What constitutes a Drama?

icerose · Feb 8, 2007

What elements are forerunners in a Drama, can they have underlying elements such as horror and supernatural and still be a drama, or is it a character story doing every day things? Sort of like Literary?

I ask because there are a few companies asking for dramas and I realize I don't really know what a drama is.

billythrilly7th · Feb 8, 2007

Interesting question.

I always think of a drama in the terms of "On Golden Pond."

I think horror is horror.

And supernatural is supernatural.

And thriller is thriller.

But I think those are all subcategories of drama.

But I think that when someone says they are looking for a drama they mean something without those subcategories.

But I could be wrong.

I write comedies and and occasional summer blockbusters.

icerose · Feb 8, 2007

Okay, so nothing I write could fake it.

Thanks Thrilly.

dclary · Feb 8, 2007

My definition of drama is

"Something I don't want to watch."

whistlelock · Feb 8, 2007

Well, it's a lot like what's literary.

It could take place in space. or on a pond. Or in Mexico during the Mexican revolution. As long as it's real and authentic emotion.

But the prodco's probably mean shot in what appears to be the real world and functions by the same laws.

icerose · Feb 8, 2007

So dull and boring in other words.

Yeah, I was afraid so.

dpaterso · Feb 8, 2007

Think of drama as non genre. As just the effect of change upon people and their everyday lives. It's not a crime not to like drama, but looking down your nose at it is probably a mistake. People will remember films like Terms of Endearment and Steel Magnolias for as long as people watch films.

-Derek

Celia Cyanide · Feb 8, 2007

I think Drama is pretty broad. I'm an actor, and we are generally sorted into 2 different styles of acting 1) comedic and 2) dramatic. I have one comedic monologue and one dramatic monologue, and I use which ever is appropriate to the audition.

Drama is not a genre in the same way that horror is. If I were auditioning for a horror movie, they might want comedic or dramatic acting.

I would have to say that anything that is not supposed to be funny could be called drama. If they ask for drama, and you give them something serious that also fits into a genre like, "Thriller" or "mystery" or "suspense," you probably won't be wrong. I hope that makes sense.

whistlelock · Feb 8, 2007

icerose said:
So dull and boring in other words. Yeah, I was afraid so.

I bet some of your fav movies are dramas.

icerose · Feb 8, 2007

I was joking on the dull and boring even though I find most "dramas" as defined here dull and boring myself.

I certianly don't look down my nose at it simply because I dislike it, it's just not my thing. I know tons of people who love drama so it does something for them. Just like I don't like most romance it doesn't make it any lesser of a genre, it's again not my thing.

I seriously doubt any of my favorite movies are dramas.

That is unless
AVP
Alien
Terminator series
Die Hard - especially the first though the second was pretty good!
Blade Series
The first Matrix
Underworld 1&2
Behind Enemy Lines, Saving Private Ryan and other war movies, Braveheart, Patriot, and such
the comic book movies like superman, spiderman
and so on and so forth are suddenly classified as dramas.

About as close as I get to liking dramas is "Ever After" with Drew.

I am taking the definition to mean day time television types like Judging Amy, and other "dramas" as well as movies you listed to represent the drama catagory since those are the only ones I can think of that fit. *yawn* No thanks.

whistlelock · Feb 8, 2007

Hear that? That's the sound of Dclary falling in love with you.

I would put Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan into the Drama category. If the Patriot wasn't so hoakie I'd put it into the drama section too. Most war movies could be considered a drama.

Except Behind Enemy Lines.

Most tv "dramas" are actually melodrama's.

Drama deals with real people and their very real emtions. That can take place in a Room with a View of the Garden, in a Room with a View of Hell, or in a Room with a View of M31.

As long as they're real people, dealing with their real issues it can be anywhere and take place any time.

icerose · Feb 8, 2007

Why do they have to make drama so freakin' hard to define?!

I guess I like Drama mixed with something then. Straight up is too over-the-top for me but blended with something else, generally violence, I can handle it. It's the same for romance. I love Pirates of the Carribean, there is a lot of romance in it, but not so much that it makes me roll my eyes, declare "Give me a break." And reach for the remote.

whistlelock · Feb 8, 2007

Heh, you think defining it is hard wait until you try to find out the rules for writing drama.

Rules for Writing Drama:

1) There are no rules.

2) Break rule 1 at your peril.

Rainy Night · Feb 8, 2007

whistlelock said:
I would put Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan into the Drama category. If the Patriot wasn't so hoakie I'd put it into the drama section too. Most war movies could be considered a drama.

I'd call those historical or period pieces, or war movies... for me drama is more like Crash. I've always thought of drama as "not genre".

whistlelock · Feb 8, 2007

And Pirates is a Melodrama. (melodrama's are best defined by the formula. Upstanding hero must rescue a woman and save the day.)

icerose · Feb 8, 2007

Weird.

Drama, the genre that's "not genre".

I always thought that was called "Action/Adventure". <for the pirates one that is>

icerose · Feb 8, 2007

Okay so thus far a drama needs life-like people in life-like situations with life-like emotions.

The main focus being thos situations, emotions, and character growth or degredation?

Then what happens around that is secondary? It can have other elements as long as they aren't the main...but it can't be horror, thriller, mystery, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and so on because those elements would take over right?

Ah, my head hurts!

Rainy Night · Feb 8, 2007

icerose said:
Okay so thus far a drama needs life-like people in life-like situations with life-like emotions.

The main focus being thos situations, emotions, and character growth or degredation?

Then what happens around that is secondary? It can have other elements as long as they aren't the main...but it can't be horror, thriller, mystery, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and so on because those elements would take over right?

Ah, my head hurts!

That's how I see it.

dclary · Feb 8, 2007

Are you kidding, Whistle.. Her tastes are very nice, but not perfect. Still, that's a great list.

icerose · Feb 8, 2007

Well it's not a complete list Dclary, I left many films out for sake of length. Which prominant ones would you add, or subtract?

whistlelock · Feb 8, 2007

icerose said:
Okay so thus far a drama needs life-like people in life-like situations with life-like emotions.

I wouldn't lean so heavily on Life-like, since you could class Solaris as a drama.

icerose said:
The main focus being thos situations, emotions, and character growth or degredation?

dead right

icerose said:
Then what happens around that is secondary? It can have other elements as long as they aren't the main...but it can't be horror, thriller, mystery, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and so on because those elements would take over right?

No, you can have a romance in a drama. Many drama's do have romantic plots as the major or minor focus. Think of the Notebook. A man tells his wife, who is losing her memory, how they met and fell in love. Doesn't get much more romantic or dramatic.

And Drama's can certainly be mysteries as well. And they can certainly have elements of the horrific. It can be anything, it can be anywhere, it can be any when; it just can't be a melodrama.

icerose said:
Ah, my head hurts!

Welcome to drama.

Rainy Night · Feb 8, 2007

whistlelock said:
I wouldn't lean so heavily on Life-like, since you could class Solaris as a drama.

I'd classify Solaris as science fiction not drama.

icerose · Feb 8, 2007

Dang.

I'm glad I don't write drama, or if I do happen to accidently write one someone will have to tell me it is so.

I haven't watched the Notebook, it looked really boring to me, neither have I seen Solaris or heard of it for that manner. Drama must really not be my thing.

Hillgate · Feb 8, 2007

Drama, I think, means something where you require your actors to act and say meaningful things, as opposed to a formulaic scenario relying more heavily on action, explosions, sex, slapstick etc.

Rainy Night · Feb 8, 2007

icerose said:
Dang.

I'm glad I don't write drama, or if I do happen to accidently write one someone will have to tell me it is so.

I haven't watched the Notebook, it looked really boring to me, neither have I seen Solaris or heard of it for that manner. Drama must really not be my thing.

I thought that Notebook was romance, but that's my opinion, and I think that one could be debated. Solaris, though I put deep in the sci-fi realm. I've seen both, I liked Notebook, Solaris I feel asleep, I just never got into it, and I really wanted to, I had high hopes for it.

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