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In film and
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...
, drama is a category or genre of
narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional ( memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller Thriller may r ...
fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-genre, macro-genre, or micro-genre, such as
soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
, police crime drama, political drama,
legal drama A legal drama is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in which a system of justice play ...
,
historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...
, domestic drama, teen drama, and comedy-drama (dramedy). These terms tend to indicate a particular
setting Setting may refer to: * A location (geography) where something is set * Set construction in theatrical scenery * Setting (narrative), the place and time in a work of narrative, especially fiction * Setting up to fail a manipulative technique to ...
or subject-matter, or else they qualify the otherwise serious tone of a drama with elements that encourage a broader range of
moods Mood may refer to: *Mood (psychology), a relatively long lasting emotional state Music *The Mood, a British pop band from 1981 to 1984 * Mood (band), hip hop artists * ''Mood'' (Jacquees album), 2016 * ''Moods'' (Barbara Mandrell album), 1978 ...
. To these ends, a primary element in a drama is the occurrence of conflict—emotional, social, or otherwise—and its resolution in the course of the storyline. All forms of cinema or
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...
that involve fictional stories are forms of drama in the broader sense if their storytelling is achieved by means of
actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...
s who represent (
mimesis Mimesis (; grc, μίμησις, ''mīmēsis'') is a term used in literary criticism and philosophy that carries a wide range of meanings, including ''imitatio'', imitation, nonsensuous similarity, receptivity, representation, mimicry, the ac ...
) characters. In this broader sense, drama is a mode distinct from
novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
s, short stories, and narrative
poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings ...
or
song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...
s.Elam (1980, 98). In the modern era before the birth of cinema or television, "drama" within
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...
was a type of play that was neither a
comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term ori ...
nor a
tragedy Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...
. It is this narrower sense that the film and television industries, along with
film studies Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to cinema as an art form and a medium. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies ...
, adopted. " Radio drama" has been used in both senses—originally transmitted in a live performance, it has also been used to describe the more high-brow and serious end of the dramatic output of
radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300  gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transm ...
.


Types of drama in film and television

The
Screenwriters Taxonomy Inspired by the biological classification system of the Linnaean taxonomy, screenwriter Eric R. Williams developed the Screenwriters Taxonomy in 2017 to create a common language of creative collaboration for filmmakers.  Williams’ central thes ...
contends that film genres are fundamentally based upon a film’s atmosphere, character and story, and therefore the labels “drama” and “comedy” are too broad to be considered a genre. Instead, the taxonomy contends that film dramas are a “Type” of film; listing at least ten different sub-types of film and television drama.


Docudrama

Docudramas are dramatized adaptations of real-life events. While not always completely accurate, the general facts are more-or-less true. The difference between a docudrama and a documentary is that in a documentary it uses real people to describe history or current events; in a docudrama it uses professionally trained actors to play the roles in the current event, that is "dramatized" a bit. Examples: '' Black Mass'' (2015) and ''
Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The p ...
'' (2007).


Docufiction

Different from docudramas, docu-fictional films combine documentary and fiction, where actual footage or real events are intermingled with recreated scenes. Examples: '' Interior. Leather Bar'' (2013) and '' Your Name Here'' (2015).


Comedy drama

A comedy drama is a serious story that contains some characters or scenes inherently humorous to the audience. Examples include '' Three Colours: White'' (1994), '' The Truman Show'' (1998), ''
The Man Without a Past ''The Man Without a Past'' ( fi, Mies vailla menneisyyttä) is a 2002 Finnish comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Aki Kaurismäki. Starring Markku Peltola, Kati Outinen and Juhani Niemelä, it is the second installment in Kauris ...
'' (2002), '' The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'' (2011), and '' Silver Linings Playbook'' (2012).


Hyperdrama

Coined by film professor Ken Dancyger, these stories exaggerate characters and situations to the point of becoming fable, legend or fairy tale. Examples: '' Fantastic Mr. Fox'' (2009) and '' Maleficent'' (2014).


Light drama

Light dramas are light-hearted stories that are, nevertheless, serious in nature. Examples: '' The Help'' (2011) and '' The Terminal'' (2004).


Psychological drama

Psychological dramas are dramas that focus on the characters' inner life and psychological problems. Examples: '' Requiem for a Dream'' (2000), '' Oldboy'' (2003), '' Babel'' (2006), '' Whiplash'' (2014), and '' Anomalisa'' (2015)


Satirical drama

Satire can involve humor, but the result is typically sharp social commentary that is anything but funny. Satire often uses irony or exaggeration to expose faults in society or individuals that influence social ideology. Examples: '' Thank You for Smoking'' (2005) and '' Idiocracy'' (2006).


Straight drama

Straight drama applies to those that do not attempt a specific approach to drama but, rather, consider drama as a lack of comedic techniques. Examples: '' Ghost World'' (2001) and '' Wuthering Heights'' (2011).


Type/genre combinations

According to the Screenwriters' Taxonomy, all film descriptions should contain their type (comedy or drama) combined with one (or more) of the eleven super-genres. This combination does not create a separate genre, but rather, provides a better understanding of the film. According to the taxonomy, combining the type with the genre does not create a separate genre. For instance, the “Horror Drama” is simply a dramatic horror film (as opposed to a comedic horror film). “Horror Drama” is not a genre separate from the horror genre or the drama type.


Action drama 

Action dramas tend to be visceral with dynamic fight scenes, extensive chase scenes, and heart-racing stunts correlated with dramatic story and character arcs. The hero is nearly always sharp-witted, quick on their feet, and able to improvise mentally and physically. The hero begins the film with an internal problem, quickly followed by an external problem. By the story’s end, the hero resolves both problems.


Crime drama

Crime dramas explore themes of truth, justice, and freedom, and contain the fundamental dichotomy of "criminal vs. lawman". Crime films make the audience jump through a series of mental "hoops"; it is not uncommon for the crime drama to use verbal gymnastics to keep the audience and the protagonist on their toes.  Examples of crime dramas include: ''
The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 The Godfather (novel), novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al ...
'' (1972), '' Chinatown'' (1974), '' Goodfellas'' (1990), '' The Usual Suspects'' (1995), and '' The Big Short'' (2015).


Drama thriller

In a drama thriller, the protagonist is often an unwitting hero reluctantly drawn into the story and must do battle with an epic villain to save the lives of innocent victims; the hero inevitably finds himself deeply involved in a situation involving insane criminals with a very dark past, who will threaten, double-cross, and kill anyone who stands in their way. According to screenwriter and scholar Eric R. Williams: Films such as '' Se7en'' (1995), ''
Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The p ...
'' (2007), '' Shutter Island'' (2010), and '' Black Swan'' (2010) are thriller dramas.


Fantasy drama 

According to
Eric R. Williams Eric R. Williams is an American screenwriter, professor, Cinematic virtual reality (cine-VR), cinematic virtual reality director, and new media storyteller. He is known for developing alternative narrative and documentary techniques that take adv ...
, the hallmark of fantasy drama films is "a sense of wonderment, typically played out in a visually intense world inhabited by mythic creatures, magic and/or superhuman characters. Props and costumes within these films often belie a sense of mythology and folklore – whether ancient, futuristic, or other-worldly. The costumes, as well as the exotic world, reflect the personal, inner struggles that the hero faces in the story." Examples of fantasy dramas include ''
The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 c ...
'' (2001-2003), '' Pan’s Labyrinth'' (2006), '' Where the Wild Things Are'' (2009), and '' Life of Pi'' (2012).


Horror drama 

Horror dramas often involve the central characters isolated from the rest of society. These characters are often teenagers or people in their early twenties (the genre’s central audience) and are eventually killed off during the course of the film. Thematically, horror films often serve as morality tales, with the killer serving up violent penance for the victims’ past sins. Metaphorically, these become battles of Good vs. Evil or Purity vs. Sin.  ''
Psycho Psycho may refer to: Mind * Psychopath * Sociopath * Someone with a personality disorder * Someone with a psychological disorder People with the nickname * Karl Amoussou or Psycho, mixed martial artist * Peter Ebdon or Psycho, English snook ...
'' (1960), ''
Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. ...
'' (1978), '' The Shining'' (1980), '' The Conjuring'' (2013), '' It'' (2017), '' mother!'' (2017), and '' Hereditary'' (2018) are examples of horror drama films.


Life drama (day-in-the-life)

Day-in-the-life films takes small events in a person’s life and raises their level of importance. The “small things in life” feel as important to the protagonist (and the audience) as the climactic battle in an action film, or the final shootout in a western. Often, the protagonists deal with multiple, overlapping issues in the course of the film – just as we do in life.  Films of this type/genre combination include: '' The Wrestler'' (2008), ''
Fruitvale Station ''Fruitvale Station'' is a 2013 American biographical drama film written and directed by Ryan Coogler. It is Coogler's feature directorial debut and is based on the events leading to the death of Oscar Grant, a young man killed in 2009 by B ...
'' (2013), and ''
Locke Locke may refer to: People *John Locke, English philosopher *Locke (given name) *Locke (surname), information about the surname and list of people Places in the United States *Locke, California, a town in Sacramento County *Locke, Indiana *Locke, ...
'' (2013).


Romantic drama

Romantic dramas are films with central themes that reinforce our beliefs about love (e.g.: themes such as “love at first sight”, “love conquers all”, or “there is someone out there for everyone”); the story typically revolves around characters falling into (and out of, and back into) love. ''  Annie Hall'' (1977), '' The Notebook'' (2004), '' Carol'' (2015), '' Her'' (2013)'', and La La Land'' (2016) are examples of romance dramas.


Science fiction drama

The science fiction drama film is often the story of a protagonist (and her allies) facing something “unknown” that has the potential to change the future of humanity; this unknown may be represented by a villain with incomprehensible powers, a creature we do not understand, or a scientific scenario that threatens to change the world; the science fiction story forces the audience to consider the nature of human beings, the confines of time or space, and/or the concepts of human existence in general. Examples include: ''
Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...
'' (1927), ''
Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...
'' (1968), '' A Clockwork Orange'' (1971), ''
Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick ...
'' (1982) and its sequel '' Blade Runner 2049'' (2017), '' Children of Men'' (2006), and '' Arrival'' (2016).


Sports drama

Obviously, in the sports super-genre, characters will be playing sports. Thematically, the story is often one of “Our Team” versus “Their Team”; their team will always try to win, and our team will show the world that they deserve recognition or redemption; the story does not always have to involve a team. The story could also be about an individual athlete or the story could focus on an individual playing on a team. Examples of this genre/type include: '' The Hustler'' (1961), '' Hoosiers'' (1986), '' Remember the Titans'' (2000), and ''
Moneyball ''Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game'' is a book by Michael Lewis, published in 2003, about the Oakland Athletics baseball team and its general manager Billy Beane. Its focus is the team's analytical, evidence-based, sabermetric approa ...
'' (2011).


War drama

War films typically tells the story of a small group of isolated individuals who – one by one – get killed (literally or metaphorically) by an outside force until there is a final fight to the death; the idea of the protagonists facing death is a central expectation in a war film. In a war film even though the enemy may out-number, or out-power, the hero, we assume that the enemy ''can'' be defeated if only the hero can figure out how.  Examples include: ''
Apocalypse Now ''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius and Michael Herr, is loosely based on the 1899 novella '' Heart of Darkness'' by Joseph C ...
'' (1979), '' Come and See'' (1985), '' Life is Beautiful'' (1997), '' The Hurt Locker'' (2008), '' 1944'' (2015), '' Wildeye'' (2015), and '' 1917'' (2019).


Western drama 

Films in the western super-genre often take place in the
American Southwest The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado ...
or Mexico, with a large number of scenes occurring outdoors so we can soak in scenic landscapes. Visceral expectations for the audience include fistfights, gunplay, and chase scenes. There is also the expectation of spectacular panoramic images of the countryside including sunsets, wide open landscapes, and endless deserts and sky.  Examples of western dramas include: '' True Grit'' (1969) and its 2010 remake, '' Mad Max'' (1979), '' Unforgiven'' (1992), '' No Country for Old Men'' (2007), '' Django Unchained'' (2012), '' Hell or High Water'' (2016), and '' Logan'' (2017).


Misidentified categories

Some film categories that use the word "comedy" or "drama" are not recognized by the Screenwriters Taxonomy as either a film genre or a film type. For instance, "Melodrama" and "Screwball Comedy" are considered Pathways, while "Romantic Comedy" and "Family Drama" are macro-genres.


Family drama

A macro-genre in the Screenwriters Taxonomy. These films tell a story in which many of the central characters are related. The story revolves around how the family as a whole reacts to a central challenge. There are four micro-genres for the Family Drama: ''Family Bond'', ''Family Feud'', ''Family Loss'', and ''Family Rift''.


Melodrama

A sub-type of drama films that uses plots that appeal to the heightened emotions of the audience. Melodramatic plots often deal with "crises of human emotion, failed romance or friendship, strained familial situations, tragedy, illness, neuroses, or emotional and physical hardship". Film critics sometimes use the term "pejoratively to connote an unrealistic, pathos-filled, camp tale of romance or domestic situations with stereotypical characters (often including a central female character) that would directly appeal to feminine audiences". Also called "women's movies", "weepies", tearjerkers, or "chick flicks". If they are targeted to a male audience, then they are called "guy cry" films. Often considered "soap-opera" drama.


Crime drama / police procedural / legal drama

Character development based on themes involving criminals, law enforcement and the legal system.


Historical drama

Films that focus on dramatic events in history.


Medical drama

Focuses on doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and ambulance saving victims and the interactions of their daily lives.


Teen drama

Focuses on teenage characters, especially where a secondary school setting plays a role.


See also

*
List of drama films List of drama films is a chronological listing of films in the drama genre. * List of drama films of the 1900s * List of drama films of the 1910s * List of drama films of the 1920s * List of drama films of the 1930s * List of drama films of the 1 ...
* Bourgeois tragedy * Domestic tragedy *
Dramatic structure Dramatic structure (also known as dramaturgical structure) is the structure of a dramatic work such as a book, play, or film. There are different kinds of dramatic structures worldwide which have been hypothesized by critics, writers and scho ...
*
Soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
*
Tragicomedy Tragicomedy is a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragic and comic forms. Most often seen in dramatic literature, the term can describe either a tragic play which contains enough comic elements to lighten the overall mood or a serious ...


References


Sources

* Banham, Martin, ed. 1998. ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . * Cook, Pam, and Mieke Bernink, eds. 1999. ''The Cinema Book.'' 2nd ed. London: British Film Institute. . * Elam, Keir. 1980. ''The
Semiotics Semiotics (also called semiotic studies) is the systematic study of sign processes (semiosis) and meaning making. Semiosis is any activity, conduct, or process that involves signs, where a sign is defined as anything that communicates something, ...
of Theatre and Drama''. New Accents ser. London and New York: Methuen. . * Hayward, Susan. 1996. ''Key Concepts in Cinema Studies.'' Key Concepts ser. London: Routledge. . * Neale, Steve. 2000. ''Genre and Hollywood.'' London: Routledge. . *Sheehan, Helena. 1987. ''Irish Television Drama: A Society and Its Stories'' *Williams, Eric R. (2017) The Screenwriters Taxonomy: A Roadmap to Creative Storytelling. New York, NY: Routledge Press, Studies in Media Theory and Practice. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Drama Film genres Television genres