Conventions of my chosen genre

Conventions of my chosen genre

My chosen genre is war, there are many conventions in the war genre, these are:

Costume:

In the war genre, characters are usually shown to be wearing a military uniform with helmets, gear and often camouflage or dull colours that sort of blend in with the terrain. Also with the uniform there may be patches and insignia which allows the audience to determine where the characters are from and what unit they are from. 

An example of costume in Saving Private Ryan

This example of costume in Saving Private Ryan shows what the soldiers in WW2 would've worn, along with the equipment such as shovel, webbing and helmet.  They chose to use this costume to show the nationality of the soldiers and also to distinguish their unit with the different insignia, an example in this screen shot is the ranking of the soldier on the right and the insignia of their unit.

Make up:

Within the war genre there is some make-up which can be seen, this may be mud, blood or face camouflage. with having mud and blood on the character it makes it seem as though the character has seen action before and can also make the character seem tough and hardy.

An example of make up in Band of Brothers

This example of make up shows that make up can be added heavily as to make the product look more realistic and blend the character in with the scenery, making it realistic. Using make up in this way allows the audience to see what soldiers would've actually had to apply in order to blend in.

Props:

Props that are usually seen within war films are guns, tanks, planes, medical supplies, grenades and in some cases horses, depending on what era the film is based. Guns allow the audience to tell what genre the film is and it also tells them that there will be some form of conflict within the film, it also gives the characters a sense of power and superiority.

An example of props and costume in Fury

This example of props shows the difference and variation in the size and weapon props used in products, this image shows the difference in props as it shows the large prop of the tank and yet the smaller scale props of the guns and other equipment that is being held by the actors. 

Target Audience:

The usual target audience for war films are young to old adults who may already have an interest in war or like action. The target audience is typically male as men are more likely to have an interest in the action within the film rather then women.

Setting:

War films are usually set on a 'battlefield' where battles take place and may include ruined buildings, bunkers and trenches. These often add to make the scene and add a atmosphere, it can also add to the realism of the film and scene.

An example of setting in Kelly's Heroes

This example of setting shows the stereotypes of the war genre as it has destroyed buildings and a destroyed tank in the shot, this shows the destruction of war and makes the product more realistic. There is also smoke and fire in the shot as well, this conforms to the convention as explosions and fire has a connotation of war.

Sound:

Sounds within war films are mostly diegetic sounds such as gunfire, explosions, voices and other sounds that may be heard in a war. there is some non-diegetic music that may be used, and this is usually low and deep music that plays as the scene continues to give an added effect to the film.

Plots:
War films are usually about battles that take place on land, air or sea and typically focus on soldiers and sometimes the victims of war. sometimes war films show life while at war or society as the war is happening and will not show scenes of battles. Films that show the true horrors of war are called 'anti-war' films. the stories that are portrayed can be historical stories, fictional stories, biographical or documentary.