survive and who won’t.

Assignment 8 Version 2

  • 1.
    Assignment 8: Synoptic Researchof Drama genre Judy Noor Leticia Katia
  • 2.
  • 3.
    History and context • • • • • • • • • • Theterm drama comes from a Greek word meaning ‘action’, which is derived from the verb meaning ‘to do’ or ‘to act’. The two masks associated with drama represent the traditional generic division between comedy and tragedy. Drama is when characters deal with emotional themes. Themes such as : alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, sexuality, poverty, class divisions, violence against women and corruption which places them in a difficult place against themselves, others and society. Drama is one of the broadest movie genre. As an example ‘Ordinary’ people goes deep under the skin of everyday life to ask big questions and touch on the deepest emotions of normal people. In the 1950’s the arrival of stage actors like Marlon Brando, trained in the area of more naturalistic techniques, which was slowly changing drama to a more realistic progress. By the 1970s melodrama was nearly finished being a knowledge genre, as the need for realism dominated film in groundbreaking movies like Martin Scorsese’s mean streets. Drama was seen as a way to teach the audience. Dramatic films focused on characters relationships and development. Drama was born around the 1950s which evolved from melodramas to mainly drama containing realistic context that related to the audience as well as the characters always leaving a message for the audience to think about at the end.
  • 4.
    Purpose The purpose ofthe drama genre is to move the audience emotionally and to revolve around everyday life. This genre has this purpose because the director wants the audience to be engaged with the story and relate to it. The effect on the audience is they go through the same emotions as the characters are going through. However, some films contain conventions of multiple genres. Therefore the purpose of the comedy-drama genre is to make the audience laugh at matters that could be seen as dramatic. And the purpose of the romance-drama genre is to revolve around romance that the audience can relate to and the struggles/drama they go through. (eg: Titanic)
  • 5.
    Classic Films ‘Of miceand men’ ‘Borderline’ ‘Pride and prejudice’ ‘Titanic’ ‘The north star’ (1940) (1950) (1940) (1953) (1943) PG PG PG PG PG Conventions: Conventions: Conventions: Conventions: Conventions: It contains two main characters who wanted to fulfil their dream and have hope. It is based on true events and can relate to what scenario we choose. This film contains violence but also very dramatic This could help us as group understand that within the drama genre there is romance and tragedy. Pride and Prejudice is based on a family and 4 sisters looking for marriage. This could allow us to understand that in the drama genre there can be a marriage in the end. The Titanic is a love story based on two characters. The story ends with death. This is also in the drama genre because there is a tragedy at the end which links to what we might choose. Within drama there could also be gory disturbing images if it is mixed with a drama.
  • 6.
    30 Drama filmslist Film name Year Rating Subgenre 1) White House Down 2013 12A Action 2) Elysium 2013 15 Sci-fi 3) Four Lions 2010 15 Comedy 4) Dirty Dancing 1987 15 Romance 5) Magic Mike 2012 15 Comedy 6) Marley & Me 2008 PG Comedy 7) Boys Don't Cry 1999 18 Biography 8) The Vow 2011 12A Romance 9) Eat Pray Love 2010 PG Romance 10) Sex And The City 2008 15 Romance
  • 7.
    Film name Year Rating Subgenre 11) TheNotebook 2004 12A Romance 12) Gladiator 2000 15 Action 13) Brokeback Mountain 2005 15 Romance 14) The Shawshank Redemption 1994 15 Crime 15) Good Will Hunting 1997 15 Drama 16) Goodfellas 1990 18 Crime 17) Pride & Prejudice 2005 U Romance 18) Love Actually 2003 15 Romance 19) American Beauty 1999 18 Comedy 20) Air Force One 1997 15 Action
  • 8.
    Film Name Year Rating Subgenre 21) Ben-Hur 1959 PG Adventure 22)The Other Eden 1959 U Comedy 23) Human Desire 1954 Approved Crime 24) The Apartment 1960 Approved Romance 25) The Great Dictator 1940 Approved Comedy 26) The Graduate 1967 Approved Romance 27) Raging bull 1980 18 Biographical 28) Scarface 1983 18 Crime 29) The Godfather 1972 18 Crime 30) Rocky 1976 PG Sport
  • 9.
    10 Contemporary Dramafilms Film Name Year Rating Subgenre 1) ‘12 Years a Slave’ 2013 15 Historical 2) ‘Never Let Me Go’ 2010 12 Science Fiction 3) ‘The Place Beyond the Pines’ 2012 12A Crime 4) ‘The King’s Speech’ 2010 12A Historical 5) ‘The Town’ 2010 15 Crime 6) ‘The Descendants’ 2011 15 Comedy 7) ‘Drive’ 2011 18 Crime 8) ‘Blue Valentine’ 2010 15 Romance 9) ‘We Bought a Zoo’ 2011 PG Comedy 10) ‘Rush’ 2013 15 Action
  • 10.
    Subgenre analysis 1 Psychological Itspsychological because she has a mental problem that seems to see things that affect her everyday life. Mystery It’s a mystery because we are unable to know what will happen until the ending. This allows us to start thinking about what may happen. Romance Horror horror because there is a scene where the woman stabs her self in the face , scaring the audience. There is romance because in some scenes there is sexual contact. For example when Nina is with Lily. Paranormal Thriller There is this sense of excitement throughout the movie towards what’s going to happen next. In the movie there is paranormal scenes such as the romantic scene. This made some of the movie a paranormal romance.
  • 11.
    Drama The main dramaconvention in this film is that the audience don't know until the very end what is going to happen, in this case who was going to win and survive until the very end, this keeps the audience wanting to watch the whole film. Romance It has romantic conventions as it is stereotypical that there is always a third person involved in the relationship, the main characters usually end up together and there is nearly always a happy ending. Action The action conventions are the long fight scenes which keep the audience intrigued with the film. Subgenre Analysis 2 Fantasy It has fantasy conventions as there are mystical creatures that don’t exist in real life, such as the ‘Unknown Beast’. Sci-fi Its sci-fi conventions are its set in the future with all these new digital technologies. The arena in the film is a convention as it is able to produce blood rain and fire from a computer. Thriller The convention of a thriller film is there’s a lot of suspense and this is true in The Hunger Games as through all the fight scenes you want to know who is going to survive and who won’t.