TV Drama Conventions - EastEnders

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpkYVb3gOjY


Name of Drama
EastEnders

Broadcaster
BBC1

Writer
Sarah-Louise Hawkins and Tony Holland

Director
Sue Dunderdale

Producer
Bryan Kirkwood



Characters in the Scene
'Alfie Moon' and 'Nana Moon'.

Narrative
Alfie Moon is spending Christmas Eve with his very elderly Nan in this scene talking about family past and the fact she had had a very good day. They sit together on a sofa when Alfie admits he is scared about Nana dying, to which she says "There's nothing to be scared about." She then asks Alfie to put the moving Christmas snowman on again so she can watch it. When he turns around again after watching it, he finds Nana to be laying still on the sofa after she had quietly passed away. The scene then becomes emotional as Alfie repeats "not yet Nana" and begins to cry.

Mise-en-scene
The scene is set a a calm, christmas-decorated living room with tinsel hanging and a dark, cosy atmosphere. The two sit on a sofa with standard furniture surrounding them including a table, some ornaments, sofa cushions and a lamp. The mise-en-scene is a calm cosy red colour as the curtains are drawn and there are elements of Christmassy gold and green, too.


Camera Shots/Angles

There are a few different camera shots and angles during the few minute scene. This is a two-shot/close-up shot which is filmed at a normal angle. This is to be able to see both of the character's reactions at the same time to help the viewer be able to establish their relationship.








This shot is a normal-angle close-up shot of Alfie looking at the snowman. This type of shot lets the audience focus on Alfie and his expressions to get to know his character better. 

This is filmed as an extreme close-up shot of Alfie's hand and Nana's hand after she has passed. It not only shows their relationship, but gives the audience a last impression of the style of Nana Moon. It is filmed as a slightly high angle to be able to see the rings as opposed to the sides of their hands. 






This last shot is also an extreme close-up as it doesn't even fit the whole of Alfie's head/face in it. The effect of this shows the extreme emotion of Alfie as he cries. The angle of the shot is again just a normal, face-on angle. 








Sound
The conversation is just between the two characters; there is nobody else that is involved in it. The conversation talks over the sound of the dancing snowman as it plays a Christmas tune, but apart from that and their calm, quiet voices, there is no undiegetic sound.

Icons
Alfie and Nana Moon are two very well-known characters in EastEnders. Nearly everyone who used to watch/watches EastEnders remembers that character Nana Moon because she was so sweet and loving and stereotypical of an elderly woman. Alfie has been a character on EastEnders since 2002 meaning everyone who watched it 9 years ago will know his name. EastEnders has been on BBC's screens since February 1985 and is therefore nearly 27 years old, and an incredibly well-known soap.

Industry
It is broadcast on BBC1 at either 7.30pm or 8pm depending on the day. It is shown four times a week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The omnibus of EastEnders is shown midday every Sunday. The fact that the soap has a 2-hour omnibus every week also displays its popularity.

Audiences
It is not on very late, but it is still in the evening. Children under the age of about 10 go to bed around 7pm, therefore implying the target audience to be any gender and any age between about 11 onwards. Also showing this target audience are the ages of the characters. All active actors in the soap are from a wide range of ages, from the youngest (apart from the babies) being about 9, and the oldest being Dot Cotton, who was born in the year 1936, making her character 75 years old. These varied age ranges means that people of either gender and any age should be able to relate to some of the day-to-day storylines of different issues in EastEnders, or just enjoy the dramatic and exaggerated twists of the plots. 
Day-to-day, EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional 'Albert Square' in the East End of London. The series primarily centres around the residents of Walford and its neighbouring streets which encompasses a pub, street market, night club, community centre, café and various small businesses, in addition to a park and allotments. This standard community brings mundane realism to the soap and enbales viewers to relate to the lives and stories of the different characters.