Finally, these responses give you an idea of how to respond to this question, but there are many ways you can respond. If the content is not particularly enlightening, then hopefully at least the structure will be!
How do your chosen texts use genre conventions?
Both Spectre and The Selfish Giant, while wildly different from one another, are conventional within their own genres. Spectre, the 26th Bond film produced by EON, is an action/spy hybrid, though through its rigid conventions it has far more in common with earlier Bond films than other spy films like The Bourne series, for example. The Selfish giant is a 2013 social realist film, directed by Clio Barnard, and set in semi-rural Bradford, depicting the extreme poverty of its main characters. Genre is and essential tool in both of these films, not only for marketing them to potential audiences, but also to demonstrate the messages and values of the producers. In this essay I shall argue that genre is a valuable ideological tool for promoting messages as succinctly as possible. My chosen texts disseminate their ideologies in the following creative ways.
Though Spectre was released in 2015, it has much in common with Bond films as early as Dr No, released in 1962. The consistent use of these conventions shows very little genre fluidity. However one thing that Spectre consistently depicts is a conventional, if arguably sexist representation of women. Madeleine Swann, played by French actor Lea Seydoux is the main bond girl in this film, an archetype that has existed throughout the film series’ history. Swan quickly falls for bond, despite claiming earlier that she will not, and ultimately becomes kidnapped by the film’s antagonist, Blofeld. Tied to a chair in abject panic, the mid-shot of Swan’s panicked face is further emphasised by the mise-en-scene of the red ropes typing her to a chair. These ropes are symbolic of sexual fetishism, and demonstrate the powerlessness of women a world dominated by patriarchal hegemony. Bond demonstrates his patriarchal dominance by easily freeing Swan (a close up shot of a knife cutting the rope is immediately followed by a shot of his calm face, connoting his comfort and lack of stress in such a situation), whereupon he grabs her, and jumps off a ledge, immediately after bluntly informing her that “[she] has no choice”. The consistent, sexist representation of women as being weak and powerless has long been a defining genre convention of the James Bond genre, and the consistent use of this archetype, even in 2015 demonstrates absolutely the ideology of the producer. By demonstrating and disseminating this ideology to the heterosexual, male, working class target audience, Sam Mendes reinforces the patriarchal hegemonic values to an audience, of course, as long as they agree with the dominant ideology.
With The selfish giant, Clio Barnard is also demonstrating and disseminating a powerful ideology, although in this case it is a very different one. The selfish Giant is a completely conventional social realist film, and has much in common with Kes, released in 1969 by industry veteran Ken Loach. Much like Kes, The Selfish giant contains arrange of genre conventions specific to the social realist genre, including a bleak setting, a tragic conclusion involving the death of the protagonist’s best friend, strong regional accents, and, perhaps most importantly, a focus on a noble and heroic working class protagonist. Arbor is the 14 year old protagonist of The Selfish Giant, and, much like Casper in Kes, he lies, cheats and steals his way through life. Arbor is introduced in a night scene, his face barely visible and wearing cheap, tattered clothing. His obsession is stealing scrap metal and selling it down the local scrap yard. However, despite his restricted lexis and dire poverty, his motives are arguably poor. After his mother’s front window is smashed, the smashed window seen in an establishing shot that changes focus to reveal arbors concerned facial expression . Arbor runs in to the house, followed by a handheld tracking shot. Hugging his mother on the sofa, a stereotypical for the social realist genre handheld mid/close up is used, creating a particularly intimate atmosphere for the audience. This provides the middle-class target audience with the gratification of information, of voyeurism, of seeing ibn to a personal life. Arbor’s reaction is uncharacteristic: he does not swear through this scene, instead choosing to comfort his mother, and constantly repeating “I am going to sort this out”. Through this scene in particular, it becomes clear that Barnard’s intention for making this film is not to mock the underclass of Bradford, but to demonstrate intense sympathy for them. The ideology is clearly reinforced through consist shots that show arbor to be an outsider in every location he is filmed in, always creating a powerful binary opposition. Most of all, Arbor stands out in school settings, which once more is yet another example of how The Selfish giant fulfils the typical conventions of a social realist film. His shabby costume and small frame is juxtaposed with the smart suits of the teachers and the stark mise en scene of the white, boring, soulless walls. Through these generic paradigms, it is made absolutely clear to the audience that Arbor is to be pitied, and a clear ideology is created for the audience, that it is the fault of state institutions and the government for creating poverty.
Of course, not every genre convention is used for ideological purposes. In Spectre for example, many conventions are utilized purely for the pleasure of the audience. For example, in the opening sequence, Bond infiltrates a building in Mexico City. The scene consists of one single long take tracking shot that clearly demonstrates to the audience the amount of work and money that went in to creating this film. The vibrant and exotic mise-en-scene, for example the iconography of the day of the dead masks and the red dress of his female campaign use Mexican stereotypes to communicate to the audience in as succinct a way as possible exactly what is going on. The use of other genre conventions, such as the brief use of the Bond theme tune, and his iconic tuxedo, also provide the audience with a range of gratifications, This is an excellent example of Steve Neale’s writing on repetition and difference, where the audience will take pleasure in seeing familiar aspects (such as the iconography of costume and soundtrack), yet can alias take pleasure in difference and new aspects, such as in this instance the use of a difficult long take and the Mexico city setting. Ibn this sense we see that genre conventions are not always used for ideological purposes.
In conclusion, though not every use of genre conventions in these films is for ideological reasons, in most cases they are. With Spectre, genre is used to demonstrate to the audience the differences between men and women, and to reinforce notions of patriarchal hegemony in the audience. In the selfish giant, genre conventions are consistently used to demonstrate the ideology that the poor, underclass youth in Bradford are misunderstood, and are only poor because of a state that does not care for them. In each case, it is wholly through very well established genre conventions that this ideology has been established.
How do your chosen texts use genre conventions?
Genre is essential to both audiences and producers alike. It allows producers the ability of targeting specific audience demographics, and it allows audiences the luxury of being able to select a film that specifically relates to their interests. In order to illustrate this, I shall be using the examples of The Selfish Giant, a 2013 social realist film directed by Clio Barnard, and Spectre, a 2015 action/spy drama directed by Sam Mendes. In both cases, these films use a range of very specific conventions. However, I shall argue that the directors are forced in to using explicit genre conventions to maximise audience appeal. This limits the creativity of the director, and ensures that the films only exist as a way to manipulate and extract money from the audience.
In order to maximise audience appeal, Spectre, the 26th official James Bond film produced by EON, is very much like the previous 25 films. In this sense, there is very little genre fluidity demonstrated, as Spectre is very similar to Dr No (released in the early 1960’s). A scene that demonstrates how conventional this film is occurs approximately half way through, when Bond is tasked with rescuing Bond Girl (a reoccurring character archetype) Madeleine Swan from an evil dictator. Against the luxurious setting of snowy Austria, many luxurious symbolic codes, such as the mise-en-scene of wooden cottages are presented. Bond is able to easily obtain/steal a small plane, another luxurious object that is both typical and conventional of the Bond genre. As Bond and the captors do battle, the rapid fire editing and consistent handheld mid shots from within the vehicles are clearly conventional of an action film, and other James Bond films. Even more explicit is a long shot showing the wings of Bond’s bi-plane being torn off, a clear intertextual reference to the Roger Moore Bond film Diamonds are Forever. By making using consistent conventional genre conventions the repetition of elements allows audiences to identify with the films, and even to use and take pleasure from them as fans. However, as Steve Neale suggests, audiences also require difference as well as repletion of elements. Spectre provides a range of exotic locations slightly different from other Bond films in order to provide the audience with the gratification of difference. This approach is wholly uncreative and included only maximise audience appeal. In this case it worked: Spectre grossed more than any other James Bond film apart from Skyfall, it’s successor released in 2012.
While the Selfish Giant is from a radically different genre, it too must ensure that it must use genre conventions to maximise audience appeal. However, unlike with Spectre, which competes with some of the biggest grossing films of all time, The Selfish giant is an independent social realist drama, partly funded with Lottery funding. As the Selfish Giant is unlikely to be a major worldwide success, it must use genre conventions to ensure it breaks even. One scene which exemplifies this approach to genre is a scene which features Arbor, the teenage underclass protagonist, in school and clashing with his teacher. A definite binary opposition is established between the suited teacher and the scruffy arbor, his outsider status emphasised by the mise-en-scene of his filthy clothes, and the juxtaposition between his small size and the large classroom. Unable to keep still, Arbor tries to distract other students, which is emphasised by the handheld, documentary style camera, another key convention of the social realist drama. When caught, Arbor demonstrates a restricted lexis, telling his teacher to “fuck off” and to “suck it”, in direct contradiction of authority. The archetype of the outsider, underclass protagonist is common in the social realist genre, and since his face is used in promotional material for the film, it is clear that the middle class audience will be able to identify with his issues, as they have seen many characters like him before in social realist films such as Kes, Sweet Sixteen and Billy Elliott. However, much like Spectre, Barnard must make sure that The Selfish giant has enough different and unconventional elements to ensure that the audience actually ends up watching the film. For the Selfish Giant, this difference is the excellent, dreamlike cinematography which often contradicts the dismal, stereotypically depressing storyline. For example, many bleak establishing shots focus as long takes, and even lack any form of anchoring, which forces the audience to look at them as bleakly beautiful, making this film less ‘poverty porn’ and more magical realism. However, any deviation from genre conventions is still clearly to make money, and in almost every other sense, The Selfish Giant is an absolutely conventional social realist film, which may in part explain why the film did not make money after a theatrical release.
In both films, audience appeal is created through genre conventions, though it also can be argued that Spectre is conventionally enjoyable, while the selfish giant approaches film making from a different ideological perspective. While Spectre fulfils the conventions of a big budget blockbuster, The Selfish Giant is an independently produced film that sets out to spread a definite ideology, and to manipulate the audience in to agreeing with it. This is achieved through the character of Arbor, who is a typical example of the ‘flawed but heroic’ social realist protagonist. After his mother’s window has been smashed by a violent crook (the iconography of the broken window further establishes the violence inherent in their world), Arbor contradicts audience expectations by tenderly hugging his mother and explaining to her in a more grown up lexis that he will earn enough money to fix this. The use of a close up shot filmed with a handheld camera provides the audience with the pleasure of surveillance, seeing in to a world that they would not normally be able to see. Given that this film has a target audience of older, middle class people, this communicates the ideology that working class and underclass people are human and require love and affection, which is a key genre convention, and an excellent, if emotionally manipulative way to appeal to the target audience.
To conclude, both Spectre and The Selfish giant use genre conventions in a conventional way to maximize audience appeal. While both films at times break these conventions, they do so only in a basic and straightforward way, for example by swapping one setting to one that is very similar. In this sense, they exist only to manipulate the audience and to make as much money as possible.