Drama is one of the genres that I have decided to focus on. Now, I am more interested in or teenage drama than medical, sport, or political dramas. Philosophical dramas tend to traverse human condition and/or existential themes while teenage dramas focus on young adults traversing life. Which I can conjure up ideas much better in either of these realms of film. Dramas in general rely on emotional exploration and/or in-depth conflicts. Technically, the human nature type of act.
Now dramas generally have an audience of women around the age of eighteen to twenty-nine. The traits of any drama film should include believable traits of the character, especially towards young adults. Dramas usually touch a person emotionally, maybe even move the person. Conflicts and struggles are common in any movie, though more relatable or trustable to the audience than the struggle in a sci-fi movie. If the drama movie does not touch the audience, then it is not well made, but for the two minutes that I must create my film opening, I should focus on establishing some sort of struggle.
The techniques I should use to create my drama include many things. Some drama movies start out with some form of narration. Low key lighting or natural lighting is common within most drama movies, but mise-en-scene (surrounding area and character design) is very important to sell any type of drama. Deep focus of any shots is common within the range of any drama movie. Realism takes place in many drama movies, the lighting looks true and makeup is not over the top. Although, the techniques depend on what type of drama movie it is. Philosophical dramas use more narration, and teenage dramas use more general conventions (like the jock or mean girl). My point is that different types of dramas include different types of conventions that should and should not be used. You would not see a teenage drama’s main character starring Jack Nicholson, nor would you market with Nicholson as the main character.
A good example of the drama genre in general is Little Miss Sunshine. Now I have only seen the 2006 version of the movie, and not fully but I remember some of it. t is a harsh yet funny movie that immediately delves into an emotional struggling family matter. Mainly circled around the seven-year-old girl that wishes to be a beauty pageant winner and her family of odd people. Now I want to have this type of emotional connection with some people that this movie shows. I do plan to incorporate my family into the project, though how much of my family will be featured is still unknown.
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Vecchi, L. (n.d.). Target Audience [Pre-Production]. Media Coursework Project. WordPress. https://larave.wordpress.com/as-coursework/target-audience-research/
Weeks, T. (n.d.). Codes and conventions of drama films. Prezi. Retrieved January 24, 2026, from https://prezi.com/mppsjp8etpmn/codes-and-conventions-of-drama-films/
Fiveable Content Team. (2025, September). Cinematography techniques for dramatic films. Fiveable. Retrieved January 24, 2026, from https://fiveable.me/cinematography/unit-12/cinematography-techniques-dramatic-films/study-guide/mCoqaVetIZ0jqKR5
What Lies Beneath. (2000). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449059/
A Beautiful Mind. (2001). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268978/
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