Drama Genre Research

Welcome back my fellow readers, today I will be discussing my personal favorite genre, DRAMA 

Background of the Drama Genre

     Drama is one of the earliest genres in cinema, and to this day it has held on to their popularity. Reaching a total of 36.89 billion dollars on box office revenue in North America from 1995 to 2020, drama films are arguably one of the most popular and successful film genres. Drama as a whole is a very broad subject, including various subgenres such as psychological dramas and historical dramas, which all contributed to the mass success of the drama genre overall. 

     Dramas consist of a serious presentation of settings or real-life situations that portray realistic characters in conflict with themselves, others, or the forces of nature. Overall, these films are extremely character-driven as opposed to plot-driven. Though subgenres like the ones mentioned above add more plot to the narrative, at the end of the day dramas driven by the characters, who they are, and what they do. One good example of the drama genre is the movie, The Joker, it portrays a real life character in a real life setting with a man with mental health issues.

     Because drama's are centered around a character themselves, shots and angles that develop characters as well as their relationships with others are used constantly throughout the film. Some of these may include close ups, which creates intimacy between viewers and the character, as well as two shots, which are used specifically to create a dynamic between two characters. Long shots are also commonly used throughout this films to establish a setting while also allowing viewers to see the characters full range of motion. Techniques that use lighting and colors are also used commonly in drama films.

Thank you for keeping up with my research, stay tuned for tomorrow's new genre. :)