War Genre - Codes and Conventions

Firstly war films need to have some sort of conflict scenes. An example of this would be in Jarhead when the soldiers are attacking the enemies there is explosions going off everywhere and they get shot at by jet fighters. If the film does not have any real battles scenes then the tradgedies and results of war can be shown in the film instead. An example of this would be MASH where although no fighting is seen, many injured and dead soldiers are seen in the camp. Jarhead is also an example of this when the soldiers are walking in the desert they find a mass of burnt people along a road. Most war films also have a soundtrack to fit in with the film. These peices of music are usually quite slow and meaningful to help the audience connect with the film. Another convention used in war films is the emphasis on masculinity. good examples of this would be both in Jarhead and MASH. In Jarhead the soldiers are frequently talking about girlfriends and wanting to go and fight however this film also shows more of a sensitive side to the soldiers like Fergus who seems quite weak and Troy who tries to look out for the rest of the squad.