LFTVD examples

DEADWOOD

Genre-Western
Themes- Race, prostitution, misogyny, violence, politics, immigration
Narrative structure and story line- The town of Deadwood, South Dakota in the weeks following the cluster massacre is full of crime and corruption. There is a disillusioned and bitter ex-lawman and a man hoping to find a new start for himself. Both men find themselves quickly on opposite sides of legality and morality.
Character types- Criminals, a woman with cerebral palsy
Visual styles and production values- Slow-paced, seamless integration of CGI effects with sunlit western landscapes
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MAD MEN

Genre-Period Drama
Themes- Identity and memory, gender and sexuality, alcoholism, counterculture, racism, smoking
Narrative structure and story line- Set in the 1960's. It follows the lives of the competitive men and women of madison avenue advertising, living in an eco-driven world where key players make an art of selling.
Character types- Ruthless and competitive men and women
Visual styles and production values- Episodes consist of immaculately composed shots, where by the lighting framing and performance combined tell a whole story in a single image.
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THE RETURNED

Genre- Supernatural, mystery, suspense, fantasy, drama
Themes- Mystery
Narrative structure and storyline- A small mountain community is disrupted by local people who are presumed dead and appear at their homes even though they had passed away. The 'dead' people are determined to reclaim their lives and start over. A murder is similar to a serial killer from the past.
Character types- Ghost-like
Visual styles and production values- French style
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HANDMAID'S TALE

Genre- Utopian/ dystopian drama
Themes- Women in subjugation in a patriarchal society
Narrative structure and storyline-  A totalitarian society subjects fertile women called 'Handmaids' into child-bearing servitude.
Character types- Young Women
Visual styles and production values- The lack in colour and low-key lighting adds to the dark nature of the story and the dystopian elements.
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WALKING DEAD

Genre- Horror fiction
Themes- zombie apocalypse, death
Narrative structure and storyline- After a zombie apocalypse has occurred,  'walkers' (zombies) prevent people from living ordinary lives. The plot follows a group of survivors led by a former police officer, who travel, in search for safety and security from the world they are now living in.
Character types- Zombies, police officer, men and woman of all ages
Visual styles and production values- Abandoned setting, depictions of isolation and loss, as well as a sense of fear, in relation to the genre.
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OZ

Genre- Crime Drama
Themes- Political cynicism, morally bankrupt system
Narrative structure and storyline- Set in 'Emerald City', in the experimental unit of the prison, the unit manager emphasises rehabilitation; it is an extremely controlled environment with a carefully managed balance of members from each racial and social group.
Character types- Criminals
Visual styles and production values- Darkness, set in a prison to create feelings of fear and suspense.
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	Genres	Themes	Narrative	Characters	Production Values	Methods/Platforms	State of the Nation Cultural Zeitgeist	Memes/Accessories
Deadwood	Western	Race, prostitution, misogyny, violence	Set in 1870s, Deadwood, before and after the areas annexation by Dakota territory, charts Deadwoods growth from camp to town. The storyline includes historical truths from diaries and newspapers, but is also fictional.	Criminals	Quite slow-paced, seamless integration of CGI effects with sunlit western landscapes.	Amazon, HBO
Mad Men	Period Drama	Identity, gender and sexuality, racism, alcoholism	Narrated third person by unnamed reader, the conflict that exists between Nwibes wives that is mirrored by internal conflict. No one believes his story that his clothes were robbed by a Mad Men. Nwibes identity is changed by the way he is perceived by others.	Competitive men and women	Every episode has immaculately composed shots where lighting, framing and performance combined tell a whole story in a single image.	Netflix
The Returned	Supernatural/Fantasy	Mystery	Flexi narrative, characters are complex and stories interweave, makes you question what is real and what isn’t. Flashbacks / flashforwards creates complex manipulation of time and space for audience. Symbolic / cultural codes e.g. apocalyptic symbolism of the flood through use of colour.	Ghost-like characters	French style	Netflix
Handmaid’s Tale	Utopian and Dystopian Drama	Women in subjugation in a patriarchal society	Offred a handmaid herself narrates the story who lives in Gilead, where she is slave to the state and her purpose is to bear children. She frequently slips in and out of flashbacks where the reader can reconstruct events leading to the beginning of the story.	Inferior women	Shafts of light shine through windows making the rest of the room dark and the light is only natural (low-key). use of symmetry and close ups. the entire show lacks vibrant colour, each shot has a pale mix of neutral colours instead to make the show feel more like early 20th century.	Hulu, All4
The Walking Dead	Horror	Violence, family, courage, isolation and gender	Narrative begins by posing dramatic question “why has lee been convicted?” the rest of narrative pans out in a similar way to opening scene – couching character and narrative progression in context of the horror of the world. The relationships between characters are focused and established early creating immediacy.	Heroes (people) and villains (walkers)	Opening scene has a lack of characters in the setting, use of abandoned settings makes the audience feel isolated and uneasy to fit in with the horror genre. Most of the shots are sort of yellowy/faded.	Amazon, Now TV
Oz	Crime Drama	Morally bankrupt system	Set in emerald city in an experimental unit of prison emphasizing rehabilitation during incarceration, with a managed balance of each social and racial group.	Criminals	Dark style, mainly set in prison	Amazon, Now TV, HBO