GCSE – Film Studies

CODES AND
CONVENTIONS OF
SUPERHERO FILMS
In this session, we will…
 Consider CODES AND CONVENTIONS
of superhero films
 Look at the trailer for The Avengers
 Analyse a scene from The Avengers
 If we get time, look at the closing scenes
from The Avengers
Exam – Paper 1
 Exploring Film – Superhero Movies
 1.5 hours
 4 questions
 Clip from Film (analysis) – 2 questions
 Print Resources (creative task) – 2
questions
 Total 50 marks (10,10,10,20)
What are CODES &CONVENTIONS?
 The detailed rules of the genre (type
of film). Things we come to expect

 Codes and Conventions make it

easier to understand the film and
easier to make it
Question 2 – Conventions
 Asks you to identify one convention from
the sequence
 You have to relate this to another
Superhero film
 Explain why the convention is used in
other films
Avengers Trailer

superhero montage

Avengers Final Scene

 CODES AND
CONVENTIONS
 Setting
 Themes
 Characters
 Props
 Narrative & Plot
 Style
Conventions Often a major American
city. Lots of crime. Hero
What is the typical setting will have secret
of a superhero film? hideout/HQ

How do we separate the

Public / Private
themes in superhero
movies?

Which character types  Hero

typically feature in the  Villain
superhero genre?  Princess
Question Answer
Setting
 Often American
city
 Place where crime
happens
 Big locations
where things can
go wrong!
 Secret base or HQ
Themes
 Public –
things that
affect
everyone
 Private –
things that
affect the
main
characters
only
 Characters
 Must be heroic
 Or a villain
 Or a damsel
 Or a victim/general public
 Hero’s are often
recognisable as normal
people
 Hero’s are also something
people aspire to be – are
cool
 Hero’s always want to do
good, fight for truth and
justice (and the American
way?)
CONVENTIONS
What term do we use to MacGuffin
describe a significant object
that the plot revolves Gadgets (Iron Man’s
around? suit, Batman’s utility
belt), Iconic Superhero
What props would we
weapon (Thor’s
typically expect to see in a
Hammer, Captain
Superhero film?
America’s shield)
What is the typical
narrative of a Good vs Evil, Todorov
superhero film? (equilibrium,
disequilibrium,
equilibrium)
Props
 Significant
items that we
expect

Macguffin = a significant object

around which the plot revolves
 Narrative & Plot
 At its simplest;
Good V Evil
 Often a
franchise
(series of films)
 Often starts with
heroes origin
story
 Often High
Concept (simple
plot, big SFX
and budget)
Style
 Includes
micro
elements to
build up a
specific
‘look’ or ‘feel’
 This may link
to original
comics, or
stay
throughout
franchise
Marvel’s
Avengers
Question 2 – Example
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
zP7qoEcHEd4 (The Avengers)

 Identify one typical convention of the

Superhero film used in this clip
 Describe how this convention is used in
another Superhero film
 Explain why this convention is used in
superhero films that you have studied