Unit 22 - Genre

When it comes to genres they all have conventions they follow, something you would expect to see in the type of genre. The styles and conventions will differ so the specific genre can be presented to the audience. For example, the effects, lighting, costumes and props. 


Science fiction - Doctor Who 

This genre is really imaginative and has things that you wouldn't really see in the real world. For example, space travel, time travel, parallel universe and aliens. For example, Doctor Who is a TV show that has these types of styles and conventions you would expect to see. 

This show is about a time lord called the 'doctor' who travels through time either by himself or with a companion. He stops evil aliens by travelling through time and stopping them from doing certain things which could endanger the universe or earth. This has everything you would expect to see in this type of genre making the target audience more interested in watching the show as it has everything they want entertaining them and making it get more views. This TV show is also filmed with a single camera which means only one camera is used when filming. This makes the show more exciting for the audience as they are able to focus and get it the characters better when the camera is being shot on them. 

Even though the the TV show is set in the same era as us it does have codes and conventions which fits it into a science fiction genre. For example, time travel is used a lot in Doctor who and is a big impact in the science fiction genre. We also see a lot of aliens from different planets in this genre which adds to the conventions we would expect to see. By this show also keeps the audience into the show by adding some comedy to make the viewers laugh at what is happening rather then just have some serious scenes they make the audience laugh and what is being said or what has been done. This also makes the program more realistic to the audience because it makes them feel like they are there with the doctor. The special effects used in this TV show are very realistic also and does not take away the real life theme it has to it. 


Period drama - Downtown abbey 

Downtown abbey is another example of a TV show that uses a single camera. The genre for this TV show is a period drama meaning it is a fictional story which is set in the past. This type of genre is sophisticated and you would expect to see rich people, big houses, servants/butlers and use of posh language. The costumes, props and the way people would speak would all be accurate based on the era when Downtown abbey is set in. For example, people would also expect to see from this genre is long dresses, pocket watches and carriages. This is because the target audience would watch this show and expect these conventions from them so they can get more into the show. 

This TV show is set after Edward VII death and shows how major historical events such as the RMS titanic, the first world war and the Spanish infleuenza pandemic effect the the fictional estate of Downtown abbey. When filming this TV show the lighting used would mostly be era or low dim as it represents the era they are from. This is because there was no electricity and by using little lighting they made the show look more real and feel authentic for the audience, 

Most of the story line contains family, love, drama and torture as do all other period dramas. 



CSI MIAMI - Crime 

Another show that uses a single camera is CSI MIAMI. The genre for this show is crime which you would expect to see police, detectives, blood, murder and CSI crew. This genre involves a crime that is either being planned, has been committed. The characters will involve a villain who commits the crime, a hero who solves the crime which is the detective and the victim who gets murdered or is kidnapped. You would also normally expect to see from this type of genre is a car chase, guns being fired and violence. 


This show meets the conventions people would expect to see on a crime film as it has everything they want. However, it never left the audience like a serial does and makes you wait to the next episode as they catch the killer in that one episode and everything is alright again at the end. We see a lot of action in this type of genre such as car chases, people firing guns and fighting. This makes the audience want to watch more as they are left on cliffhangers when advert comes they want to know what happens next. Who killed that person and why. All this gets us into the show and make us want to watch more.