Unit 2.4 - Generic Conventions

For this task, I have decided to focus on four different genres which are Horror, Action, Sci-fi and Adventure. I will look at how the different genres have different generic conventions and the iconography that is expected by the audience.

Generic conventions - Things that make up that particular genre of which the audience is expected to see.

Iconography - Crops, icons or visual imagery that the audience is to see in a typical film. For instance in an Action film the audience would expect explosions and some sort of chase scene between an antagonist and protagonist.

Horror - Scream

The generic conventions and iconography of a Horror singles it out from other genres. Within this opening scene of Scream may generic conventions for a horror are met. The opening scene has all the eeriness you would expect from a typical horror, the antagonist we are introduced to wears a black cape and a terrifying mask. Everything in the opening 5 minutes reeks mystery and suspense. Everything about the clip is typical, a female stranded on her own in a house at night. Not only are the generic conventions present but there is also a vast amount of iconography, for instance the kitchen knife which could be a foreshadowing for what is about to happen. And the crackling overcooked popcorn which could mean time is running out.



Action - Die Hard 3 With a Vengeance

Action Films are reasonably easy to identify Action films are where the story is largely told through physical action as opposed to dialogue. The action typically involves individual efforts on the part of the hero.
The taxi scene sums up an action film perfectly, we are introduced to john McClain an L.A.P.D cop who fights criminals with a fast paced no holds barred approach. Death seems to be around every corner but the protagonist still seems to evade it and still retain his ' bad boy ' style. The protagonist seems to put his life on the line in many different occasions which is typical for a 'hero' character.
Iconography in typical action films would consist of , explosions, gun fights etc. In this taxi scene from die hard the iconography comes in the form of a face paced car chase in a stolen taxi, a wheel spin which shows urgency and also the hero's uniform/badge to single him out from other people.



Science-fiction - Star Trek 2009

Science fiction is defined more by setting details than by other story elements. Science fiction by definition includes extrapolated or theoretical future science and technology as a major component, and is often set on other planets, in outer space, or on a future version of Earth.

Common iconography of Science Fiction films include spaceships, aliens from other planets, weapons that emit laser beams, scenes of the future, time travel and other means of breaking the laws of Physics, and technology (namely, robots and computers) as a character, often slated as the antagonist.



Adventure - Journey To The Center Of The Earth

Adventure is mainly driven by the action within the plot rather than the dialogue. For the audience, this could be due to the high-tempo plot that isn't very complicated. The generic conventions normally include an obvious protagonist that tries to save vulnerable people or in this case, tries to obtain a mystery item that is of major importance.

One would expect panoramic locations, for instance deserts and mountains, modes of transport would also be different instead of automobiles being used throughout, horses and other animals may be used. You may also come across the damsel in distress who in the end gets saved by the ' Hero '. The clothes worn by the characters could be rugged/torn for long term use and not necessarily clean 'Hero' type clothing.