Action opening- Hancock

Hancock 

Aerial shot of the highway with many police cars, already we know there is an incident, close up of the criminals inside the getaway car with their guns. Quick long shot of the police cars that are closely trailing behind building up suspense as if they are close to being caught. Camera swaps from the chaos to a medium shot of a homeless man on bench sleeping. Two shot of the homeless man and a young boy as he tries to wake him up, informing him about what’s happening as if he is supposed to do something. Shot of lots of telly’s showing the chase symbolising it is a major event.

Long shot of him flying up in the air destructing things in his path shows he isnt very considerate to his city. Extreme long shot as he zooms off into the city at a sonic speed surprising the audience. Hand held shot while he is flying throughout the recognizable skyscrapers.  Canted shots are used also both of these create realism giving you the view of what you would see if you were “Hancock”. Close up of him flying with his thumb in the top of his alcohol bottle as if spilling it at this moment would be disastrous. Birds flying at him showing the audience how high he is as well as adding to obstacles he is having to dodge; linking with the backing song.

Character we focus mainly on is the homeless man. As he is sleeping on the bench his body language is very open, his arms spread out, he is very relaxed as if he has nothing to be concerned about. We later see that he has powers of some kind therefore can protect himself against anything. As the child is talking to him he is very rude and tells him to go away making him far from a “super hero” who is supposed to be kind to the public. As he draws an alcohol bottle out from under the bench it’s obvious he has problems with liquor, the audience want to know why. Also he is rather obnoxious as we see him try to grope a lady, all signs point to him being an unorthodox super hero.

Action genre is all about car chases, guns, bad guys and destruction. All of which this opening contains making it your typical exciting action film.

Action music’s playing, the typical kind used to build suspense leading up to something, we can also we can hear police sirens and shouting in foreign fitting the stereotype of foreigners being the baddy. Bullets flying confirming the genre to be action as well as the car chase that is happening. Diegetic tires skidding around the road showing that they are putting up a fight to get away by going at very hasty speed.  Music suddenly stops as we are averted to a different situation, quiet, calm guitar music plays while we see a man sleeping on a public bench being hassled by a child. In the background diegetic news in playing about the highway chase that we just saw suggesting it is an event which has not yet been controlled. After he abruptly fly’s in the air an aggressive and rude song starts to play as he is swerving in and out of the buildings this could reflect him as a character; rude and aggressive. 

Action opening - Iron Man

Iron Man 

Our main character is the man in the expensive suit, he is holding whiskey showing authority and wealth, he makes a lot of jokes to break the ice, audience see that he is very likeable but self absorbed at the same time. Due to the soldiers asking him question and wanting pictures with him, he obviously owns something or has done something to remember. His importance is shown by the level of security within his transportation. His cool calm behaviour soon disappears as the attack begins, he seems panicked and un aware what to do suggesting he hasn’t been out in the field before, as its zooms in on the missile with his name on, we now know he is in the weaponry business, but something has gone wrong.

In the first 3 minutes it is very clear that this is an action film, as it contains many of the convections associated with the action genre: army vehicles, solders, guns, explosions and bullets flying.

At the beginning a heroic fun song starts, while the man power travels through the dessert. At first we think it is non diegetic but as scene goes inside the car we see that in fact it is diegetic. This song reflects the main characters mood. Music gets quieter as characters have a conversation. As scene changes dramatically music stops showing that the happy calm setting disappeared, an explosion and gunshots follows creating turmoil within the scene. High pitched sound occurs giving the audience a sense of what they would hear if they were in that situation creating realism. At the very end we hear muffled foreign voices suggesting that he was taken by people who attacked them.

Establishing shot of the desert with army vehicles approaching as well as armed men sticking out the top of the vehicle shows they are always aware that something may occur letting the audience know that something is likely to happen soon. High angle shot of the vehicles showing that the army is very powerful. Close up of a whisky glass which looks very out of place. Soldiers within the car are all looking inquisitive and scared towards the main character until he starts talking to try as break that barrier of silence between them. Mainly close up shots are used either on the person who is talking or on a person’s reaction. Two shots of them getting picture taken talking about peace and then an explosion happens, long shot of the explosion and then quickly back into the car showing the characters panic in trying to deal with the situation.

Long shot of a solider being shot and killed is very effective as it shows that they are in serious trouble here. Main characters point of view shot as the last solider has been killed causing audience to be empathetic with main character as he is alone, unarmed and defenceless.  As he gets out of the car and a start running the camera is uneven, meaning a hand held shot as well as interpreting canted shots symbolising the chaos. Close up of a missile that’s about to explode, we as the audience are on the edge of our seat at this point as we are waiting for it to explode. Last shot is a high angle panning out shot showing loneliness and vulnerability of the main character as he is lying on the ground injured.

Action Target Audience

Action Target Audience

Core target audience for an action film is young adults- male , they tend to see this with other men of similar age as watching a action is seen to “masculine” as they contains feature like car chases, fights and guns. Another reason for the majority of the audience to be male is action films contain mannish male actors who they aspire to be like as well as being interested in the female actors. Finally action offers an adrenaline rush which men strive for. They want people to think of them as manly men therefore they don’t watch a romance even if they secretly want to.

Romance Opening - Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook 

This film in its opening 2 minutes doesn’t follow the conventions of a romance; there is no bright colours and blue skies instead a dull plain hospital. We are still able to identify that it is a romance through small features, like the use of music and the character talking about his recent love life and how he wants it back.

At the start of the film little information is given about the character personality, although we understand that he is regretful of how his life turned out and how he wants to return to his past. We understand he is in love with someone when he is talking to himself bout true love. When the main character disobeys orders we immediately see independence and stubbornness within his personality. We as the viewers feel sorry for him and feel happy for him in a way that he wants to turn his life around by no longer taking pills. During the fitness scene we see he is determined. When the camera focuses on a discharge approval form from a mental hospital, we see that this character has been ill, but has managed to return to mental wellbeing; except his voice and body language are rigid suggesting he is rather uncomfortable in life and not in touch with many emotions.

Very start of the film the first thing we indentify is the sound, starting off with calm non diegetic music suggesting everything is un disturbed, without any visual yet we hear a males voice who we assume is the main character because we don’t see him we immediate create an enigma enticing the audience to take interest in this character. He is talking about his family and the past, dwelling upon it suggesting he misses it and wants to return to his past we wonder what’s happened to is life to make him want to go back in time. Diegetic knock occurs followed by a man’s voice giving the main character orders that he chooses to ignore as he carries on talking to himself, we see no one is with him therefore he we get the sense he may be mentally ill, as well as the characters repeating the sentence “I’m better now, I’m better now” supports idea of mental illness and wanting to return to his family. We immediately feel sorry for this man.

 Hearing a distant authoritative voice again who is giving him orders about seeing a doctor confirms the predicated location of a hospital .Once he is finished talking to himself non diegetic music starts to play, it’s a mellow low pitched piano linking with the romance genre then a guitar is added on top of the music suggesting the scene is building up to something. As the scene progresses more music is introduced especially during his work out, the music is light hearted with tones of relief linking to this characters emotions that he is happy he is getting his life back to how it was becoming content with the new him although when the new character is introduced sound decreased in pace and tempo suggesting this character brings upset to him causing drama within the scene.

First Shot we see fades into a mid-shot of a man’s back obtaining idea of mystery as the shot stays on this man we concentrate a lot on what he is saying as there’s not much detail to focus on except a man’s plain black clothed shoulders, short hair and a window. Mise-en-scene is very basic so far due to the plain tidy room although we do notice the bars on the windows furthering the idea of a hospital. Camera scans the room giving audience a feel for his living condition. Then a fast past pan around the side of his face then stopping with a close up of his expressionless face, leaving him vulnerable for the audience to judge him, audience focuses on his eyes as they are slightly red and look miserable connoting his heart ache the audience now feels emotionally closer to this character. This character then looks down hiding his face connoting he is self conscious and no longer wants to be judged. Quickly the scene changes, going from him  having a long intense evaluation on life to running down the stairs this suggests that he gets distracted quickly and can’t stay on one thought path for long.

Mid-shot as well as point of view shot of a pill he is being asked to take although being a simply shot has a large effect he then spits out the pill, and doesn’t want their help, he feels he  can get better on his own. A tracking shot entering a group discussion makes audience feel a part of the scene. Then focuses on one man who is obsessively talking about his hair showing he too has mental issues. Leads on to a tilt shot of him working out, becoming not only physically fitter but mentally healthier.

 Low angle shot of him on the floor in a new characters shadow create idea dominance and importance to the new character following onto a mid shot of 3 people, the main character being as the back suggesting he is less important and being treating like a child as the people in front decide what to do with his even though he is obviously old enough to make his own mind up, causing main character to be frustrating and his mental well being to spiral downwards. We start to connect part of his problems to this new female character, who associate to be his mother.

Romance Opening - "10 Things I Hate About You"

10 Things I Hate About You

Opening of this film is massively stereotypical; not only to romance genre but to how people perceive school and teenagers to be. Typical popular girls in their convertible car match conventions, although as the other car pulls up stereotypes are challenged. As the new boy is being shown around there is supposedly all these social groups within a high school, which are never accurate and finally as he sees this beautiful girl that he is astounded by her beauty, classical music starts to play confirming the genre as romance.

We focus on a few characters, the guidance councillor who obviously doesn’t care for students as she should, she used rude language around the pupils and is more interested on writing a novel, reflecting why the behaviour of the students is poor. Leading on to our next main character, a teenage girl with very opinionated views, she doesn’t care for he appearance like the other girls, she is an outcast with her different music, clothing and approach to school. Seems well educated as she is talking about books during English, she seems to get frustrated with the level of intelligence shown by her fellow pupils suggesting she may think she is better than them. We also focus on 2 boys, one being the new boy who moves from school to school a lot, he falls straight in love with the prettiest girl in school despite the challenges it may bring. Finally we are introduced to the rebellious troubled outcast boy with his no care attitude towards school, it is obvious already that they two troubled teens are most likely to fall in love.

Sound presented at the start is rocky electric music symbolising youth, a teenage rap song takes over; these are all signs pointing towards this film being about teenagers and target audience being teenagers. As camera swaps to a popular girls car,  a normal pop song is playing whereas a rebellious song overpowers as we pan to a girl who obviously has different attitude to life and how she doesn’t “give a dam about her  bad reputation”  suggesting that she is an outcast in the high school scene.

As scene changes to the office the music stops while dialog continues, then non diegetic drum and guitar music starts as he is being shown to all the stereotypical social groups. This is because when the adults are present in a scene the music played is not fitted to the setting therefore it stops, and then carries on when they are in the hallway. When he sees a girl music changes to romance song confirming the genre. Then to finish a diegetic school bell cuts out the music. Now they are in a classroom there is no music only talking because there’s a adult present in the scene.

                 Establishing shot opens the movie showing an area outside of the city suggesting this is a normal school, containing normal people. Opening credits are very quirky and fun showing that the target audience is for teenagers. Medium shot of two cars pulling up has the effect of showing the audience to two different types of girls whom attend this school. Close up shot of the girls in the car as they roll their eyes to the other girl showing that they don’t like her and that she isn’t popular. Followed by an over the shoulder shot of the main girl ripping down a prom poster giving the impression that she hates school events which involve popularity status. Now in the office a two shot of the boys as their paths cross, the shorter and more vulnerable one seems afraid of this raged looking teen. Camera then follows this new boy around as he is getting a tour by another student, we focus mainly on them but also pay attention to the groups of people and how they are interpreted through their clothes and lifestyle choices. Medium shot of the boys with people walking past behind them, we now have a feel to how this high school setting is.

Slow motion medium shot of a girl takes the attention away from the boys,  as she walks past the camera we go back to the boys seeing his reaction. Effect of slow motion is to suggest that for the new boy what he has just seen was so beautiful that it occurred slow motion to him, this is also to symbolise that she is a main character. Two shot of the girls as they are talking, we immediately see that they don’t have a high intellectual level as they are talking about very superficial things. Fitting in with the stereotypes of high school girls. Finishing with a high angle shot of classroom setting showing a clash of opinions between two students. 

Romance Opening - Life As We Know It

Life As We Know It

Genre is clear, mise-en-scene contains all romantic conventions, the evening setting, the colour red appearing often as well as other couples walking past. The music also points towards the genre being romance. Although this opening the characters challenge to conventions through the lack of romantic interest between them which ultimately ends in disaster.

Starting music is a Non diegetic Amy Winehouse song which contains romantic lyrics as well as a passionate tune. Straight away we see that romance is present in the scene. The diegetic knock cuts the music out as we are introduced to a Man. Dialog then starts along with a subtle, calming jingle which sets the mood between to two for the audience. At the end of the opening, after their argument the women behaviour went from ladylike and calm to angry. The music changes to fit her mood therefore we get a more upbeat, higher tempo music as she storms away.

Two starting shots are extreme close ups focusing on a part of the body, first red lips then red shoes, the colour red connotes romance therefore the audience knows she is getting ready for a date. A long shot of the room shows her sitting there reading a book as if she is waiting for someone. Point of view shots are used as they are having a conversation. Long shot of them walking, her body is faced toward him suggesting she is making an effort and engrossed in what he has to say, whereas his body is facing forward suggesting he doesn’t really care for what she is saying. The man in this scene is wearing all black, which is quite neutral as well as his motorbike which is also black therefore he has showed no romantic interest yet, whereas the women is wearing red lipstick, shoes and also has a red car all signs she is wanting to find love. As they get in the car a couple walks past on the left being another sign that this is a romance film. Two shot of them in the car rather cramped and very awkward looking. At the end of this opening the camera follows the women back to her house but with the man in the background so we are still able to see them both, but it’s obvious they aren’t together. She then walks past a bush which finishes the opening scene while the credits play.

First character we are introduced to is a women, blonde, pretty, early 30’s and looking for love. We wonder why she isn’t in a relationship already. Quickly after we are shown a second character; a man. He is wearing a cap and casual clothes. He has definitely not made an effort compared to the women reflecting his laid back attitude. There are obvious signs of awkwardness, they know each other on a first name basis only which may suggest they have been set up on a blind date, that she was excited for but he felt forced into. As they are walking outside she is asking him question after question because he is not expanding on any of his answers, making her come across rather forward. Her expectations are higher than he can offer, she was expecting a car not a motor bike, she was expecting a planned evening not for her to have to organise it.

 It is plain to see that he is a hopeless romantic. They both are being pleasant and civil until he gets off the phone with his “Sick Friend” which was apparent it was a lustful friend of his. She has had enough of his rude and inconsiderate behaviour, she expresses how she really feels and they both go their separate ways. But the audience knows that they are most likely to cross paths again.

Romance Target Audience

Romance Target Audience 

Romance audiences tend to be female; girls from the age of 15 to women of an elderly age. Women are the main audience as they love and seek romance in life. Romance reflects how women want their real life to be, with a happy ending by falling in love with an attractive muscular man who treats her like a princess e.g. Patrick Swayze or Channing Tatum. Although women are the main audience, men do still watch romance, but usually this is only with a girlfriend or a wife in order to please them. Not many groups of men chose a romance over an action and adventure

Action Conventions

Romance Conventions

Stereotypes Of Young and Old People

   

Horror - Women In Black Opening.

Horror Opening

Women In Black   

The genre of "women in black" is a thriller/ horror. We can tell this immediately by the use of young children playing with dolls in the first scene. This is a stereotypical of a horror movie. Other indicators proving it’s a horror film is the choice of music, it is very slow and creepy which lets the audience know something is going to happen as the music builds up to an event. Which in this case is the girl rigidly standing up as if they are under a spell and walking to the window then throwing themselves out, followed by another women’s scream.

At the beginning of the clip shows an empty teapot, which suggests innocence as they aren't old enough to be drinking tea but also symbolises wealth. The young girls seem very happy as we see them laughing and smiling while playing with their toys. But as the Church bell chimes its almost as if they are put under a spell causing them to stand up in unison and drop their toys and trample over them, as they smash their toys the audience sense their innocence has smashed along with it. The fact that the Church bell was the indicator for this practical behaviour could suggest this is a religious film.

As the church bells chimed the girl all looked at the door with no expression on their face. When they look at the door it has a strong effect on the audience as we feel they’re looking at us. After the girls jumped out of the window the shot cut to a close up of a dolly’s face with messy hair and a dirty face which symbolises the girls after jumping out the window.

Finally, the sound starts off non diegetic with only the audience hearing it. Which cancels out the girl’s voice so all our attention is on the suspense building music. The music then changes to diegetic as the church bell chimes but the only real voices we hear is the woman screaming at the end.

To conclude this is a very effective opening clip of a film as it immediately draws you in making you intrigued as to why they jumped out the window. This clip abides by most of the stereotypes people link with horror genre.

Horror- The Ring Opening Scene

The Ring

Although barley anything happens within the first 2 minutes of the film, it is still extremely obvious that this falls under the horror genre, we can see this through the use of a dark setting outside as well as the big empty house. The main character of the scene is a school girl who is completely alone, young and vulnerable; typical stereotype for a horror.

Most of the shots are medium shots and long shots following her around the big empty house which also fit in with horror stereotypes. Very first part of the movie is too do with the static television which keeps turning its self on. As the character starts to realise she is alone, she begins to panic, the camera then zooms in on her showing the terror in her face. When the fridge opens the audience begin to feel on edge as we understand something out of the ordinary is occurring. Towards the end of the clip we see water coming from the underneath the door, we aren’t informed to what this meant, but it caused a sense of curiosity, especially when she was so hesitant into opening the door which build suspense. Static television is again introduced into the scene; the picture suddenly changes. It then quickly zooms in on the TV then a close up of the girl’s face, which has been transformed. Although all of the shots are very vague it leaves the audience to imagine what might happen this creates and builds extreme suspense.

Not much sound is introduced at the beginning except the static muffling noise of the TV, we wonder why all the focus is on the TV, making us pay extra attention. The character calls out for someone, her voice sounds inquisitive, so at this point of the film she isn’t in fear. It’s not until no one answers and the TV turns its self on that we hear fear in her voice. An abrupt scary, gloomy noise occurs which shocks not only the character but the audience too. We hear her heavy breathing so we know exactly how she feels. The clip ends with screaming at the end, this is very effective as we as the audience want to find out whose scream it is, why they are screaming and what’s about to happen.

Horror - "Drag Me To Hell"

Drag Me to Hell

It is very easy to see that this is a horror film, not only by the name of the film but the use of sound. Also from the fact that a boy gets dragged into a hole in the floor within two minutes of it starting.

There are four characters present in the first scene. One woman who is an exorcist and a family seeking her help. We can tell that the family is poor by their ragged clothes and fathers dirty hands which suggest he is a labour worker. Also is very stereotypical of a horror to have the cursed one as a child.

First shot of the movie is a long shot which sets the scene; it shows nice cars and a big house, the title informs us it is 45 years in the past. While remaining in a same shot a cheaper, run down car pulls up. Two desperate parents carry their child to a women pleading for her help suggesting that whatever has happened is life threatening. While the child is lying down we see the ceiling from his point of view, with shadows dancing above him. The camera then starts to circle him symbolising the scene is literally revolving around him. When demons start destroying the room and slapping the characters the camera is swapping from each character but mainly focused on the young boy. As he runs to the other room we see the wealth of the home through marble balcony. A high angle shot of the boy is shown as he is then dragged into the floor. We feel empathy for the parents who are in hysterics. Finally the screen goes blank then suddenly the title shot appears very abruptly.

Horror films are known for the specific use of sound to build affect; in most cases the music is what scares people the greatest. From the very beginning before anything has happened, creepy music has started playing putting the audience on edge. The boy starts to hear voices but as they are vague it leaves an opportunity for the audience to think about what they imagination can come up with. As chaos has broken lose the parents start to shout in foreign, although we cannot understand what they are saying, we can still sense the fear and upset in their voices. At the very end of the clip it goes silent until the title of the film appears, along with loud intense music which frightens the audience, making them jump and excited to see more.

Horror Story Conventions

Horror Target Audience

Horror Target Audience 

Horror audiences tend to be 16-24 year old. A reason for a young audience is they want a bit of fun which they get from a cheap horror film. Also gender of audience tends to be male as it contains gore, which links to modern day video games that young men are interested in. Studies have suggested that horror films are most popular for first dates, this may be because they tend to be shorter and link to various conversations afterwards that don't lead to any emotional or serious topics. To conclude horror has a young male audience, who want a quick thrill, whereas middle aged women are very unlikely to watch a horror.

Opening of "Never Back Down"

Never Back Down 

First thing we hear is  the noise of a camera zooming in and out which is then overcome by diegetic loud rainfall and cheering as well as non diegetic gripping music which makes the audience feel thrilled and energized. Voice over of a umpire announcing the score fits in with the setting, but it mainly there to inform us on how close the game is and assisting for anyone who doesn’t fully understand American football. Many grunts and groans are used to show how hard the players are working presenting us that this game is important to them. As the players exchange words the attention grabbing music continued hinting that something is about to happen between the two.

By the reaction of player 44 it’s evident that what the other player said affected him by linking to a personal incident that has happened involving someone’s death causing him to respond aggressively. During the fight the music has changing and become more high tempo and rocky.

First shot is an extreme close up of a video recorder screen, this is effective as the audience get a feel of what it looks like to be there and watching the game from the stands, then a close up of a particular character which we follow throughout the opening making us believe he may be our main character. Now a range of shots are being used to show all areas of the game. Before the fight close ups of their faces are used to emphasise the rage in his eyes.  An effective low angle shot is used as he is beating up the other players to show he is most powerful in this scene. The finishing shot of the opening is a aerial shot of the players fighting each other all due to him losing his temper and being aggressive

In the opening scene it is obviously aimed at a male audience through the use of sport. It is a very masculine scene, lots of young male adults promoting violence which again attracts men to watch as they are interested in. Therefore due to all these features the genre is action.

Our main character at this time seems to be player 44 as the camera focuses on him the most. We know nothing about him except that he seems to be the popular football star. As the scene unfolds so does player 44, we see him being rather cocky and proud of himself when he tackles the opposition. The trigger of the fight was one boy saying to player 44 about his father who died, audience doesn’t know how he died but knows its linked to alcohol as he states,” The sauce, that shit will kill ya”. Immediately the audience work out that player 44 has had some trauma recently and from this  he takes his anger out through fighting, which he is very good at as we see in the last bit of the opening suggesting this isn’t his first fight. Proving that his character may be emotionally on edge and have a short temper.

Opening of "Children Of Men"

Children of Men

This is a very effective, exciting opening of a film as its gives aware very little detail enticing the audience to pay attention. Although we can sense that the genre is thriller/ drama through the use of sound and camera shots.

We follow one character in the opening scene; it’s obvious he is different to others as he is not affected by what’s happening on the news. We also see him pouring alcohol into his black coffee suggesting he has addiction issues, we as the audience want to know what is wrong in his life to make him do this. So already he is a very interesting but mysterious character.

First shot we see is a medium shot of a coffee shop full of middle aged people, immediately we wonder why there are no younger people. At this point in the film there is no main character in the shot as the camera doesn’t focus on anyone. People are all watching the news, and seem stunned by the news that’s being presented. We then see a tall man walk into the scene through the middle of everyone; we now have identified our main character. He seems unaffected by the news that is upsetting everyone else, this makes us wonder why. The camera then follows this man outside confirming he is our main character. We then see a long shot of London in 13 years times with new interesting inventions on the sides of building and buses, this attracts our attention to look further into the scene, the audience will even try to identify what part of London it is, this makes the audience feel like they can relate to the movie. As the camera follows the man along the road, we notice everyone is wearing black suggesting times are gloomy, rubbish bags on the side of the road and polluted air support this idea of gloominess. The camera stays on the character constantly to show his reaction to the events about to happen. As the explosion occurs the camera unsteadily runs towards a women holding her own arm this creates a huge idea of chaos and interest to the audience.

Very start of the film no sound is present; pure silence. This gives us something to wait for causing suspense. Suddenly news reporters start to talk, different new stations talking about the same topic suggesting it’s important. While in the coffee shop people start to cry therefore sad, emotional music is introduced. This makes the audience emphasise with these people. As the shot goes out the coffee shop the music stops as that part of the scene is over. Diegetic sound of engines and chatter is then presented showing the noise intensity of London in 13 years, which worries the audience. An explosion then goes off causing loud screams, glass smashing and a loud alarm which then turns into non-diegetic noise as it zooms in on the women holding her own arm which then finally cuts to the title of the film.

Opening Of "The Mechanic"

The Mechanic

From this opening we can see wealth plays a key part through the use of the air craft and mansion. With wealth usually arouses completion and death causing the genre to be action/thriller. This genre is confirmed by the assassination of a wealthy man in the beginning by a well trained, high experienced killer. This already fits the stereotype of action/thriller movies.

Diegetic noise is present from the very start of the film which sets the scene creating realism for the viewers, for example the large steel doors opening and cars engines. With the absence of any music we are unable to sense the mood of the scene which makes us interested in what’s going to happen next. As an important character enters the scene South African non-dietetic music starts to play creating a sound motif. The use of this particular music suggests they are in a different country or the character is of a different origin.  As the business men are travelling through a poor area the same music continues to play the audience start to sense culture in the area. As he enters his mansion all music stops and its back to diegetic sound. At this moment the audience are unaware of what’s going to happen but as he starts to swim, suspense filled music plays indicating something is definitely going to happen. During the attack the music is at its highest tempo and accompanied by muffled screams causing excitement and drama. This music continues until the killer gets away. After we know he has had clean escape heroic music plays creating sense of victory.

Two main characters are introduced, the good guy and presumably one of the bad guys. The first one is a wealthy business man with a comrade of men who work solely for him and must obey him completely. He shows his wealth through his mode of transport and his house. The ‘good guy’ is introduced although he could be perceived as a bad guy as he just murdered someone but we are lead to believe that man’s death is acceptable. He fits the stereotype of an action man as he is muscular and tough and fits the stereotype of a hit man as he is ruthless with the murder, showed no emotion and knew exactly what he was doing through the use of his clever assassination which was made to look like an accident alongside his clean clam getaway showing he definitely has experience.


Use of camera is key as it manipulates you into feeling a certain way about a scene. The first shot we see is a long shot of very large doors opening setting the scene. The camera then swaps to a low angle shot from underneath the bonnet of expensive cars and a jet this symbolises mass importance of not only these possessions but more on the person who has the wealth to own them. We as the audience are now intrigued into who owns them and how he has made his fortune. A high angle shot of expensive black shiny cars travelling through a poor area immediately shows that they are more powerful. At this point this wealthy man has not been shown creating sense of unknown causing excitement. Then we get a close up of a man’s face, we known he is the rich man as he is watching his men abuse innocent people. The fact that we is just watching suggests that he is either too scared to do his own dirty work or he feels he is too important to fight with people of a lower class. At this point in the film the audience have their opinion of this man, that he is a bad person who has most likely made his millions unlawfully. The long shot of his house with high walls that hide it from being fully seen, is a metaphor for him and how that we can’t see all his personality and there are parts that are hidden. A high angle shot of him walking into his house showing off his chandelier and him drinking champagne furthers the idea of wealth. While swimming he is grabbed from underneath which then goes to his point of view shot showing no bodyguards in sight, showing that when he is alone he is vulnerable, weak and unable to protect himself. As we see the hit man for the first time the audience sees his muscular physique informing us he is the stereotypical action man. All the shots after his death are high angle to show he has lost all his power and statues now.

Favourite Film

Film

Remember Me (2010)

Remember Me is my all time favourite film for so many reasons. It has tragedy, love, happiness and heartache.

Director: Allen Coulter

Screen Play: Will Fetters

Main Cast:

·         Robert Pattinson (Best Actor - International Competition)

·        Emilie De Ravin

·        Pierce Brosnan

·        Ruby Jerins

·        Chris Cooper

And many more.

Remember Me was released 1^st March, 2010 and made an astounding $56,032,889 worldwide.

Plot: Remember Me is about two troubled university students, one whose Mother dies in front of her as a child, the other whose brother committed suicide due to their Father’s behaviour. These students meet and build a relationship, slowly falling in love. Roberts’s character cares for his little sister dearly, and despises the fact that their father doesn’t care for her like he should. As the movie progresses Robert’s relationship with his father builds very strong, only for a plot twist to occur at the end interpreting the 9/11 attack, causing immense drama within the story line.

To conclude, I like this film because it delivers a true representation of real life; there are no heroes or people destined to be together, just two people with their own problems who happen to find each other. But the story line is not focused solely on them, instead his relationship with his family.

Favourite Genre

Genre

 Action and Adventure

Explosions, fights, heroes! What’s not to love about this brilliant genre? Classics like “Indiana Jones” and “Mysterious Island” amazed audiences around the globe back in 1970’s, and this outstanding genre is still topping box offices and making millions with memorable movies like “Hunger Games” which made an astounding $155 million, alongside the Batman trilogy which has made history in the film industry, bringing pleasure to millions.

I appreciate and understand many people may find Action and Adventure genre too intense; they would rather enjoy a light hearted comedy with the family that has no lasting effect. But for me a light hearted comedy is not going to remain in my head and make me think about it afterwards, which a good film should. Action and Adventure will have me thinking about all the scenes causing me to contemplate if the characters had done something differently then how would things have turned out? This can go on for hours, even days after I have watched the film. I soon return back to the harsh reality where great things that happen in films don’t appear in real life.

When people hear that a film is Action and Adventure they may jump to the stereotypical view of it being violent with no story line. Poorly edited films like “You Don’t Mess With The Zohan” are responsible for this stereotype. Although hundreds of Action and Adventure films also interpret romance and comedy which appeals to almost everybody. A key example of this is “Hunger Games” and “Avengers Assemble”. To sum up, Action and Adventure genre simply has everything.

Finally, Action and Adventure brings the sense that the world is different, that heroes can exist and there are no sad endings in life, therefore the feeling it brings allows you to escape real life for a couple hours which is ultimately what I love so much about Action and Adventure.

Favourite Director

Lasse Hallström

Director

Lasse Hallström, a true unsung hero. He may not have the fame of other incredible directors like James Cameron and Steven Spielberg, but that doesn't mean his talent is of a lower standard. Mr Hallström’s best known masterpiece is the brilliant romance “Dear John” starring Hollywood sensation Channing Tatum, about a solider at war who is trying to balance his immense love for his summer sweetheart with his commitment to the Army, as well as the spin off story lines which keep your eyes glued to the screen for the whole beautifully crafted 90 minutes. We have Lasse Hallström to thank for this movie and for the feelings of warmth and heartache that comes along with it.

Lasse Hallström is a Swedish director whose career started around 1973 with TV series in Sweden but as his age increased so did his skill as he started making English films around 1990’s like Chocolat starring Johny Depp. He has continued making films to this day, including “The Hundred-Foot Journey” and “Safe Haven” which both have excellent 5 star ratings. It’s clear to see that Lasse Hallström is one of the world’s true geniuses.   

To conclude I feel that Lasse Hallström has gone slightly unrewarded as he has been nominated for over 25 awards yet only won 12, none being an Oscar or a BAFTA, that every director longs for at one stage of their career. A main reason for me greatly enjoying Mr Hallström’s work is I feel the way he delivers the idea of romance without any cheesy acting is extremely effective to the film. This is rare these days as directors don’t take so much effort in little detail; they have their eyes more fixed on the money that comes out of it at the end of the road.

Genre Conventions