1. ACTION MOVIES Defining the Genre

2. PROGRESSION IN GENRE The Thief of Bagdad (1924), Captain Blood (1935) Setting/ period based James Bond (1960 1970) Quick cutting/ car chases & elaborate action sequences Bullitt (1968), Dirty Harry (1971), French Connection (1971) Early films present a car chase as a action set piece The Terminator (1984), Die Hard (1988), Cliffhanger (1993) Popularised by Arnold, Bruce Willis & Stallone The Transporter (2002) More elaborate fight scenes influenced by the success of Hong Kong cinema 3. Genre analysis also includes understanding the evolution of a genre over time. Genres change and develop because of changes in the culture or historical period in which the genre is being produced. http://www.tc.umn.edu/~rbeach/teachingmedia/module7/5.htm 1940 1950 Western 1970 1980 Spy/ Thriller Increased interest in international espionage 4. ICONIC STARS 5. CODES & CONVENTIONS (HOLLYWOOD) Star casting Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, Jason Stratham big names sell tickets High production value Explosions, CGI, stunts are very costly Franchises toys, video games, posters, artwork (Star Wars) Remakes / reboots audience already established Iron Man i.e. Marvel fan base Sequels / prequels Alien (1979, 1986, 1993, 1997), Rambo (1982, 1985, 1988, 2008), Indiana Jones (1981, 1984, 1993, 2008) 6. ACTION GENRE 2000 What audiences today desire more than ever before is more of the same, and studios, scared to death by rising production and distribution costs, are equally loathe to strike out in new generic directions. Keep audiences satisfied, strive to maintain narrative closure at all costs, and keep within the bounds of heterotopic romance, no matter what genre one is ostensibly working in. Yet, at the same time, the studios must present these old fables in seductive new clothing, with high budgets, major stars, lavish sets, and (if the genre demands it) unremitting action to disguise the secondhand nature of the contemporary. http://www.tc.umn.edu/~rbeach/teachingmedia/module7/5.htm 7. SPECIAL EFFECTS 8. WHAT ARE SPECIAL EFFECTS? explosions car chases earthquakes miniaturized or enlarged images fogs, smoke, fire pyrotechnics firearms snow, rain, wind Robots CGI Computer Generated Imagery Practical or In-camera Adobe After Effects 9. MONTAGE 10. CGI The Perfect Storm (2000) Director Wolfgang Peterson Avengers Assemble (2012) Director Joss Whedon Hollow Man (2000) Director - Paul Verhoeven (1.15) https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=GqdK8mscA7g#t=90 11. IN-CAMERA EFFECTS The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Director Christopher Nolan Christopher Nolan could have used computer effects, but instead he got a real C-130 plane and threw a bunch of real people out the back of it! Jurassic Park (1993) Director Steven Spielberg Stan Winston Studio supervisor John Rosengrant and concept designer Mark McCreery got the honor of being in actual Raptor costumes in the Kitchen scene of the movie. 12. COMPANIES Double Negative Visual Effects Digital Domain Synapse FX Luma Pictures Boss Film Studios Double Negative is a Visual effects/Computer animation company, they have worked on Man of Steel, Les Miserables, Paul, Godzilla, John Carter, Sherlock Holmes, The Dark Knight trilogy. Digital Domain is a visual effects and digital production company in America, the artists and technologists have won awards for best visual effects in Titanic, What Dreams may come and The curious Case of Benjamin Button 13. WOMEN IN ACTION 14. TRADITIONAL ACTION STARS Sylvester Stallone Arnold Schwarzenegger Bruce Willis Steven Seagal Wesley Snipes Jackie Chan Conventions: Alpha Males Physically Dominant Emotionally detached 15. BOND GIRLS Iconic and pivotal part of the bond franchise The term Bond girl was branded as an honor They serve little or no importance to the main plot Mainly used for sex appeal and for Bonds sexual gratification The characters are generally considered to be misogynistic and degrading towards women Man Talk - clip 16. THE MODERN BOND GIRL Vesper Casino Royale: (Martin Campbell, 2006) Stern, Intellectual woman Strong and Independent Important to the narrative Severine Skyfall: (Sam Mendes, 2012) Strong Character Intimidating A threat to Bond Same old: Both women still used as sex appeal for the films Still and object of Bonds sexual gratification 17. FEMALE HEROINES 18. ELLEN RIPLEY The first action Heroine Lead protagonist in all four Alien films Aliens: (James Cameron, 1986) Took $131 000 000 at the box office Constantly portrayed as the strongest Character Surrounding male characters seen as Cowardly/incompetent The males dismissed Ripley's warnings At the start Other strong females In James Cameron films: Sarah Connor Terminator 2: Judgment day (1991) Grace - Avatar Musculinity (Yvonne Tasker, 1993) Female action stars coded as men, appear as female 19. INCREASED POPULARITY Huge influx of female led action films since 1986: Kill Bill Hanna (Tarantino, 2003) (Joe Wright, 2011) Salt Resident Evil (Phillip Noyce, 2010) (Paul Anderson, 2002) The Hunger Games Tomb Raider + many more (Gary Ross, 2012) (Simon West, 2001) Reasons: Gap in the market Film makers wary of audience perception Sex appeal Appeals to wider audience Soft/Hard combination (Kate Stables, 2001) Female stars sometimes have a hard shell but soft interior e.g. Sarah Connor, Ellen Ripley 20. MOST RECENTLY Gravity (Alfonso Cuaron, 2013) The Hunger Games Franchise (Gary Ross, 2012) (Francis Lawrence, 2013) Sandra Bullock Nominated for best actress 7 academy award wins Nominated for best film Took $714 000 000 at the box office 97% on rotten tomatoes Hugely popular with a wide audience Average of 86% on rotten tomatoes Both films took a combined 1.5 Billion at the box office Still 2 films to go 21. MASCULINITY In Action films 22. INTRODUCTION 23. THE MEN 24. THE FILMS 25. 1980S HYPERMASCULINITY- The fight against feminism Rambos muscles (Rambo First Blood, 1982, T.K.) Male spectacle. A naked Arnold (The Terminator, 1984, J.C.) An indestructible Bruce Willis (Die Hard, 1988, J.M.) Introduction of the New Man = Action Man born. Reaction to the feminization of society. Victim: Middle-class male. Working-class = Traditional masculinity. Reflects society. Muscles are signifiers of struggle, of hard physical labour, of the working class. The importance of masculine muscles in the action film can be attributed to a form of nostalgia or a need to identify with men who are clearly men. (Y. Tasker, 1993) 26. DIE HARD 1988. J.M. Bruce Willis. More than muscles-Adds humor-Reflects working class. Willis saves wife from feminism. The Princess. Holly Generro Holly McClane. 1980s Male body reflects the anxiety and concerns with shifts in gender roles. The use of military and police uniform in many action films appears to relieve masculine anxieties, giving some stability in a society of changing values and thus raises self esteem. (Y. Tasker, 1993) 27. 1980S EVOLUTION OF MAN Society was changing- Industrial jobs declining and computer business on the up . WOMEN could compete in getting the NEW jobs. AIDS- The homosexual male couldn't be ignored- This brought eroticized images of the male body to fashion, advertising and FILM Rambo, Terminator, Die hard. THIS NEW OBSESSION with the MALE body blurred traditional expectations of what the male body should look like- CREATING confused and anxious men. 28. THE CRISIS OF MASCULINITY 29. THE CHANGE HEGEMONIC Masculinity- What MAKES a MAN changes with society. GUNS, MUSCLES, CARS, WOMEN, ABILITY TO KILL, NO EMOTION, GUNS, WOMEN, GUNS AND GUNS. The fight against the feminization of men and the rise of women. THE NEW MAN. The metrosexual from the late 90s onwards; the Male has accepted its feminization and FILM reflects this. MEN can show emotion as well as fight. (Terminator 2, 1991, J.C. FAMILY. 30. 1990S NOSTALGIA- Films look back at the Masculine past. Saving Private Ryan (1998, S.S.) Still an essence of fight against feminization. Fight club (1999, D.F.) protagonists attempt to reconstitute a heroic masculinity (Baker 2006, p. 75) Mission Impossible (1996, B.D. ) Action heros get emotional- Metrosexual John Travolta in Face/Off (1997, J.W. ) MEN ARE TRYING TO DISCOVER THEIR INNER WARRIOR. (Robert Blys Iron John 1990). 31. TODAY TODAY we see films such as The Dark Knight (2008, C.N.), Gladiator (2000, R.S.), Skyfall (2012, S.M.), Ironman (2008, J.F.) and Spiderman (2002, S.R.) - A MIX BAG of MASCULINITY. Directors can choose how to represent masculinity. Masculinity is loose in its meaning. That representing society still, being masculine can mean a number of different things in todays society. Films reflect this. MASCULINITY is ambiguous. 32. END