Iconographic Genre Conventions in The Terminator

James Cameron’s film The Terminator is a hybrid of genres with action, science-fiction and horror being most notable. It contains many of the generic conventions of each of these three genres. Producers use genre to help sell their films, audiences use genre to help choose what films they will watch and even the creative people behind the films use genre to help script their films. Genres are about repetition and formula but they are also about creating expectations and often subverting those expectations. Genre films have to tread a fine line between being familiar enough to entice and audience but also being too repetitive and predictable.

The Terminator ensures it will appeal to a wide ranging audience by containing many conventions of different popular genres. This means there will be much that is familiar to audiences about it but there will also be a lot that is new to them as well. Generic conventions can be divided into iconography, narrative and thematic. I will focus on the iconography of The Terminator, analysing what conventions it uses to appeal to horror, action and sci-fi fans as well as how it updates, changes and subverts expectations that the audience might have.

Action movie iconography

Although early in his career, Arnold Schwarzenegger was already becoming typecast in American films by the time he starred in The Terminator in 1984. He was known for his huge muscles, a physique crafted from years of bodybuilding and for his Austrian accent. He has already starred in fantasy action films such as Conan the Barbarian and looked like the kind of alpha male hero Hollywood could feature in an action film. However Arnold Schwarzenegger was cast as the villain in The Terminator to help make the hero look like more of an underdog and therefore make the film more suspenseful and exciting.

The early scenes of the film feature a fight between The Terminator and some punk youths. This involves a knife which should be a terrifying weapon. However the Terminator is not frightened by the youths, their knife or hurt when he is stabbed. This sets him up as a dangerous villain that will be hard to kill. The film also features lots of chases, both on foot and in cars. These are fast paced and exciting for the audience and are shot, edited and scored to make them appear tense and thrilling with the sound of screeching tyres used to emphasise speed. Guns are often used and the sound of gunshots can be heard which also adds excitement as guns can be used to hurt people from a distance and they are a symbol of power and deadly force. The Terminator also features fire and explosions which are major signifiers of destruction and are caused by using weapons. The tension around an impending explosion is built through intercutting between shots of the fuse burning and then shots of the people who may be affected by the explosion as in the scene where Reese puts a bomb in the tanker that Sarah is being chased by.

Police cars and police uniforms also feature in The Terminator but they are not the heroes of the film, as is often typical with action films. The hero is a plain clothed soldier from the future and to further subvert expectations, the villain drives a police car at one point.

Science fiction iconography

The Terminator also has many iconic conventions of the science fiction film. It frequently uses special effects such as lasers that fly across the screens, representing the firepower of futuristic weaponry. The idea of a robot that looks human not something that has been invented yet and is therefore futuristic. The audience is made aware that Schwarzenegger’s Terminator is not human in a number of ways. There are point of view shots that have a red tint and written data scrolling on screen and this is accompanied by robotic noises so the viewer knows they are seeing what the robot sees. Eventually it is revealed that beneath the skin, The Terminator has a metal skeleton with bright red eyes. This signifies strength, anger and death and makes him appear to be from the future and also dangerous and almost impossible to kill.

There are also scenes set in 2029 when machines are hunting and killing humans. The future is bleak with destruction everywhere and humans living underground. The machinery looks unfamiliar to modern audiences and the world is unrecognisable. The connotations of machinery that flies through the sky shooting lasers while humans scurry around on the surface trying to fight back is that technology has taken over the planet and has become more powerful than humans. This is a typically dystopian vision of the future that is reminiscent of other science fiction films such as The Matrix and even Jurassic Park where technology allows people to re-create dinosaurs than then go on a rampage.

Horror iconography

The Terminator also has elements of the horror film in its iconography. James Cameron uses suspenseful music during chases to build the idea of threat. Most of the film takes place at night with low key lighting. The idea that only bad things happen at night and the poor visibility of night time adds to the excitement and suspense. There is blood and gore and a focus on injuries in some scenes. For example when The Terminator cuts his arm open or takes his eye out, there is the kind of graphic detail that might be expected in a horror film.

Though the killer uses a gun as his weapon of choice, he also hunts down women who appear weaker and more innocent than he is. This focus on female victims and also that we see from the killer’s point of view is similar to slasher film conventions. The fact the killer murders his defenceless victims in cold blood and never shows any remorse or emotion is also similar to slasher film villains like Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees. The Terminator is also occasionally shot from a low angle to make him look dominant and Schwarzenegger’s face never changes to show that he is robotic, inhuman and impossible to reason with... just like a slasher killer!

Using Critical Approaches to Study Fight Club

Fight Club is a film that lends itself to study from a vast number of critical approaches. Each approach reveals a new way of looking at the film and new ways of interpreting its messages. Fight Club is a complex and subversive film and though it can be studied in many ways, I will focus on how useful feminist, psychoanalytic and genre approaches have been in reading the film as I believe considering gender representations is the most interesting way to read Fight Club.

Fight Club is a film that many have accused of being misogynist for its depiction of men who reject women and feel emasculated by modern society. Its representation of women is limited with only Marla being the main female character. The men in Fight Club appear to reject not only women but also the apparent feminisation of modern society. Tyler encourages them to forget their past ties to their homes and possessions and join a men only cult where they do not care about how they look, what they wear or the comforts of modern life. Tyler specifically questions if his generation of men ‘raised by women’ actually need another woman. He seems to suggest that because the fathers of many modern men have been absent from their son’s lives, the boys have grown up to be weak and too influenced by their mothers and femininity. Also this generation of men feel emasculated due to the impact of feminism and modern women being able to take control of their own lives. Men are threatened in the workplace, in education and even in reproduction as they have become less important and powerful now that women have the freedom to do more in society. Marla is one of only a few women in the film and is represented as unhinged, suicidal and as the root of all the protagonist’s problems. By encouraging the viewers to identify with Jack, it also encourages them to hate this woman that causes problems for him. However she is also revealed as the sanest character in the film by the end though she keeps coming back to Jack for his affection, she is also quite carefree and independent.

On the other hand others have claimed that the film is in fact not at all misogynistic and could actually be considered to be more about rejecting capitalism and the maturation of boys to men. Though Fight Club is all-male, the eventual goal appears to be to bring down capitalism rather than just reject women. The target of Project Mayhem is companies and banks that hold too much wealth in the world and by attacking them, Tyler and his followers aim to bring about increased equality. Jack is initially in awe of Tyler and his monologues, actions and world view but eventually by the end of the film, Jack learns that he must reject Tyler in order to live a happy and healthy life. Though Tyler criticises the capitalist economy, excessive marketing and inequality in society, he also acts like a terrorist and does not seem to have a well thought out or realistic plan for the future of society. Jack by the end rejects Tyler and instead realises that he appreciates Marla and as the credit cards explode in front of them, he holds her hand, showing that he has developed from the angry little boy of earlier in the film to a responsible mature adult who accepts that growing up and finding a partner is the way forward to a happy, healthy life. Fight Club is therefore not about rejecting women but about growing up and accepting traditional ways of living (such as heterosexual, monogamous relationships).

A psychoanalytic reading of the film also suggests that Fight Club is about growing up and finding a sense of self by learning to reject basic desires and external influences on a person’s personality. Freud theorised that within the brain was the part he called the id that was infantile and just held unconscious desires that we struggle to control. The super ego is the part of our brain that is influenced by external factors such as society and particularly our parents. In Fight Club, Jack’s personality splits and Tyler is like a manifestation of both his id and to a lesser extent his super ego. Tyler does whatever he likes; he is confident, has lots of sex, rejects basic comforts like duvets but also smokes and fights. In this way he is Jack’s id, unleashing repressed desires and acting upon them. However he is also a bit of a father figure to Jack and imparts his wisdom that Jack takes on board and learns from. Jack looks up to Tyler and learns how to speak and act from this mighty father figure but what he mostly learns is how to act on his repressed desires. Jack has been rejected by his father and other authority figures like his boss and is exploited by Tyler. Tyler is not simply his id but because he has values and beliefs to explain his wild, childish actions, he is also the super ego to an extent. Either way, Jack grows up through the fantasy of Tyler from childlike aggression and lashing out at other men to acceptance of a normal stable relationship with a woman.

Fight Club is also hard to classify in terms of generic conventions but analysing it in terms of a genre approach reveals it to share many of the characteristics of the romantic comedy, albeit a very dark one. Though Fight Club many have many of the generic conventions of action and crime films, it is really a film about a man and a woman who first despise each other and then begin a strange relationship that eventually blossoms into love. Romantic comedies pit a man and a woman together after a meet-cute. Jack and Marla meet at a testicular cancer sufferer’s support meeting. Jack immediately hates her but has to talk to her in order to separate their support groups. There is a fundamental misunderstanding at the centre of their relationship that causes conflict and once resolved allows them to be together. It has witty dialogue, the relationships (and love triangle of sorts) is at the centre of the story and love wins out over violence in the end. Fight Club is above all a very dark romantic comedy about a man and a woman getting together and the differences between men and women in modern society.

Fight Club is a rich text to study, taking any number of approaches. What it reveals about those approaches is that there is often some overlap and each approach can be useful to in order to ascertain what the messages and values of the film are. In the case of Fight Club, by using feminist, psychoanalytic and genre approaches, the film reveals itself to be a romance that is most critical of men rather than women and all approaches seem to suggest that Fight Club is actually a film about maturation and learning to embrace a healthy relationship with another person, rather than rejecting any gender, culture or way of life and examining it through these approaches is key to understanding the film fully.

For more posts on Fight Club:

Is Fight Club a film about power and control rather than liberation? (written version)

Is Fight Club a film about power and control rather than liberation? (video version)

Lots more Fight Club links


More A2 exam answers:

Analysing La Haine

World Cinema: Distinctive Visual Features

World Cinema: Social and Political Context

WJEC A2 Film Studies Exam Practice Section B

A2 Film Studies Exam Practice Section B

 

The Relationship between Production Contexts and Films: Hollywood vs. Britain Part 3

This is another blog for my students of film and media.  Following on from my case study blogs on Prometheus, Juno and Attack the Block recently, this is the final part of an essay explaining how the Hollywood and British production contexts differ and how these production contexts can affect the films that are produced. Part 1 of this essay on Finance, Production, Technology is here and part 2 on distribution and exhibition is here.

Trends and Genres

Both films are part of the science fiction genre which is consistently popular with mainstream audiences.  Prometheus is part of a trend in Hollywood to make sequels and prequels to existing popular films whereas Attack the Block is more unique.  Prometheus would get more of a budget invested in it because people are aware of the Alien films and they are already a popular series.  Attack the Block is riskier as it has no built in audience except perhaps Nick Frost’s fans and people interested in the science fiction genre.  Generally British films are less likely to follow trends and be a bit more unique.  They are more likely to deal with real situations and characters in the social realist tradition.  Attack the Block has elements of this with its working class characters but also takes science fiction genre conventions to make it a more appealing bit of escapist cinema.   

 Social and Political Issues

A British film like Ken Loach’s Sweet Sixteen is a better example of social realist cinema.  This is film is unique and in no way tries to appeal to a mass audience.  It is about a young man in Scotland and his struggles with unemployment, poverty, drugs and crime.  It has no stars, a premiere in Glasgow (near to where the film was shot) and favours unknown actors over international stars.  The audience will be small as this is a film that does not offer any escapism, spectacle, beautiful stars or happy endings.  As a result it is made on an extremely low budget.

Stars

Stars such as Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender can be used by blockbusters for promotion in marketing materials, at premieres and can often help the film to appeal to the target audience.  For example Arnold Schwarzenegger appears in many action films and his face on a poster can help the film sell to action fans.  Nick Frost helps Attack the Block to appeal to fans of Shaun of the Dead and he is featured a great deal in the trailer and posters.  Sweet Sixteen on the other hand has no stars to aid in its realist depiction and the main actor Martin Compston is a non-professional chosen because he basically leads the life of the main character.

Regulatory Issues

Hollywood films often work with the MPAA and BBFC to ensure that their film will be passed by these regulatory bodies with an appropriate rating.  As Hollywood films need to make huge amounts of money at the box office to make a profit, the producers are often willing to trim scenes and ensure their film gets a low rating to encourage families to see it.  There was some debate over whether Prometheus would receive a 15 rating or lower.  Fans of Alien wanted the film to have a higher rating but Fox who invested in the film wanted a lower rating so more people could see it and they could make more money.  Similarly film franchises like the Die Hard and Terminator series have become progressively more family friendly as they have continued in order to draw in wider audiences.  

Attack the Block had less money to make and therefore the producers accepted the decision for it to be rated 15.  Sweet Sixteen is rated 18 by the BBFC for the continuous use of very strong swear words.  Although director Ken Loach wanted the film to be seen by the target audience of sixteen year olds it was aimed at and who would most identify with it, he refused to change anything to get a lower rating.  He felt the language was realistic and relatable and less offensive to people in Scotland that are depicted in the film.  The BBFC would not budge but the local council of Inverclyde where the film is set overturned the ruling and gave it a fifteen rating so younger people could see it.

Conclusion

Hollywood, independent and British films are very different in many ways.  Although British films are attempting to become more commercial and Hollywood studios distribute some independent and British films that they thing will make a profit, there are still many films getting made for niche audiences on very low budgets. With the UK Film Council being a thing of the past, British films will have to be more commercial in order for the industry to survive.  This may mean more British films that attempt to follow trends and fit in clearly defined genres and lose some of their distinctive Britishness.  Social realist films like Sweet Sixteen always struggle to compete with Hollywood blockbusters but without government support for smaller and more realistic British films, they may in future have an increased struggle to get funded in the first place.

Genre Analysis of The Terminator

Here's a look at The Terminator and some other science fiction films taking a genre approach.  This is for my BTEC Film Studies students who are currently writing up their own analysis of science fiction films which I hope they will then turn into a blog post just like this!  Enjoy reading and please leave any feedback if you have anything to say about what has been written here.

Arnie becomes an icon

The Terminator (James Cameron, 1984) is a hybrid of genres.  It has elements of science fiction, horror and action films.  Some of the conventions that make it recognizable as a science fiction film are the use of robots and scenes that are set in the future.  It has horror conventions such as an unstoppable monster that will not die and does not feel pain.  It is also mostly set at night and has a girl being relentlessly chased by the monster/robot.  The Terminator is also full of car chases, gun fights and explosions which audiences expect to find in an action film.

Firstly, The Terminator is science fiction.  The hero and villain are time travellers from the future.  The audience knows this by the dialogue and the fact that the villain is a cyborg.  Time travel is not overly significant to the plot as once the protagonist and antagonist are in the present, they do not travel back and forth in time again.  Many other science fiction films use time travel much more with characters going to the past, the future and their present.  An example of this is the Back to the Future trilogy where the protagonist travels from 1985 to 1955 to 2015 to 1855.  This is only possible in science fiction and allows the characters to have adventures in different time periods.  It also allows the filmmaker Robert Zemeckis to make a science fiction Western hybrid in Part 3 of the trilogy.

Genre Hybrids: Back to the Future Part 3

Cyborgs are a science fiction convention that do not exist in the present.  They are robots that appear human.  Beneath the skin it has a metal endoskeleton.  This metal endoskeleton helps the film conform to genre expectations of the horror and action film.  The Terminator is almost invincible so it can survive gun fights and even explosions.  This means the heroes have to repeatedly try to kill it, leading to more action scenes.  It also means that the villain keeps rising after it appears to have been killed.  This makes it similar to the slasher films' psycho killers like Michael Myers of Halloween and Jason Vorhees of Friday the 13th.  The use of a metal endoskeleton signifies the robot's strength and power and how hard to kill it will be.  The skeleton signifies that it is dead and therefore impossible to kill.  Its red eyes and gritted teeth also make it appear angry, scary and determined.

Michael Myers just won't stay dead

The future is presented in the film through the use of flashbacks.  It is dystopian as machines have waged a war on the human race and there are few survivors.  It is darkly lit and there are flying machines and Terminator robots that hunt down human survivors.  The bleak future is created through special effects such as models of robots and ruined cities.  Humans live underground and hunt rats, showing the dire situation that the human race is in, in the future.  Technology is killing humans and this emphasises a message that humans depend too much on technology and are advancing too quickly in the present.  Science fiction films set in dystopian futures often have messages to convey about the time in which they were made.  An example of this is Children of Men that takes place in England, 2027.  The human race is infertile and London is dirtier and more polluted than it is now.  The only thing that seems to be looked after and technologically advanced is adverts on the side of buses and buildings.  This suggests that corporate power and greed remain unchanged from present times.  There is a bombing in the opening scene and lots of references to patriotic values and discrimination against immigrants.  This is clearly a reference to the post 9/11 behaviour of the British and American governments and demonstrates how genres adapt over time.  The culture also seems obsessed with celebrity as shown by their staring at the screen and grief over the death of someone they have never met.  Children of Men offers a different vision of the future from The Terminator, but still has uses science fiction conventions to represent it.

Children of Men's dystopian future London

Robots are not present in Children of Men but they feature prominently in The Terminator and Transformers.  They are futuristic as they have real human skin and hair and can sweat and bleed.  The Terminator also has a type of 'Terminator vision' created by a red tint and various bits of written information scrolling on the screen when the audience sees from The Terminator's point of view.  Like in Transformers, the robots disguise themselves; The Terminator as a human and the Transformers as various vehicles.

Terminator POV

The music and editing also helps the audience to decipher the genre.  For the action moments such as car chases and fights, the music speeds up.  The synth score sounds futuristic and the high pitched string sounds are very reminiscent of classic horror music from films such as Psycho.  Tension is created through the use of intercutting between the Terminator and his prey, Sarah Connor.  The audience is made to worry about Connor’s safety by the order of the shots.  The Terminator is also shot from a low angle to make him look dominant.  This is common for villains and sometimes heroes.

Terminator terminating.

Terminator is structured like many other horror, science fiction and action films.  It introduces a hero and a villain at the beginning and sets them up as binary opposites.  The human is vulnerable, caring and sensitive and willing to do anything, including sacrificing himself, for the good of the human race.  The Terminator is set up as exactly the opposite.  It may look human but it is made of metal and therefore hard to kill, it has no feelings and its purpose is to destroy humans.  The human and robot come into a series of conflicts together; gun fights, car chases and eventually at the climax hand-to hand combat.  The action film is often structured around a series of confrontations and set-pieces.  The target audience want stunts, action and fighting and so conversations and dialogue are scattered through the film between big action moments.

Kyle Reese: Human Hero

Terminator also subverts the expectations of the crime and action film as The Terminator drives a police car in one car chase.  This means the villain is driving a symbol of law and order.  Usually the police are a force for good in action films and this use of the police car suggests that the Terminator is the new symbol of order.  He will not stop until he catches his prey, like the determined detectives of many action films.  This is taken further in the sequel as the T1000 villain morphs into the figure of a policeman throughout the film.  It also subverts expectations and adapts to reflect more modern representations of women than were present in many of the science fiction films of the 1950s.  Sarah Connor may begin the film as a typical damsel in distress but by the end she is a strong female who must fight the villain by herself and wins.  This is similar to the convention of the ‘final girl’ in slasher films who is the last survivor of the killer and must fight back to survive.  This convention can be seen in films including Halloween and Friday the 13^th.

Sarah Connor: The Final Girl