Research task 1 & 2 Sonam Nguyen

Genre Genre is a French word that means ‘type’ or ‘kind’ As well as, a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter. ( This however is a flexible definition, as genre varies significantly depending on whether its in a book format, a film format or a musical format. Also, the historical development of genre has a significant impact on its complexity as it has constantly evolved over time, and continues to evolve. Generic genres can include: comedy, action, thriller, horror, crime, family and animation.

Theories: Adorno & Horkheimer, Nick Lacey Adorno and Horkheimer were two European critics of Hollywood. They discovered that mass production of film creates a repetitive ‘standardisation’ of conventions dominated with one ideology (The American Dream). Nick Lacey stated that genre is a ‘negotiation’ between producers and audiences. Which has also lead to the creation of ‘sub genres’, ‘mixed genres’ and ‘hybrids’.

Dystopian Postmodern Texts What is a dystopian film –what are the genetic conventions (narrative, character, subgenre etc.) A dystopian film is usually set in an imagined world or place which has been environmentally degraded (ie, ‘The Book of Eli’). The narrative tends to take place after a disaster (war, plague or zombie apocalypse). The main characters are either a small group of humans trying to survive –or also a heroic male often referred to as a ‘postmodern cowboy’ and his journey where he survives against the odds. In terms of the subgenre, dystopian films usually have elements of Science Fiction (aliens attacking the world), Post Apocalyptic (where the protagonists must survive in a degrading world) and Horror (usually when some creatures are created accidently through man made errors in laboratories –ie, World War Z).

How is the film postmodern (relate to challenging narratives, intertextuality, hyper reality where relevant?) Aspects of postmodernism are reflected in dystopian films through their use of challenging the narrative by rejecting the traditionalistic idea of character evolution and plot development. Intertextuality is when a film uses similarities from other films (ie. quotes..etc) and substitutes them into the the new film –this is a postmodern aspect, however can also be seen as plagiarism. Hyperreality is also a form of postmodernism because it challenges film through the use of animation and things that challenge nature (ie. In many Kung Fu films where the characters are flying. Give 2-3 examples of dystopian films and describe some of their post-modern conventions (in brief). Kill Bill is a dystopian film, as it uses post-modern themes such as hyperreality. Hyperreality is used in the animated scenes (as it breaks the realism of the narrative), and also when the ‘sensei’ flies onto the sword. Zombie Land is a dystopian film as conveyed from the sub genres post apocalyptic, horror and comedy and also from the fact that it is a world where zombies roam and most of the population is dead.