For this task we looked at the repertoire of elements within The Dark Knight. We looked at the differences and similarities of the characters within the film and the differences that they have. Below are the conventions.

 Some of the similarities 

• Set in a big city – Gotham
• Has extraordinary tech and machinery such as the bat-mobile and his bat man suit
• There is a typical theme of conflict which is good vs evil – the good which is batman trying to overcome the evil who is the joker (antagonist)
• Large action sequences – opening scene of bank robbery, joker chase etc.

Some of the differences  

• A dark superhero suit – mainly superheros wear primary colours to imply that they are good and innocent however batman’s suit is very dark and black inferring aggressiveness and power and evil however some of his actions overcome this first impression on his visuals
• The conflict of good vs evil usually has an end which is typically the protagonist that overcomes the antagonist however in The Dark Knight, there is no distinction between who actually wins
• It is very dark and gritty throughout the film and mainly where the fights take place showing its not your typical fun and hopeful fight to watch

Below is our class slide share that we worked on to distinguish how Pan’s Labyrinth fits the genre of fantasy and how it is different from the genre using the repertoire of elements.

How It Fits A Fantasy Genre 

• The film includes characters that are from a fantasy world meaning they are not our normal or typical convention of characters that we would typically see in other genres of films e.g a documentary
• The location and setting of Pan’s Labyrinth are also clearly tied to a fantasy genre
• The film has a theme of adventure and obstacles to overcome which is also a typical convention of a fantasy genre film. They always have a quest to conqueror
• Typical shots of a fantasy genre are wide angled and long shots to show the setting and location of the scene as fantasy genre films usually include mysterious places

How It Is Different From A Fantasy Genre 

• The setting of the film is much darker both in setting and in the iconography  e.g many areas looked abandoned
• Most fantasy genres have a ‘happy ending’ but Pan’s Labyrinth defies this and ends with the girl dying
•  Most fantasy genres have male actors as this is the typical convention of fantasy genre to have a strong male leader however this film shows the little girl being her own leader and finding her own way. This portrays her to the audience as a more resilient character
•  Most fantasy genre films include huge battles among st a lot of people however in this film there is personal conflict between Ofelia and her step father