For the period drama section of this assignment, I watched an episode of Merlin. This television programme also fits in to the fantasy genre.
From the opening scene, you can tell that this programme is a period drama. The main reason for this is because of the locations and the clothes that are worn by the actors.
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From 0:10 - 0:58, the use of traditional old costumes and buildings are demonstrated very well. Also, the use of props within these locations emphasises the period of time this programme is set in. at 0:47, we see a good example of props for that period of time being demonstrated when the man walks down the stairs holding a wooden circle with a few arrows in it. The short shot at 0:36 shows the whole setting, including the buildings, horses as mode of transport and costumes the actors are wearing appropriate to the period of time the programme is set.
The outside of a setting set during this period of time is much easier to make look authentic than the inside. The inside requires an authentic interior which stereotypically fits to the period of time. Even if it is not exactly perfect in terms of fitting exactly to the period of time, it has to be believed by the target audience who are ultimately only watching this television programme for their personal entertainment. 34:13 - 37:10 in the episode like from YouTube broadcasts a wide variety of different internal locations and the attention to detail within each section. During the fight scene, there is a large number of people in a small location however, the small details are still able to be seen by the camera due to the direction of the characters from the director.
Each series of a programme has a main storyline. Within each episode on a series is a small storyline which contributes to the main story. This episode of Merlin has an equilibrium, disequilibrium and a new equilibrium.
The equilibrium starts with Gwen taken by Hengist after being mistaken for Morgana. The link to the disequilibrium is when Arthur decides he is going to save Gwen. The mid point is when Arthur realises that Lancelot is already at Camelot attempting to the do the same thing. The new equilibrium is when Gwen and Lancelot rediscover powerful feelings for each other.
