Research Task: Codes and Conventions

Below are codes and conventions of the dark fantasy genre.

Stereotypical characters:
Antagonist - an antagonist is key to the "dark" element of dark fantasy. Stereotypically the role of the antagonist is taken by a male, as stereotypes of the social world say that men are the stronger and scarier sex. This often leaves the role of the protagonist or victim to be taken by the female; they are also stereotypically seen as being weaker than men. However, there are many fantasy films where the antagonist is female such as Maleficent (2014). To be specific this is more an action fantasy film but I think it is a relevant example. Other female antagonists include the witch in Snow White.

Victim/hero - there is usually a victim who becomes an object of sympathy for the audience. We will them to triumph and become the hero, which sometimes occurs in traditional fantasies.For example Peter Pan triumphs over Captain Hook. In dark fantasies, the victim is often the main character as it is easier to focus on what the antagonist is inflicting upon them.

Themes

• Curses
• Oppression of victim
• Good versus evil
• Quest
• Death
• Imagination
• Surrealism

Note that not all of these themes will appear in every dark fantasy film.

Locations:

• Forests - they are surreal locations and often the subject of nightmares.
• Creepy buildings - makes it more realistic
• Graveyard - promotes the idea of death.

Narrative conventions of the dark fantasy genre:

• In dark fantasies triumph is often made especially difficult, with the villain possessing a strong hold over the hero. Due to this, trailers often indicate that the film will not return to its original state of equilibrium or end happily.
• In all genres of fantasy there is an element of mixing reality with fantasy. This makes it confusing yet engaging for the audience; they are put in the position of the character. With dark fantasy this mixture makes a film more scary as the audience can imagine the events happening to them.
• Stereotypically the role of the villain (sometimes called antagonist) is taken by a male, as stereotypes of the social world say that men are the stronger and scarier sex. This often leaves the role of the protagonist or victim to be taken by the female; they are also stereotypically seen as being weaker than men. However, there are many fantasy films where the antagonist is female such as Maleficent (2014). To be specific this is more an action fantasy film but I think it is a relevant example. Other female antagonists include the witch in Snow White.
• A lot of the time something bad will occur to disrupt the equilibrium (for example a curse) and put the victim at the hands of the antagonist. Usually, given the horror elements, attempts to overcome or kill the antagonist will fail, or be incomplete.
• There is normally an element of "black magic". This gives the audience the impression that the antagonist is using magic to work against the victim or protagonist. It contrasts with most fantasy films, where magic brings great joy. (An example being Peter Pan).

Conventions of trailers for dark fantasy films:

• They usually start off using a scary non diegetic soundtrack to make the audience feel uneasy and be immediately suggestive of the darker side of the genre. Often this will be added to by turning innocence into evil. For example children's laughter is modified to sound sinister.
• Trailers usually start slow before picking up pace to reflect the action or horror onscreen. This can help evoke a range of audience pleasures specific to darker films, for instance fear or surprise (at the fairytale/fantasy being dark)
• The soundtrack will get louder and increase in tempo to match the editing/narrative
• Trailer editors and producers usually select the scariest moments of the film to feature in the trailer. This is to increase anticipation surrounding the film. However, whilst trailers often show clips in a non linear way, they must be mindful of the fact that one of the purposes of a trailer is to introduce the narrative to the audience.