Generic conventions of the film are reflected in the trailer:
Locations
There are several generic conventions of locations used in the trailer for the Killing. The woods, being one, is a very efficient thriller location as it's almost like a maze. This is because it can be so big and confusing to get out with all of the trees in the way, thus, the darkness and moonlight shining onto the wet leaves of the ground creates a very mystical feel, fore-shadowing the mystery throughout the series.
Lighting
At the start of the trailer, there are lots of moving torchlights around the woods creating confusion and disorientation, it is then followed with a girl running through the woods. The confusion of the lights could represent how the girl is feeling; confused and lost. Throughout the trailer there is a lot of noir lighting which is a typical thriller light, used mostly in dark genre and old movies. From the noir lighting at the beginning of the trailer, straight away we, as an audience, can recognise that it's a thriller/mystery genre.
Characters
The main character, Sarah Lund, is a dominant female inspector which is unusual and is not the cliche inspector of a man in a suit. She is a very strong character and this idea of having an independent female inspector playing such a dominant role in an intricate job, challenges the thriller genre. Lund's character shows how much society has changed and how it is now acceptable and is seen as the 'norm' to have the main role whilst being such a strong, autonomous character with a dominant role.
Props
Sarah Lund wears a very casual patterened jumper in the trailer and throughout the film. This defeats the stereotype of an inspector as they normally look more 'serious' and dress formally to represent this. However, Sarah Lund shows that she is taking her job seriously by not caring about what she wears and is only focused on the investigation itself.
Sarah Lund's independent and strong female dominated character as created many female fans and not only do they look up to her but she has created a very well know stylish jumper that has become a fashionable item of clothing and has been replicated and is sold in shops in different styles and colours.
Well done Anna, you're identifying generic aspects in film clips with more confidence, whilst your media terminology is also improving.
ReplyDeleteWhat's interesting about The Killing (series 1-3) is the representation of gender in the character of Sarah Lund. Thus the series has a growing female fan base who see Lund as a kind of role model who is defined by her job, not by her sexuality. Remember to post under the correct label.