Thursday 3rd February 2011
Action Adventure Film
Session 1
Learning Objectives:
1. To understand the conventions of action adventure films
2. To understand the conventions of the sub-genres of
action adventure films
3. To understand why genre is a useful concept
4. To understand the appeal of action adventure films to
audiences
Homework
Media:
1.Complete Todorov grid
2.Print PPT from website and stick in book
9th Feb
The Exam
Monday 13th June 2011
1 ½ hours
4 unseen tasks to be responded to in role
Pre-release brief issued on Monday 16th May
Brief provides a contextualised scenario (this
is NOT the same as previous years where the
actual questions were made available)
Only 1 tier – no higher/ foundation split
Card sort
Sort the film titles that you have been given
into groups – it is up to you how you group
them
Why have you grouped them in this way?
Possible sub-genres
Western
Fantasy
Quest
Thriller/suspense
Historical
Martial Arts
Swashbuckler
Sub-Genre Conventions
For each sub-genre, brainstorm conventions.
Use film titles from card sort and others you know of to help you
Consider:
• plot/sub-plots
• characters/relationships
• location/s
• stunts/special effects
• music/sound
• cinematography/editing
• appeal to audience
Genre Conventions
What do these films have in common?
So what are the conventions of Action
Adventure?
Conventions of Action
Adventure Films include:
theme of good vs evil
fast pace
Strong male hero (protagonist)
Bombshell love interest
Guns/explosions
Fights: punch ups, martial arts, shoot outs
Heroic acts, stunts
Chases: car chases, helicopter chases, plane chases, foot chases, boat chases, etc.
Evil character (the antagonist) determined to destroy the world/kill the hero/steal massive
amounts of money
Comedy moments
The film is plot driven
The hero reflects and upholds the current morals of society
A vibrant title that evokes the action, adventure, and premise of the story is a key component
to the genre.
The villain has a masterful Plan: the villain’s plan provides the catalyst for the hero’s
adventure. The villain’s plan sets up the hero’s goal (which is to stop the villain’s plan.)
The villain is more powerful than the hero
Snappy dialogue: especially in stories where the hero has a buddy or ally or mentor to spar
with.
Concept of genre
What is genre?
a way of categorising a text through style and form
How do we decide which genre/s a text belongs to?
through the identification of key elements which occur in that text
and in others of the same genre
these elements may be referred to as paradigms, and range from
costume to music to plot points to font (depending on the
medium).
These paradigms may be grouped into those relating to
- iconography (ie the main signs and symbols that you see/hear)
- structure (the way a text is put together and the shape it takes)
- theme (the issues and ideas it deals with)
Why is genre an important
concept?
for audiences
for producers
Why is genre an important
concept?
Audiences:
select texts on basis of genre, often because texts are
arranged at retail outlets by genre (just pop along to HMV).
Also, certain genres are considered appropriate to certain
ages/genders in society, and choices are made accordingly
e.g. teen movies, 'chick flicks’
have systems of expectations about the content and style
of a text, according to its genre. This enables the audience
to take particular pleasures in the text, those of repetition,
and of predicted resolution. Pleasure may also be drawn
from differences.
identify with repeated elements in generic texts and may
shape their own identity in response (eg fans of a particular
genre of music dress in a specific way - metalheads in their
band t-shirts, for instance)
Why is genre an important
concept? Producers
market texts according to genre because a niche
audience has already been identified as taking pleasure
in that type of text
standardise production practices according to genre
conventions, thus cutting costs
subscribe to established conventions of versimilitude,
thus reinforcing genre conventions, but also allowing
creativity within a given format
e.g. it is an accepted convention in science fiction that
spaceships make noises, which helps create excitement
in battle scenes, but it is a scientific fact that no sound
travels through the vacuum that is space.
Write a narrative profile for
conventional target audience
of action adventure films
name
age
occupation
hobbies/interest
other media texts consumed e.g.
music/TV/internet
how often and in what format they watch action
adventure films
What is the appeal of action
adventure films for this
audience?
Remember Uses and Gratifications Theory?
As we revise this, make a note of which could
be reasons that the target audience watch
Action Adventure films.
Uses & Gratifications
Theorists Blumler & Katz (1974) came up with
4 main uses we have for consuming the
media:
1.Diversion
2.Personal relationships
3.Personal identity
4.Surveillance
U & G- Diversion
Escaping from problems
Relaxing
Filling time
Emotional release
U & G- Personal Relationships
Social empathy
Finding a basis for conversation
Helping us to connect with family, friends and
society
U & G – Personal Identity
Finding reinforcement for personal values
Finding models of behaviour
Gaining an insight into yourself
U & G- Surveillance
Finding out about events in society and the world
Seeking advice on matters of opinion and decision
choices
Satisfying curiosity and general interest
Education
Do you agree?
Read the following statements
Place yourself on the value line, depending to
what extent you agree or disagree with the
statement
Be ready to justify for position
Narratives of Action
Adventure films are
boring as they are
formulaic.
Representations in
Action Adventure films
are sexist.
Action Adventure films
typify ‘mass-produced’
entertainment and have
no lasting value or
worth.
Action Adventure films are
too often simply part of
an industry franchise; an
attempt to promote video
games and other
merchandise.
Action Adventure films
are simply dumb films
for dumb people.