The three Drama films I have chosen to study are:
- The Godfather
- The Shawshank Redemption
- Schindler's List
Conventions of a drama ( not specifically an opening) include, conflict being at the heart of the plot and relatable characters and situations.
The Godfather
The Godfather beings by showing the title of the movie and slowly transitioning into a close up of a character ( see first image). The character is deep into an engrossing monologue which revolves around family conflict which is a convention of the genre and would go on to be a central theme as the movie progresses. It was used to foreshadow. He feels a story that I feel many can relate to, he is a protective father who comes from a strict tradition and his daughter has become entangled in American culture. To please his daughter he compromises his ideals and allows her to some things that do not sit well with him, in the end it goes pear shaped. Family conflict is a daily thing and internal conflict between daughters and fathers are common. This allows it the man to become a relatable character to the audience as well as the situation.
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption opens with a very interesting sound scape. Morgan Freeman's powerful narration gives the audience a brief introduction to the two main characters, himself (Red) & Andy Dusfrene. In the backdrop is the the hard hitting score and speaking over it is the character dialogue and ambient sound. We are told that our main character is heading to Shawshank prison on account of him murdering his wife and her lover. He allegedly killed them after catching them in the act. Lashing out in a fit of rage after witnessing such betrayal is something that us as emotional humans can relate to. Come the end of the movie, Dusfrene escapes as he is innocent and meets up with Red once he is released. Drama movies usually end happily and this is a prime example of that.
Schindler's List
Schindler's List begins with a family of Jews lighting two candles and reciting prayers and/or songs in Hebrew. Title credits ensue and the candle slowly burns out as the screen and ultimately the films transitions from colour into black and white. A convention on the drama genre is growth or character development of a character throughout the film. In the opening the Jews are free and are in prayer, the light represents this. The light fades as we are taken back to a time when they were persecuted. The scene acts as a mirror, to see how far the Jews have progressed from the situations they were once placed in.
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