Lesson 2 - Action adventure films intro

OCR B322 GCSE Media Studies Action Adventure

1. Action Adventure Films- Lesson 2 LOs: Define the Action Adventure Genre Identify Sub-Genres Examine genre codes and conventions

2. Genre Steve Neale (2000): "Genres are instances of repetition and difference" He goes on to say: "Difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre”: Simple repetition would not attract an audience – why?

3. Action & Adventure Codes What do you associate with Action films ? List all the things you have come to expect in Action films. A hero Chases Violence/Fighting/combat Explosions Weapons Lots of killing Now list all the things for Adventure genre films Exotic locations Treasure Humour An element of danger – but not as violent or threatening as Action films THESE ARE KNOWN AS THE GENRE CODES OR ICONOGRAPHY

4. How do we textually analyse a text? There are 4 key components to consider: Mise -en-Scene Camerawork Editing Soundtrack Which of these can we apply to the film posters?

5. Friday, 9 September 16 LO: To explore the genre conventions of 6 Action Adventure sub-genres

6. Codes and Conventions Iconography? Colour? Font? What genre?

7. Task On the next slide – evaluate the films posters for the same genre. Explain in no more than 100 words how the posters reflect Steve Neale’s theory. Use full sentences.

8. Codes and Conventions Iconography? Colour? Font? What genre?

9. The 6 main AA sub - genres A specific type of genre that has very distinct codes and conventions: Fantasy Disaster Historical Quest Thriller Swashbuckler

10. Swashbuckler EXAMPLES Prince of Persia Pirates of the Caribbean The Three Musketeers NARRATIVE CONVENTION – The type of storyline we would expect. Characterised by sword-fighting and adventurous heroic characters, often set in Renaissance period (14 th – 17 th Century) COMMON CODES AND CONVENTIONS Male hero, damsel in distress, romantic interest, clear morality (hero = good, villain = evil) code of honor, pirates, swords and swordfights, bows and arrows, lavish costumes

11. Disaster EXAMPLES Armageddon 2012 Independence Day NARRATIVE CONVENTION The characters deal with an impending or ongoing disaster and its aftermath – this can be man made or natural COMMON CODES ‘The world is going to end’ message. Meteors, volcanoes, earthquakes, tidal waves, tornados, fire, alien invasion, war, crashes, sinking ships, large cast of characters, multiple plot lines, usually a happy ending

12. F antasy EXAMPLES Star Wars Avatar Harry Potter NARRATIVE CONVENTIONS Heroic story set in an invented world which is a more fanciful version of our world or a legendary, mythic past COMMON CODES Very varied but could include: aliens, spaceships, wizards, witches, ghosts, imaginary places, fanciful plots, good versus evil, happy endings

13. Quest EXAMPLES Indiana Jones films National Treasure Romancing the Stone NARRATIVE CONVENTIONS The protagonist goes on an epic search for an object of value or someone of personal importance COMMON CODES Male hero, multi skilled, romantic interest, sidekick, exotic locations, travel, villain with same quest, danger, guns, grand finale with moral – hero learns something profound about themselves

14. T hriller EXAMPLES The Bourne Identity Unknown Mission impossible NARRATIVE CONVENTION An exciting, suspenseful and tense plot in which the hero usually overcomes a series of distractions set by the villain COMMON CODES Male hero, villain/criminal with a master plan, fight and chase scenes, weapons, gunfights, information kept from audience, mystery, police, hero versus villain finale

15. Historical EXAMPLES King Arthur Gladiator Pompeii NARRATIVE CONVENTION An epic story set in a recognisable historical period or against the backdrop of a famous historical event COMMON CODES Famous events, story based on fact or real people, historical settings, costumes, personal struggle, romantic interest, battles, huge number of extras

16. Sub-genres FANTASY DISASTER HISTORICAL The setting is usually a world which bares little reality to our own, very imaginative containing strange creatures and landscapes. Society is faced with a large scale disaster that looks like the end of mankind such as a plague or hurricane. May be based on a real story or legend, but is usually based in a real historical time period and place. QUEST THRILLER SWASHBUCKLER An expedition or trip undertaken by one or more characters in order to achieve a particular goal. A tense film which is full of suspense. It is often based around a crime or deception. Will involve sword-fighting and usually set in the past (though won ’ t have any basis in reality).

17. Set in a dystopian future, Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to compete.

18. In the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BC an alliance of Greek city-states fought the invading Persian army in the mountain pass of Thermopylae. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks held back the enemy in one of the most famous last stands of history. Persian King Xerxes lead a Army of well over 100,000 (Persian king Xerxes before war has about 170,000 army) men to Greece and was confronted by 300 Spartans, and several hundred Arcadians.

19. TASK Look at the following blurb: “ An elite team track a killer in Antarctica in a race against time, because the sun is about to set for six months” . Can you develop this to show any one of the 6 sub genres? Clearly identify the iconography of the sub-genres you chose to include.