Television Drama Essay Example For Students

Television Drama Essay The viewer positioning in television dramas play a very important and critical part in how the drama is portrayed to the audience, and hence this gives an idea on how successful the show will be. Dawsons Creek is a relatively new TV drama aimed at teenagers and the issues they face and have to deal with in society today. The viewer positioning, in relation to the shows themes, construction and values will be discussed and analysed. The Pilot episode (first episode of Dawsons Creek) will be referred back to in this essay, as this episode was what propelled Dawsons Creek into becoming the most watched teen show around the world and what made the actors/ actresses into instant stars. Dawsons Creek is about one boys coming of age journey and his lifelong friendship with a girl from a vastly different home life. The vivid and absorbing relationship between Dawson (James Van Der Beek) and Joey (Katie Holmes) is at the core of the series. Best friends since they were small children, the two are faced with many new challenges ahead of them in their teenage years, ones that would not have arisen in their childhood days. One is sustaining their close friendship in spite of their budding romantic relationship, their emotional, physical and intellectual growth and the changing world around them. Other than Dawson and Joey, the show also revolves around two other central characters, Jen and Pacey. Jen (Michelle Williams) has mysteriously come from New York to stay with her grandparents, but she clearly has an air of mystery surrounding her as she harbours a dark secret from her past. Dawson clearly lusts for her, but when Jen unveils some of her teenage experiences to Dawson, his feelings for her clearly change. Pacey (Joshua Jackson) has been Dawsons best friend, along with Joey, for some time. Pacey lives life fearlessly, and he is eager to discovery what life has laid out for him. His gift for sarcasm is matched only by knack for stumbling awkwardly and unprepared into adult situations. The four are engaged in an intriguing relationship, and are forced to deal with their feelings towards each other. Dawsons Creek is about their journey through life. The show was conceived, developed and written by Kevin Williamson, who continues to serve as executive producer of the series. Dawsons Creek presents a somewhat autobiographical and almost shockingly honest portrayal of teenage characters dealing with real-life issues. Williamson believes that todays teenagers, who are exposed to an unprecedented amount of violence, sex, drugs and unsavory role models, are growing up fast. Dawsons Creek is loosely based on Williamsons real-life experiences growing up in rural North Carolina and the special relationship he shared with his own best friend. As it presents a very honest portrayal of the painful experiences of the teenage years interspersed with incredible moments of pure exhilaration, fun and joy, the show provides a fresh and gripping approach to the vast and diverse universal emotions associated with growing up. Never underestimating the 16-year-old mind, the series deals with sensitive issues that reflect the concerns of the four char acters striving for self-awareness, while afraid of losing something special and not being able to find anything to replace it in the future. The agony of surviving puberty intact, discovering their sexuality, unearthing their future and figuring out life in general are just some of the themes that surround the central characters of Dawsons Creek. During a time when friends and family have an enormous impact on their lives and future, Dawson, Joey, Pacey and Jen worry about where theyre heading and what theyll be when they grow up. Afraid of doing something stupid, or making mistakes that have lifelong consequences, each of the four characters must learn to deal with the other gender, their own sexuality as well as the question of whether or not to engage in sex, and how those decisions impact their long term friendships. Essay on Macbeth 's Ambition And Ambition EssayThe characters of the show value families, friendship, sex and honesty. Dawsons Creek also values teenage life, and the issues they face as well as the consequences of them. Dawson clearly values honesty, as he was absolutely devastated when he discovered that his mum, Jen and Joey had all been keeping gigantic secrets from him. Dawson also values sex, as he wants it to be the perfect moment- the perfect time, the perfect woman, and the perfect place. Joey does not want her feelings towards Dawson to alter their long and dear friendship. This shows that Joey values her and Dawsons friendship a lot, so much that she does not want to take any risk of losing it, no matter what she might be missing out on. All of the characters value their families greatly. Dawson realises how much his family means to him after they decide to separate; Joey wishes she had a family because her mother died of cancer and father is in prison; Jen was kicked ou t of her house in New York but after a while, she realises that she wants a second chance with them; Pacey has always wished that his dad show more respect towards him and spend a bit more time with him. The viewer is positioned to relate to the values of the show and the characters, like it is with the themes of the drama.The younger viewers learn from the characters, and their mistakes. Teenagers may start to value their families, specifically their parents as they learn what life would be like without their parents by their side. They also might learn to not make decisions that could affect the rest of their lives without thinking about it and the consequences the decision could lead to. The viewers can almost picture themselves as one of the characters, and they can assess what they would do in an identical or similar situation. In the Pilot episode, viewers may learn that if they ever have strong feelings for someone, then do not let the opportunity go or they might live to regret it for the rest of their lives. Dawsons Creek handles these issues with a huge amount of care and consideration. The positioning of the viewer in relation to the themes, construction and values for television drama plays a critical part in determining viewer response, and how popular a series will be. Dawsons Creek deals with resolving issues that teenagers face, so teenagers can relate to the themes and values of the show. The storyline has a huge impact on teenagers as they could be in similar positions in the future. Dawsons Creek is constructed like most other TV dramas are, as it holds the audiences attention and liking. Dawsons Creek makes the audience think a lot, about the future and the past. This is what makes Dawsons Creek spectacular to watch and added with the good blend of drama and humour, these are the reasons why it became the most watched show by teenagers around the globe.