Genre Theory †Robocop Essay

Genre system is fundamentally a structuralised order of categorising scoots by common traits or conventions. The basis for literary genre guess comes from earth need to categorise things into neat sections and is one of the few sprout theories in truth implemented more by the audience of shoot downs rather than film theorists and academics. As intelligent entities, tender-hearted beings exact a natural proclivity towards organizing the components of the gentlemans gentleman around them into ordered filing systems. (lumiere revolution 2004).However most films in a genre actually share conventions with films from other genres and borrow styles from other genres to make hybrid genres such(prenominal) as action comedies, knowledge parable/horror etc. The genre of a film depends on some features that make up the film text itself, from narrative to settings and pedestals in the narration which the film has in common with other films (conventions). A collection of films with standardised conventions which are grouped together make up a genre category such as horror, romance etc.The theory of semiotics in addition comes into genre as semiotics is essentially the language of signs such as red usually means danger, relating to genre signs are employ to show the audience what type of film they are watching, visual cues such as the interject setting or principal(prenominal) characters which create the conventions of that genre. For interpreter if someone goes to see a film in the action film genre they can expect to see a fast paced film with lots of spectacle possibly with special set up overshadowing the narrative, with the narrative usually ground around conflict resolution.To look into how genre theory applies to Paul Verhovens Robocop (1987) it is useful to look at the lore fiction genre and scarce what conventions go into putting a film into the science fiction genre. The main convention in a science fiction film is in the setting, often set in a futuristic utopia or dystopia on Earth or in space where engine room plays a full-grown part in peoples lives. A major theme seen in science fiction is technology, again it hinges on the premise of what the succeeding(a) holds, and is usually either man against machine or a description on mans over reliance on machines. recognition fiction films as well often feature a social commentary on aside events or present political or social issues which are paralleled in the film text. Refer to films standardised Paul Verhovens Starship Troopers 1997, which is essentially world war two in space and the theme of the eradicator films which features machines becoming so intelligent they nearly wipe out mankind, objurgation on the increasing reliance on computers to do pretty a lot everything.The reason I endure chosen Robocop to apply genre theory to is simply because it is a very clear example of all the conventions which place a film in the science fiction genre. The set ting makes it an overt example of a science fiction film, set in a futuristic dystopia (not ideal succeeding(a)) where the urban center of Detroit is run by big companies who pass privatised the police force (social commentary on privatisation in America at the time, health care etc.)The future setting is a standard science fiction convention which clues the audience into what genre this film fits into as concisely as they see the setting. The main story arc is centred on a run across to create a robotic super police officer, future technology being another major convention of the genre. To bring the robots to life on screen require some very impressive special effects which again is something that the science fiction audience has come to expect in order to make the setting and subject matter of the genre believable.As I mentioned earlier science fiction films also tend to have subliminal commentaries on social issues and Robocop is no exception. The transformation of America into a consumerist nation is a big theme that runs clearly through this film, everything is close to selling products, even the police force has been privatised and is treated as a product. Robocop is even directly referred to as a product when the subject of his tell apart comes up Bob Morten simply states He doesnt have a name, he has a programme, hes a product (Robocop .P. Verhoven 1987). Verhoven also stages commercials throughout the film advertising fictional futuristic products again suggesting consumerism as a theme, even the main company in the film is called Omni Consumer Products. refilling old with new is also a major part of the film, not only in the sense of Murphey being rebuilt into Robocop but also OCPs plans to demolish old Detroit in favour of building Delta city, a city they can have total control over much like they have control over Robocop by programming him.Omni consumer products or OCP, a company that constituents as the unseen and seemingly irresistible casual principle, as it sets about redesigning the human environment replacing old Detroit with the gleaming modernistic planned community of Delta City, complete as we learn , even to an atom of planned crime and corruption. (J. P. Telotte Science Fiction Film pg 166) The main plat is about OCP creating a super cop robot that doesnt have the frailties of a human being, there are two projects seen in the film the first to be tried out is the Ed 2009 project which is tout ensemble made of mechanical parts and is run by a computer.The Ed 2009 project ultimately fails suggesting that with no human element to control the machines cannot function properly, rather than the other way round. The Robocop project is a combination of human and machine, with the brain programmed to take orders from OCP, with the human brain and mechanical body the project is a success which is perhaps a reference the ability of military man to think for themselves rather than blindly following orders th at may not be applicable in the context of the situation.Robocop is in my opinion a vivid example of what makes a science fiction film fit into its genre, this is back up by the very conventions of the science fiction genre, it has a distinct future setting which raises questions on what the future might hold, technology is also a major theme which is so often the case in the science fiction genre and also raises questions about morality and socialist issues. So just by looking at this film in extra you can use it as an example to show exactly what the usual conventions of a science fiction film should be.Film Theory Explication. Bibliography. web Sites * http//www. main-vision. com/richard/genre. shtml * http//lumierevolution. blogspot. com/2004/10/genre-theory-science-fiction. html Internet source An introduction to genre theory Daniel Chandler. Texts An Introduction to genre theory Daniel Chandler. Science Fiction Film J. P. Telotte. The Science Fiction Film as an uncanny text pg 161 178 J. P. Telotte. Filmography. Robocop P. Verhoven 1987. Starship Troopers P. Verhoven 1997 The exterminator- J. Cameron 1984 Terminator 2 J. Cameron 1991.