Tuesday, 25 March 2014
How is the setting or theme of the television drama represented? ER
Generally in TV drama and medical dramas the setting and themes are established - It tells the audience straight away that it is in the hospital and is very fast pace by the use of props and costumes. However medical drama openings differ in the US to the UK as in the US the characters are shown where as in the UK they avoid this.
The setting is presented in the opening of ER as it is shown different places around the hospitals i.e. wards, corridors, reception, operating table etc. It shows the doctors running down the halls which shows the setting as being very busy and this then establishes the fact that it is based in a hospital. In the sequence the words emergency room flash up on screen which then tells the audience that it is set within that section of the hospital, the fast paced scenes represent how fast paced the ER works. The fact that x-rays, operations are shown in the opening sequence shows that it is in a hospital as it what some of the doctors have to do.
The mise en scene from the title sequence suggests that hospitals are busy, fast paced and hard working. The doctors costumes include the white coats and the stethoscopes around their neck and a clipboard in their hand, the surgeons are seen in their scrubs, the nurse is in pink scrubs - this makes it feel like a real hospital as if we were to visit a hospital this is what we would expect see. The characters are shown in what kind a personality they have i.e. George Clooney is seen as very serious, hardworking, busy where as one of the female doctors are seen as calm, smiling, friendly. From the facial expressions we can establish the type of doctors who are around the hospital, you can see the moods of them in their role. The use of costumes and props establishes the boundaries between the types of doctors and their roles in which they play. The setting is in the ER room but we also see the operating table, corridors which the doctors are seen running down, the reception, therefore all areas which we would expect to see within a medical drama. The lighting is very bright which shows that it is a hospital as they need to be able to see what they are doing and where they are going, it shows that its a pristine place. It all adds to being more believable. The make up of the characters are natural as they don't need to be seen as pretty as they're trying to save peoples lives, the hair is either tied up or if its short enough its let down for the women, the mens hair are very short.
The main medical drama themes include illness, death, problems, promotions, surgery. This is represented by the doctors running down the hall, being in surgery, taking x-rays, attending to the patients etc within the opening sequence therefore it suggests the kind of things that the audience would expect to see within ER. The audience would expect to see unusual things happening or unusual surgery's which they wouldn't see in day to day life.
The edits of the opening to ER is very fast and involves a lot of cuts, some of the scenes merge with other but mostly are cuts - The cuts can show how frantic the ER can get. It is very fast which represents how the doctors have to work in the hospital but this also fits in with the music used. The music sounds like the beeping of a heart monitor but sped up, it is a very upbeat tune which adds to the effect that they're trying to give to the audience of being busy. Therefore by adding this type of song to accompany the cuts this enhances both the theme and the setting.
The setting is presented in the opening of ER as it is shown different places around the hospitals i.e. wards, corridors, reception, operating table etc. It shows the doctors running down the halls which shows the setting as being very busy and this then establishes the fact that it is based in a hospital. In the sequence the words emergency room flash up on screen which then tells the audience that it is set within that section of the hospital, the fast paced scenes represent how fast paced the ER works. The fact that x-rays, operations are shown in the opening sequence shows that it is in a hospital as it what some of the doctors have to do.
The mise en scene from the title sequence suggests that hospitals are busy, fast paced and hard working. The doctors costumes include the white coats and the stethoscopes around their neck and a clipboard in their hand, the surgeons are seen in their scrubs, the nurse is in pink scrubs - this makes it feel like a real hospital as if we were to visit a hospital this is what we would expect see. The characters are shown in what kind a personality they have i.e. George Clooney is seen as very serious, hardworking, busy where as one of the female doctors are seen as calm, smiling, friendly. From the facial expressions we can establish the type of doctors who are around the hospital, you can see the moods of them in their role. The use of costumes and props establishes the boundaries between the types of doctors and their roles in which they play. The setting is in the ER room but we also see the operating table, corridors which the doctors are seen running down, the reception, therefore all areas which we would expect to see within a medical drama. The lighting is very bright which shows that it is a hospital as they need to be able to see what they are doing and where they are going, it shows that its a pristine place. It all adds to being more believable. The make up of the characters are natural as they don't need to be seen as pretty as they're trying to save peoples lives, the hair is either tied up or if its short enough its let down for the women, the mens hair are very short.
The main medical drama themes include illness, death, problems, promotions, surgery. This is represented by the doctors running down the hall, being in surgery, taking x-rays, attending to the patients etc within the opening sequence therefore it suggests the kind of things that the audience would expect to see within ER. The audience would expect to see unusual things happening or unusual surgery's which they wouldn't see in day to day life.
The edits of the opening to ER is very fast and involves a lot of cuts, some of the scenes merge with other but mostly are cuts - The cuts can show how frantic the ER can get. It is very fast which represents how the doctors have to work in the hospital but this also fits in with the music used. The music sounds like the beeping of a heart monitor but sped up, it is a very upbeat tune which adds to the effect that they're trying to give to the audience of being busy. Therefore by adding this type of song to accompany the cuts this enhances both the theme and the setting.
How is the setting or theme of the television drama represented? Emmerdale
The opening sequence of a TV drama is usually used to show setting and themes; within a soap opera the themes are based on love/hate, it gives a serious feel, it makes us understand that there is going to be a lot of drama in the episode.
The setting represents where the show takes place i.e. the Eastenders opening shows the River Thames which is in the City of London therefore we associate Eastenders with city life. It represents the key locations and tells the audience the location for example in the Emmerdale opening it shows a small village in Yorkshire, from this it suggests that its a close knit community where everyone is friends. It shows a few different houses and local community locations. The houses show the types of people that live within the community i.e. the small cottage shows its quite cramped and small therefore maybe an older couple live there. Compared to the big, open house which is shown which is very clean which suggests that the family who live there have more money and maybe a better job for example a company owner. We see the pub which is a central location for Emmerdale, it shows the community eating and drinking which suggests that it is a popular place. You don't see any main characters in Emmerdale only the feet or legs, maybe a silhouette of the figure this is so they don't have to change it when the character is killed off. In the bigger house the legs are seen running up the stairs with the clothes discarded on the floor which suggests drama is to unfold.
From the Emmerdale setting it shows that Yorkshire is a picturesque place i.e. beautiful mountains, quiet woods - We see it to be quite peaceful and tranquil in the countryside. It gives the idea that its a small community who are close and know everyone however the scenes in the opening can contrast this for example the couple running up the stairs shows it to be a secretive community.
The typical soap themes include affairs, murder, deceit, love, hate, friendships, backstabbing, things that happen in public places etc. Usually a couple are explored within one episode as a multi stranded narrative. In Emmerdale this would be different as its a countryside location rather than a city location like Eastenders, it would be on a lower key. Some of the story-lines would centre around farm life contrasting the city life story-lines. If some people fell out who were in the smaller community it would have a much bigger scale as it would affect everyone as they would know them in some way.
The audience would expect to find out the private lives of the characters from the shots of the different houses however they would also expect to see the drama unfold from the people running up the stairs, they would expect them to be found out. Also they would expect to see drama take place within the local community places i.e. the pub or the shop.
The setting represents where the show takes place i.e. the Eastenders opening shows the River Thames which is in the City of London therefore we associate Eastenders with city life. It represents the key locations and tells the audience the location for example in the Emmerdale opening it shows a small village in Yorkshire, from this it suggests that its a close knit community where everyone is friends. It shows a few different houses and local community locations. The houses show the types of people that live within the community i.e. the small cottage shows its quite cramped and small therefore maybe an older couple live there. Compared to the big, open house which is shown which is very clean which suggests that the family who live there have more money and maybe a better job for example a company owner. We see the pub which is a central location for Emmerdale, it shows the community eating and drinking which suggests that it is a popular place. You don't see any main characters in Emmerdale only the feet or legs, maybe a silhouette of the figure this is so they don't have to change it when the character is killed off. In the bigger house the legs are seen running up the stairs with the clothes discarded on the floor which suggests drama is to unfold.
From the Emmerdale setting it shows that Yorkshire is a picturesque place i.e. beautiful mountains, quiet woods - We see it to be quite peaceful and tranquil in the countryside. It gives the idea that its a small community who are close and know everyone however the scenes in the opening can contrast this for example the couple running up the stairs shows it to be a secretive community.
The typical soap themes include affairs, murder, deceit, love, hate, friendships, backstabbing, things that happen in public places etc. Usually a couple are explored within one episode as a multi stranded narrative. In Emmerdale this would be different as its a countryside location rather than a city location like Eastenders, it would be on a lower key. Some of the story-lines would centre around farm life contrasting the city life story-lines. If some people fell out who were in the smaller community it would have a much bigger scale as it would affect everyone as they would know them in some way.
The audience would expect to find out the private lives of the characters from the shots of the different houses however they would also expect to see the drama unfold from the people running up the stairs, they would expect them to be found out. Also they would expect to see drama take place within the local community places i.e. the pub or the shop.
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