Early Post apocalyptic film research Examples from: the road

Narrative Conventions P-A films are usually based within Dystopian worlds. These are imagined places or states in which everything is unpleasant They are usually very short and action packed at a fast pace-"You can tell an enormous amount of a story in a very short time” quote from Acker All about the visuals, commentary is not so important ( good acting needed) The original short film (9) had no dialog whatsoever, and a lot of fans were apprehensive that adding dialog to the feature-length film would ruin it Usually built around round the idea of hope, survival and determination Most post-apocalyptic disasters are the result of mankind behaviour and technology Society often returns back to pre-industrialised agricultural existence (agrarian societies) Often relates to reality and fears within societies, for example, global warming, or religious beliefs such as the belief that the world will end in 2012 The fear and struggle to fight off Human extinction

Films often start in the aftermath of a disaster, different to Todorov’s idea that the narrative begins with a state of equilibrium Usually get an idea of how and why there has been an apocalypse Narrative often revolves around trying to restore the disruption/disaster Narrative often shows different social classes and how money and power can be a significant factor in the chances of survival- e.g. 2012, only the richest aboard the ship to safety Usually involves one character taking on the world Usually the characters have to take on different obstacles in order to pass, e.g. the road the main characters are troubled by a bunch of cannibals who try to kill them

Narrative- The road The narrative begins in the aftermath of an unknown disaster. The goal is to reach safety and to once again find civilisation. The hope of safety and goal is based around a bond between a father and his son upon this path there are many dangerous obstacles the characters must come across The main character becomes injured midway through the narrative and hope is reduced At the end of the narrative safety and good is found in family. Hope of civilisation is restored

Settings-The road Here are some screen grabs from the road. They showed the different places the characters have travelled to and from. Post apocalyptic films are set in dystopian worlds; and imagined place or state where everything is unpleasant or bad. The settings shown are very typical of this genre. The road is set in very dark and miserable places. The set always appears to be very empty and although the characters are the last living thing left on the earth. It is very typical for characters to come across abandoned cars and rubbish upon there paths. For example the second screen grab connotes that somebody had to evacuate there truck in order to hide to get safety

Characters Like all, apocalyptic films revolve around a heroic protagonist, who is usually male Hero is usually very smart, they use there wit to create anything out of random junk placed around, eg Shane Acker describes the action hero from ‘9’ ‘MacGyver, the action hero who can create incredible technological marvels out of whatever random junk he finds laying around’MacGyver, the action hero who can create incredible technological marvels The hero is usually portrayed as being one of the few good people left in the world they’re left with Although the hero is seen as almost godly, they too have human flaws like everybody else, e.g. in the road the male protagonist dies at the ending of the film The hero is constantly at threat from others trying to kill him Characters usually form groups with others who of which have different strengths and weaknesses and together they’re strong Primitive groups/tribes emerge, usually cannibals who seek profit from violent anarchy The hero is usually encountered with a group from the pre-apocalyptic world who he usually accepts/give aid

Charaters Like in most films there is a typical heroic protagonist. In this case the male protagonist is the dad who takes care of his son and guides him to safety. Here you can seen the father wrapping his arms around his son and making him feel safe. The clothing is very typical, dirty scruffy coats, everything worn is purely for warmth and appearance and fashion is not important. They come across a group of hillbillies who have turned to cannibalism in order to survive. This group is well equipped with guns, cigarettes and big trucks. They are a threat to the father and his son and must be avoided. A close up of the little boys facial expressions show his vulnerability. He is very young and also very frightened and weak.

Mise-en-scene Lighting- The film is set at winter time, there is virtually no sun at all and it appears to be very cold. This gives a very dark and unfortunate mood Props- the film is based around survival and in doing so there is a lot of weaponry involved such as guns and knifes. This is very typical of the genre as it is use to make certain characters look more/less powerful than others. There is also a lot of Rucksacks and bags used to give the feel of being outside and the need and the importance of items like food and water.