RTV Theory and Practice - Special Issue

Radomir Putnik

FILM AND TELEVISION DRAMA

The experience of a television playwright a!lows, to some extent, some generalizations in regard to a specific form of television expression which is most similar to theatre or even radio drama, i.e. these types of drama have a lot in common. This assertion is based on some elements which belong to dramatic writing in general and which are expressed in a specific way within the frame of teievision creative work. There is no doubt that common characteristics of acted dramatic forms аге involved as well as the differences which occur due to the specific nature of television. Therefore, the specific dramaturg\? of television drama can be discussed. This type of drama lays down quite concrete and relevant laws within dramaturgv as a specific television profession. l If we accept as the basis of this discussion the fact that television is an autonomous medium which has established some laws which make it different from other media during the short period of its existence, we can enter into the current discussions about television and its real meaning. These discussions are actually numerous assertions, mostly of our television critics who have been trying for years to place television into their narrow schemes and categories. They use arbitrarv terms in such discussions trving to reduce the complex character of the television medium to some medium characteristics.

1 However, there are different e.\planations regarding the television medium, All these explanations (D'Alessandro, Green, etc.) startfrom the assumption tliat television is substitution for films ог the theatre. It seems that, although there some assumptions referring to the natural inheritance of the e.\perience which television gains from films and the theatre regarding are relevant, television has its own regulations the relationship of words and pictures. These regulations require more detailed e,\pianation.

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