Evaluation Question 7

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media

products?

By Chris Knapp

Action Genre Conventions

• Setting - The setting for an action film can be anywhere, ranging from the remote jungles, to the built up cities of the modern era. Other locations for action films may include, the open country, highways, roads, power stations, large buildings (i.e. Die Hard), Industrial areas, small rural areas (Action-comedy), large cities, ship/ train, etc….

• Technical Code - Close ups of main protagonists face to show emotions, i.e. distress. Wide/ Extreme wide shots are used to set the seen or to show the scale of the hero’s problem (e.g. The Mummy, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor as the terracotta army assembles). Two-shot to show the hero and helper, show the binary opposites (e.g. 2 fast 2 furious as Brian and Rome talk). The Villain would usually be shown using low angles, shown power over his minions.

• Iconography - Visual Style: Black, White, and red, contrasting colours (links to good, evil, danger, etc…). Lighting: The main protagonist is often shown in the light and wearing light cloths, e.g. white, the Villain is usually wearing a suit either black, grey or navy blue and is placed in dark concealed environment hidden form every else. Props: The Villain would usually have a huge arsenal of weapons and mercenaries at their disposal, the Hero usually on his own and has to find his own weapon. Items include: Weapons/ explosives, hostages, smart cloths, fast cars, etc…

My Opening Sequence

• In the opening sequence we followed the main path of an action film, having the hero and villain, to which we don’t see his face, in an epic chase scene in which they run through woods and over streams before the hero makes the final move on the villain; but to keep the audience interested we have cut to the main title before we see Alex Valle, the main protagonist awake in his room.

Setting

• For your opening sequence we needed an environment in which it was convincing that it was set in the 19th century, being in a fairly modern town we feel that moving the setting to a wooded area would be more suited for the chase scene.

Technical Code

• In the start of the opening sequence when both the protagonist and antagonist are both looking at each other we used over the shoulder shows present both of them for the first time, clearly showing them as binary opposites, Alex Valle, the protagonist dress in white showing purity and innocence; and Charles Valle, the antagonist in black showing darkness and evil.

Iconography

• In our opening sequence we clear show the forces of good and evil, the main protagonist, Alex Valle is dressed in white, a pure and innocent colour often associated with good.

• On the other had, Charles Valle, the main antagonist is dress black, a colour often associated with being foul, dark and overall bad.

Enigma Code

• Throughout the opening sequence we never see the face of the antagonist and adding the sense of mystery. This also helps the audience relate to the hero, Alex, as he too is in the same possible as the audience not knowing who this mystery man is and as to why he must be stopped.