Conventions of the Genre

 Action/fighting Film

Conventions of the genre:

·         Fight scenes

·         Weapons :guns, knifes

·         Binary opposites: good VS evil (clearly shown)

·         Killing and death of loved ones

·         Fast paced edits

·         Suspence building music

·         Close ups of characters faces

·         Slow motion (to capture movement)

·         Flashbacks

·         CGI images

·         Often set in cities and other built up urban areas.

·         Dirty rough and environment/area

·         Predictable chain of events cause and effect

·         Dramatic non-diegetic music

·         Dominant representation of gender: male/ female action hero.

(Mulvey’s male gaze and contemporize female gaze can apply)

Cinematography

·         All camera shots are fast paced unless a death or emotional moment occurs.

·         There tends to be a lot of close up shots to enhance the expressions of the characters.

·         Establishing shots show the area in which the action is taking place. It is often taken from an elevated position. Establishing shots are used to the audience an initial idea of the genre and what is going to occur.

·         Tracking shots are commonly used for chase scenes as they create a sense of realism and make the audience feel more involved within the scene. As if they apart of the story.

·         Zoom in camera movements are used in moments to build suspense and enhance the moment.

 

Sound

·         The music is often dramatic and used to build suspense.

·         The song used is almost always instrumental with a heavy drum beat.

·         The music often builds to an important or poignant moment in the plot.

·         During action diegetic sound is amplified to increase excitement.

 

Mise- en scene

·         The film is often based im an urban area usually a built up city.

·         The antagonists are often well dressed and attired with a suite and a tie. This is because they are wealthy and are not afraid to show it to there often poor associates. This indicates to the audience that the character is arrogant.

·         Lighting is used extensively within action movies. The lighting is often dark and gloomy which creates a distressed and pessimistic atmosphere.

·         The props help to identify the genre and also the wealth social class of the charecters.

 

 

Editing

·         The editing is always fast passed unless a poignant moment occurs for example the death of a loved one. In this circumstance a fade transition would be used.

·         The edits between clips are often cut off transitions that allow the edit to keep fast paced.

·         Flashes are often used in synchronous to the beat of the song or as a transition between video clips.

·         Slow motion is used to capture the moment for example a stunt or a dangerous moment. Twixtor is a plugin that allows editors to create extremely slow motion footage this is used in either Sony Vegas or after effects.

·         3D text is added in many action movies as it gives a professional appearance and matches the expectations of the genre. To create this text the editing software Cinema 4D will be required.

·         To motion track the footage (allows the text to follow the movement of the camera) the editing software bonjour 5.0 will be required.

·         Many actions within the diagesis are synced to the beat of the song this is a common convention throughout films.

·         Colour corrections are sometimes used within action movies. If I was to do this I could use magic bullet looks which is a colour correction plugin.  

 

Iconography

·         Dark colours black brown make characters more suspicious and menacing.

·         Character’s faces are usually illuminated.

·         Props help us identify the genre.

·         Guns and weapons connote danger. 

Themes

·         Good VS Evil

·         Family issues

·         Vigilantes VS Cops

·         Revenge

·         Getting the girl

·         Death

·         Black Vs white

·         Car chases

·         Gun fights

·         Threatening

Character roles

·         The main protagonist is always the hero or controls the action.

·         The companion is portrayed as being below the main protagonist. However, they often have a large part in the diagesis.  

·         The main antagonist is often wealthy and or from a military background. The villain has an accent that sounds menacing.

·         The antagonist often has several associates who carry out most of the work.