Dramas portray characters and their development through journeys in realistic situations. Crime dramas specifically follow those involved in criminal activity or law enforcement. The history of dramas shows changing themes and genres over time from silent films of the 1940s to modern films influenced by politics, history, and social issues. Common characters in dramas include the protagonist hero, their helper or friend, and the antagonist seeking to ruin the protagonist. Famous directors and actors known for dramas are also listed.

1. Drams
These portraya characters journey anddevelopmentsduringafilm.These are oftenreal tolife with
the situationinwhichtheyare in.the reasonwhythese are so popularisbecause people canoften
relate tothem.The performancesinthese are normallyoverexaggeratedanddramaticsoundsto
engage the audience more thanotherfilmgenres.
In drama there are sub genres.Inone of these are crime dramas.This isthe one that I will be looking
at because myfilmopeningisaLondontwiston crime dramas. Crime dramasoftenfollow
characters involvedinacriminal activityorlaw enforcementandthe justice/legal system.
Historyof dramas
Early years- 1940’s
In the earlyyearsfilmswere mostlypantomimedstyled
and silent.Theywere oftendepressingdue tothe social
conflictof the war at that periodof time (the grapesof
wrath)
1950’s-
The 50’s was the yearof the up rise of well-knowndramaticactors
(MontgomeryClift,Glennford,Jamesdean,Bette Davisect..).these dramatic
filmsmainlyfocused onthe charactersrelationship anddevelopmentsof
themas the filmprogressestowardsthe end.
1960’s-
The 60’s dominantly brought politically focused dramas dominantly
focusing on wars such as “the flash back (1969)” and “the judgment
at nuremberg (1961)”. The 60’s also came up with sports dramas
which then came inspirational such as “the hustler (1961)” and
“downhill racer (1969)”

2. 1970’s-
During the 70’s, modern dramatic directors directed some of their first films. Francis
ford coppola directed “the godfather(1972)”. Martin Scorsese directed “taxi
driver(1976)”, “mean streets(1973)” and the musical drama “new York, new York
(1977)”. Sylvester Stallone created one of the most successful and famous sports
dramas and arguably the most famous film franchise “Rocky”. War films specifically
world war 2 films were also produced such as “tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)”, “Patton
(1970)” and “apocalypse now (1979)”. These are all considered classic war films
which all sjhow the hardship and problems about the Great
War.
1980’s-
In the 80’s, dramatic films put emphasis on highly
emotional themes such as “do the right thing (1989)” and
“the colour purple (1985)” these were full character films
of African American culture and history.
Famous war films were also made such as “platoon
(1986)” and “das boot (1986)- focused on the point of
view from a German solider in WW2”. This is also the
year or a drama with sci-fi fix to it such as Steven
Spielberg’s “E.T (1982).
1990’s-
Crime dramas the were made during the 90’s are
“goodfellas (1990)”. Themes of hope such as “shawshank
redemption (1994)” and “schindlers list (1993)”. Dramas
also started to introduce thriller dramas such as “fight club (1999)”.
Race relationships were also introduced such are “American history x
(1998)” finally comedy dramas were featured such as “Forrest Gump
(1994)”
Common characters that you can often find In a drama are…
The protagonist: they are normally the main character in the film.
These are normally the ones who solve the puzzle or the one to save
the day. They are the one who are brave and always the one never to
give up despite the odds. This character is generally good looking to
pull in a audiences that have a fan base. This character is dominantly
played by a male however and up rise of females has come to the
screen playing the hero in the last decade. (Lara croft: tomb raider)

3. The helper/ best friend:
This character normally displays a high amount of loyalty and trust towards the hero. The helper
normally tends to be there for the hero throughout the film. They normally have moral codes which are
often broken in order to help the hero win the battle at the end. If the helper is a girl and the
protagonist is a male they often fall in love with each other towards the end.
The antagonist:
The antagonist is normally the one to go to extreme lengths to get what they want. This includes
breaking the law, hurt someone or potentially killing someone. This character primary looks out for
them self’s and don’t care about anyone else. There is always a feud between the agonist and
protagonist, whether that be long term or short term. The agonist is determined to ruin the
protagonists life.
List of film directors that make dramas are:
 James Cameron (titanic)
 Peter Jackson (LOTR)
 Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump)
 Christopher Nolan (great director!!)
 Martin Scorsese (the departed )
 Mel Gibson (brave heart)
List of film actors that often feature in dramas are:
 Tom hanks
 Mathew mcconaughey
 Leonardo DiCaprio
 Morgan freeman
 Michael Caine