Codes and Conventions

• Abandoned Locations

This is a very common convention for the post apocalytpic genre, creating a sense of loss of a civilised society, barren wastelands of direlect houses and cars does this theme justice, and again creates a sense of hopelessness that the audience feels for the characters. This is seen in films such as The Book of Eli and The Road where often abandoned cities shape the harsh world.

• Low Key Lighting

This convention for the post apocalyptic genre brings tension and fear to the audience, an example of a great scene for this convention is 28 Days Later in the opening scene when a group want to free the locked up monkeys.

• Physical and Mental Challenges

Physical challenges can be travelling for long distances, for example in The Road and The Book of Eli where the characters walk by foot for miles and miles, a mental challenge happens in all post apocalyptic films due to the characters living in a world without communication and not eating regularly.

• Tight Communities/Dangerous Gangs

The Book of Eli shows this convention, for example the group that are using a woman as bait to either rape or kill someone that walks past to try to help the female that pretends to have broke her trolley and looks very weak to persuade characters such as Eli to help. Another example in the film is the tight community that the remaining of the "town" has as they try to act as if everything is normal.

• Crisis that Occurs

Post apocalyptic films can have different reasons for them to start, for example in I Am Legend the convention is due to a medicine failure, The Book of Eli starts due to a war, 28 Days Later is because of a medicine failure again, The Road is due to a natural disaster.

• Dark Themes

Dark themes are in most post apocalyptic films, these can be death which happens in all of them, rape which happens in The Book of Eli, murder and violence which happens in many PA films too.

• Strong Male Protagonist

This convention is used in PA films as the audience needs a dominant character to give them a narrative, and the story a chance, if the character was weak and vulnerable we would not expect them to survive the apocalypse, which would make the film unrealistic. An example of a strong and powerful character is Will Smith in I Am Legend.

• Death/Violence

Death and violence are key themes in the PA genre, they are to create fear, hatred, loss and depravity. The Road is an excellent example that uses this to its advantage, the film shows images of families that have hung themselves and people that have been brutally killed for the basics of supplies. Violent scenes occur frequently, for example in The Book of Eli there are fights with many gangs that have hijacked Eli and Carnegie's gang.

• Religion

Religion is used in many PA films. The Book of Eli is based on religion, due to Eli protecting the last ever bible that was not ruined in the war, he was the only good person that was trusted in the film to hold on to it not like Carnegie that would use it for the worse. Another example is in I Am Legend, the female that saves the main character believes that everything will get better, however the main character shouts "THERE IS NO GOD!".

• Hope

Hope is a big part of all PA films as it is the only thing that motivates the characters in all of the films to keep going and to not give up. For example Eli uses his bible as his form of hope in God, also the female in I Am Legend Anna hopes that God will help her and her son whereas Robert (Will Smith) tries to make her snap out of the "phase" that he believes she is in.

• Item of Significance

An item of significance can be something that motivates the characters again to keep going like hope, for example Eli and his bible. The Road's item of significance seems to be the main characters son and the hope to find a safe place. In I Am Legend the item is the cure. The item of significance is what shapes the story line and gives meaning to the characters.