Codes And Conventions - Crime

The Crime Genre - Cliches & Conventions

Every genre has its cliches and convention which make it distinctly the genre which it aims to be. In this post I shall be assessing some of the cliches associated with the crime genre:

The Don
- Merciless
- Handy with a baseball bat.
- Tends to kill his friends for no particular reason eg: calling him a boy instead of a man.
- Either laid back yet dangerous, or just plain crazy...or a mixture.
- Strokes small pets such as kittens.
- Smokes a humungous cigarette.
- Italian-American.
- Inherited title.
- Calls his gang a family - in italics.
- Has a moral code, such as wont kill children.
- Is blessed with the coolest lines in cinema history: 'I'll give him an offer he can't refuse', 'Say hello to my little friend', 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'.

The Story
- Police as bad as gangsters.
- The rat.
- Undercover cop.
- Trilbies
- Cuban Cigars
- Comb overs.
- 'Hit's'
- Corrupt courtroom scenes.
- Corrupt doctor.
- Drugs.
- Voiceover.
- Experienced cop and young, eager cop.
- Inventive murder technique.
- Symbolic gestures such as horses heads in beds.
- Swear words.
- Catholic gangsters.
- Bank Robberies.
- Extravagant heists.
- Prison comforts.
- Ingenius torture methods.
- Awesome accents.
- Business in nightclubs
- Mysterious drug dealers
- The names 'Jimmy' and 'Tony'

Codes And Conventions - Horror

The Horror Genre - Cliches & Conventions

Every genre has its cliches and conventions which make it distinctly the genre which it aims to be. In this post I shall be assessing some of the cliches associated with the horror genre:

The Protagonist
- Teenagers - mainly girls.
- Daredevils/ rebels.
- Miraculously stupid.
- College drop-outs.
- Even more stupid boyfriends.
- Blonde.
-Talented screamers
- Druggies
- Alcoholics
- Had sex many times with many people.
- Party animals.
- Clumsy.
- Goes somewhere they were told not to, to prove how rebellious they are.

The Antagonist
- Ghosts
- Zombies
- Werewolves
- Creepy children
- Demonic possession
- Vampires (although they are now sneaking into the romance genre for some unfathomable reason)
- Lunatic with a chainsaw.
- Scientist with a crazy scheme
- Want vengeance.
- Have some sort of routine for their appearance
- Hold some sort of power over technology that disrupts phones and CCTV.

The Story
- Unresponsive bodies.
- Haunted houses.
- Haunted woods.
- Haunted graveyards.
- Haunted islands.
- Haunted lighthouses.
- Haunted towns.
- Haunted hotels with equally creepy workers.
- Shower murders
- Mysterious noises that must always be investigated.
- A window jump scene.
- A mirror jump scene (usually occurring after the protagonist has washed their face)
- Nightmares.
- Creaky doors.
- Creaky floorboards.
- Creaky stairs.
- Creaky rocking chairs
- Clowns.
- Dolls.
- Pictures with blurry faces.
- People coming out of pictures or TV's.
- Creepy, suspenseful music.
- Intense build-ups that lead to nothing...and then the jump comes.
- Gore.
- Splitting up or separating to investigate the danger.
- The old man who seems to know everything.
- The killer who walks in slow strides whilst the protagonist tries desperately to find a way out.
- The killer never fully dies.
- Minorities die first.
- Linen closet killing.
- Upping the stakes by a child being in danger.
- Old folk tales that are actually true.
- Thunderclap!
- Pathetic fallacy.
- Newspaper clippings of shocking events associated with the killers motives.
- Shadows.
- Chainsaws.
- Knives
- Unbelieving boyfriends, who believe only too late.
- Children communicating with the undead.
- Objects moving without visible force.
- Doors slamming - occasionally not opening again.
- Puddles of water that somehow link to the death.
- Crows cawing.
- Wolves howling.
- Dogs barking.
- Animals run away when they sense the danger.
- Lanterns.
- Candles blowing out.
- Chill wind preceding antagonist.
- The Psycho soundtrack.
- Nursery rhymes.
- Moving pictures.
- 'You are mine'

Codes And Conventions - Romance

The Romance Genre - Cliches & Conventions

Every genre has its cliches and conventions which make it distinctly the genre which it aims to be. In this post I shall be assessing some of the cliches associated with the romance genre:

The Guy

- The jock - He's sporty, good-looking, and the most popular guy in school.

- Or he's the unsure, shy guy at the back of class with a hidden talent.

- When the relationship goes sour, it's always his fault.

- Has a variety of cheesy lines at his disposal.

- Has a variety of cheesy dates at his disposal.

- Tends to run down the middle of busy roads, sometimes in the rain, to reach the love of his life.

- An excellent singer.

The Girl

- Unsure of herself.

- Has some sort of hidden talent.

- Protective father.

- Sassy best friend/ sardonic best friend/ quirky best friend.

- Has some form of sob story.

- Just wants to be appreciated.

- Slides down the wall whilst crying.

- Laughs and cries at the same time.

- Shots where her head falls into frame and lands on a pillow.

- Over emotional.

Story

- Guy meets girl, they fall in love, there is a problem, they overcome the problem, they live happily ever after.

- Make-up kiss in bad weather.

- Makeover montage with friends saying whether the new outfit is good or bad.

- Shy girl becomes stunning beauty through a little make-up.

- Singing using random objects as microphones.

- Love montage - always including riding bikes, rowing boats or picnics

- Speech where the guy explains all the small things he loves about the girl.

- Meddlesome parents.

- A romantic set piece, where the guy does something insanely romantic for his girl.

- A particular picture of them both, that is related back to as the film goes on.

- A sex scene.

- Waking up the morning after to find the guy is gone, sometimes leaving a post-it note on the bed.

- Sad or happy ending...doesn't matter which - it's still a cliche.

- Inappropriate comment from an elderly person.

- Guy has a side kick who at one point thinks that the best friend is deserting him for the girl.

- Guy has a side kick who tries to explain to the girl why it is over.

- Guy has a fat, comedic side kick.

- Cheesy song in soundtrack.

- Constant, over-the-top, cheesy, orchestral soundtrack that crescendos at the kiss.

Codes And Conventions - Action

The Action Genre - Cliches & Conventions
 

Every genre has its cliches and conventions which make it distinctly the genre which it aims to be. In this post I shall be assessing some of the cliches associated with the action genre:

The Antagonist
- Physically weak antagonist with incredible mind.
- Owns a dangerous pet, such as a shark.
- Has a repertoire of several cliche lines such as: 'I've been expecting you', or tells the protagonist a long story about their childhood that somehow relates to the situation.
- A fan of inventive torture techniques.
- Gets captured by the protagonist and then escapes to the shocking realisation that 'he wanted to be caught'
- Is accompanied by physically strong bodyguard.
- Tortured childhood or past.
- Kills own men without a second thought over the smallest error.
- An expert of the double-cross.
- Has a mole in the government.
- Psychologically unhinged.

The Protagonist
- Haunted past.
- Orphan
- Has some sort of tutor, usually an old man.
- Half way through gives up and then finds a reason to carry on.
- Self surgery expert.
- Bursting muscles.
- Has a love-interest
- Is accompanied by a loveable side-kick
- Can work any type of vehicle, from helicopters to diggers...whatever's convenient
- An expert at improvised weaponry - particularly explosives

Story
- Chase and fight sequences
- Torture scenes
- Sex scenes
- Slow motion explosives with the protagonist either walking away or getting blown away.
- Bomb diffusal seconds before detonation.
- Hacking into computers, to the elated cry of 'I'm in'
- 'Have you done the job?'
- 'You're going to wish you'd never been born'
- 'It's done'
- 'You really shouldn't have done that'
- 'Bond, James Bond'
- 'He wanted us to capture him!'
- 'Never'
- 'We meet again'

The Vow - Trailer

The Vow targeted the audience of a female audience aged 13+. This audience is met from the use of a love story that is deeply effecting and of course the use of Channing Tatum. The film needs to do more than to just look like it has a good story. It need to appeal to the eyes of many female audience members, and what better way to do that than to include an attractive male to play the lading man?
Channing Tatum has been in films featuring the action genre such as G.I. Joe and 21 Jump Street (With a side of comedy). Plus films that are purely designed to give the lady's something to look at like Magic Mike. Channing Tatum is a person who is going to be able to deliver a character that is going to both tug on the heart strings of his audience while giving them something pleasant to look at.

The trailer set up a happy atmosphere with the combination of light scenes, happy music and seeing the love relationship between two people. This gives the audience that beginning smile that is going to make them sit back, relax and to enjoy this love story. This then changes when you hear Channing Tatums voice come over the music telling the audience that moments are important for they have the power to change our lives, and that what would it be like if you could not remember any of them. This then ques for the equilibrium to be broken and the tradagy is to begin. This hit the audience as the happy music that has been playing is suddenly cut off by both the sight and sound of a truck hitting the car that Leo and Paige Collins are in. Adding even more drama to this sudden moment just happens to be at night, a time that we associate with danger.

We are shown the struggle that Leo is going to have to go through to try and get the love of his wife back. This emotional event plays with the heartstrings of it's audience as it allows the audience to think about what it would be like to be married to someone and for them to suddenly not know who you are. Also as a there would be people in a relationship/partnership in the audience it focuses on a subject that is close to the hearts of any of the audience members. Allowing it to take more of an emotional effect upon the audience.

Sherlock Holmes - Trailer

This trailer for the 2009 adaptation of Sherlock Holmes ticks many of the boxes in regards to what makes a successful trailer through it's mixture of fast paced editing and a careful balance of comedy and action. The film already had a fan base from when it was first conceived, as there were already many fans of the Sherlock Holmes books, and Sherlock Holmes is a household name. Immediately the audience would know the lead characters and the genre of the film. This is established in the first few seconds with the voice over of the antagonist asking to see Sherlock Holmes. Whilst the audio presents the lead character, the opening shot begins to offer the audience the new interpretation of the Sherlock Holmes stories. It seems to evoke a darker, more gritty interpretation, focusing on the dark areas of London, as opposed to the conventional, fun murder mystery that is often associated with the stories. It does first of all by fading into the opening shot from black, which makes the shot seem much darker and makes the shadows more prominent. The arch in the foreground is particularly dark, so it seems like the audience is looking into a particularly dark and threatening place. This establishes the setting of the whole film - through the threatening arch. Even the angels above the arch look threatening as they are wreathed in shadow and almost seem like angels of death. Meanwhile the voice over sounds very threatening and his voice is immediately associated with a deadly antagonist. The result of this combination is that the trailer opens with a very dark feel and the rest of the trailer plays out with this in mind.

At 0:12 seconds in the trailer starts to pick up the pace from the long, slow moving shots. There are two incredibly fast shots in a row, followed by a third longer shot, which are all in time with a distinct drumming sound. Although the shots don't add much to the plot or show much of the film, they are key in conveying the mood of the film and speeding up the action. The film at this point seems to be moving further away from the traditional idea of Sherlock Holmes and now seems more action-packed. This would appeal to a very wide audience; the older generations may watch it because it's a new Sherlock Holmes film whereas the younger generations may watch it for the action sequences. Appealing to both of these demographics is the comedy element. At the end of the trailer there is a punchline after the title has appeared which ends the trailer on a lighter mood and leaves the audience feeling excited. This is a common technique in many trailers and I think that it is a very effective technique. It also makes sure that audiences watch the trailer until the end, so they don't miss the title of the film.

Much of the editing in this trailer is timed to the epic music in the background. On more than one occasion there are punches and hits in time with the soundtrack, which adds to the dynamism of the trailer and makes it seem ever more intense. This is a technique which we will probably try and include in our trailer as it makes the trailer seem much more exciting. It would also seem very strange without this technique, as the music and the visuals would not match up, leaving it looking thoroughly unprofessional. I particularly like at the end when the letters spelling out 'Sherlock' appear one at a time with short, snappy clips in between. This both makes the title more memorable and also makes the ending much more fast paced than just having a simple title at the end, reflecting the tone of the film. At the end of this short sequence the letters come together in the main title 'Sherlock Holmes' which again makes the title more memorable. The audience would have been following each letter in turn to try and work out what the film's title was, so when it is revealed at the end they don't forget it.

The trailer as a whole appeals mainly to a male dominated audience through the violence and male protagonists. It exploits the need for escapism, as the story offers the chance for people to watch someone else's problems so they can escape from their own. This, however is generic for all films, but what appeals to people are the ways in which the person manages to overcome their problems. The way in which the protagonist in this film escapes their problems is through adventure and fighting, which makes overcoming problems seem exhilarating. People would go and watch this film in order to escape their problems and watch someone overcome their problems in an exciting way.

The Hobbit: Desolation Of Smaug - Trailer

The trailer for 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' is another very strong trailer that immediately caught the eyes of many people across the cinematic community. One of the main reasons for the success of this trailer was, of course, that it already had a very large fan base. The film is a sequel to a very successful film, the prequel to one of the most successful trilogies of all time and an adaptation of one of the most famous books of all time. This means that it has an enormous fan base. Not only this, but it has many countries laying claim to it, who all feel a sense of national pride about it; it was filmed in New Zealand and made by a majority New Zealand cast, it is based off an English book with mostly English actors and it is funded by an American company. Each one of those countries has a very strong claim to the nationality of it meaning that the film has large audience's from all three countries.

However the trailer has also been successful because of what it chose to reveal in the trailer and how it managed to be appealing to the fans. The most intriguing part of the trailer comes right at the end, when the dragon, Smaug, appears on screen. There has been much talk in the cinematic community about what Smaug was going to look like, and in the first film there was only a small tease, therefore this shot at the end, that revealed much more was a clever choice. However it did not show the whole of the dragon, but only its head; otherwise it would have been given away. They just revealed enough of it so that the audience feel that following the film's campaign is rewarding, yet there are still more secrets to be revealed so they stay tuned in, in order to get more of these snippets. Even when showing the head of the dragon, it did not show everything about the dragon's head, for instance it did not show what colour the dragon was - a question that has been asked several times in the build up to the film. From this I can learn that for my own trailer it is not good to give the whole story away, or everything about certain characters, but it is good to release some previews to keep the audience excited.

The opening of the trailer is equally strong. From the outset, the trailer starts to hint at the tone of the film, which is clearly a fantasy adventure film. It does this by starting with four establishing shots in a row. This is highly irregular for many trailers, for although most trailers start with some sort of establishing shot, very few start with more than one, and far fewer start with four. But this is done in order to help the audience grasp the sense of adventure and journeying that is a vital part to the film. By having four in a row the audience feels like they are catching glimpses of the magnificent landscapes that they will travel across with the protagonists of the adventure. This is supported by the character voice over, whose first words are 'where does your journey end?', which immediately gets the audience in the mindset of an adventure film. In addition to this, the landscape shots give the film a very high production value and from the start the audience know that they are not watching an amateur film, but are watching something that a lot of money has been put into. Audience's are more likely to put their money towards something that has had a lot of money put into as they think that it will mean they get value for money. The opening few shots are very slow, and they are supported by slow, melancholy music and a soft yet slightly sinister voice over. It reminds me of the trailer for 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2', which uses a similar technique.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NYt1qirBWg
In both trailers they have the sinister voice narrating establishing shots to a backdrop of melancholy music, before reaching a crescendo and picking up the pace. By following the convention of other successful trailers, the trailer for 'The Hobbit' shows that it has researched very well and is giving the audience the sort of conventions that they like to see in trailers. Modern audience's can be very particular about the way that trailers are; they expect them to follow certain formulas, which 'The Hobbit' manages to do admirably. If it did not adhere to the usual conventions of what a trailer should be like then audiences might think that the whole film was unconventional and strange, which would only appeal to a very small minority.

Fairly early on in the trailer, it shows the familiar face of Legolas, who was a leading character in the 'Lord of the Ring's' Trilogy, of which 'The Hobbit' is a prequel. Legolas did not appear in the first instalment of 'The Hobbit' but he was a fan favourite in 'Lord of the Rings', so his return was highly anticipated in the fan community. By including Legolas, the trailer gives the audience another good reason to go and see the film; to reconnect with the old character of Legolas. Even if fans of 'Lord of the Rings' did not like the first Hobbit film, they may want to watch the second one purely for Legolas, in order to complete his story arc. In addition, the trailer very cleverly gives the audience the new character of Smaug whilst bringing back the old character of Legolas, both of which would excite any fan of the old trilogy. Legolas is introduced first so that the fan community trust the film maker more as he is already a well loved character, and then once that trust is gained, they introduce Smaug, which is likely to be seen in a much better light, simply because the fans are happy with the film makers that they have given them back Legolas and they are in a trusting mood.

Towards the end of the trailer there is a part that I do not think was very good editing. This begins at about 1:25, and the reason I don't like it is because there are about four shots almost consecutively of people doing some sort of jump attack or falling. The reason I don't like that is because it doesn't show good variety and it makes the fight choreography look very sophisticated or original. It is a complete overuse of the attack, which can be used to enhance a fight sequence, however here it is just too much. I think that if they particularly wanted to use those shots in the trailer then they should have at least spread them out across the length of the trailer so that the overuse of it isn't so obvious. Another problem with it is that it makes it look as if they don't have any more decent exciting footage to use so they are just filling it in with the same thing. It shows bad organisation in the trailer, trying to cram in all the shots at the last minute.

Overall I think that it is a very strong trailer, that takes advantage of its fanbase and its assets. However I'm not sure as of yet how we will be able to apply some of the techniques that they have used for our trailer, as we don't currently have a fanbase. Also it could be difficult getting a high budget looking establishing shot of our own, but this is something that we will have to consider when planning our trailer, as it seems to be a very common convention of a successful trailer. Most successfully I have learnt what not to do when editing a trailer, and that is to put a series of similar shots directly next to each other, because this does not look very good or impressive.