Drama

We all know or have an idea of what drama is. Drama is a very common genre within our current society, and it seems to be fairly popular as well. This genre is characterized by the emotional development of realistic characters and dramatic scenes throughout the plot. Most of the times, it is a narrative of the intense and real life issues of the main character. This is such a broad genre with endless sub-genres, but I will be talking about the most common ones for now. 

Tragedy - tragedy is a sub genre of drama where there is a downfall of the main character, primarily caused by a tragic flaw. It includes a conflict, suffering, and catharsis. The self-destructive behavior of the character is revealed. The flaw most of the time result in death.

Comedy - This sub genre's main purpose is to make people laugh (obviously). Besides being funny, it is also known for exaggerating or creating very improbable situations. There are very little serious moments or scenes and the resolution is usually lighthearted.

Musical -This type of sub-genre tells the story through music, dialogue, dancing. and performing. The songs of the characters are turn into the narrative.

 Melodrama - This type of films appeals to the audience through the emotions of the characters. It is highly emotional and often includes exaggerated  characters or situations.  It often deals with "crises of human emotion, failed romance/friendship, strained familial situations, tragedy, or illness.

Romance - Romantic drama films focus on exploring the complex and romantic side of love. The most common plot of this genre centers on an obstacle between the love of 2 characters that prevents them from being together. 

History -  This sub-genre centers on a specific time in history or group of people. Most of the time their purpose is to portray true events and people . It often features characters of royal-image or of legend. 

Genre Conventions

Narrative Structure -  Drama movies focus on exhibiting real life situations with realistic characters, settings, and stories. They are a serious representation of life and the struggles we all go though; the stories do not often include fantasy during the plot. The purpose of the dramatic story line is to engage the audience emotionally. They portray emotions at its best and worst. The plot generally involves realism. The protagonist is easy to relate to; his/her life and journey is narrated while they encounter an obstacle.  Almost every drama movies has a plot twist or a complex plot. This conflict can be dramatic, hence the name "drama". The conflicts include inner and outer realistic struggles - hardships, difficulty, pain. Additionally, the protagonist's journey is full of emotional peaks. It is crucial for a drama movie that it portrays heavily character development. The plot is structured with climaxes and anti-climaxes to keep the audience fully entertained and create tension. It finalizes with a happy ending or a form of realization. 

Some popular themes within the drama genre are

• Love
• Pursuit
• Revenge
• Sacrifice
• Death
• Family
• Justice
• Maturation
• Education
• Escape
• Transformation

Sound - Within this genre, only realistic sounds tend to be used, as it helps portray the sense of realism, and it creates more credibility with the audience. This realism helps the audience feel better connected with the film and create an emotional connection with the characters. Sound effects are mainly used to establish the setting, weather, time of day, or something that is happening off-stage.  For instance, if the movie takes place in the beach, there will be sound effects representing the oceans, the breeze, the birds, etc... Additionally, music is a crucial element of drama. Music is always used to enhance what is occurring in a scene, and intensify the trauma, making it more "dramatic". Many drama movies create their own music or soundtrack. It is used as a marketing way so that whenever the song is heart, it is quickly linked to the film. Moreover, dietetic sounds in drama films mostly include the dialogue between the characters, although there are some diegetic sound effects used to add suspense and a dramatic effect to a silent scene. On the other hand, non-diegetic sounds are also popular. Many movies integrate voice-overs, which helps adding narrative and a background inner voice of a specific character (most of the time, the protagonist). Voice over helps giving the audience an insight on the main character's life and events, coming directly from them.

Lightning -  Within this genre, lightning is not limited to only certain techniques. A very common lightning technique used during drama films is low key lightning. This is used to make a scene more intense, in order to inflict a reaction from the audience. On its contrary, high key lightning is also used for vibrant scenes to portray or express a specific, for instance, happiness or joy. In addition to low and high key lighting, the spot-lighting technique can also be used to increase the dramatic effect, and isolate the character from what is happening in her surroundings. Besides those, normal lighting is also used, with the intention to portray a realistic atmosphere. In addition to those techniques, colors can also be used in specific scenes to create a theme and make it more dramatic.

Characters - These type of films often portray characters based on personality, rather than appearance, although appearance is also key on other movies. Since there are endless possibilities within the drama genre, there is not a specific scheme of characters. since drama is supposed to be a realistic environment, there is often heavy on representation. Having an "every day" character is very important, since this helps the audience to create a relationship with the characters and being able to relate to them. However, in most films there is always a protagonist and an antagonist

Props - In the drama genre, props vary depending the sub-genre as well as the story. For instance, in a musical drama, there most likely will be an auditorium and microphones. In a drama-romance movie, there will be objects that represent love, such as a rose.

Cinematography - The cinematography in drama movies must reflect the serious issues and emotional struggles of the characters. Close-ups and reaction shots are key! These shots will allow the audience to see and feel emotion from the characters face or actions, and emphasize their facial expressions, emotions and reactions. Close ups can also bring relevance to a particular object of the film, or act as foreshadowing.  Another common shot used in drama films are two-shots. They are used so that two characters can easily and directly be compared with each other. 

Editing and composition - The editing is also a very important aspect of a movie. It influences how the audience sees and interprets the characters within a scene, Not only that, but it can also hep establishing the mood. A shot-reverse-shot is fairly common within the drama genre. Although it is used almost every scene, it is specifically important within the drama genre since it allows the audience to see the each character's reaction to a specific action or scene. Long takes can also aid in the connection between character and viewer. Long takes gives the audience the opportunity to clarify the character's feelings and intentions behind every of their actions. 

Costume and Make-up -  The costumes in drama films are supposed to represent the character and their personality. For instance, the antagonist in a movie might wear black clothes or more dark tones colors in order to represent its negativity and intentions.