I have decided to create two extra research posts on two specific genres of film: drama and post-apocalyptic. This is because these are the genres I am considering pursuing for my coursework.
Post-apocalyptic genre is a branch of the science fiction genre in which the Earth's technological civilisation has collapsed and the 'end of the world' has taken place. In its aftermath, the characters are often seen trying to survive and start anew. It focuses mainly on the unfamiliar setting and is often used to portray real life issues in an unfamiliar setting. The genre is often confused with dystopian fiction, however, dystopian fiction usually revolves around a suffering but socially structured civilisation eg a government oppressing a civilisation etc. whereas post-apocalyptic is purely setting based and is the physical aftermath of some form of global disaster in which civilisation has been destroyed.
Conventions of the Post-Apocalyptic Genre
Post-apocalyptic conventions mainly revolve around the setting as opposed to the narrative structure etc.
- Setting - Setting is the most important aspect of the post-apocalyptic genre and usually depends on the history of the fictional universe. For example, how the world came to its 'end'. The setting may change based on how the world ended, whether it be a man-induced incident eg. nuclear warfare or a naturally occurring incident to do with climate or a natural disaster. This being said, a commonly occurring theme within the genre is desolation, so using an isolated setting that doesn't look used or lived in is most conventional. This means any pre-existing signs of prior civilisation eg. buildings etc. will be rundown, decaying and empty. Vegetation will often be overgrown to really exaggerate the idea that nobody is present to tend to such things. If the world has been destroyed as opposed to civilisation just being wiped out, then it will often not contain any vegetation at all and just be filled with rubble and desert to show how everything has physically been destroyed. The environment will act as one of the biggest difficulties the characters will face and will often be dangerous eg. fantastical/mutated violent creatures or contamination in the air etc. In terms of era, similarly to science fiction as a whole, post-apocalyptic films are often set in the future or on a separate timeline, as obviously the setting is not the same as real life. Time is often no longer a concept as the characters have no intruments to tell the time with. Moreover, no longer living in a structured civilisation, needing to know the exact time is pointless.
- Technical Codes - As the post-apocalyptic genre is often based around the setting, using camera shots and angles that help establish the setting is important. This means using long shots, extreme long shots and very long shots are common in order to show the audience the unfamiliar setting to avoid confusing them later on. Aerial angles are another way to show the setting from afar and allow the audience to understand the unfamiliar setting. Using panning shots helps them to do this too. In terms of editing, post-apocalyptic can have slow moments, especially to begin with when the characters have nobody about to threaten them and are often surviving off the environment alone with not much else going on, using slow cuts helps to create the slow and 'calm' atmosphere. It also creates this sense of repetition and impatience in the audience, which links to the idea of the characters waiting for something more beyond the wasteland they live in. Post-apocalyptic films often contain action towards the climax and therefore incorporate fast cutting to simulate chaos and aid the action and drama. Colour grading depends on the mood trying to be created. Warm colour grading that exaggerates the browns and reds within the setting is common as these tones are conventional in the genre. Using flat colour grading is common in order to create a bleak effect that relates to the character's lives.
- Characters - Post-apocalyptic films often contain a protagonist who is seen alone to begin with, surviving by themselves. They're often male, tough and resourceful - as expected if they're surviving off the environment alone. The protagonist, despite their terrible surroundings, will still be good-natured deep down, even if they show an untrusting, brooding and tough nature to other characters they may meet. During the film, the protagonist will usually encounter another survivor or a band of survivors whom they will ally their self with. However, the film may begin with a band of survivors as opposed to just one survivor, if this is the case it is common for the band of survivors to be killed off one by one throughout the film. Post-apocalyptic films often do contain an antagonist who causes trouble for the protagonist[s] on top of the environment causing issues. The antagonists usually have become very accustomed to living in the wasteland type environment and may even find themselves enjoying it. This is probably because they have power where they wouldn't have in the previous world, as they're often in charge of a different, more violent, group of survivors. Zombies are often used in post-apocalyptic films.
- Lighting - Lighting in post-apocalyptic films is usually natural eg. sunlight or fire, as the characters are typically living in the wild and off the land and won't really have electricity or artificial lighting. Lighting is mostly quite flat, as the sun isn't always shining - especially in air contaminated worlds where the sunlight cannot reach past the substance contaminating the air. On the other hand, lighting can sometimes be high-key as the sun shining bright is common in some post-apocalyptic films. Although the sun often has happy connotations, in this case it signifies another struggle the characters have to endure as they'll have to protect themselves from the sun.
- Sound - Diegetic sound is common to show the characters conversing - especially when finally in a group. Furthermore, picking up sound effects such as vegetation rustling or the character fiddling with props is conventional as extends the audience's sense of environment. Non-diegetic sound like music is used to create a dramatic mood and reflect on the protagonist's state of mind. Non-diegetic sound like narration is key too, as the characters are often alone they'll have nobody to share their thoughts with. This is why narration is commonly used, to show the audience how the character is feeling.
- Props - Props are a large part of the post-apocalyptic genre as the protagonists usually carry a lot of supplies and luggage on them as they're surviving in the world and wouldn't have a house to store them in. Props will often include bags and backpacks, tinned foods, guns and other weapons to protect themselves with, gas masks etc. Handmade props that look like they've been made from scavenged items are common. In terms of costumes, characters usually have quite wrapped up costumes that conceal them. They'll look quite rugged and would generally be wearing brown, green or black colours. Raggy clothes are common as well as armour.
Post-Apocalyptic Iconography
The target audience for post-apocalyptic films are usually young-adults. This is because post-apocalyptic films often contain violence and scariness that wouldn't be appropriate for children. Moreover, elderly people may not like it because they may find the unfamiliar setting silly or confusing. These films would stereotypically appeal to men because women would stereotypically not like the dark or violent themes. Furthermore, the props and weapons would typically appeal to men.
What Do Film Companies Do To Attract These Audiences In Terms of Marketing?
Young adults are often using social media so using social media to address these audiences would be effective. Furthermore, distributing the posters and trailers in areas in which these people would likely be would be effective.
- Posters - Posters for post-apocalyptic films would often contain the iconography that defines the genre so that the target audience could immediately identify the genre and therefore identify the film as something they'd be interested in watching. They'll usually include a long shot/very long shot showing the protagonist against a typical post-apocalyptic backdrop so that they look very isolated. The colours will be very similar throughout the image with no anomalies to create the idea of repetition as the characters have nothing more than whats shown. The font used will often be bold and look distressed or worn to suit the rundown theme of the genre. The colours will often be brown and sombre. These posters will be placed in cinemas where people who enjoy watching films are likely to see them.
Example of Post-Apocalyptic Film Opening
The Road (2009, John Hillcoat)
This film opening closely follows the conventions of the post-apocalyptic genre. It starts with panning long/extreme long shots depicting a destroyed natural environment. It includes narration and the narration describes how tracking time has been abolished. Furthermore, it's flat colour grading and overall sombre tones is very commonly used in the genre. It's overall very isolated as there's nobody else around. The characters are dressed ruggedly and look like they've been surviving for a long time. There's emotional music to heighten the emotion of the scene and really make the audience empathise with their situation.
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