The Context of 2 Drama Programmes

FRIENDS

Approximately 1 hour long

Monica and Chandler's wedding (part one)

The one after I do (part two)

Part one 

Story lines

1. The main story line - The Wedding

2. Joey's new acting job

3. Chandler's situation with his parents

4. The Wedding Meal, peoples views etc

5. Ross being a typical big brother 

6. Rachel in charge = goes wrong

7. Chandler panicking 

8. Chandler disappearing and everyone searching for him

9. Joey working on the day of the wedding

10. Finding out about ''Monica's pregnancy''

11.  Everyone distracting Monica

12. Finding Chandler, getting him ready for the ceremony and calming him down but loosing and finding him again - he thinks Monica is pregnant and panics again

13. He comes to terms with it and mans up 

14. Joey isn't there - need a new minister

15. Ceremony begins - Joey returns

16. Find out Monica isn't pregnant - close up on Rachel - is she pregnant?

Left on a cliff hanger 

Scene changes

In part one I counted a number of 25 scene changes.

Part two

1. Phoebe lying about her being pregnant, everyone believing her

2. Ross meets Mona

3. Chandler meets his new 'stepdad'

4. Ross' table 

5. Monica finds out Rachel is pregnant 

6. Ross impressing Mona

7. Joey trying to impress Chandler's stepdad so he can get a job

8. Results of pregnancy = positive

Left on cliff hanger

Scene changes

In part two, there was only 5 scene changes. Most of this part was set in the after party venue of the wedding.

Characters

6 best friends, the main characters of the sitcom

Rachel, Ross, Phoebe, Joey, Monica and Chandler

Then the extras, their families, guests at the wedding, colleagues 

The use of scenery 

-The coffee house, which is used to all meet up (everyday) and talk 

-Monica's house for privacy/conversations

-Restaurant the night before the wedding to gather important people

-Bathroom to get some privacy

-Streets, day to day life

-Hotel room, getting ready

-Ceremony, the wedding

-Bathroom of the venue for the pregnancy test 

How they interact 

In person at the coffee shops, houses, work, the do, the wedding, in streets (usual day to day life) 

In groups

One to one

HOLLYOAKS

Approximately 45/50 minutes long

Part one

Story lines

1. Jacqui's distress from husband (Rhys) death and finding out about the affair 

2. Reactions to the coach accident on the day of Tony & Cindy's and Ste's & Doug's wedding day resulting in deaths and etc

3. Dodger wanting to know who his real dad is but not wanting to hurt the man who raised him

4. Ally wanting to take Ash to Australia, her not wanting to leave her siblings for Christmas

5. Ste's critical condition after the accident and Doug having to inform Ste's children

6. Phoebe burning Rhys' belongings, Jacqui mad

7. Conflict between Lacey and her mum, then begin to bond and talk about boys. Lacey's interest in Ally (her sisters boyfriend) but not referring to him.

8. Jacqui finds out her mum knew about Rhys' affair, even more mad

9. Ally offers to take whole family away

10. Ste wakes up

Scene changes

In the first part I counted 29 scene changes.

Part two

1. Ste starting to recover 

2. Jacqui handling her problems with alcohol = all goes wrong

3. Dodger can't decide whether to meet his dad - talks to Darren

4. Jacqui steals beer from Frankie's shop, Frankie rings the police

5. Lacey wants Ally's attention

6. Darren takes Dodger to see his dad

7. Brendan's feelings for Ste

8. Ste's feelings for Brendan?

9. Dodger's dad shutting door on him

Scene changes

In the second part, I counted 25 scene changes.

Characters

Doug and Ste (married couple) and Ste's 2 children

Dodger and the man who brought him up and his other children

Ash, Callam and Lacey (siblings), their mum Martha

Ally, Ash's boyfriend and Lacey's crush

Jacqui, (widow to Rhys)

Myra, Jacqui's mother

Phoebe, Jacqui's adopted daughter 

Frankie 

Darren

Bart, Jacqui's cousin and Myra's nephew 

Brendan, Ste's ex and Cheryl - Ste's bestfriend/Brendan's sister

Tony, Jacqui's ex and the husband to Cindy who had an affair with Rhys

Dodgers real family

Police 

Use of scenary

Shops, cafe's etc (usual everyday life) to socialize 

''Quite village''

How the interact 

Via phone calls, text messages, social network sites

In person when they meet up

In their homes

Generic Conventions of two script examples

I had to read and compare two script examples to establish how they are developing and becoming a successful storyline.

I read the scrips to an episode of the American Sitcom, Friends and an English, reality/drama, Eastenders.

Link for Friends script: http://www.friendstranscripts.tk/
Link for Eastenders script: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scripts/eastenders_872.pdf

Similarities

Both scripts include stage directions that are within brackets so that they aren't mistaken for monologues.

When a new scene is about to begin, it says ''CUT TO'' or ''CONVERT TO'' to make it clear that a new scene/setting is going to take place.

They are both clearly set in a realistic environment.

Both programmes last up to approximately half an hour.


Differences

The script for Eastenders is all in capital, big font where as the script for Friends is in a lower case and a smaller font.

In Eastenders there is a number of 20+ characters, in each scene there is an average of 3/4 people communicating either via phones or in person. Where as, in Friends there is about 11 characters, 6 of them being the main characters of the sitcom. In each scene within this episode, atleast 2/3 of the main characters participate in it and again, they communicate via telephones and in person.

The script for Friends states when the opening/finishing credits will take place.