The document discusses how sound is used in different television genres like crime drama, medical drama, sci-fi drama, and historical drama to convey information to audiences and create certain effects. In crime dramas, eerie music builds tension while screams and gunshots communicate danger and violence. Medical dramas use relaxing café music to ease tension versus a drumbeat that builds suspense. Sci-fi dramas employ mysterious sounds and machine noises to set a futuristic tone. Finally, historical dramas rely on period music, horse carriages and formal speech to transport audiences back in time.

1. Sound.

2. Spooks – Crime Drama.
At the beginning of this clip, the sound is mysterious and eerie which creates suspense
and builds the tension. The message that it is trying to put across to the audience is that
something dangerous is going to happen, especially as there is a ticking noise in the
background which signifies that time is running out for a particular character.
The diegetic noise of the screams, which are coming from the characters, is used so that
the audience will start to fear more as they know something scary is going to occur in the
scene. The music then, turns very fast paced and creates a action type atmosphere which
builds up the tension and it tells the audience that there is a lot of chaos and it is coming
close to the main dilemma. The fast paced, non-diegetic sound, also tells the audience
that the genre of this programme is a crime, as a typical convention of a crime programme
would be fast paced sounds and action.
The diegetic sound of the gun shooting the man shows the audience that this is a crime
drama as a gun is also another typical convention of a crime programme.

3. Casualty – Medical Drama.
When one of the male characters is being followed by a man on his bike, the non-
diegetic sound of a faint drum beat is being played in the background. This quiet noise
allows the audience to be aware that something quite dramatic is about to happen and
it also builds up tension and suspense as the audience would want to know what is
going to happen to this character. When the two other characters in the clip, are in the
café, the diegetic sound of the music being played in the café creates a relaxing
atmosphere and it allows the audience to know that nothing bad is going to happen in
this part of the scene, it puts them at ease. The diegetic noise of the cutlery in the café
makes the scene more realistic. During the scene where the male character, who keeps
on falling down, falls in front of a car, the diegetic sound of the car screeching also
makes the scene more realistic and it adds to the dramatic affect which allows the
audience to know that this is a drama.

4. Doctor Who – Sci-Fi Drama.
The non-diegetic sound that is played in the background at the beginning of the clip
is a mysterious and flowy sound which creates suspense within the scene as it makes
the action that is happening more eerie and tense. The diegetic sound of one of the
machines that is in the scene and of the digital clock ticking allows the audience to
know that it is a sci-fi as it is a typical convention of a sci-fi drama and the sound of
the clock creates suspense as the audience is waiting for the countdown to end so
they can see what will happen in the scene. The sound of the creatures in the scene
also gives the audience the message that they are watching a sci-fi programme as it is
a very computerised voice which contributes to the typical conventions of that genre.
When the female character is talking in the scene, the non-diegetic sound of the
background music is a light sound which gives the audience the idea of hope and
gives them the impression that she isn’t going to die in the end.

5. Tudors – Historical Drama.
At the beginning of the clip, the non-diegetic sound of the background music is a very
old, historical sound which gives the audience the impression that the genre of this
programme is a historical drama. The diegetic sound of the horses galloping and the
carriage moving also gives the audience the idea that they are watching a historical
drama as it is a typical convention of that genre because that was the typical type of
transport in the historian times. The diegetic sound of the dialogue also suggests that this
is a historical drama as they are speaking in a very posh accent and they are using the
type of vocabulary that people speak in during that era. Also, the diegetic sound of the
men walking very fast and loudly suggests that something has gone wrong and they’re
rushing about, which creates a tense affect on the audience as they would be worried
and curious as to what has happened.