Action adventure revision pt1

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REPRESENTATION

description

 

Transcript of Action adventure revision pt1

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REPRESENTATION

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What do you need to know?

This exam will require that you apply the 4 Media Key Concepts to the topic

Media Language

Representation

Audience

Institution

• Identifying the codes and conventions and the Action Adventure genre

• Understanding and applying narrative theory/ structure (Todorov)

• Understanding and applying characters types (Propp)

• Binary Oppositions (Levi Strauss) • Sequence analysis • Storyboarding

• Exploring the nature of Hollywood, the studio system, film finance

• The star system • The role of the BBFC in

certificating films; the 12A certificate

• Roles and functions in film production

• Producers and director s associated with the genre

• The marketing and promotion of action adventure

• Spin-offs./ Film Franchise

• Defining representation and its significance

• Stereotypes in action adventure films

• Representations of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ through heroes and villains

• Representation of gender – the role and functions of male and female characters

• Representations of the West and the East, including ethnicity

• The ideological function of action adventure films and the notion of cultural imperialism through Hollywood.

• Box office and audience figures • Conditions of consumption –

cinema home viewing and the implications of e-media and mobile technologies

• Uses and gratifications in terms of action and adventure films

• Fan websites.

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Defining Genre?

Genre is made up of the 4 typicals (NICS)

Narrative - typical storylines and structure used. Action-Adventure: hero is usually on a journey or quest in search of something (artefact) or someone. He has to complete a range of tasks/challenges before the end and usually appears victorious. Todorov's structure of equilibrium, disruption and restoration is commonly used to tell the story in chronological order.

Example: Spider-Man is fighting against evil. He is in a range of different situations including saving Mary Jane, fighting his friend's dad (the Green Goblin), dealing with his broken family (living with his auntie and uncle (who is killed)). Spider-Man kills his enemies and emerges heroic at the end

Iconography - things we expect to see. Action-Adventure: We expect violence, weapons, chases, explosions, heroes reinforcing good heroes emerging victorious, defeated villains.

Example: In Indiana Jones we see fights between Indiana and various tribesmen and other artefact hunters; they fight using guns, bows and arrows, and swords. We also see chases between Indiana and various villains, as well as Indiana running away from danger (mines, the infamous rolling boulder). In the end Indiana emerges victorious having beaten his enemies and gaining the treasure/artefact

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Defining Genre?

Genre is made up of the 4 typicals (NICS)

Characters - people who drive the story forward Action-Adventure: Typical character types (in terms of Propp's stock characters) include the hero, villain, helper/sidekick, princess / love interest. They have a range of different purposes to play within the narrative. There must be a bad/evil force and a hero to create conflict.

Example: In Star Wars we have the typical hero, Luke Skywalker, who has many sidekicks/helpers/donors including Han Solo (who helps him defeat Darth Vader), Obi-Wan Kenobi (his guide, almost a father figure), Yoda (an ultimate guide/advisor). Along the journey, there are many villains including Darth Maul, Stormtroopers, and his arch enemy, Darth Vader. The princess / love interest in the first three films is Padme Amidala, and in films four, five and six, we have Princess Leia. The two characters fall in love with the male protagonist (firstly Anakin Skywalker and then Luke Skywalker - but when Leia finds out she and Luke are siblings, she falls in love with Han Solo). They are subordinate to the male characters, although at points they are quite powerful characters (they are both royalty).

Setting - the locations used Action-Adventure: Typical settings are usually isolated, dangerous, mysterious, scary, dark and quite vast. This allows a range of situations to take place, e.g. fights, chases, explosions.

Example: The Pirates of the Caribbean films use tall ships, which are quite dangerous (tall sails, riggings, use of canons, sea monsters) and which sail in vast, mysterious oceans. Being out to sea has connotations of isolation, vulnerability and mystery. A vast, yet isolated setting allows for many things to go wrong, as well as having an element of unpredictability.

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• You will be able to define what Action Adventure is by remembering it’s typical codes and conventions (the ingredients). Narrative, Iconography, Characters and Settings (NICS), keeping these in mind will allow you to successfully plan for your own Action Adventure film idea.

What is Action Adventure?

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(NICS)

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(NICS)

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What is Action Adventure?

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What is a HYBRID?

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What is a SUB-GENRE?

What sub-genre is your film?

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What is a SUB-GENRE?

What sub-genre is your film?

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Understanding Narrative

It’s important that you try to apply narrative theory to your own Action Adventure film idea, but it’s little more than just thinking of a

beginning middle and end…

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Understanding Narrative

(DISRUPTION)

(RESTORATION)

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Understanding Narrative

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Character Types

In your own action adventure film you must be able to define who your villain and hero is by referring to the key concept of representation (how do the audience know who the hero or villain is?). Remember most action adventure films have more character types than just the hero and the villain.

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Character Types

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Create your own Action Adventure

Film

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Audience and Action Adventure

films Audiences can be broken down into: • Age • Gender • Class • Income • Interests • Education

Primary audience: The target audience Secondary audience: Other people that may watch it, but are not directly targeted

Define the target audience for your film

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Audience and Action Adventure

films Primary audience Gender: Male Shown by male characters, stereotypically interested in action, explosions, technology and weapons more than women. Age: 15-24 Reflects the main cinema-going age, some action-adventure films have an age rating of 15+ but this audience also play computer games of a similar genre.

Working/lower middle class Films of these genres do not take much thinking about! They are there to be watched and are to visually look good in terms of explosions, fighting, weaponry, and so on. Interests include: Masculinity, sports, computer game playing, actors

Secondary audience Older men - They once were young and were directly targeted Women - May find the actors attractive and appealing

Remember! There is always an exception to the rule. Think about Tomb Raider and Alien films that have female protagonists, even though they are aimed at men (women are portrayed as objects of desire) they also appeal to women

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• Although almost fifty years old, a useful tool in the study of any media product is the Uses and Gratifications theory. This theory is concerned with the ways in which people use a media product and the pleasures that they get from it, for example, an action adventure film.

• A simplified version of the theory might divide uses and gratifications (rewards/ pleasures) into four primary headings:

• Diversion – how the films might offer a release from our everyday life and its problems. Another word might be ‘escapism’.

• Personal relationships – the films give us something we can talk about to our friends and family. ‘Have you seen the latest Bond film yet?’

• Personal identity – the pleasures we might get from identifying with characters or situations in the film.

• Surveillance – information we might get from the film that could be useful to us in our everyday lives. How to use a cutlass perhaps?

• Take each of the headings and use examples from action adventure films explain how it might relate to your own consumption of the genre.

Audience and Action Adventure

films

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• The classification given to a film can influence how successful a film is at the box office. This is especially true of action adventure films where the prime audience is families, including young children.

Film Classification

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• Who are the BBFC? What do they do?

• The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom. It has a statutory requirement to classify videos, DVDs and some video games under the Video Recordings Act 2010

Film Classification

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• Make sure you know what the different certificates are, think about what certificate you would give your own film and why

Film Classification

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• Critics of Action Adventure argue that such films promote unhealthy attitudes towards violence and that narratives are becoming too dominated by special effects and action sequences

• One interesting classification of films is the 12A certificate. Refer to your BBFC website research and see what qualifies a film for this certificate.

• The category was introduced after the film Spider-Man received a 12 rating meaning that according to the BBFC people below that age should not see it in the cinema or on video. However, many local councils, which have the final say about who can and cannot see films in cinema in their area, ignored the advice of the BBFC. The 12A certificate was introduced allowing young people to see the film if accompanied by an adult.

• Do you think there is an argument for a 15A certificate?

Film Classification