Definition

The road movie is a

vehicle for either

one or a small
group of individuals
who seek to escape
the world they are
living in and set out
towards redemption
on the open road.

The road least

traveled Who are most likely

to be on the road?
The strong or the
weak?
The irony of the road
movie is that the
weak leave, but only
the strong survive.
The road either
makes or breaks a
person.

The Great Frontier

The road has

always been a
persistent theme
in American
culture and can be
traced back to the
frontier ethos.

Early Settlers
17th century America

was populated with

settlers who had
escaped the religious
oppression of Europe.
The founded a
society based on
their own concept of
what culture should
be.

Road Movies

Road movies

provide a ready
space for
exploration of the
tensions and
crises that happen
on the road.

Codes and Conventions

Codes and Conventions are the single most important

aspect of genre. Without them genre does not exist.

Codes are technical aspects specific to the genre. Eg.

in horror movies, directors tend to use dull blue

lighting.
Conventions are specifics related to what we expect a

film to fit into, in relation to character, theme and plot

ideals. Eg. We expect their to be a hero and a villain
in superhero movies.

CODES AND
CONVENTIONS
Settings

Focal Characters
Encounter Characters
Music
Themes
Transport The Vehicle
Narrative Structure
The Journey

Settings
The road.
City is where all

oppression and
depression lies.
The road is positive

and holds
possibilities.

Focal Characters
Live outside the

norms of society.
Dont fit in where

they come from.

Set out to make

their lives better.

Encounter Characters
These are the

characters that the

protagonists
encounter along the
way.
They are used to

aide the story

either positively or
negatively.

Music
Reflects the era in

which the movie is

created.
Big strong power

ballads are
common along the
open road.

Thematic Conventions
The search for

freedom or release
Discarding or
escaping the past
On the run
creating a new
identity
Finding ones self
or love or family

Transport
Typically a car,

although not
always.
Used to represent

something about
who the character
is, or wants to be.

Narrative Structure
There are six key points to the structure

that are usually followed in Road Movies.

1.Set-Up or Exposition
2.First Turning Point
3.Catalyst
4.Complications and Intensifications
5.Climax
6.Resolution.

The Journey
Both physical and

emotional.
Protagonists either

never return to the

place they began, or
return stronger and
more able to handle
the situations that
arise.

Genre Development
The road movie

genre is also used

to explore the
tensions and
crises of the
historical moment
during which it is
produced.

Upheaval and
Dislocation Key moments in
the history of the
road genre tend to
coincide with
periods of
upheaval and
dislocation.

American Dream
In this way the

road movie (like

the musical and
western genres)
focuses on the
American dreams,
tensions and
anxieties.

wasinAmericancinemainthe1960s,whenescapeon
theroadstillseemedpossible,theroadsstillseemedto
leadtoadventure,andtherewasayearningfora
differentlife(e.gthehippiedreamsofEasyRideror
antiestablishmentBonnieandClyde).

Today
Such dreams have largely disintegrated. The

wilderness has been tamed, everything is

mapped, the roads are crowded. In most
contemporary versions of the road (with some
comedic exceptions), we already know what
lies at the end--death, disaster and
disappointment.

All road movies have something in common; a

road and socio-economic issues, they reflect
the times they are made in and the road is
the great leveler.
Sam North. The Road Movie, www.hackwriters.com/roadone.htm