Drama Film Conventions

Genre conventions involve themes, setting, plotlines, characters, mood, and also narrative structure. 

• Displays real life situations

• Has realistic characters, settings, and stories 

• Demonstrates the character's journey (character development)

• Intense social interactions 

• Purpose is to provoke emotion within the audience

• Usually includes inner/outer conflicts that portray hardships or affliction 

• Audience might be able to relate to characters

For example, let's look at the drama film Titanic(1997) dir. by James Cameron.

    A tragic story filled with romance. It incorporates all the typical conventions of a romance. Rose, a girl feeling trapped in her upper-class society, is unhappy with her life. Her mother pressures her to marry a very rich man, to keep their upper-class lifestyle. She falls in love with Jack Dawson, a man who is definitely from the lower class spectrum. A typical convention in a romantic film is that the two love interest are kept apart by something or someone, and in the film Titanic both love interest are kept apart because of their differing social class. The "hero" always tend to be men, here it being Jack, saving the "damsel in distress" (Rose) from something over taking her life. 

    

References 

https://www.slideshare.net/esmeroberts/codes-and-conventions-of-the-drama-genre#:~:text=Drama%20Conventions%20%E2%80%A2%20Exhibits%20real,characters%2C%20setting%2C%20and%20stories.&text=Portrays%20journeys%20of%20character%20development%20%E2%80%A2%20Intense%20social%20interaction.&text=Purpose%20of%20a%20dramatic%20story%20line%20is%20to%20move%20the%20audience%20emotionally.

Titanic Poster: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120338/