The Film Passengers, By Steve Neale

Julie Selbo has described the importance of narrative to the screenwriter, film executives and the audience. However, if a genre does not follow the expected formula this can be stimulating for the audience. Though for the change to be interesting, the audience first needs to know the conventions of the genre that have been transformed. Mixing genres gives the screenwriter the opportunity to vary the narrative in, for example, surprising or novel ways. There is also the choice for the screenwriter of layering the story in fresh and stimulating forms. However, whilst, the narrative development of a genre has changes occurring: the changes still reflect the genre they are in. This observation is supported by Steve Neale when he offers that,
The setting can be among other things a backdrop and as such unimportant to the genre’s narrative. Alternatively, the setting can be integral to the genre’s narrative when the theme, action or characters are influenced by the place and time. The film Passengers (2016) is a science fiction thriller set entirely on the star ship Avalon and this setting forms a fundamental visual part of the narrative for the audience. The setting of the malfunctioning, luxury, futuristic spacecraft is integral to their understanding of the film’s narrative. In some narratives, the setting can be antagonistic and provide problems which must be overcome. In the film 127 Hours (2010) climber Aron Ralston (James Franco) solely battles for survival having been trapped under a boulder in an isolated canyon in Utah, the United States of America. The narrative’s primary concern is Ralston surviving his
However, the screenwriter can, subvert this ’element’ to bring a fresh element to genres so they do not become stale and cliché ridden. For example, the film Cowboys and Aliens (2011) featured both cowboys and aliens; being a hybrid of the western and science fiction genres. Therefore, the use of all the ‘repertoire of elements’ by the film industry, helps give a sense of genre and provide markers which create expectations for the audience. The audience then use their prior knowledge, gained from previous viewings of a genre, to decode the