Genre Conventions for Final Project

Genre History 

Our chosen genre is drama. Drama is one of the oldest storytelling traditions, tracing back to ancient Greek theater, but it was a key genre in the development of cinema in the early 20th century. In the silent era of cinema, melodramas and psychological dramas dominated screens because of their heavy use of acting and visual storytelling. An important milestone in drama was achieved in "The Story of the Kelly Gang", which is recognized as the first feature-length narrative film, and demonstrated that long-form dramatic storytelling was possible. In the 1930s and 1940s, melodramas became popular in Hollywood cinema, particularly in dramas that dealt with emotional themes of family, love, and sacrifice. Director Douglas Sirk was famous for his melodramatic films that dealt with issues of society in an indirect manner.

Realism in drama was popular in post-World War II cinema. "Bicycle Thieves" was a landmark in world cinema for its realistic portrayal of common people’s struggles. In the 1950s and 1960s, dramas began to deal with issues of society. By the 1970s, in New Hollywood cinema, dramas like "The Godfather" redefined the genre of storytelling with characters who had moral integrity. Actors like Marlon Brando redefined acting in drama. In recent years, dramas like "Moonlight" have shown how drama continues to engage with issues of identity and vulnerability. Today, drama frequently blends with other genres, but its core focus remains emotional depth and character development.

Common Conventions

The storylines of drama films usually revolve around character-driven stories rather than plot-driven stories. The conflict in drama films often involves emotional, moral, or relational conflicts. The characters in drama films are often multidimensional and imperfect, making them more believable. The use of dialogue in drama films often helps to reveal the characters' inner conflicts. The cinematography in drama films often involves the use of close-ups to reveal the characters' facial expressions and emotional states. The lighting in drama films often involves the use of natural lighting to make the films more believable.

Another feature of drama films is their slow pacing, which helps to create tension. The soundtrack in drama films often involves the minimal use of music to support the characters' emotional states. The themes in drama films often involve issues of identity, family, trauma, love, and self-discovery. The films often incorporate symbolic elements to reflect the characters' inner conflicts. The editing in drama films often involves subtle techniques to keep the focus on the performances.

In terms of conventions, for my Final Project, this means that we will focus on quality acting and emotional truth in the film. Because we are working on a small-scale film, drama is a suitable genre because it doesn’t require special effects, and we can focus on realistic dialogue and character interactions. Close-up shots will also be important in this film, and we will keep the lighting natural because it is more realistic. By following these conventions, we can make our film more authentic and fitting for the genre.

Final Plans

After conducting research on drama conventions, the focus of this scene will be on the development of characters and emotional realism. Since we will only be filming the opening scene, we will make sure to establish the conflict of the scene in a subtle way. Close-up shots will be used to capture the emotional expressions of the characters. Dialogue will also be used to establish conflict in the scene. The lighting will be natural, and the scene will have a steady pace to establish atmosphere. There will be no dramatic music in this scene, which will help the audience emotionally connect to it and align with the drama genre.

Examples:

Example 1: The Godfather Opening Scene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY1S34973zA


The opening scene has a slow zoom into a close-up of a grieving man. This is a common convention used by drama films because it focuses on dialogue and character relationships from the start. The lighting used is dim, which is also a common convention used by drama films.

Example 2: Moonlight Opening Scene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dtH7L2pWqQ


This opening scene has a lot of movement and natural lighting. This is a common convention used by drama films because it focuses on character relationships and setting instead of using exposition.

Example 3: Bicycle Thieves Opening Scene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3jnzXX9mXs


This opening scene immediately lets the viewer know that they are in a hard economic situation. This is a common convention used by drama films because it focuses on a realistic setting and situation.

All three films' opening scenes avoid using a lot of editing and instead focus on tone, theme, and character relationships. This is a common convention used by drama films because it focuses on character relationships and emotions.

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