A1. To what extent are your chosen texts typical of their genre? [30]

I studied ‘Sin City’, ‘Fish Tank’ and ‘District 9’ which all use genre conventions which represent there genre. I am going to examine how typical these texts are of their genre.

  Sin City can be classified as a "Hybrid" as it is a combination of the Comic and Noir genres which is an element of post modernity.  The mix of genre conventions attracts a wider audience and makes the film more appealing.  However the film noir conventions in particular are apparent from the opening sequence. The scene opens with an establishing shot followed by ambient noise of traffic which hints at the setting; a high angle shot looks down at a woman on a balcony creating a sense of vulnerability. She is wearing a red dress highlighted against black and white which connotates sexiness as well as danger, close ups show red lips and a cigarette that she is holding which are features of a major noir element-the femme fatale. A male walks out onto the balcony dressed in a suit representing him as sophisticated, his tone of voice is abrupt and suggestive almost alluring the femme fatale to her death. Non diegetic Jazz music fits within the genre conventions and both characters are lit in low lighting which is a commonly used noir technique to suggest deception. The mise en scene also highlights the urban setting which is typical of the noir genre.  These typical noir genre conventions can also be identified in films from the 1940’s onwards such as ‘The Maltese Falcon’ or ‘The Big Combo’ where femme fatales, venetian blinds, neon lights, low key lighting etc are used and so audiences would identify certain narrative roles and may relate them to characters seen in older noir films however certain aspects such as the hybridity of Sin City may be unfamilliar to them and keeps the genre fresh.

Although aspects of Sin City may be untypical of the film noir due to the mix with comic-book genre there are many elements which stay true to the genre. The use of cynical, hard boiled male protagonists is a typical genre convention used throughout Sin City.  Hartigan is the first protagonist the audiences are presented with. He has facial scars which match his ‘hard boiled’ persona and his fatalistic view on the world tells the audience that he has been through a lot. He is a classic representation of Propp’s character theory and would suit the hero as he sees it as his role to be the savior of a young girl and narrates “man dies, girl lives”.  The reflective/confessional narration is consistently used in some points of the film to give an insight into a character’s personality and their past.

  A main convention of film noir is that it is shot in black and white usually in the day but filters are used to make it seem like night.  There are often times throughout the film where certain things are in color to symbolise something for example the love between Marv and Goldie in shown by the red dress she is wearing which could symbolise passion and the red bed which connotates love. The male gaze theory can be applied in this scene too as Goldie's body parts are highlighted while Marv describes her portraying her as an object of desire. There is use of binary opposition also when Goldie is described as an "Angel". This also shows how the male characters are active and the female passive and so some may argue that women are portrayed stereotypically in the film. Throughout Marv’s storyline he is often filmed using a ‘dutch tilt’ used to make the viewer feel uncomfortable due to the disorientated view and may also suggest that there is inner conflict of his moral views of what is right or wrong. Fighting sequences show Marv’s superhuman strength which is used alongside special effects and exaggerated non diegetic sound which are comic-book genre conventions. Towards the end of Marv’s storyline he enters a bar where Hartigan and the final protagonist Dwight are also which shows that there is a non linear narrative which the audience will find entertaining.

  In Sin City women have gained a lot of power, this is shown by the scenes in Old Town as it is a direct reference to how women had gained power in World War 2. The scene in Shellie's flat represents the typical power that femme fatales have in noir films as close ups show off her boy highlight her provocative clothing when she is distracting Jackie Boy’s Henchmen to suggest that she is using her femininity and sexuality as a form of manipulation. Jackie Boy slaps her and so this shows her vulnerability and how violence in this genre is typically used by men to restore patriarchal domination. Dwight is represented as the hero and intertextuality to superman is used when he jumps out of the window as his coat resembles a cape which is typical in the comic-book genre. Dwight is Shellie's protector and shows the way in which a femme fatale relies on a male but this may also and typically does lead to their demise. Although Sin City is a hybrid of the Noir and Comic-book genres is shows that it remains typical as it uses conventions of both is different ways to create wider appeal whilst staying true to the genre.

  Fish Tank is a controversial, low budget film which presents a bleak message of the harsh reality of society. Social realism is the main genre of Fish Tank and aims to reflect the social issues of real life whilst being as close to reality a possible. The opening scene reflects this genre well from the use of diegetic ambient noise alongside the main protagonist Mia who is heavily breathing which creates a sense of realism. The film is set in run down council estate which is shot using a handheld camera using a shallow depth of field which goes in and out of focus to show what is going on. Natural lighting is used throughout the film to make it more realistic. Mia is dressed in a cheap tracksuit and often swears which reflects her working class status.
  Social realist films often revolve around issues of modern society which are also portrayed in Fish Tank. There is no sense of family or community, the film follows the rise and fall of hope and despair of the variety of characters and due to the bleak message of reality that has been portrayed Fish Tank is pushed aside and marginalised and therefore is aimed at a niche audience. Genre has gone through many changes since the 1960's where 'Kitchen Sink' dramas of the same social realist genre where represented differently. For instance in "A Taste of Honey" there is a scene where a woman sleeps with a Black man, this was seen to be extremely controversial at the time and the scene does not fully show what happens unlike Fish Tank where the audience have to see Connor and Mia sleep together which is uncomfortable for the audience but reflects real life issues.
  Fish Tank was set in Tilbury which is located near London and has a huge social deprivation and a reputation for crime and anti social behaviour.