Investigating Generic Conventions

Blade Runner:

Genre: Sci-fi Thriller

Narrative: The blade runners are hunting down replicants that have escaped, although this is tough because they look just like normal human beings. Harrison Ford soon discovers that in fact, the replicants are looking for him too, and that it will be a race against time to see who finds who first. It then turns into a love story.

Iconography: In a Sci-Fi Thriller such as this, we would expect to see futuristic landscapes and abnormal objects flying around. There are also superhuman beings in the form of the replicants. Also, on the thriller side, we would expect to see fighting scenes and chases which will make the audience jumpy and create a tense atmosphere. 

Characters:  We can obviously see there are protagonist and antagonist characters which is a common convention of the thriller genre. The protagonist is played by Harrison Ford and the antagonist is the leader of the replicants. These types of characters are crucial to a thriller because they drive the storyline and are responsible for creating suspense throughout the film.

Camerawork: The first scene leads straight into a birds eye view shot over the city. The effect of this is that it shows their is some form of supernatural being that can fly in a ufo type object in the sky. This emphasises the Sci-Fi genre in the film. There is also a few close ups of the 'blade runners' at the beginning which highlight the emotion , in this case fear, in their faces about having to track down the replicants. The majority of the film includes dark scenes which creates the sense of danger and the unknown.

Settings: The location used for this film is in a large city with many high rise buildings. This shows that a large amount of people are in danger, as a big city implies a huge population. Also it isn't a quiet setting so people can blend in more, making it easier for them to escape.There is also the small office at the beginning which is a common scene for someone (the cop in this film) to be briefed on his task.

The Bourne Identity: 

Genre: Psychological/Man-on-the-run Thriller

Narrative: The governments top agent finds himself suffering from amnesia and can't remember who he is, or anything that happened to him prior to the two weeks that he can remember. He sets out to discover who he is, but is also on the run from the government who are chasing him because he is capable of dangerous skills, but is not aware of this. It soon becomes a race against time for him to discover who he is, before the government discover where he is and stop him.

Iconography: It is expected that we will see many high speed car chases, as well as guns and government meetings. Also the police will be prominent characters as they aim to find Matt Damon, before he finds himself. Also we will expect to see a lot of spy equipment such as hidden cameras and microphones as the government try to keep tabs on him.

Characters: The main character is Matt Damon, who is the victim of amnesia but also of the government as they are now in pursuit of him. Initially he was one of them, and very good at his job so would be a protagonist, catching criminals, but now it has flipped and he is the one being sought after. We sympathise with him as he does not know who he is, which links in with the psychological aspect of the film's genre.

Camerawork: In the first scene, Matt Damon is a silhouette which could imply one of two things, he is dark because he is dangerous or he is dark because he is empty, no one is there as he cannot remember who he is. Most of the scenes are at high speed which show the fast pace of the film, but also the race against time they all characters are facing.

Setting:  The setting of the film is clever by using big cities such as Paris. This introduces the theme of an international operation which makes the film more exciting. Also by using such iconic locations, the high speed chases look more effective,thus the operation also looks more official and realistic.