A1. To What Extent Are Your Chosen Texts Typical Of Their Genre?

'Sin City' shows signs of typicality towards multiple genres, which is also the reason the text becomes less in keeping with usual genre conventions. By attempting to work under show aspects of both film noir and comic book style genres, Sin City carries conventions of both. What we get instead is a hybrid of the two styles. From the outset of the film we're exposed to some very typical genre conventions of Film Noir. A common theme of a film noir text is the use of lighting. Characters emerging from the shadows are a common theme and can often relate to the characters shady background. This is presented well in the opening scene, where Josh Hartnett's un-named character who is given the pseudonym of 'The Man', who we see at the beginning and end of the film, appears from the darkness before murdering another un-named character. Even throughout the 2 minute scene his face is shown half in shadow and half in light, almost hinting towards the two different sides to his character. It's shown again when we are introduced to Kevin before he murders Goldie, his face falls completely in shadow, almost alarming the audience of his dark ways. The only part in light are Kevin's glasses and the accenting on his sweater, which is done as it makes his character individualistic and easy to recognise from others later in the film.

The mise-en-scene used throughout the film is very characteristic of film noir, our 3 protagonists Marv, Hartigan and Dwight, are almost always seen wearing trench coats which is very common. From the vehicles they drive to the background characters around them, the text attempts to stay typical to film noir. Even the character roles are usual of film noir, You have your male protagonist, or in this case 3, corrupt police officers like Bob and villains like Kevin, Roark Jr. or Jack Rafferty. Another key convention I noticed is the way females pay a very passive role, they tend to slow down the narrative, some are made to seem very weak. The camera techniques when Dwight and shelly talk after Jack leaves show Dwight from Shelly's perspective and vice-versa. We look up towards Dwight as he's powerful. He looks down on Shelly as she's seen as fragile.
Some of the female characters are simply their for visual pleasure such as the girls from 'Old Town'.
They play a vital role in the storyline, but their style of dress is overly sexual. This could have been done as Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller want their audience to feel socophilia or 'the love of watching.' It also touches on the idea of Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory.

For the most part, women act as an inspiration for men to act which is rather usual of film noir texts. Even though our 3 main characters may be very different they're all very selfless individuals, that sometimes have to overcome themselves and their deep psychological issues which have come as a result of a war which the characters often reference. It's as if everything has been thrown out of equilibrium for all the characters involved since the war they speak of. Even aspects such as heavy rain and fog can often be seen in film noir texts, probably because they help to achieve a very eerie mood.

Sin City happens to take certain characteristics from the comic book genre too though. The protagonists trench coats often act as the equivalent of capes and can be seen fluttering behind them in the wind when they're running. Director Frank Miller wrote the original comic book so it was evident that this cross breed of genres would occur. The use of excessive and eccentric violence takes from the realism of the film, which in my own opinion makes the film easier to enjoy as it takes the edge off. I'd say the use of colour and visual effects such as the silhouettes on the balcony in the opening scene, is the major difference from a normal film noir text. Items of interest are often shown in colour such as Goldie's hair and dress, Junior's blood and Manute's false eye. This is to show they have some form of importance to them, In cases like Goldie's it's helpful later in differing between her and Wendy, especially when Marv mistakes Wendy for he deceased sister. There's no doubting the text tends to be typical of its genres, but by having two they can take away from the other genre.