Popular Dramas

In order to gauge what my film opening should be sure to include, I did some research on highly successful and popular drama films.

                                     The Godfather
     The first drama I chose to investigate is a classic: The Godfather.  Produced in 1972, this film is a crime drama set in the 1940s that focuses on a family patriarch.  After the family son is almost killed, the father plots revenge and causes a gang war.  The movie follows the fighting drama as well as the character evolution and change; the tone remains quite serious throughout.  Because of how the movie focuses on the track of the characters and the moves they make, it is a perfect example of a drama.  The opening for the film includes super dramatic low key lighting, with a man telling an emotional story of his daughter.  It explains a backstory, introduces characters, and sets a grave tone for the film.  This film is also based off of a book, as many dramas are.  The Godfather was politically relevant at the time it was released, and included immigrant perspectives and current events that appealed to audiences.  Because of this and the film's intensity, it was widely popular.

The Shawshank Redemption
     The Shawshank Redemption is another extremely successful drama.  Released in 1994, this film is a mystery drama that follows the story of a prisoner convicted for a crime he is innocent of, and how he forms relationships in prison.  It fits into the genre well as the movie revolves around the main character's progression in prison, and how his character changes over the course of his sentence.  The film shows how he evolves, exemplifying his struggles and how he overcomes them.  Like most dramas, it is rated R for its intensity and also for its violence.  The opening for the film is the supporting main character narrating and introducing the main character and his backstory.  At the same time, the setting is panned through and introduced.  With drab colors, the serious tone is set for the film. The Shawshank Redemption is also based off of a successful book, which they used to market the film; they also made use of popular actors to increase interest in the movie. 


Birdbox
     Birdbox is a good example of a more recently successful drama.  It came out in 2018 as a thriller drama, and follows a group of individuals trying to escape an uncontrollable force and find safety in a post-apocalyptic world.  It ends up focusing on one women with her children, and how she manages to navigate through the dangerous forces.  As in the other films, the main characters evolution is closely tracked.  The film is intense and emotional.  The opening for Birdbox introduces the main character and introduces conflict as the mysterious force starts causes destruction.  The force is not revealed right away, so the viewer is left as confused as the characters are, trying to figure out what is happening. The opening is immediately chaotic and intense, throwing the viewer into the story and showing the highly emotional aspects of the film.  Birdbox is based off of a book, but used modern marketing strategies like YouTube advertisements, Instagram posts, and actor interviews to promote the film, making it successful. 

Overall, I can see that all successful dramas focus strongly on character development, and are pretty intense and serious.  In addition, many are R rated and targeted at an older audience, with film openings that introduce the main character of the film.


Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Godfather-film-by-Coppola
https://www.quora.com/What%E2%80%99s-so-great-about-the-Godfather-What-makes-it-one-of-the-greatest-movies-of-all-time-Why-is-it-considered-a-masterpiece
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIBpHO1gZgQ
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111161/plotsummary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM9c_MleWYY
https://cinematicslant.com/2018/12/18/bird-box-marketing-recap/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0-5BWUtesE
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2737304/plotsummary