So what is a TV Crime Drama?
It's a type of TV programme. TV programmes are a type of media text. Different types of texts are called genres. You should think of a genre as a recipe, with a list of ingredients. These are the conventions of the genre. All of those elements which make you recognise a crime drama are called conventions.
So in simple terms, a TV Crime Drama is a fictitious TV programme that is about the solving of a crime.
As with any genre there is a number of conventions that feature in these programmes, some of these include, Police Tape, Detectives, Blue Lights, The colour blue, Police Stations, Victims, Police Uniform etc etc
There are many different TV Crime Dramas and many sub-genres below is a link to a blog that outlines some new ones....
http://www.crimetimepreview.com/2011/10/new-tv-crime-dramas-2012.html
Media Language: forms and conventions
There are a number of defining conventions of television crime drama:
Narrative: a useful place to start is by exploring types of narratives which are typical of crime dramas. Compare the structure of those organised around single episodes with clear resolutions at the end with series which have multi-episodes.
Explore plot lines and how the crime is solved and the criminals revealed.
Narratives are often organised around binary opposites, for example the conflict between the forces of law and order and criminal activity.
Character types: identify the central characters who populate the genre. Some dramas are based around a single central character, or a pair of detectives working together. In others we might have teams of crime fighting units.
What other characters would we expect to see and what is their narrative function? How important are the criminals themselves?
Settings: locations can be part of a drama's appeal. They frequently determine the nature of the criminal activity and affect the tone, mood and pace of the programme. Compare idyllic village settings with urban landscapes. Explore the fast streets of New York, the academic spires of Oxford and the poverty which is to be found in some British/American cities.
Style: Mise-en-scene, a French term meaning 'placing on stage'. What we see on the screen in terms of the way characters are dressed, their body language, their positioning, the setting, props and other objects, are all generic clues by which we can recognise a crime genre on screen. In this sense style is about the look, sound,
mood and feel of a programme.
The following all impact on style:
• camera work and editing
• music
• lighting and colour
• dialogue
Narrative: a useful place to start is by exploring types of narratives which are typical of crime dramas. Compare the structure of those organised around single episodes with clear resolutions at the end with series which have multi-episodes.
Explore plot lines and how the crime is solved and the criminals revealed.
Narratives are often organised around binary opposites, for example the conflict between the forces of law and order and criminal activity.
Character types: identify the central characters who populate the genre. Some dramas are based around a single central character, or a pair of detectives working together. In others we might have teams of crime fighting units.
What other characters would we expect to see and what is their narrative function? How important are the criminals themselves?
Settings: locations can be part of a drama's appeal. They frequently determine the nature of the criminal activity and affect the tone, mood and pace of the programme. Compare idyllic village settings with urban landscapes. Explore the fast streets of New York, the academic spires of Oxford and the poverty which is to be found in some British/American cities.
Style: Mise-en-scene, a French term meaning 'placing on stage'. What we see on the screen in terms of the way characters are dressed, their body language, their positioning, the setting, props and other objects, are all generic clues by which we can recognise a crime genre on screen. In this sense style is about the look, sound,
mood and feel of a programme.
The following all impact on style:
• camera work and editing
• music
• lighting and colour
• dialogue
