Many think that making TV drama may only involve a few directors and a handful of actors. However most are unaware of the many different roles that go on behind the scenes of many of the nations most loved drama. Obviously the roles of the actors (The people whoa re shown on TV as the characters of the drama) and directors (the people who decide different screen shots, placings and expression) are vital in making a successful drama. However this success would not be possible without the hard work with other members of he crew.
Many other types of jobs include:
- Writers- They write the script and make up the storyline or plot of the episode
- Stylist/make up artists- they are responsible for the outfits and look of the characters. this role is more crutial then meets the eye as many people judge characters on style alone, therefore the directors/writers need to feedback to the stylists explaining how they want the character to come across.
- Lighting director- Designs the lighting for multi camera televison productions
- Foley Artist- responsible for recreating everyday life sounds in films or TV drama
- Art directors- They build needed sets, and coordinate camera angles and lighting with the director and lighting director
- Production Manger- hires the crew and handles budgets and insurance as well as eveyones pay
- Sound engineer/boom operators- they are responsible for recording the audio and dialogue
- Script supervisors- ensure script continuity
- Art department assistance- handles props
- Production assistants- run errands, control traffic, keep the set tidy and help in any other way until the job is done
There are many other jons involved in media, but these are some of the key ones.
Compare the Way Two TV Dramas Construct Representation of Gender using Camera Shots, Angles, Movement, Composition and Mise-en-Scene
Different TV dramas show the roles and representations of women in different ways. The roles of men are also shown differently. A good example of this is the representations of the different genders in a soap drama, such as Eastenders, and sci-fi drama, such as Doctor Who.
In the Eastenders clip, we see a young woman, Alice, dressed in young, fashionable clothing with her hair and make up done. The scene is set outside a local pub at a nighttime hour, which we know from the natural darkness, and street lights all around her. In her hand is a prop, a mobile phone. After there has been a close up of the prop, the picture changes to a young man, wearing a hoodie sitting on bike. This represents the young youth stereotype which is commonly associated with crime, and with the figure being a man shows that men are more associated with crime then women . Also in the background we see common character, Ray, who is minding his own business, dressed in plain colours. As Alice starts to walk away from the pub, there is a close up of her handbag, and then a re-focus to the young figure in the background. Using this pull focus gives the audience an idea of a link between the two and starts to build the feeling of suspense. Before this point, the camera was still, but as Alice began to walk, the camera walked with her, making the audience feel they are in the scene as they travel with her. Then from behind Alice, in the same shot, we can see the person on the bike move towards her and again this adds to the suspense. As he rides past her, he takes her bag and she falls to the floor. The camera falls to the floor with her and then, from the same angle as Alice, the person can be seen riding away, which again makes the audience side with Alice. He may of decied to mug Alice because, seeing the way she was dressed, may have given him the idea of her being an 'easy target' as such. As the camera shows him riding away, we see Ray chase after him, again from the same angle, which may imply that the mugger and Ray are at equal power, representing the classic good v evil battle and again, they are both men and women are not traditionally seen in 'battles'. After failing to catch him, Ray returns to console Alice, who has tears running down her face. This shows her as being vulnerable and gives Ray, the hero and man figure of the scene, the most power at this moment. So Eastenders, throughout the scene, presents the old fashion view of the man being cable, and also men always committing crimes and lastly having the women as the damsel in distress character.
The Doctor Who clips gives the opposite representation of gender equality compared to the previous Eastenders clip. The scene shows the doctor, Amy and her boyfriend, Rory, sitting in a park on top of a boulder socialising and reading books and newspapers. The park is in a city, proven by the fact that there are urban buildings behind the trees of the park, and the sound of police sirens are frequently heard. This could be linked into the usual thrilling scenes found in the Doctor Who series, and also links into the crime theme introduced by the Eastenders clip. The fact that they're surrounded by nature could represent the relaxed feel to the scene, and the fact it is surrounded by crime and noise touches on the themes associated with the Sci-Fi series. The camera shot is a wide shot, showing the three characters and the setting clearly. The doctor and Amy are sitting higher up compared to Rory, and this could show equality between the genders. For example if Rory was sitting with the doctor, it would come across that they are seen as more important compared to Amy, which would be seen as sexist. It is daytime in the park, made clear by the sound of birds, and the fact there is complete natural lighting around them, again linking into the the relaxed and natural theme. Amy and Rory are relatively younger than the doctor and the audience can see this by styling methods. For example, Amy and Rory are wearing jeans and jumpers, seen as casual clothing worn when people are relaxing, whilst the doctor is wearing a suit, which is associated with work and represents the character's seriousness, importance and maturity. As the scene progresses, we see friendly banter between the three characters. There is a joke made about Amy, which she took slight offence to, and when questioned about the truth of the joke, Rory denies it, to which Amy ordered him to kiss her. Rory may of denied the joke either to spare hurting Amy's feelings, or to make sure he doesn't get shouted at, as he may find her outgoing personality intimidating. So in this clip, even though they are not the main character, Amy dominates the power of this scene, a contrast to the Eastenders clip.
In conclusion, some TV dramas represent gender equality differently. For example, in Eastenders, women, such as Alice, are shown as vulnerable and incapable at standing up and looking after themselves and rely on men to do that for them. Whereas in Doctor Who, men and women are seen as more equal and if anything, showing women standing up for themselves and trying to get their own way. This is shown through techniques such as mise-en-scene, camera shots and angles deiced on by the directors, stylists, and editors. Doctor Who shows more modern views on equality, however Eastenders, based on everyday life, show that the old fashion views on gender equality still exist.
I decided to analyse One Direction's new video 'Live While We're Young' ( see link for video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbPED9bisSc&feature=g-all-u I thought I'd do this particular, as like other video analysis which mostly come across as negative, this video will provide a positive feel when analysed in details compared to others.
This video represents young youth, but in a positive light. Yes these teenagers are having fun and having a party, but they are not drinking/taking drugs, but just simply having a harmless good time amongst friends. Also the song itself does not feature swear words and is suitable to be played in full on public radio, and this is reflected in the video itself.
In some other music videos, girls are represented as dressing in very little, and are just seen as 'accessories' to men. But in this video, they are seen as equal to the boys and are dressed acceptable to attend a summer party wearing things such as shorts and vest tops, whilst the boys, who are also dressed in summer clothes, wear longer shorts compared to the girls and are more covered up in general. This, reflecting on society, shows that it is more acceptable for girls to go out in very little but boys are known to dress in more no matter the weather, therefore implying that girls wearing little is a common sterotype. Although the girls are featured in this video, the main people shown are the boy band themselves. Nearer the end of the video, it shows stero typical boy band video aspects, which means dressing to impress their female fans. This may be seen as cheesy, but in this video it is so subtly done that it doesn't come across as 'typical' or 'cheesy'
This camera shot shows the 5 main members of the group in the front, with mainly girls behind them. Again this shows equality between the males and females in the video, but mostly shows that the boys are 'irresistible' which sends this message to female viewers at an attempt to gain more fans and make current fans like them more. This could also be a hidden message, meaning that the boys are wanting to say that they see fans as friends. The current fan base of one direction is mostly teenage girls and this video shows no attempts to reach out to any new potential fans. For example all the people featured in the video are around the teenage age, therefore making teenage viewers relate to the theme of young youth. Most of the fans featured a lot amongst the five members of the boy group are girls, with the exception of a few added teenage boys. This could intimate young men/boys watching the video as they may not relate to the video concept of having girls surrounding them and therefore take a dislike to the group, which is extremely common. As the shot is at a low angle looking up, it makes the band seem very powerful with fame, and as there is a group of girls in the background, again makes everyone seem equal.
In conclusion, One direction's music video 'Live While We're Young' shows young youth having harmless fun, and shows everyone as equal and also keeping traditional boy band video traditions. I think that this video doesn't need a age certificate as it doesn't show offensive material or unappropriated behavior but just shows young people as they are in a good way.
TV Crime drama, such as 'Good cop' is usually shown around about 9 o'clock on weekdays. By this time, young children are socially expected to be asleep around this time, therefore implying that they will not be watching, whilst giving their parents an opportunity to watch the crime drama. They may choose to show this certain type of show at this type, when young children are not watching, as there is a popular debate stating that children are influenced by things they watch.
Soap dramas, such as 'Eastenders' take a different approach to this ,however, as although they include a strong theme of crime, they are usually shown between o'clock and o'clock. this may be because it is backed up with other themes which are not all bad. Also children often follow a daily routine, and watching a certain soap may be part of that routine.
Sci-fi drama, such as 'Doctor.Who' is shown usually at the weekend, when soaps are not on. As it is on at such a prime time, it is watched my many families. This, again may relate to the fact that children follow a daily routine and again may replace the soaps that are shown on weekdays.
