TV Drama Analysis

The short clip I chose to do my TV Drama Analysis on was The OC. It is an

American programme set in Orange County. It is based on a boy who comes

from a badly brought up background, who gets adopted by the Cohen family,

who are rich and go on to care and provide for him.

Here is the short clip of the series I chose to do my task on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrgqvjQT5Q4

Briefly what went on..

Theresa (the girl who is pregnant) is the girl Ryan used to go out with when he

lived back at home where he comes from. Since he has moved to OC they have both moved on, Ryan has a thing with Marissa

his new next door neighbour (the girl who tells him the news about

Theresa) and Theresa has a new boyfriend, Eddy.

Broadcasting/Scheduling detailsIt consists of four series, 92 episodes, which each continue the story as the

episodes go on. It was originally broadcasted on the Fox Television Network

but since then has been shown on television in more than fifty countries

worldwide. Its original run was 3rd August 2003 – 21st February 2007 It now has re-runs on various channels as the series has stopped being made and it

repeated.

Writer/Director/ProducerThe OC was created by Josh Schwartz. The production executives

changed throughout the different series. These were Bob DeLaurentis, Doug Liman, McG, Stephanie Savage.

Conventions/Characters

There are various well known famous characters who star throughout the

series, but the two which we see in the short clip are Mischa Barton who plays

Marissa Cooper and Benjamin McKenzie who plays Ryan Atwood.

They are both two typical teenagers from their backgrounds.

Marissa coming from a well-to-do, wealthy family who live in Orange County in a huge house and goes to the typical American high school. But after a while her family falls apart and she is frequently battling with drugs and

alcohol.

Ryan on the other hand has a very different background. He lived in poverty in a very lowly developed town called Chino, with just him and his mother

before she throws him out.

Mise en SceneLocationBy the looks of what we can see it is located in her house and in the door wayand front room of the house in Orange County. The scene is taken place herethe whole time, neither of them move from the room.

ShotsThe shots at the beginning are Medium Close Up shots, this is just below theirShoulders so only seeing the top half of them. After the news has been told andthere is no longer dialogue, as the music comes on, the camera zooms furtherand further away from them ending up as a wide shot.

LightingThe lighting bright on their faces as Marissa first opens the door, but as they bothstep into the house it dims down a bit and is quite dull as the blinds are closed.

CostumesThe costumes are all quite simple, they’re both wearing quite plain clothes, t-shirtand jeans, a very casual and typical dress code for two teenagers.

SoundsKey Dialogue:

The dialogue is all very much quite quiet, as she opens the door she is veryclearly quite nervous in what she is about to tell him. But when she says the

words ‘Theresa’s pregnant’. She raises her voice and says it quickly and is verydaunting for Ryan. After this, she is the only one to talk and he keeps quiet.

Sound Effects & MusicAt the beginning there is no other sounds other than Marissa and Ryan talking.After she tells him the news is goes quiet, there is a subtle bit of music playingin the background as they both stand there and look at each other and knowingwhat to say. The music helps to add to the affect that something dramatic hashappened and as well as the characters, it is meant to leave the audience notknowing what to say, and with the same feelings as the characters. This is avery common way to attract the viewers and to make them want to watch the

next episode.