TV Dramas and the ExamLesson Outcomes

To understand what I will be tested on in the exam

Textual Analysis – Filmic Elements

Camera Shots, Angles and Composition Editing Sound Mise en Scene

Textual Analysis – Filmic Elements

Camera Shots, Angle, Movement and Composition Shots: establishing shot, master shot, close-up, mid-

shot, long shot, wide shot, two-shot, aerial shot, point of view shot, over the shoulder shot, and variations of these.

Angle: high angle, low angle, canted angle.   Movement: pan, tilt, track, dolly, crane, steadicam,

hand-held, zoom, reverse zoom. Composition: framing, rule of thirds, depth of field –

deep and shallow focus, focus pulls.

Textual Analysis – Filmic Elements

Editing Includes transition of image and sound – continuity and

non-continuity systems. Cutting: shot/reverse shot, eyeline match, graphic

match, action match, jump cut (cutting between two shots of the same subject from slightly different angles) crosscutting, parallel editing, cutaway; insert.  

Other transitions, dissolve, fade-in, fade-out, wipe, superimposition, long take, short take, slow motion, ellipsis (cutting shots not necessary to the narrative) and expansion of time, post-production, visual effects.

Textual Analysis – Filmic Elements

Sound Diegetic and non-diegetic sound;

synchronous/asynchronous sound; sound effects; sound motif, sound bridge, dialogue, voiceover, mode of address/direct address, sound mixing, sound perspective.

Soundtrack: score, incidental music, themes and stings, ambient sound.

Mise-en-Scène Production design: location, studio, set design, costume

and make-up, properties. Lighting; colour design

Representation

The focus of this unit will be on the topic of representation. What does this word mean in Media Studies?

Media texts are presentations of people, places, time etc but they are constructed for a specific a target audience.

Seven Key Representation.

Exam Question

Regional Identity – Summer 2013

Age - Winter 2013

Physical ability/ Disability – Summer 2012

Sexuality- Winter 2012

Skins, C4

Social Class – Summer 2011 Summer 2014

Shameless C4

Gender – has not been done for a while…….

The Bill, ITV1

Ethnicity – has not

been done for a

while….The Bill, ITV1

Exam Format

You will be shown an ‘unseen’ extract from a TV Drama

The extract will be about five - seven mins long. You will be shown it four times.

You will be expected to ‘close read’ the extract - break it down according to: the use of camera shots, angles, movement and composition; Mise-en-Scene; Editing and Sound and link these filmic elements how meaning is created for the audience.

The Question will be worth 50 marks

A Definition:

How would you define Television Drama A story that is presented in a dramatic way

and explores a range of genres, from soap opera to science-fiction to costume drama.

A piece of film that engages with the issues of the day in an accessible fashion, i.e. through believable characters, through fantastic locations or plots.

What TV Dramas do we know

Write down the names of as many TV Dramas that you can think of.

Share your list with your partner. Look at the list provided – which of these have

you seen, which ones do you think should be added to the list?

Can you group them according to genre? Working with another group come up with your

Top Ten (you will share them with the class)

What do TV Dramas have in common

Think about your Top Ten list. What do they have in common – think

about characters, narratives, sets and settings, camerawork, use of dialogue, sound and music.

Come up with ten ‘rules’ that TV Dramas have to stick to.

Do these TV Dramas follow the rules?

Doctor WhoThe Bleak HouseSpooksClips are included on the blog below this pptDo you need to modify your rules?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30EG9TjP88c Spooks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs0qpASAtCA Dr Who