Location

The location and setting used in an urban drama is a key part of the narrative; falling into many categories of convention. As the specific genre focuses on the territorial aspect of the area, the setting is important in supporting the on screen action. 

A trailer will show the audience the general setting of the film and therefore is likely to involve a crane shot of the landscape. By using something like this, we would be able to clearly show the genre and urban theme of our piece. 

The home of the protagonist often features a lot in urban dramas to show the sense of pride of their background and again the territorial theme. As we want the narrative of our piece to involve the protagonist trying to support his family, a scene set in the home environment is key. In this we could introduce the family and the struggles they face. 

In our piece we plan to shoot a scene in a highly graffitied and vandalised area. This choice of mise en scene would enhance the urban city theme we are trying to get across. As the narrative of urban dramas often include a theme of crime, this helps to further represent this aspect. The colours in a setting like this would create a dynamic effect on the trailer, conforming with the conventions of teaser trailers. 

Alleyways are something that feature strongly in urban dramas. Not only do they usually have things like graffiti to work with but they give a dark and gritty realism to a scene. When shot at night time, this setting can make a huge impression on the audience. The lighting source is mainly from street lamps and buildings which is another way of representing an urban theme.

As we are thinking of basing our narrative on the issues of crime and drug dealing, we hope to include a scene showing a dealing going on. A conventional setting for this sort of action is an abandoned warehouse; again hinting at a gritty and dark atmosphere.