Formats
There are various different types of formats, they almost work in the same way as genres because though they are all types of media, they work in different ways. A series tends to be a sequel story, mainly used in TV shows, this is when TV shows link their episodes together in a season, so the whole season tells a story episode by episode. A great example is Stranger Things, this Netflix show is almost like a movie within one season, the episodes start with a narrative which is the start of a plotline for a story, which in this case was a missing child. The show then develops and moves on episode by episode in attempt to work out what happened to this missing Boy with a result at the end of the season. This is different to a Drama such as Dr Who where it is a series but each episode is a different plotline from the last by using the same characters in each episode but solving different mysteries and introducing different characters. A one of Drama tends to be something that appears on TV as a special and doesn’t have its own series, is almost like a TV movie, a good example is ‘The Worlds Fattest Man’ which appeared on TV and told a story about a man who was so obese he was unable to leave his house, played by an actor and the whole movie went from bad to worse showing the lifestyle of this fictional character in a struggle of his life.
Narrative Structure
There are two types of narratives, Linear and Non-Linear. Linear is when a story goes in a straight line from start to finish and everything is in the right timeframe. Non-Linear is the opposite to this, so it works in a way that the story can go back and forth or from a real situation to a fictional thought. This can include flashbacks, dreams and cut-off scenes or gags displaying the past or future, or just a alternate perspective. A good example of non-linear could be My Name Is Earl, the series is based on a character named Earl who revisits his past to pay back all the different people that he did wrong to or bullied in earlier years, he then does something rewarding for them for payback. The show always shows scenes of when Earl was younger and then cutting back to the present. Linear would be similar to the TV show The Inbetweeners where everything in the episode tends to happen over a 24hour period with no disturbance, there are rarely ever any cut scenes to future or past, the show’s episodes just go from start to finish in a straight direction.
Technical
Lighting in films is used to give a perspective on what is being displayed. Dark lighting tends to be used in more of a drama style movie to show a cold and dark approach, dramas always want to show either mystery or quite a thrilling subject, it can also show time and location. So with films such as the Pirates of The Caribbean saga it focuses on Pirates set in many years ago on the stormy seas, using a dark filter on the lights really make you feel one with the movie, it draws you into the movie by making you feel as if you are there within the storm. Whether as bright lighting tends to be used often in comedies such as Superbad where it is all set in the day with a happy realistic theme set in sunny America, gives you a feel-good feeling. Sound in television and films is a key part to production, it can do so much for certain scenes, Diegetic Sound is when the sound you are hearing is represented visually on screen, such as a character scrunching a piece of paper, you would heat character scrunching it up but you would also see it, scripted dialogue for the film is also diegetic Sound, there is also a opposite term which is Non-diegetic sound which tends to be soundtracks or narrators, though sometimes soundtracks can go with a scene well and certain visuals happen at the same pace as a song would, though it is not shown visually on screen, unless the soundtrack was being recorded on the screen, diegetic and Non-diegetic sound can be used together such as a character speaking over a piece of music. In terms of different camera angles and techniques The eye level shot is a shot that you view in first person, you view it through the eyes of a character, for example if the person is laying down, you will be viewing the shot very low, this is commonly used in sit-com television series such as Peep Show, it allows the audience to feel like they are really in the moment and viewing it first hand, Action films such as Star Wars tend to use a Long-Shot camera angle method, this type of shot shows a character from a long distance with a lot of surrounding imagery such as special effects and detailed backgrounds to show representation of location. In soap Operas it is common to find a camera technique called a close-up shot, this tends to show a characters expression and isn’t always focused on for a long period of time, such as in shows like Eastenders, if some shocking news has been told by one character to another, they will take the shot from a regular two person shot to a close-up shot of the character’s reaction to the news they have been told this gives suspension and draws the audience into how the character may feel. The two person shot as I have just mentioned is a show favoured often in many of different visual medias, a common example would be a film such as Superbad where two characters are both in shot having a conversation with one another, this can be filmed over a shoulder, from a Long-Shot distance and many more different views.