DramaA drama film is a film genre that

depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters

dealing with emotional themes.

DramaI decided to use drama as my genre, as it opens the door to a range of both abstract and more naturalistic shots. It is quite a broad genre, which means that I can choose and alter the atmosphere within my opening titles. It can either be dark and mysterious such as the opening sequence of ‘Schindler’s List’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24fwJMLsyNs). These titles have a simple, yet dark undertone which successfully set the emotive atmosphere of the film. The background music of this sequence is a man singing a Jewish prayer, and it not only introduces some of the films key themes, but also makes the watcher feel unsettled.

A film which when looking at opening titles contrasts to this but still comes under the drama genre is the 1962 film ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwf96OEaYBg). This sequence is shots of an eclectic collection of items and a small child drawing a picture. This also has someone singing as part of the background music, however the fact that it’s a child makes the audience feel relaxed, however this film has a dark plotline, making it again come under the genre of drama. Another option would be to do a historical drama such as, ‘Downton Abbey’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLqsNFQPdgo). This opening is effective as it sums up the period of time by filming simple objects that tell us what period the drama is set in. The music tells us that the program has a serious nature, but the aesthetically pleasing images make us as watchers feel comfortable. It is also a genre which I have always enjoyed watching, which means that I understand which titles are effective and which are not because I have experience in watching this variety of sequences.

Aspects and Reflection of the Drama GenreThere are several key aspects of this genre that should be added to my title sequence if they are to fit with the drama

genre:•Interesting and relevant location- This is essential if you wish to portray a sense of drama, as it can intensify what you are filming by adding a dramatic backdrop to the shots. •Props: depending on the time period of your sequence, the props used could seriously effect the style of your opening titles. By using angles to make the props more of a feature, you play to the drama genre. •Costume: This is again something that depends on the period, and it depends on whether or not you wish to have actors involved in your titles. Some dramas only use objects/furniture in their opening titles, so that they do not have to use costume to try and set the atmosphere of the piece. •Interesting font: In ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, the titles are simple but effective. They are white in colour and a simple bold font, this means that the watcher focuses more on the images behind the font as opposed to the text itself. However in ‘Schindler’s List’, the writing is more elaborate because the images behind are minimal. This is based upon the directors intentions for the opening credits. • Sound effects and soundtrack: In this genre, because of it’s eclectic nature music can be quite varied. In Schindler’s list the simplicity of the man singing the Jewish prayer in the background makes it seem quite eerie, which sets the right tone for the film/program. However in ‘Downton Abbey’ the dramatic music is more typical of the drama genre, and is a feature I am interested in for my opening titles. • Cinematography: A common feature of drama cinematography is using a jump cut. Quickly cutting from one image to another is also something I wish to put into my piece. This is used in both ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘Downton Abbey’. This has a very dramatic effect in order to fit with the genre.• Editing: This is a key element to get right in the opening titles of films/program’s within the drama genre. This feature can have significant effects on the atmosphere and pace of the opening titles, which can effectively set the atmosphere for the whole film. Depending on the type of drama, eg period or romantic, the editing will be either gradual changes of shot by using zooms and fade, however jump cuts and flashes of images would set a more exciting and dramatic tone.

Narrative: All three of the examples used in previous slides do not have narrative during their opening titles, which indicates that a typical feature of the dramatic genre is to just have sound effects or a soundtrack over the titles and not narrative. This gives way to the opportunity to let the music set the mood of the film, and the director is therefore able to control the levels of tension and drama within this opening section of the film or program.

Aspects and Reflection of the Drama Genre

Conclusion All of these aspects are essential in order to correctly approach the creation of a

sequence within the genre of drama. The idea of location is a key element of Mise-en-scene which will set the necessary atmosphere for my film. Whether diegetic or non-diegetic, sound is also vital in creating atmosphere and is something I will have to experiment with when creating my sequence as it could be open to misinterpretation. Unsettling music is traditional for this genre. Another feature which is open to misinterpretation is the use of props and costume. These elements I have discovered through my genre research, must reflect perfectly the time period of my sequence, as getting this wrong could potentially confuse my watchers. I now understand that font is essential in delivering the right impression to my audience, and certain types of font such as simple and white are popular within the drama genre. This is something which I wish to add to my final sequence. I have also discovered that narrative during the opening titles is not common within the drama genre, in order to leave the watcher in suspense of both plot and character. This is something which I would not want to add to my opening titles. Finally, I have learnt that editing is also key in projecting a clean and stylish finished piece to my audience. The editing can not only increase or decrease the tempo of my piece (eg jump cuts to increase, slow fades to decrease) but can also effect the atmosphere of my piece and by editing the tempo, I can control the amount of tension within each frame. Tension is a traditional feature of a dramatic opening sequence, and is something I want to explore when creating my final piece.