School Based Drama

Conventions

Charecters
Protagonist- this is the
character that the audience routes for, he/she is usually the new kid in school, or the new teacher, the rookie. The audience is meant to connect emotionally with this figure, as they are able to identify with their feelings of exclusion and isolation. By the end of the film or series, this character usually emerges on top of the school after going on an emotional journey and discovering who they are.

Antagonist- this
character has usually been round the block a few times and has been able to establish themselves as the king or queen of the school. This character traditionally sees the entrance of the protagonist as a threat to their status and does all that they can to cement it by pushing the protagonist down. By the end of the film the antagonist usually gets their comeuppance as their efforts backfire and they end up on the bottom and the protagonist at the top. In a series we have more time to explore characters, so usually we discover what it was that turned them so evil in the first place, they may reform and become a friend of the protagonist once they set aside their differences or perhaps become a neutral character

Plot
The plot of a school based drama usually follows the same conventions playing along games of stuatus, which are as follows: A rookie charecter enters into the school environment, at the bottom of the social hierarchy with little status They meet the antagonist, who at first to tries to befriend the protagonist in order to manipulate them This is met by rebellion on behalf of the protagonist which results in the pro and antagonist becoming enemies Throughout the film or series, the protagonist will try to fit in their new surroundings, perhaps by changing themselves In the end the protagonist discovers that they were liked in the first place for who they are and they win the respect of their peers or pupils, whilst the antagonist is exposed for the vindictive person they are and are moved to the bottom of the social hierarchy

 In the school based drama, many different sound devices are use to create effect. The most common of these is atmospheric music. This can vary depending on the tone of the piece, e.g. serious, humorous, etc. but usually it is in the form of youth culture music such as the rap song Gangsters Paradise as featured in the opening of the film Dangerous Minds where it served to set the tone for the events to follow. Its not just music thats used however, Directors like to make use of diegetic sounds, particularly crowd noise, shoes squeaking across the floor and general banging which serves to demonstrate utter chaos, as in Dangerous Minds. Less violence themed school dramas such as glee make use of similar sounds but can use different ones such as laughter and vocal scales, reflective of the musical aspect of the show.

Sounds

Conclusion
My investigation of this genre, has made me more aware of its conventions and features, and some aspects which can be found across the whole of the media. Despite this however, this is not my preferred genre to film and so before going into my main task, I feel that I need to investigate further other genres to make better informed decisions when making/preparing my main task.