Though my short film does follow some of the conventions of the drama genre in terms of having realistic, sympathetic characters and aiming to provoke an emotional response from viewers, it does challenge a quite of few of the conventions as well:
- Dramas usually have a character development arc running through the storyline, with the main character going on some sort of journey, either literally or metaphorically. However, due to the limited time available, there will not be room for too much character development in my short film. Instead, my film will focus more on a character sketch, presenting the protagonist as she is at a certain point in her life.
- Dramas conventionally feature heavy social interaction, which is not the case in my short film in which the story is more action and character driven, than dialogue driven. There are some glimpses of a long conversation between the mother and therapist woven into the main storyline, but this is not presented as a full discussion. We only hear a few words or phrases at a time.
- In most dramas there is some form of conflict depicted, usually based around a protagonist and an antagonist. While there is some conflict in my short film between Anamika (the protagonist) and her alter identities, this is not a conflict in the traditional sense. There is no clearly defined “villain” or antagonist.
- Drama films typically end with with some form of realization or happy ending where the conflict is resolved and peace is restored. My film does not have this sort of ending, with the storyline not actually solving any problems but actually just making a big revelation, before closing suddenly to leave the viewers in surprise. The twist at the end would answer the audience’s questions but it is not a “happily ever after” scenario by any means.
A2 Media - Short Film 