2. GENRE
The genre for Chronicle(2012) is a Social Realist hybrid with Sci -fi and Action.
You can tell it’s a social realist from some on the genre conventions, these being:
• A hand held camera is used, making it look realistic
• There are believable characters
• It’s set in a believable environment
You can tell it’s an action from some of the genre conventions used, these being:
• Within the main characters there are 2 protagonists and an antagonist, also
from the voiceover towards screaming, giving a hint to there being a damsel in
distress (Levi Strauss – Binary Opposites)
You can tell it’s a Science Fiction from the fact that the main characters have super
powers.
This is a great example of Andrew Sarris’ theory, “Genre is the idea that it has
a recognisable style that draws an existing audience”
3. REPRESENTATION
We are firstly introduced to the 3 main characters, who are all main, straight
away this shows that it is a very masculine based film, like Bullet Boy(2004)
and this created the sense of a macho culture. These three lads seem like
stereotypical teenage lads as they’re on their way to college, and the first
thing the camera goes to is the cheerleaders, and this shows the camera is
from the male gaze (Laura Mulvey’s theory) they are messing about in the
car having a laugh with each other and this again shows the stereotypical male
teen, they just want to have fun. The only time the female has the voiceover is
towards the very end, when the tension is building towards the climax, we hear
her scream “Andrew” giving a sense that she is a damsel in distress which is
stereotypical for women in action films.
4. NARRATIVE
At the beginning of the trailer we see the equilibrium where the main
characters are at college, but in then goes straight into some of the peaks, for
example we see the characters using their powers, and when Andrew becomes
the antagonist by pushing the car off the road this can be seen as the
disruption because this is when the editing becomes quicker and we see parts
of the climax and the non-diegetic sound(voiceover) gets louder, but then it
rewinds to how our main characters got their powers, and this can also be seen
as the disruption because this is what makes the characters cause havoc in the
first place. This gives a sense that the film isn’t like an ordinary social realist
film as it mixes up Todorov’s narrative theory, and it also suggest that the
audience will need to be active to understand the plot. There is also evidence
of binary opposites in the trailer, one being when Andrew turns into an
antagonist, it is then him against the other to main characters, also we can see
that the police come into the film against Andrew, another conflict.
5. AUDIENCE
As the narrative is mixed up and due to it being a hybrid genre, with there
being powers involved, the audience will need to be active to understand what
is going on and keep up with the plot. I think the target audience will be males
aged between 15-24 as the main characters are in that age range so they are
able to relate to parts like the equilibrium (being in college) and also they are
all male and the camera is from the male gaze.
6. MEDIA LANGUAGE
• A hand held camera is used which makes the film seem a lot more realistic linking to it ’s
genre (social realist).
• It begins with close up’s of the main characters faces introducing them and showing that is
who we are going to be following
• A montage is used when showing them at college to give a sense of what age the boys are
and then one of the main characters faces comes back into frame reminding the audience
who we are following
• Pixilated transitions are used adding to the idea that a hand held camera is used, and the
editing becomes a lot quicker towards the end when building towards the climax
• At the beginning diegetic music is played through radio which the characters are singing to
showing they are fun, and this then sound bridges over to the montage of college becoming
non-diegetic, but this then stops when it comes to them showing their powers off, showing
these scenes are serious
• When the car is pushes off the road it cuts to black and there is no sound at all, creating a lot
of tension because we don’t know what’s going on
• A voiceover of characters is over the peaks building towards the climax of the characters
shouting at Andrew creating a worrying atmosphere which then cuts and rewinds to the very
beginning of how it all started
