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In television drama technical codes and conventions are used by the director to structure the specific text. Such codes are well applied in the serial television drama Alias. A modern, government conspiracy styled show that follows the adventures of Sydney Bristol, a young girl who works as a double agent for the American government. In Alias, audio, visual and technical effects are used along with dialogue to shape the plot, themes and genre of the text. Director, J. J.
Abrams, has used these conventions and technical codes to make Alias the visually stimulating and mentally intriguing drama that it is. If sound is said to be the symphony of the emotions then truly music plays a key part in this universal orchestra. Music has the ability to alter our mood, change our point of view and compel us to think, act, and respond a certain way. In Alias music is used to tell the story and strengthen the already deep mood of this drama. At certain times the music dives to slow synthesised violin suspense, at other times it can lift the intense political mood to show hope and love in a romantic dulcet tune. Then, contrary to the mood of before, change to a hard hitting crescendo that leads into a cacophonous piece of music raising the action to optimum level.
Music is alive and well in television today and simply, our warped TV minds cannot do with out it. As we watch Alias star Jennifer Garner (Sydney), run from the mental institute we listen to cinematic music at its purest. Violins capture a heartbeat as we hold or breath to see what will happen next. We are then prey to this subconscious susceptibility again when Sydney's roommate Terri watches her boyfriend Shaun; sing live, a love song to her.
We are turned around from the evil conspiracy her friend Sydney lives amongst by a lighter melody that lulls us into an entirely different mood. All thanks to the technical wizardry of dramatic music. Along side this indispensable factor of music comes the emotionally charged fury of dramatic dialogue. Televised drama cannot exist with out it and nor would it want to. In a unique way the director, J. J Abrams, uses dialogue to portray four main things; Dispense vast quantities of information that form the story line, continuously refer to past events that lure us into a long spanning plotting, create the characters identity's and use tone along side the script, to enhance the power and meaning to the lines spoken.
To paraphrase, dialogue is used as an informative device. Alias boasts a complicated story line that holds scores of information. How Sydney became a double agent, what the CIA will do about the stolen secrets from its internal files and how Sydney's past will determine her future. Dialogue gives us this information in a way we can understand, a way we can decipher with out using too mush mental exertion. However dialogue is not as innocent as it seems.
Dialogue has its own evil purpose, which we are enslaved to. By constantly referring back to past events in these extensive story lines it creates a coveted knowledge and understanding of these events, thus to know more we tune in next week. However, while the dialogue in Alias uses this information tactic to explain the plot, dialogue is also used to characterise and establish the characters to in different situations in this specific genre of television. It uses the words to give information on that characters background, position in the plot, what they deal with and how they view society. In addition to this, tone, is also used to show the audience that a character is shy, witty, outspoken and so on. These things amount to form a slick thrilling plot that is drama to the very essence.
Alias is a show based on secrets, government conspiracies, family deception and uncovering the dangerous truth. With music and dialogue to match all it would seem to be lacking is the visual aspect, but Alias isnt lacking this at all. In this field J. J. Abrams has again used the codes and conventions of television drama to enhance Alias and its politically structured plot. Camera angles are used around the setting and feelings that the music or dialogue may create to involve the viewer as a third party in this fictional world.
Close ups, distant shots, whatever these may be we are involved as part of the emotion, suspense, action and romance. Complimentary to these dramatic camera angles comes lighting, the key source of setting a mood, in Alias the director uses this effect to its fullest potential. Deep sultry lighting sets the pace as Terri enjoys a long awaited dinner with Shaun, Pasty white light s used as the key ingredient of the hospital scene whilst dark suspicious lighting is used as Jack sells US defense secrets in an alley. Emotion can be attached to any situation through lighting and colour usage.
Manipulated with the right special effects and editing a television show becomes a dramatic masterpiece that captures our innermost emotions, desires and fears. To create a specific type of television drama the director uses certain codes and conventions. In this usage the director must be aware of the viewers, the plot and the overall genre that the text must comply to. After analysing this show to near death I was thankful that now I can appreciate more fully those things that contribute to the production of a television drama.
The visual, audio and technical factors that effect television production to such detriment are so visible in the television drama Alias. This show really is a perfect example of what a modern audience craves. Emotion, and if truly that is what we crave, Alias is a show that really delivers. Television is a part of our daily lives, we cannot reject it, and we can only embellish it for what it gives us. With television in our world we desire to not only be entertained on a carnal level but to be entertained on an emotional level.
However, this can only come by capturing pure emotion, then displaying it on screen. The conventional elements of television capture this, and man takes another step forward as we create artificial emotion.
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