Codes and Conventions : British Television Dramas
-Characters
-Locations used
-Props used
-Camera techniques
-Basic story line
-Use of music, sound and dialogue
-Editing
-Lighting

Over the summer, i analysed the above elements in numerous television dramas to begin to understand what makes them sucessful. I noticed that in all different types of dramas, be they crime dramas, hopital dramas or teen soaps, they use the techniques specifically to the theme of the programme. For example, the characters in the hit teen soap "Skins" are mainly from London and all have the same interests; sex, drugs and alcohol. The characters are everyday students and easily relatable to its viewers. They give the impression that they were born to have fun and in the show they portray this perfectly. Using props such as cigarettes and locations such as the local college, the ideas and messages behind the drama, make it was it is. This can then be compared to the popular crime drama "The Bill" which uses authentic siren sounds along with numerous police officers in costume, to present to the viewers what it's really like to work in the police forces. I noticed in one of the episodes i watched that there was a panning shot of an officer chasing a criminal as he tried to run away from a crime scene. This made the episode very interesting as you could see the distance between them and knew the offender was going to get away.
The key element i noticed about all of the dramas i analysed was that, they all incorporate real life story lines and experiences and they are all adjusted so they fit the situation they should. By this, i mean that a hospital drama must be suited to real life casualties and accidents, and it's through the different techniques that this is carried out effectively.