The Following Films Provide Good Study Examples of Some of Drama S Sub-Genres
The opposite of something that’s funny is something that’s serious. Dramas – just like their comedic counterparts – can take place in any setting or century and can be about fictional characters, historical figures or those who are a representative mix of individuals who might have witnessed or participated in a particular event (e.g., a fictitious soldier interacting with General Robert E. Lee or a student deciding whether he should join his peers in the protests at China’s Tiananmen Square). Dramatic works are also often inspired by newspaper and magazine articles or by journals of people who have survived harrowing tragedies, triumphed against the odds, or gone through coming-of-age angst in the certain journey to adulthood.
Unlike comedies, dramas are not as reliant on such factors as age and IQ in order to make a point with their audience. The reason is that they not only have the capacity to strike a common emotional chord – most everyone can relate to feelings of sadness, confusion and anger – but they explore subjects that are of recurring concern to society at large, e.g., racism, crime, juvenile delinquency, poverty, violence, political corruption, drug and alcohol abuse, sex and mental illness.
While comedies allow some latitude for characters to show their best and worst sides in contrived situations, a drama goes much further, forcing its players not only to square off against external demons but to confront fears, flaws, guilt trips and prejudices that reside within their own psyches. This vicarious realism then becomes a catalyst for viewers to look deeper within themselves and the world around them.
The following films provide good study examples of some of drama’s sub-genres.
o Intrigue: All the President’s Men, The Manchurian Candidate, JFK, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Interpreter
o Mental Illness: A Beautiful Mind, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Frances, The Aviator
o Prejudice: Do the Right Thing, Philadelphia, In the Heat of the Night, Yentl, Men of Honor, Schindler’s List
o Troubled Families: Ordinary People, Kramer vs. Kramer, Lost in Yonkers, American Beauty, Finding Neverland, The Hours
o In the Courtroom: The Verdict, A Few Good Men, To Kill a Mockingbird
o Sports: Brian’s Song, Million Dollar Baby, Radio, Seabiscuit, Rocky
Answer ONE of the questions below in complete sentences.
1. Flip through today’s newspaper and find three current stories that you think would make a good dramatic movie. Who are the primary characters in each one? What is the tragedy, social issue or injustice that has occurred which would lend itself to a dramatic theme? Is the central conflict of sufficient substance that it would make a good feature film or is it better suited to a short? Explain your answer.
2. Choose one of the following scenarios: a wedding, a birthday party, a bar mitzvah, a graduation, a funeral, a reunion, an anniversary, a bridal shower, a homecoming, a birth. Something dramatic and unexpected is about to go wrong which will impact the lives of everyone in attendance. What is this event and how will it bring out the best and worst in these characters? How will the story be resolved?
Screenwriting for Teens, (Hamlett) pp. 159-160