AICE MEDIA BLOG: Genre Research Activity!

Chosen Genre:Historical Period Drama
A historical period drama goes by many names including Costume Drama, Period Piece, Historical Drama, Period Drama and many more. All of these titles have minor nuances, but all fall under the same genre and have identifying characteristics that set them apart from other types of media. Their varying plots and wide target audience explain why these types of movies and TV shows have shown to be extremely successful.

Historical period dramas are a subgenre of the drama category. The genre can be characterized as a film that is set in a past time period or a general historical era. Many times, well-known, distinctive elements of a familiar time period are essential to the plot and dictate much of the movie’s content. The production will always include some type of place, people, event or culture characteristic to a specific time in the past. Period dramas tend to be works of fiction; often they are adaptations of famous books. On the other hand, some pieces are based on historical figures and are inspired by true events that occurred in the past. The exact range of time for what one can consider a period piece varies upon the source. The setting of a piece can usually range from the middle ages up to the 1980s. In essence, most dramas which plot relies on its setting as a non-recent time period can be deemed a historical period drama.

Stranger Things 2016-Now

One element that is heavily emphasized and at times, prioritized when it comes to the production of period dramas is Mise-en-scene. These films normally exhibit much attention to detail and lean on an abundance of historical research for accuracy. Typically, it is the quality of the physical setting, costume design, architecture, props, makeup and interior design that exceeds that of regular films. It is through these features that the audience is able to detect the change in era. For this reason, many historical film plots are radically dependent on Mise-en-scene. Above all, the films seek to create an immersive environment, that gives the viewer a glimpse of everyday life at a specific time period; many historical pieces gain their allure by accurately representing the daily life of our ancestors, an idea that interests most. They are able to grab the audience's attention by recreating the reality in a different time.

Additionally, location is also a major element that is specific to almost all period dramas. To put things in perspective, Oxford University in England became operational nearly two decades before the Incan Empire even established itself in South America. Especially when it comes to history, the location of a film can be just as significant to a plot as timing. Many times the landscape and architecture of a setting adds necessary context to period films and distinguish the genre.

Anna Karenina 2012

When it comes to historical period dramas, their wide range of appeal most definitely assists in their success. The target audience for period pieces is women from ages 17 to 50. Impressively, The genre has the ability to attract women from adolescence up to middle age due to the variety of storylines and options that are offered by period dramas. It can be deduced that there are qualities to period pieces that appeal to the female gender as a whole, regardless of age. As for marketing, the production company will generally release a series of trailers on broadcast television as well as share advertising material on the internet. Posters and other art made to market the media also reach the audience through the web. A practice that is growing currently, is to make social media accounts for the movie itself. The Twitter, Facebook or Instagram accounts will post relevant content and tease the upcoming film. Social media is an effective marketing technique when it comes to expanding the movie’s reach and increasing the engagement of excited fans. Most of the time, big names are chosen as the leads for these films.

Harriet 2019

Film Sample #1

Pride and Prejudice is a classic period film. The movie was released in 2005 and was directed by Joe Wright. The movie is based in Jane Austen's novel of the same name. The plot is set in 1797 England. The movie does a great job of accurately representing the difference between the middle class and the elite through set design and costuming. The film definitely reached its target audience for many women consider it their favorite movie. The film features well-known actors like Keira Knightley, Mathew Macfadyen, Rosamund Pike, and Donald Sutherland.

Film Sample #2

The Great Gatsby is the adaptation of a fictional novel of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was released in 2013 and directed by Baz Luhrmann. The film is set in the 1920s and heavily relies on the culture, dress, and architecture of the "Jazz Age". The men wore striped suits with Panama hats, the women wore long pearls and fringy dresses and the interior design was heavily influenced by the art deco style. The film's Mise-en-scene is over the top, extravagant and characteristic of the American elite life of the roaring twenties. The film features very famous stars including Tobey MaGuire and Leonardo Dicaprio.

Watchlist!
Anna Karenina