TV DRAMA

House of cards is an American TV drama.

Settings: The setting is set in modern time America, mostly in the
political areas such as Washington DC and the white house.
Narrative/plot: The plot follows a man called Frank Underwood who is
plotting a revenge for those who have betrayed him after being denied
the secretary state position he had promised. He and his wife Claire
decides to climb the political ladder to gain power and take revenge.
Characters: The characters are different than
the typical good characters who try to make
things better for other people and such. The
main character, Frank underwood gets
betrayed by his comrades and decides he
wants to take revenge on those who did him
wrong. He is seen to be very dark and
emotionless which sees him as a mysterious
yet bad person even though he is the main
character of the story. His wife Claire is a
manipulative character that helps his husband climbs the political ladder
and doesnt stop until she gets the things she wants.
Themes: The themes include political themes, strategical and
manipulations themes. It is mainly a revenge theme. Revenge is showed
to express the plot that the main character is going through, being
betrayed, revenge is an option to pay back.

Technical aspects: The camera shots being used are primarily mid shots
where the audience can see the face
expressions and body language of the
character. House of cards uses a lot
of face expression shots to show the
emotions in which the characters
present. Also character interaction is
shown by having the characters back
facing the camera and the other character talking facing the person.

Iconography: The use of wearing high end clothing such as suits and
modern dresses make it seem higher in the social grouping of the
characters. Also the use of the American flag is widely shown in the show.
This is because it shows the political and nationalism side of the film and
how the symbol also revolves around the political side of things.

Mise en scene: The use of facial expressions and body language is

shown a lot in house of cards to express the difficulties that the characters
face such as being angry or faking a smile. This creates a better drama
since the audience can relate to the facial expressions and such. The
lighting and effects are used widely to contrast the locations and
characters. For example a dark lighting when a character is showing signs
of being dark and evil.