Starter: List some of the iconography that you would recognise in a crime drama.
GENRE – the type of media text, for example, television crime drama.
CONVENTIONS – The genre of a text is recognisable to an audience by having a set of shared characteristics or conventions (sometimes called a ‘repertoire of elements’). These include characters, iconography, narrative, technical and audio codes and representations.
SUB-GENRE – within the overall genre of television crime drama there will be groups of programmes that share similar conventions, for example detective-led dramas. These are sub-genres. HYBRID GENRE – some programmes share the conventions of more than one genre. Jonathan Creek is a crime drama with elements of the paranormal. It is an example of a hybrid genre.
REMIT- the task or area of activity officially assigned to an individual or organization.
Exam question:
How typical are your three main texts of their genre? [30]
To respond to this question, you should consider;
- Key signifiers and iconography
- Storylines and plots
- Characters and their functions
- Stars/celebrities
- Use of camera, sound, editing
- Use of dialogue, language, music
Typical Iconography:
- high visibility jackets
- police cars,
- blue flashing lights,
- crime scenes,
- police tape (do not cross),
- murders, dark lighting,
- guns and weapons.
- flashlights in dark places.
- blood
- drugs
- money
Crime drama messages/values/ideology:
- “Crime doesn’t pay”
- Success and wealth
- Criminals are doomed to fail
- · Criminals are the victims of the circumstance they have found themselves in
Throughout a crime drama, the audience will constantly be asking themselves questions, such as:
- Is there more to come?
- What will happen when they meet?
- What will the Police do?
- What will happen when they meet?
- How are they going to deal with them?
Serious and dramatic non-diegetic music. Often this is very sombre and brooding during dark moments and fast-paced and bombastic as action sequences occur.
Settings
Interview rooms, urban settings, police stations, crime scenes, forensics labs, morgues, the killer's lair - often dark, ominous and threatening
Storyline
Catherine is a no-nonsense police sergeant who heads up a team of officers in a rural Yorkshire valley. When a staged kidnapping spirals out of control turning into a brutal series of crimes, Catherine finds herself involved in something significantly bigger than her rank, but unknowingly close to home.
- Identify and analyse the genre of Happy Valley through the use of genre conventions.
- Identify how the narrative is structured in Happy Valley.
- Consider which narrative perspective is offered and the impact this has on audiences.
- Identify and analyse gender representations offered in this episode of Happy Valley.
In Happy Valley, Sarah Lancashire's character (Catherine Cawood) was perceived as a complex, but authentic mix of masculine and feminine attributes: "She's taking on a very masculine role as a police officer, which you don't usually see, but a lot of the storyline is about her family – that's a more feminine side" (Women, 18-24, ABC1, Belfast)
Link to BBC Happy Valley site:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06zqjpj
1. What genre is Happy Valley? How do you know? What conventions can you spot?
Settings?
Titles?
Characters?
Lighting? Props?
2. How is narrative structured?
Usually in crime drama...
Crime to be solved.
Criminals punished.
Lead characters have a backstory.
Cliffhanger to keep the audience waiting.
Binary oppositions: Police vs criminals. innocent vs guilty
Camera angles: Usually follows detective solving the crime.
Use of extreme close ups to show emotion, adds tension.
Is Happy Valley a multistrand narrative?
What is Sgt Cawood's backstory?
How has this been told?
3. What narrative perspective is offered and what effect does this have on audiences?
Seen mostly from the perspective of Sgt. Cawood.
What issues does Happy Valley draw attention to?
4. What gender representations are offered in this episode?
Broadcast media is important. Audiences see a reflection of themselves.
Sgt. Cawood is a provider. Non traditional societal role.
60's drama.
What is the cliched gender stereotype?
Nevison-What are the different sides to his representation?
_____________________________________________________________________________
Tuesday 17-01-17 Assessment.
Task 1:
Apply this question to the opening titles of Happy Valley.
What genre is Happy Valley? How do you know? What conventions can you spot?
Give consideration to settings, iconography, the title, the characters, lighting, props?
Ask if these challenge or conform to crime drama conventions.
Make notes as you watch.
Write at least a paragraph, 200 words.
Task 2:
Apply this question to episode 1 of Happy Valley.
How is narrative structured?
Also; camera angles and movement.
Ask if these challenge or conform to crime drama conventions.
Write at least a paragraph, 200 words.
Task 3:
Apply this question to episode 1 of Happy Valley.
What gender representations are offered in this episode?
Give consideration to male and female.
What makes each the character a positive or negative representation?
Do they challenge or conform to stereotypes?
Below is a model answer for for analysis of the opening sequence of Happy Valley:
Model Answer
Happy Valley
Opening Credits: Genre Analysis
Opening Credits: Genre Analysis
In the short, 30 second opening sequence for BBC TV
programme Happy Valley, audiences can
establish that this text belongs to the sub-genre of British Crime Drama. In this
sequence, conventions
of both Crime and Drama are evident in the use of iconography, audio and
graphics. Firstly, the genre of Crime can be established primarily through the
use of iconography
which includes Costume
Codes such as a recognisable uniform and Hi Vis jackets and Props
including images of handcuffs and CCTV cameras. These indicators are symbolic
of British TV Crime Dramas, as can be evidenced in other TV shows such as BBC’s
Luther and ITV’s Broadchurch, and immediately help the audience to establish
expectations of the content and narrative of the show.
The opening sequence
also establishes a conventional location; primarily a run-down town in the
countryside. This can be observed through the images of high rise council flats,
canal boats, dilapidated caravans and dark tunnels. These particular settings;
urban and gritty, are conventional of the Crime Drama sub-genre due to their social-realistic depiction of working class conditions in Britain.
Similar to the use of Costume, this offers audience’s a privileged insight into
the programme’s content prior to being introduced to any characters or initial
storylines.
Genre can also be identified through the use of conventional
actors
and the acknowledgement of a renowned producer for the BBC. The introduction of the
central protagonist, Sarah Lancashire,
and the producer, Sally Wainwright,
in the opening credits establish the genre as they are both celebrated for
producing and starring in other TV Crime Drama’s including Scott & Bailey and Five
Daughters. The editing of the credit sequence can also establish
genre as the images have been obstructed by thick black bars which move
sporadically across the screen (an allusion to prison bars). This editing
creates enigmas
by withholding and hiding parts of the visual content, leading audiences to
expect mystery and unsolved problems to arise within the narrative, also conventional
of the Crime genre. Finally, the choice of song/audio for the opening credits (‘Trouble Town’
by Jake Bugg) is purposeful in
reinforcing the messages held by the visuals. Lyrics including ‘tower block
overhead’ (an illustrative link to the visuals of council flats), ‘benefits’
and ‘troubled town’ help to formulate expectations of the text’s content thus
reinforcing the Crime Drama genre to the audience.
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