Discussion question for all:

What do we think Suspects is as a genre? drama? documentary? something else?

When I wrote the episode 2 review, I was going to use 'dramentary' but was not sure if that existed as a proper word, or if people would get what i meant, So I opted for mockumentary, which fifi has just mentioned is actually something entirely different.

I see it as drama, new and original and maybe not done before but still drama.
Because...

Iis a created and written piece of fiction brought to the screen.
As Fay RIpley pointed out in her interview here the actors know the outcome of each case and have a detailed storyline to follow and all imrpov is discussed before hand. When I learned this fact, this differentiated it, for me, from a documentary or any kind of reality show where they are discovering things in real time or making it ALL up as they go along. in my view this makes it as much drama as anything else, but it is new and innovative in the way it is filmed and created.

The creation of this drama however, innvolves not only the writer and director and actors portraying their lines, but the actors themselves become the co creators as they interpret their character that one stage further than a regular drama.

The camera work gives it that reality documentary feel, but it is not a real documentray it is created and fictional.
the camera also involves us the audience in the process more deeply... some people may find it jarring to reminded that we are the watchers and less invisible than we are when wathcing a slick regular drama, but i love that.. and i love that extra layer of awareness that the actors are improvising.


It is thanks to fifi that I am beginning this discussion because we were having quite a chat about this, you made some great points fifi, hope you feel given to share them again here

What do you guys think?

It is thanks to fifi that I am beginning this discussion because we were having quite a chat about this, you made some great points fifi, hope you feel given to share them again here

I agree domino.....it is a drama - for all of the reasons which you have given.  Although part of me wants to believe that it should have a script to be a true drama - it has been 'written', if not scripted.....and the characters are portrayed by actors....to dramatic effect!  As a sub genre it is completely new, though....

Glofigs - my understanding is that a docudrama is a dramatic reconstruction of real life events...which Suspects isn't. 

So if a docudrama is a documenary in the style of a drama.....then a drama in the style of a documentary should absolutely be called a dramentary! Or maybe it's a fly on the wall drama?  I dunno!  I would really like to say I don't feel the need to catagorise it.....!!

The newness of this as a (sub)genre means that it not only had to be concieved/produced in a different way, but I think it requires a different headspace for the viewer too.

There has been some discussion about continuity errors in ep 2....but personally I think that totally adds to the authenticity of the documentary aspect.  A real documentary would produce hours and hours of footage...which would then be edited to cut out anything inappropriate, or irrelevant, or just plain boring, in order to present the 'story' in a comprehendable and engaging package.  If one of the protagonists chucks away a coffee cup or puts down the phone in a moment which has been cut, then those type of 'continuity errors' will be in the final edit - there would be no opportunity to re-shoot - unlike in a 'traditional' drama.

I must admit, however, that I do have a couple of issues with the camera work!  I don't mind the shakey, or round the corner stuff and agree that it makes it feel a less passive viewing experience - especially combined with Damien's 'bingo' moment...I hope there is more acknowledgement of the camera/audience in future eps!  But, although I can understand that a camera operator might not be allowed in an interview room, there would be no reason to film through the window with a hand-held camera, if it's already being filmed on static cameras in the room.  I'm also not sure about the hand held camera angle changing mid sentence (as with the 'sharking' scene) - would there be more than one camera filming this sort of documentary.....wouldn't any more get in the way?

But I appear to have rambled off into a completely different topic now......

 

 

Lots of busy brains!

 

Well I would still classify this as a drama because that really is what it is.  It is not a documentary, obviously, since the characters and story lines are all made up.  It is not a mocumenatry because it is not a parody of anything real.  To me it is a straight drama, that just happens to have been filmed with "creative" camera techniques to give it a fly-on-the-wall feel.  As for the scripted vs non-scripted, lets keep in mind that the stories were written and well defined to the actors.  Each scene was storyboarded and they were given all the criteria necessary for the scene, every piece of information that it needed to contain to progress the story along.  Also, I'm assuming they were given some direction into their character's reactions - ie. we want Jack to be clearly impatient, but don't blow up on the suspect this time...  The main thing left to the actors was the specific words coming out of their mouths at any given time, but again much of what they needed to say they knew about ahead of time from the storyboard and their research.  So to me, the fact that it's "unscripted" does not make it any less a drama nor does the fact that the filming style is different.  

So I find it hard to label it as anything but a drama (that just happens to be unconventionally filmed)

As for continuity errors, that has nothing to do with this new style.  Those exist in everything.  Remember the magically appearing sandwich in Hal's hand after the food fight, or Flight's hair changing from messy to combed in the bar with Evelyn? 

 

The camera peeking around doors in Ep 1 bothered me alot, mostly because it kept partially cutting out Damien, as did the light glare in the interview room.  But in Ep 2 I honestly didn't note anything at all that detracted from the characters and the story.  The camera crew was learning along with the actors to get comfortable with the process so it's possible they improved somewhat from the 1st episode (viewing the dailies might have had the director give them different direction) or my brain just got accustomed to it.  All I know is I loved the Bingo moment when he looks at the camera, because up to that point it had been ambiguous is they were actually supposed to have a camera crew following them or if it was just the style of the drama.  To me that moment solidified what Damien said in an interview about the character of Jack being aware of the camera and him trying to incorporate that in his performance.  (which I feel extends to Jack "simmering" in the interview rooms at times when I think he probably would like to blow up)

 

Anyway, starting to ramble and I'm not really contributing anything so I shall end now. 

I see what you mean fifi! but for me, it's not the 'writer' having ownership of the lines that makes it a drama. the actors are still creating lines, they are not lines from real life... they just become the co-creators of the drama - that co-creation element is yet an other reason why i think Suspects is brilliant - and the fact that they do so on the spot and in the moment rather than sitting and thinking about it for ages and perfecting it (altough i believe they did actually discuss it between them before shooting) doesnt make it less of a drama for me, perhaps more so.. at least more exciting as it has that unknown element and comes with an extra shot of adrenalin!

 i opted for mockumentary originally because.. i know its actual definition is satire 'mock' as in to make fun. but mock also means pretend /fake. i guess that is why i used it but still think dramentary is more accurate!

Nice quote Pearl if you come across any good reviews please feel free to post them in our SUSPECTS REVIEWS topic!

If they are going to make it the last episode I can't think anything that would cheer me up :( Except Suspects DVD including all episodes. That could help a little. But it's really not the same than waiting for new ep and seeing Damien on the screen...

I just don't understand why is this channel doing this? I mean, if they have done it before there's got to be something wrong in the system. What about the fans? They have aired only 4 ep and now they are talking some mid season brake(I mean, it's sound bit too soon)? They are showing 5 ep, then they are going to have a brake, so there must be at least 10ep? 

Is this same thing like summer brake from the shows when people are watching less tv or something? Hope they are not even considering stopping the show..

And I can only hope they have decided to make another season and they want show to be fresh trough year (maybe that's the "announcement that will cheer us up"?)

Well, been waiting Damien be on screen for long time, I guess I'm little frustrated about this situation. And this is excellent show, the idea of it is fresh and new, it is so new lot of people haven't even heard of it and when they do, hope they are not hearing word "canceled"..

Fingers crossed it's only a brake! I still don't understand policy of this decision but I guess soon we will know what all this fuss is about!

Yes there are 10 episodes made, the press pack contains 10 episodes. This fact alone leads me to believe they will not simply be dropped, and it is indeeed just a break - however frustrating it may be to us fans because as you say fifi, Suspects is just getting into it's stride.

It seems counterintuitive to stop something midway when the momentum of the series arc is building. Yes each episode is a discrete self contained story / case AND there are no personal lives character arcs, BUT there is a growing engagement with the detectives, their personalities and approaches, their relationships to each other, all of that builds and builds each week and for me is what makes it most magnetic to watch.

agreed Jozie, interesting and unique. with an added shot of adrenalin with the improv. A whole new level of drama!

Thanks for posting this, domino.  I'd wondered if they'd been provided with any kind of character profile at all - it's interesting to find that they were given entirely free reign...

I hope we don't get a Damo drought!

I remember when a season was 20+ episodes.  These 5 and 3 episode seasons are rediculous.   At least we will get to see the other 5 eventually....I guess.  Who really knows anymore?

Hopefully they will use this time wisely and promote, promote, promote.

-- Edited by Random Jane on Wednesday 12th of March 2014 03:44:12 PM