Category: Genre

Genre, The Repertoire of Elements

by jamesmckenzie

Suckablood (2012) Hendricks

 

Genre

The Repertoire of Elements

Generic Feature Description Link to other macro concepts
Story being trapped or imprisoned, murder/serial killer. supernatural. Narrative
Themes death, fear, isolation, trapped 
Characters killer, monsters, demons, ghosts, the dumb one that gets killed first Representation
Setting old buildings, normally run down or cursed. inside the woods or a log cabin by the lake
Mise-en-scene (Iconography) Masks, blood, shadows/silhouettes.  Film Language
Production Techniques dark, shadowy low key lighting, eerie music. 

Batman Genre Analysis and Representation

by jamesmckenzie

Batman Representation

“A darker hero for a darker time” is how Batman devolped as a charecter due to the war on terrorism, an important factor in American film making. This developed the iconic figure, a well known hero, into a crime fighting superhero that took justice into his own hands. This charecter development is what makes the Batman trilogy so different to other superhero films.

Using Siegfried Kracauer’s concept of film mirroring society at the time, we see how the impact of terror attacts like 9/11 has had on film. Films became a way for Americans to step away from their society and see an alternative, a society that faces the same threats but with an underlining messages. These alternative realities ranged from atmospheric referneces to replicating events, and pro-war themes. This gave Americans hope and a feeling of justice as film became a coping device for terrorism.

Batman Genre Analysis

Conforming to the Superhero Genre:

-Special vehicles and weaponry

-Secret lair

-Guy in the chair/The tech guy

-No parents/Sad origin story

-Super villain

-Secret identity/dual indetities

-Love interest

-city location

Suversions From the Superhero Genre:

-No sidekick

-No superpowers/supernatural elements

-Dark/gritty tone

-Corruption (theme)

-Runs away from danger

-Girl dies/Doesn’t chose him in the end

-Villain has no clear motive

-Superhero is not necessarily good

Conventions of Superheros

The Corpus →

The Repertoire of Elements↓

 Film1: Superman (1978) Donner Film 2: Spider-man (2002) Raimi Film 3: Wonder Woman (2017) Jenkins
Typical Locations New York, mythical places, big cities, urban location, usually America… or space. 
Characters / Groups Typical hero with ‘powers’, group of heroes in conflict, dead family members, orphans, extremists, antagonist, sidekick – tech guys, love interest – the damsel in distress
Conflicts & Themes Good overcoming evil, overcoming adversity, origin story, internal conflict, 
Filmic Technique Kaboom, CGI, big action sequences, cars chase, flashbacks, training montage, explosions, special effects, aerial shots, voiceovers, the costume reveal
Iconography /  Mise-en-Scene Cityscape, primary coloured superhero suits, vehicles, specific weapons, power prop, superpower, 
Shape of the story Opening action setting – origin story explained – characters introduced Superhero is put in challenging situations – their arch nemesis tries to destroy the world. Achilles heel is tested Superhero wins / saves the world – and the girl 

 

Genre Analysis of Pan’s labyrinth

by jamesmckenzie

Genre Analysis of Pan’s Labyrinth

In our class we produced a comparative slideshow for Pan’s Labyrinth and the fairytale genre. Pan’s Labyrinth is a dark-fairytale film, it twist the conventions of fairytales and seems to make fun of the conventions of the genre. We compared Pan’s Labyrinth with other films of the Fairytale genre such as, Harry Potter, Shrek and Lord of the Rings. (These examples being our corpus.)

Examples of when Pan’s Labyrinth confined with the genre:

  • When showing locations they use wide angle shots. In the beginning of the film the camera pans around showing the setting.
  • Showing dense-forests/woodlands as dark and gloomy landscapes.
  • Using lighting/special FX to make props look magical by giving them an aura. There is a strong blue hueto symbolise its mystical properties.
  • Having a quest where there is a moral dilemma which challenges the protagonist. Ofelia has to chose wether or not to kill her brother.
  • Folklaw/sub-human characters. E.g: Faun, Pixies, the Pale Man

Examples of when Pan’s Labyrinth defied the genre:

  • Having a strong female protagonist who isn’t aided/helped by a male character.
  • Not having a “Happily Ever After”. Ofelia dies and the ending is unclear.
  • Not having a “final boss” or clear main enemy. Vidal, her step-dad could be considered the antagonist but so could the Pale Man.
  • Use of human torture methods and weapons compared to wands. Seen in scenes where Vidal is punishing people who disobey orders.
  • Darker imagery. E.g: creepier and more upsetting scenes, Ofelias death, depictions of the Pale Man eating children, beatings and murders.

In conclusion Pan’s Labyrinth uses the repertoire of elements of fairytale films and twists them to make it feel like we’re watching a different genre of film, this makes the film feel far more interesting and keeps the audience engaged even though it follows the conventions of a normal fairytale film.

 

 

Genre Poster

by jamesmckenzie

Genre Poster – Sci/Fi

In my poster there are some repertoire of elements that include:

  • Aliens
  • Science
  • Key features of films (  The Spok hand )
  • Futuristic settings
  • Lightsaber

The Sci/Fi genre can be about space, time travel, aliens or a mixture of all three. Sci/Fi films are complex and normally have similar details that vairy etween the films, they normally explore larger themes or making subliminal comments on society.

Trailer for the 1979 Sci/Fi film, Alien. Directed by Ridley Scott :

 

Genre is easy to identify because of its repertoire of elements and my class mates were quick to identify our poster. I, in turn, was able to recognise their posters because of the symbolism they used.

Genre– category based on similarities in narrative elements or emotional responses to a film, in association with “conventions”, iconography or narratives.