ACTION ADVENTURE

• In this unit you will learn to:• Write a textual analysis of a

film extract• Writing a textual analysis

means you will:• Accurately describe different

aspects of a film extract• Explain why the people who

made the extract chose each of those aspects

• Explain what the extract says about the world

KEY CONCEPTS FOR TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

GENREMEDIA LANGUAGEREPRESENTATION

(IDEOLOGY & VALUES)

WHAT IS TEXTUAL ANALYSIS?

• Describing this image would be to say things like:

• This is a picture of Spider-Man

• He is sitting high up on the ledge of a building

• He is wearing a red suit

DENOTATION ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH!

• Good analysis follows the PEAT model:

• POINT: you make a point about the text

• EXAMPLE: you give an example from the extract

• ANALYSIS: you explain the example

• TERMINOLOGY: you use Media Studies technical terms if you can

WHAT IS TEXTUAL ANALYSIS?

• In the poster you can see Spiderman crouching high up on the ledge of a building. You can also see his reflection wearing a black costume

• The image implies that he has two sides to him, a good side a bad side. The buildings in the background are slanted suggesting the use of a canted camera angle, this could connote that Spiderman isn’t himself and not thinking logically.

WHAT IS TEXTUAL ANALYSIS?

WHAT IS AN ACTION ADVENTURE FILM?

IS IT AN ACTION ADVENTURE FILM?

The elements that we would expect to find in an action

adventure film. Conventions are what you find to be typical

of the genre

GENRE CONVENTIONS

GENRE CONVENTIONS

NARRATIVE SETTINGS CHARACTERS ICONOGRAPHY

• As we have seen there are LOTS of different kinds of films that fit into the action adventure genre

• Science Fiction• Historical dramas• Comic book• Crime Thrillers• Spy Thrillers• War Films• THE LIST GOES ON!

GENRE CONVENTIONS

THIS MEANS THAT YOU

CAN’T BE TOO SPECIFIC WHEN

IT COMES TO CONVENTIONS

GENRE CONVENTIONS

• There are two main kinds of convention you might be asked to analyse:

1. The characters and events in the extract (narrative)

2. The media language conventions

1. ‘… it will probably have a hero, heroine, or band of ‘goodies’. This person or group will be in danger, often being attacked by a villain or some other dangerous force. There will be some action, often with violence, or a sense of preparing for action, perhaps with a feeling of suspense.’

2. ‘It may be set in a location that is exotic or usual or spectacular in some way. If there is action, there may be fast-moving camerawork and fast-paced editing along with a busy soundtrack, often dominated by exciting orchestral music.’