To what extent are your chosen texts typical
of their genre? [30]
The three chosen texts are
all films typical of their genres; focusing on the films Sin City, District 9
and Fish Tank.
Sin City is classified as a
Hybrid genre, film noir and comic book. By creating Sin City in this post
modern form, it mixes genre conventions to create a new identity and broadening
its audience by not limiting individual genre conventions and excluding viewers
who hold an oppositional reading of them. Postmodern is the recycling of ideas,
showing that nothing is original anymore.
The Film Noir conventions
are present throughout the film; with themes of mistrust, paranoia, corruption
and depression; these themes of mistrust and paranoia can be seen early on the
in the film when Bob, a corrupted cop, stabs Hartigan in the back and then
shoots him. All of the protagonists are depressed and they don’t care for their
own life and safety, (one of the protagonists) John Hartigan doesn’t care if he
gets killed while rescuing the young girl, Nancy, he says “Old man dies a young
girl lives” clearing displaying to the audience that he doesn’t care about
himself and backing up the idea of depression in the protagonists is a typical convention
of film noir.
Film noir films have very
distinguishable character roles, notably a cynical protagonist and a femme
fatale. This noir protagonist is normally driven by their past and is often represented
as a hard hearted, disillusioned male character who has encountered a beautiful
seductive femme fatale; this can be seen in the character of Marv who is on a
mission for women – femme fatale, he states “hell
for me is waking up everyday not knowing why I’m here”. A femme fatale is a
beautiful woman, cruel and dishonest, willing to do anything to reach her goal
and uses the protagonist as a tool to help her accomplish some unsavory deed.
The character of Wendy is typical of this role and uses her body to persuade
Marv to help her with finding out Goldie’s killer; she is both seductive and
deadly another example of a typical character trait.
Comic book conventions are
also present throughout the film; the super powers that each protagonist seems
to have, the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds, and the mise-en-scene is
important to make this film a hybrid of the two genres. The use of non-diegetic
sound is present throughout the film but is clearly heard through the use of a
voice over, it helps the audience to know the protagonists thoughts but also
gives the audience an insight into their past. At the beginning of the film
when the character of John Hartigan is going to save the character of Nancy it
is showing to the audience his thought process and how he has to will himself
to go on. This convention is typical of this genre. However, Sin City’s mix of
these two genres is also not uncharacteristic of other productions as it is also present in the
stylistically similar ‘The Spirit’.
The use of over exaggerated
superhuman strength and super powers can seen in the film when a grenade lands
in Dwight’s lap and he survives, this is typical of the comic book convention.
Another character, Marv is able to jump off a building and is able to walk away
unhurt, his super human strength can also be seen in the film shortly after he
has been electrocuted he comes back to life. The use of hard and low key
lighting is also another key convention of this hybrid genre, casting shadows
onto the faces of characters and creating an air of suspense around them. Kev
the Cannibal is first shown in hard lighting showing to the audience that this
character is untrustworthy. The lighting is key for when the audience first
meets the character.
District 9, like Sin City,
is also classified as a hybrid genre mixing together sci-fi conventions with
documentary conventions. The Sci-Fi conventions are present throughout the
film; with the theme of aliens and humans living together, futuristic themes,
new technologies and their consequences but also scientific explanations to
justify the narrative plot are all common of the sci-fi genre. The use of new
technologies and their consequences can be seen when Wikus is carrying out a
search of a slum and finds a canister filled full of liquid, he tampers with
the canister which results in the liquid being sprayed in his face, the fluid
makes him feel sick and it becomes clear that is it causing his body to change
into an alien.
Futuristic themes are also a
common sci-fi convention this can be seen when the audience sees the alien’s
spacecraft hovering over Johannesburg, they have travelled through space to get
there and now can’t move, with no one from the outside being able to get
inside.
Many of the sequences in
District 9 are presented as documentary footage; with characters addressing the
camera. During these sequences, mobile framing helps to create the impression
of a total reality, a complete world; the camera appears free to cast its gaze
wherever it wants. In these sequences and in those where the camera is more
straightforwardly a dramatic fiction camera, not present in the world the film.
The mise-en-scene abounds in revealing details, and looks extremely “lived in”
and effect greatly by the extensive use of location shooting in Johannesburg.
An extended documentary style sequence at the beginning of the mobile deftly
sketches a network of relations between groups; the soldiers-turned private
military contractors that MNU in turn employs groups that promote the aliens’
rights.
The use of on screen logos
helps to make the footage we are watching to make it feel more realistic as
being a documentary. A lot of the footage is shot by ‘MNU’ and is showing how
the company works, all of the workers are talking about an event that has
already happened, creating an enigma code for the audience, it switches
narratives, starting of in the present then flipping to clips of people that
work at MNU.
Fish Tank is also a hybrid
of genres, mixing together social realism conventions and drama conventions.
Social realism conventions include the use of diegetic sound, hand held camera
work, a narrow depth of field, working class lifestyles and social problems,
but also present a linear narrative for the audience. Hand held camera work can
be seen throughout the film, it helps to show to the audiences Mia’s point of
view, it helps to track her movements and constantly follows her round in the
film. At the start of the film the audience sees Mia walking around on her own,
the use of a wide angle shows that she is comfortable in the environment she is
in and shows that she is in touch with the environment.
The locations and regional
accents help to reinforce social realism conventions, it helps the audience
recognize that Mia s from London, this can be identified through the accent and
the language they use “tell her that her old mans a c**t”. The mise-en-scene also
helps to establish the location of the film within working class council flats,
a highly typical convention of the social realist genre.
No comments:
Post a Comment