Genre Essay - Star Wars

For this essay, I'm going to analyze the movie Trailer for Star Wars, in relation to it's characteristics of genre. I've decided to pick this film trailer due to the fact that I've never seen the film. We can tell from the trailer , that this film is about war and conflict by two opposing sides, however being set in another dimension. This is known and expressed as being far, far away in a distant past. This itself suggests the films genre as being somewhat fictional. The Music, characters and overall atmosphere of the film also helps to exaggerate this as being Science Fiction/Fantasy.
As Soon as the trailer begins, we're introduced to the setting of Space, with a voice over (including the dialogue of "somewhere in space" and "unlike anything on your planet"), and strong, orchestral music. Each of these things indicate to us that the genre of this film is Science Fiction. We can also see spaceships flying through space, and hear loud explosions, suggesting that the story is about war or conflict. As well as Sci-Fi, we can also see that the genre of Fantasy is present. This is shown through strange creatures and unlikely characters, as well as robots and Aliens. The opening narrative expresses how the film is set "lightyears ahead of it's time" as well as being "somewhere in space", giving indications of a Science Fiction film, before we've even seen the full trailer. The most obvious aspect of the film being a science fiction, would be this voice-over through the trailer, and the setting of space. In addition to this, by using orchestral music behind the narration, it allows the film to seem more dramatic, and builds tension which is required to expand on the idea of conflict. Also, the Sound effects used whilst Spaceships are flying past, adds to the characteristics of this being a Science Fiction Genre. The Star Wars trailer doesn't use bright colours, which can suggest a running theme of intensity throughout.

The characters clothing suggests the genre of Science Fiction/Fantasy, due to the main characters wearing spacesuits and cloaks, obvious choices for this particular genre. Furthermore, Props such as Lazar guns, and lightsabers are used in the trailer. These props are a typical for a science-fiction film, in comparison to a family or comedy film, making it more obvious of the genre. Furthermore, the advance in technology compared to planet earth, can expand the idea that there's more going on in outerspace, the film trailer presenting this idea well. In contrast to the obvious conventions of the trailer, another genre which might have influenced the proceeding of the film is the Western Genre. Having this as part of the film, makes it more suprising, and differentiates it to other Science Fiction films. The use of guns and 'cowboy-like' costumes seem to appear throughout Star Wars movie. Having said this Western would probably not be classed as an over-ruling genre for this film. Most audience members would want their expectations to be met, however by challenging their expectations and including this western theme, it allows the film to be more appealing. From this trailer and the props used, I gathered that the film is about conflict from two different sides, one being good, and the other being Evil. This becomes obvious, as one character (Jedi) is a representation of good, in comparison to being in conflict with their evil counterpart. This is the main plot of the movie, and the trailer manages to express the idea well. Iconography would be shown through the moment our 'Hero' escapes with the 'princess'. This is followed by various moments of war and betrayal, which may be seen as iconography of a science fiction film.

There are various themes shown by just watching the trailer. For example, the theme of rebellion is announced, but by presenting the characters working together, we're given the ideologies of Friendship, and team work. Also, Love could be considered a theme, due to the idea of the boy rescuing the girl, showing that it's important to protect what you love, whether that's friends, or their world, linking in with the theme of Pride, and fighting for justice. Binary Oppositions are also present in the trailer for this film, such as; Good VS. Evil, Right VS. Wrong, Hero VS. Villain, Trust VS. Betrayal, and the idea of Love VS. War.