Cliches in an action film

Main clichés in an action film

The main clichés of action films are:

World-weary assassins.

There happens to be a suicidal mission in action films

The CIA and ‘the firm ‘would also feature in an action film

 The villains are heavily accented Russians, Serbs, or unidentified, cigar-smoking thugs

The women in action films tend to be promiscuous femmes

 There is visual panache on men wearing weird headwear.

Also unpleasant men with their faces painted blue runs a close second to bloodthirsty slobs with horns on their head.

In action films there would be fall from a great height with reasonable amount of torture

Nobody drives a car in action films: off-road vehicles only.

Analysing romantic comedy

Analysing an Opening Scene to a romantic comedy film the (holiday)

•       Sound:

•       Sound is very important within a romantic comedy to help set the tone mood and atmosphere.

•       Non-diegetic music is used to reflect the narrative events such as the characters showing emotion and connecting with others.

•      Camera Angles:

•      A close-up shot is used to show the character and what she is like with her facial expressions so people can straight away tell what she is feeling.

•      An establishing shot is used of the setting so we can quickly see where it is set and the first events will take place.

•      A tracking shot follows the character and what she is doing. Also another medium shot is used to show other character’s that she is talking about and how she is in love with a man.

•      Characters:

•      The main characters are introduced in the opening scene when Kate winslet is talking about her life and her crush she is in love with. The audience recognises that they are the main characters through the use of the dialogue/camera shots/events that they are involved in.

•      Enigma codes:

•      Enigma codes are used to tease the audience and engage them in the narrative so they carry on watching the film. Certain enigmas are included in the opening such as puzzles about how the character is so in love with this man and what has happened previously between them. Questions are left unanswered about why she wants love so much and why she is in a kind of depression about love.

•      The audience want to know what will happen to the character in the future of the film and see their happy ending.

•      Clichés:

•      Noticeable clichés are used in the opening scene such as the main character talking deeply about love and her life problems. This engages the audience as they recognise these features and can predict what is going to happen in the narrative.

Analysing action film end of watch

Analysing an Opening Scene to an action film (end of watch)

•       Sound:

•       Sound is very important within an action movie to help set the tone mood and atmosphere.

•       Non-diegetic music is used to reflect the narrative events such as the police chase to make it feel intense.

•       Diegetic sound is used in the dialogue between the characteristic reveals the main actor as he is the first voice you hear and throughout the film you will know he is main character as you can easily recognise his voice.

•      Camera Angles:

•      An establishing shot is used of the setting to show where the action film is based around and in the film it shows it is based in a rough area this establishes where the narrative is going to take place.

•      A two shot is used of the characters to show their connection with each other. In the film it shows the relationship between the two police officers is strong as they are forced to kill to men and they check on each other to see if the good.

•      A tracking shot follows the action of the police chase to reveal to the audience that the film is going to be an action as there is a fast police chase this engages them because the target audience wonders what is going to happen and wonder why they are chasing the two bad men.

•      Characters:

•      The main characters are introduced in the opening scene when they jump out of the police car and shot two criminals with guns. The audience recognises that they are the main characters through the use of the events that they are involved in.

•      Narrative Events:

•      The opening scene features certain narrative events such as a police chase these conform to the genre as other openings such as James bond feature similar events.

•      Enigma codes:

•      Enigma codes are used to tease the audience and engage them in the narrative so they carry on watching the film. Certain enigmas are included in the opening such as puzzles about why are the chasing the two criminals.

•      Symbolic codes are shown in the mise-en-scene:

•      In the opening the audience would identify symbols such as guns are used within the first 2 mins of the film. These could make the audience think that it is going to be a good action as there are guns being shot which is exciting.

•      Props/ costumes:

•      The audience can see that the character is wearing police uniform this shows that the main characters are police and they are going to fight crime this is typical of the genre because police are always mostly in an action film because the police are there to protect.

•      Props are featured such as police cars this is common in the genre as it shows that the police are trying to get to the crime fast.

•      Clichés:

 Clichés are used in the opening scene such as guns this engages the audience as they can see these features and can predict what is going to happen.

Paranormal activity 2 analysis

Paranormal activity 2 is a very creepy and eerie type of horror film that features a poltergeist that creates a whole load of problems for the people in the film. A very clever technique in the film is that the director has created a family with children who are affected by these ghosts. There are many aspects in the opening that are conventional of horror films. The fact that you are seeing the film being filmed by the actual characters is starting to become a popular convention in  horrors. The shaky camera adds effect as it is seen to be a wary effect. 

In the opening first two minutes the camera is showing the setting of the large house which is where the action takes place. There is also a dog involved, pets are very common in horrors as in the depth of the film they have some importance or freaky moment.

Also the characters at the start are very happy and enthusiastic about what they are doing, this is conventional in the horror genre as it is a massive contrast to when their world gets turned upside down.

Analysing the opening scene to a horror film (saw)

Analysing an Opening Scene to a horror film (saw)

Titles

Lionsgate is featured in the titles with barbed wire wrapped around the text which shows it is a horror because it is associated with danger and blood.  

•       Sound:

•       Sound is very important within a horror to help set the tone mood and atmosphere.

•       Non-diegetic music is used to reflect the narrative events such as the tense music to create atmosphere.

•       Diegetic sound is used in the dialogue between the characters, it reveals  the scared gasps of the men this shows that the genre is likely to be a tense and nail-biting film.

•      Camera Angles:

•      A close-up shot is used to show the character facial expressions when he is looking and being dazzled by the lights.

•      There is also a low angle shot of the lights; this could be to create a tense atmosphere within the audience because maybe somebody is turning them on. The lights flash which is a common convention in the horror genre.

•      There is a medium shot of the man in the set which sows where he is.

•      High angle shot of a dead body holding a gun covered in blood, this makes the audience question what’s happened and why he is there with a gun.

•      Characters:

•      The main characters are introduced in the opening scene when there is a close up shot of each of them and their expressions. The audience recognises that they are the main characters through the use of the dialogue/camera shots/events that they are involved in.

•      Enigma codes:

•      Enigma codes are used to tease the audience and engage them in the narrative so they carry on watching the film. Certain enigmas are included in the opening such as puzzles about why the two men are in the old bathroom and what’s happened to them, and the dead body on the floor holding a gun. Questions are left unanswered about how the man on the floor died and what has made all of the men be    captured.

Props/ costumes:

•      The audience can see that the characters are wearing smart/casual clothes this shows that the men are probably quite wealthy and live an upper class lifestyle. This is typical of the genre because many victims in horror films are higher class as it is a massive contrast to their usual classy lives.

•      Props are featured such as a gun this is typical of the genre as it shows there is violence and danger involved in the film, this makes it exciting for the audience.

•      Clichés:

•      Noticeable clichés are used in the opening scene such as blood, gore and weapons, this engages the audience as they recognise these features and can predict what is going to happen in the narrative.

action film opening codes and coneventions

Action film opening (dark knight rises)

Codes and conventions

In the opening the genre of action is shown through codes and conventions. For example, Non- diegetic sound change is present which makes the scene tense for the audience. Tense music shows us something is going to happen. Guns and masks are on the characters so we know a robbery is likely, this engages the audience as it’s an exciting start. There are various camera shots used that established the genre, for example there is an establishing shot of New York City, this shows the audience where it is set. Close up shots are used of the characters faces and medium shots to show their actions.

Non diegetic and diegetic sound is used, the diegetic sound is the characters speech to each other during the scene and the non-diegetic sound is the tense music which tells us there is a crime happening.

the mechanic target audience

The mechanic

Age:	%:	Gender:	%:		Class		%:
	4-6	0%	Male:	72%		AB		9%

	7-11	0%	Female:	28%	C1	35%
	12-14	0%			C2	33%

	15-24	37%			DE	23%
	25-34	37%

	35-44	19%
	45+	7%

This shows that mostly working class males from age 15-34 watched the mechanic.