This document provides guidance on how to analyze a TV drama through a textual analysis. It outlines several areas to focus on, including camera shots, angles, movement and composition; editing techniques; different types of sounds; and mise-en-scène elements like production design, location, costumes, and lighting. Specific techniques are described, such as establishing shots, close-ups, pans, fades, diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. The document instructs the reader to watch a TV drama clip and analyze it based on representations of gender, age, ethnicity, class or other attributes through these technical elements.

1. Steph Webb
HOW TO ANALYSE A
TV DRAMA

2. Section A
• Watch a short 4-5 minute clip of a TV drama. Complete a textual analysis of the clip for one
of these:
• Gender.
• Age.
• Ethnicity.
• Sexuality.
• Class and status.
• Physical ability/disability.
• Regional identity.
• You must do so by the following areas:
• Camera shots, angle, movement and composition.
• Editing.
• Sound.
• Mise-en-scène.

3. Camera shots, angle, movement
and composition
• There are many different types of camera shots that are used in
media. These are: establishing shot, master shot, close-up, mid
close-up, extreme long shot, mid-shot, long shot, over the shoulder
shot, point of view shot.
• There are angles that are used in media. These angles are: high
angle, low angle and canted angle.
• There are many different movements in media. A few that are used
are: panorama (horizontal movement from one side of the screen to
the other i.e. left to right or right to left), tracking (following the
character’s movement), tilt (vertical movement from one side of the
screen to the other i.e. top to bottom or bottom to top), dolly,
crane, steadicam, hand-held, zoom, and reverse zoom.
• In media, there are different compositions. These include: framing,
rule of thirds, depth of field – deep and shallow focus and focus
pulls.

4. Editing
• Editing includes transitions of images and sounds –
continuity and non-continuity systems.
• There are different types of cutting that are used in
media. These consists of shot/reverse shot (going from
one shot to another – reverse shot often used for
convos), eye line match (different angles of eye levels)
and action match (one shot leading onto another).
• Other transitions include: fade-in/out, dissolve, wipe,
superimposition, long take, short take, slow motion.

5. Sound
• Diegetic – Sound that occurs naturally in the story (part of
storyline).
• Non-diegetic – Sound that doesn’t occur naturally i.e. music or
narration.
• Asynchronous – Sound that can be heard but occurs off screen.
• Synchronous – Sound that can be heard and seen/occurs
onscreen.
• Other sounds include sound effects, sound motif, dialogue,
voiceovers, sound perspective and sound mixing.

6. Mise-en-scène
• There are two different things to analyse when looking at Mise-en-scène. These
are:
• Production design: location, studio, set design, costume and make-up and
properties.
• Lighting; colour design.