Media Studies A2 Advanced

Portfolio

Kipp Boucher

GENRE‘Genre’ is a word taken from French, meaning ‘type’. And as so, it defines what category a movie fits into. For example, action, horror, crime, dystopia and comedy are all genres. Aristotle first theorised genre, applied to Ancient Greek theatre, in order to be able to distinguish types of play.Daniel Chandler theorised in 2000 that genres are an extremely loose concept. In his book (‘An Introduction to Genre Theory’) he asks whether genre is ‘really ‘out there’’

or if they are ‘merely the constructions of analysts?’

Nick Lacey presents a similar viewpoint, theorising however though that genre can be, ironically enough, divided into sub-categories; setting, character, narrative, iconography and style. Whatever these elements are like in a film defines it’s genre. This of course leads to the conclusion that all films are largely very different, and that the idea of genre is somewhat disproven by his theories.

AUDIENCE

This is Lacey’s Model on Genre:

PRODUCER

FILM

GENRE

As time goes on, the idea of ‘genre’ seems to get more and more outdated. As happens with most things, the time

comes for their conventions to be challenged. Directors like Guy Ritchie

and Quentin Tarantino are amongst the most popular to do this, with

Postmodernism.

POSTMODERNISMPostmodernism reflects a style of arts, departing from modernism. In films it mainly represents the challenging of regular conventions and genres, commentaries on modern society, governments and geographical factors.

Within films, postmodernism usually houses these elements:

•Narratives that go against common opinions in society; challenging

whether the norms of modern society are actually the way forward, etc.•As well as that, narratives that go

against how films normally are. Mixing up the idea of Propp’s stock characters

by adding various heroes etc (for example, Pulp Fiction)

•Mixed up chronology; in which Todorov’s narrative theory is

challenged for example by putting the disruption at the beginning (like in Kill Bill when the main character is shot in

the head in the first scene).

Generally postmodern films will include genre hybridism, when two or more genres are mixed together to create a strange new style: for example Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, which uses pastiche to many different elements of classic cinema; Chinese martial arts films as popularised by Bruce Lee, Japanese Chanbara films (samurai films), Italian spaghetti western films, and old ‘girls with guns’ movies.

CRIMECrime films revolve around the lives of criminals; originating in 20s Hollywood during the prohibition era. Since then the themes of the crime genre have evolved with the context of the time the films were produced in.

With different eras of society come different types of criminals, and this is reflected in

crime films. From the bootlegging of alcohol through American gangsters’ speakeasies, to

the British postmodern gangsters seen in films like Sexy Beast and Lock, Stock and Two

Smoking Barrels, this is a very broad genre.

Some of the most notable crime films include:•Little Caeser (1930)

•Brighton Rock* (1947)•Oceans Eleven* (1960)•The Italian Job* (1969)•The Godfather* (1972)

•Scarface* (1983)•Pulp Fiction (1994)

•Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels* (1998)•Sexy Beast (2000)

•Snatch (2000)

* = pictured

DYSTOPIA‘Utopia’ is the idea of a perfect world, a paradise, and ‘dystopia’ is the opposite.

Its dictionary definition suggests that it is a community characterised by human

misery, squalor, disease, depression or overcrowding.

Dystopian films reflect this in their setting, context and often, their plot. Often due to human pitfalls such as government corruption and over-crowding, or natural factors such as climate change and natural disaster.

Some of the most notable dystopian films are:•Metropolis (1927)•Death Race 2000* (1975)•Mad Max* (1979)•Blade Runner* (1982)•The Terminator (1984)•Total Recall (1990)•12 Monkeys* (1995)•The Matrix* (1999)•Equilibrium (2002)•Sin City* (2005)•Children of Men (2006)

* = pictured

DYSTOPIA cont.CHARACTER TYPES:We still see a vast amount of male protagonists, although there are some females (eg Sarah Connor in The Terminator). A fairly new character type here is the ‘Postmodern Cowboy’. This connotes a lone protagonist, or an unlikely hero. Groups/tribes who take advantage of the dystopian situation by making a kind of profit from anarchaic behaviour, and groups of ‘human survivors’ who are forced to co-operate and help each other out. And there is often a helper, from the inside of the dystopia (eg working for the government, one of the infected or one of the aliens) who assists the protagonist in their search for restoration.

SUB-GENRES:There are various other sub-genres

including films that take place in dystopian settings, such as Science

Fiction (Sci-Fi), with films such as Metropolis, Blade Runner, The

Terminator and The Matrix falling under this. Then there are Post-

Apocalyptic films, set in post-disaster worlds. Examples of these are Mad

Max, 12 Monkeys, Children of Men and I Am Legend.

‘IN TIME’ - 2011‘In Time’ is a 2011 dystopian science fiction action film directed by Andrew

Niccol and starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. The film takes place in

a world in which humans, genetically engineered to have a digital clock with

one year on it, stop aging at 25. At which point, their clock starts counting down,

until they ‘time out’ and die. Time becomes the universal currency; the rich

have unlimited youth and the poor die young.

The characters in this film are particularly dystopian; Justin Timberlake plays Will Salas, a 28 year-old factory worker who is given 116 years after saving a mans life. This unlikely , ‘Average Joe’ style hero is very common in postmodern films.

Amanda Seyfried plays Sylvia Weis; daughter of time-loaning businessman Phillipe Weis. She is kidnapped by Will when he is framed for murder, and eventually ends up helping him.

TARGET AUDIENCEOf all the films that I have researched, most of the certifications are for older audiences, most often 15 and 18 with the odd exception. ‘In Time’ is a 12, but may be considered an exception, and it’s younger certification is probably purposely paired with the casting of Justin Timberlake. Considering the fact that many dystopian films base their societal dystopia on current fears in the world, the themes can sometimes be a bit frightening for younger audiences, so it is understandable that these certifications are what they are.Our film’s target audience would be a similar one the certification’s standards for the

other films we researched; generally those who can have a grasp and a fear of societal downfall as a realistic prospect. I don’t think it’s particularly aimed at either gender, but the age barrier is definitely present. I don’t think however that it would

necessarily need to be an 18, so our certification would probably be a 15.

We would probably have some more adult themes, most likely mainly violence, in our film hence the 15 certification. I believe that elements like violence, drug taking, etc,

are important in films like this in order to get a sense of realism to it.

DYSTOPIA TRAILERS

The purpose of film trailers is primarily promote the film in question. However,

they also help attract the right audience, as they identify what genre the film is too.

Dystopian film trailers often follow the same conventions. As far as titles are concerned, they usually don’t name actors, and sometimes don’t even name the director.

I’ve also found that they work in a three point narrative structure, similar to Todorov’s narrative theory. Starting with a dystopian equilibrium, then an explanation of the disruption, ending with a hint at a restoration. This is often backed up by a change of music for each section.

Many distribution companies have a darkened version of their intro in dystopian trailers (and in the full film).