The roots of the action genre can be traced right back to the birth of cinema; the silent era was filled with many examples of the earliest subgenre- 'Swashbucklers'. The term itself derives from olden day fighters who carried swords and a 'buckler', a type of small shield. They were often based on romantic costume novels and usually abided by the following formula;
- a heroic sword fighting character
- renaissance western Europe setting
- lavish costumes
- clear-cut morality
- a damsel in distress and a romantic element
- as film evolved, triumphant, thrilling music also became a prominent feature
The films of Douglas Fairbanks are considered to define the genre, and Errol Flynn was another pioneer that followed. Notable swashbuckler films include: The Mark of Zorro (1920), The Three Musketeers (1921), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1922) and The Scarlett Pimpernel (1934).
As technology progressed, so did the action genre; swords and shields became guns and gadgets, and in the 1962 James Bond burst on the scene, popularising the modern day action film for a new generation. Early American action films at this time tended to centre around the police force, such as; Bullit (1968), The French Connection (1971) and Dirty Harry (1971). This period of action film was characterised by quick cutting, car chases, fist fighting and more elaborate action sequences than had previously been seen. These techniques are therefore worth considering, if achievable, for our piece.
Despite its success, the action film genre didn’t become a dominant form in Hollywood till the 1980s, when it was made famous by big name stars like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson and Bruce Willis. 'Die Hard' in 1988 was a particularly influential on the development of the genre that followed that decade. Consequently, the new wave tends to require a big budget and include numerous explosions and complex stunt work. This could prove to be a problem with our limited budget but by paying attention to detail on other aspects (camerawork, editing, sound etc) i believe we can still be successful.
While action films have traditionally been aimed at male audiences, from the early teens to the mid-30s, many action filmmakers from the 1990s and 2000s added female heroines in response to the times, glorifying the strong female archetype. This is an indication of our trailer being contemporaneous, in the present day there is an open reception to the 'girls with guns' subgenre thanks to such films as 'Lara Croft' and 'Kill Bill'. It is encouraging to know we have a tried and tested formula and an established target audience. It is no longer incongruous to have a female lead.
Current trends include CGI, terrorism dystopia, intertextuality with the sci-fi and humour genres among others. Our idea outlines a 'sexy action' incorporating a possible romance narrative, i think this is a strong basis to work around because it reaches out beyond our assumed target audience- which is primarily men -and gives some appeal to women thanks to the suggestion of some kind of love story. The vulnerability of our character will make her easier to relate to but whilst sticking to other typical features of action and 'girls with guns', men will still be interested. In a way we are linking back to the early days of action before it became a male orientated genre.
Because of their expense, action films are often regarded as mostly a Hollywood genre, although a significant number have emerged from Hong Kong, these are mainly modern variations of martial arts films. Hollywood tends to indulge in expensive special effects whereas Hong Kong focuses on the quality of the fight scenes. Again, our budget may restrict us but with good editing and camera work we can improvise!
Monday 30 November 2009
Sunday 22 November 2009
Friday 20 November 2009
RESEARCH AND PLANNING; Why Is Having A Female Lead Controversial?
Why Is Having A Female Lead Controversial?
1) Men Can’t Identify With Female Leads
Men and women are different, it’s a point that is particularly relevant in this case. We often find ourselves attached and invested in film characters that we either identify with or aspire to be. For men, that’s a hard sell with female characters. Add to that the fact that the audience for the Action genre is predominately male.
2) Believability
A lot of men complain that “I’m sorry, but how can I get into a movie like this?” There is no way that stick figure can take me in a fight”. It is nonetheless at the root of why many men don’t buy into a female lead action film. “Movies aren’t always supposed to be about believability, quite often it’s supposed to be about the suspension of believability, but it wouldn’t change the fact that men have a hard time buying into a female character beating up a lot of male characters. Women in prison movies on the other hand are a totally different story.
3) We’re Brought Up In A Society That See’s Women For Their Sexuality And Intelligence In Film.
I think in the movies we’ve become conditioned to see female characters just in terms of their sexuality or their intelligence. Seeing female characters as tough or bad, ready and willing to beat you up at any moment is just outside of what we’re accustomed to seeing. At most we’re used to seeing women as the damsel in distress or as the love interest in action films, not participating in the Fight.
1) Men Can’t Identify With Female Leads
Men and women are different, it’s a point that is particularly relevant in this case. We often find ourselves attached and invested in film characters that we either identify with or aspire to be. For men, that’s a hard sell with female characters. Add to that the fact that the audience for the Action genre is predominately male.
2) Believability
A lot of men complain that “I’m sorry, but how can I get into a movie like this?” There is no way that stick figure can take me in a fight”. It is nonetheless at the root of why many men don’t buy into a female lead action film. “Movies aren’t always supposed to be about believability, quite often it’s supposed to be about the suspension of believability, but it wouldn’t change the fact that men have a hard time buying into a female character beating up a lot of male characters. Women in prison movies on the other hand are a totally different story.
3) We’re Brought Up In A Society That See’s Women For Their Sexuality And Intelligence In Film.
I think in the movies we’ve become conditioned to see female characters just in terms of their sexuality or their intelligence. Seeing female characters as tough or bad, ready and willing to beat you up at any moment is just outside of what we’re accustomed to seeing. At most we’re used to seeing women as the damsel in distress or as the love interest in action films, not participating in the Fight.
Planning: costume (shoes and blazer) Ideas for Lola
pLola's clothing is meant to be very business like with a hint of seduction. the clothing idea must therfore be convincing to viewers that she is a business woman and that she could potentilly be a killer.
Here are a few idea....
The blazer should be of a dark colour as it symbolises a womans power. It also looks very business like to a consumer. Also a black blazer can be matched with the majority of colours, meaning we can mix and match Lolas costume
For footwear, we think that long heal boots would be the best for Lola's clothing because the clapping of the heals on the floor can be seen
as sexy and seductive to men.
The shirt should be convinsing enough to be be seen as business like. We also think that the shirt should be of a red or white colour as that can represent blood to viewers but also be seen as a seductive colour to the eyes of male audience.
Here are a few idea....
The blazer should be of a dark colour as it symbolises a womans power. It also looks very business like to a consumer. Also a black blazer can be matched with the majority of colours, meaning we can mix and match Lolas costumeFor footwear, we think that long heal boots would be the best for Lola's clothing because the clapping of the heals on the floor can be seen
as sexy and seductive to men.
The shirt should be convinsing enough to be be seen as business like. We also think that the shirt should be of a red or white colour as that can represent blood to viewers but also be seen as a seductive colour to the eyes of male audience.
Wednesday 18 November 2009
The Long kiss Goodnight
http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDuma1M09B0
We chose this film trailer as one of the trailers we would evaluate because we believe it has the same genre and we can benefit by analysing the different conventions and style that they use. Especially as this film's main character is a female assassin and this is the character we want to give our female lead.
The first glimpse of a scene in this trailer is calm with gentle piano music. It is a close up of a lady (Geena Davis) and two young girls, that look like they could be her daughters, having a conversation. The conversation is short and humorous and sets a warm atmosphere. The next thing you here is a voiceover begin and it asks, 'what if you don't remember your first kiss?' This includes the audience straight away with the rhetorical question and makes reference to the film's name. More shots of the woman are seen that flow smoothly and slowly and are of her with vulnerable look facial expressions, this suggests to the audience that this is the main character. The fact that the trailer shows you the main character could suggest it is using this to draw the audience in because the actress is well known. We could use this style in our trailer by showing the main character straight away because the film includes a certain kind of sex appeal and may draw the audience (especially men) in straight away.
The mise en scene and setting carries on being calm and normal and gives no reason for the audience to think that the trailer could be a horror or action film. But then you see the woman cutting up vegetables, she gets faster and the excitement between her and her family grows, but then she throws a knife at the wall and the atmosphere immediately changes because the gentle music stops and her families faces turn to worried/scared expressions. There is then an extreme close up of an eye blinking and the shots turn to dark images and you see a flash of a knife which builds tension in the audience. This is followed by gunshots and a disturbing looking man turning up with a gun, showing the obvious change in atmosphere and building more tension.
Next a song in the background starts which isn't creepy and actually lightens the mood again. These changes in mood are effective and keep the audience on their toes and wanting to see more. This could be an important convention to include in our trailer and could make the trailer that bit more effective. The dialogue starts explaining the narrative further by telling the audience the woman has amnesia and used to be an assassin and her past is coming back to her. This tells the audience the story, hoping that they will be intrigued enough to want to watch the film, which is what we intend to do with our movie trailer.
Next you see a shot of the woman with a different haircut, its blonde, short and slicked back, making her look alot more hard edged and begins to make the audience think she is the bad guy rather the victim. This is followed by shots that back up this new appearance, such as a shot of her holding a scared looking man with a gun to his head and beating up a man and also taking shots at a bar. As the trailer goes on more characters are introduced but shots of one particular black guy (Samuel L Jackson) are repeated suggesting this character is important to the story as well. Also the shots of the man are usually humorous, showing the audience his personality as well as the main character's. You then see shots of her with her daughter which shows her nice side and makes the audience favour her again, this messing with the audience's emotions is likely to keep them interested. More intense music follows after a huge explosion and a montage of fast action filled shots are shown, ending the trailer on an intense high and leaving the audience wanting more. The trailer then ends with the voiceover saying the actors names and the name of the film.
The main factor I love in this trailer is the way the mood goes up and down, keeping the audience on edge, and I intend to include this kind of style in mine and my group's trailer.
We chose this film trailer as one of the trailers we would evaluate because we believe it has the same genre and we can benefit by analysing the different conventions and style that they use. Especially as this film's main character is a female assassin and this is the character we want to give our female lead.
The first glimpse of a scene in this trailer is calm with gentle piano music. It is a close up of a lady (Geena Davis) and two young girls, that look like they could be her daughters, having a conversation. The conversation is short and humorous and sets a warm atmosphere. The next thing you here is a voiceover begin and it asks, 'what if you don't remember your first kiss?' This includes the audience straight away with the rhetorical question and makes reference to the film's name. More shots of the woman are seen that flow smoothly and slowly and are of her with vulnerable look facial expressions, this suggests to the audience that this is the main character. The fact that the trailer shows you the main character could suggest it is using this to draw the audience in because the actress is well known. We could use this style in our trailer by showing the main character straight away because the film includes a certain kind of sex appeal and may draw the audience (especially men) in straight away.
The mise en scene and setting carries on being calm and normal and gives no reason for the audience to think that the trailer could be a horror or action film. But then you see the woman cutting up vegetables, she gets faster and the excitement between her and her family grows, but then she throws a knife at the wall and the atmosphere immediately changes because the gentle music stops and her families faces turn to worried/scared expressions. There is then an extreme close up of an eye blinking and the shots turn to dark images and you see a flash of a knife which builds tension in the audience. This is followed by gunshots and a disturbing looking man turning up with a gun, showing the obvious change in atmosphere and building more tension.
Next a song in the background starts which isn't creepy and actually lightens the mood again. These changes in mood are effective and keep the audience on their toes and wanting to see more. This could be an important convention to include in our trailer and could make the trailer that bit more effective. The dialogue starts explaining the narrative further by telling the audience the woman has amnesia and used to be an assassin and her past is coming back to her. This tells the audience the story, hoping that they will be intrigued enough to want to watch the film, which is what we intend to do with our movie trailer.
Next you see a shot of the woman with a different haircut, its blonde, short and slicked back, making her look alot more hard edged and begins to make the audience think she is the bad guy rather the victim. This is followed by shots that back up this new appearance, such as a shot of her holding a scared looking man with a gun to his head and beating up a man and also taking shots at a bar. As the trailer goes on more characters are introduced but shots of one particular black guy (Samuel L Jackson) are repeated suggesting this character is important to the story as well. Also the shots of the man are usually humorous, showing the audience his personality as well as the main character's. You then see shots of her with her daughter which shows her nice side and makes the audience favour her again, this messing with the audience's emotions is likely to keep them interested. More intense music follows after a huge explosion and a montage of fast action filled shots are shown, ending the trailer on an intense high and leaving the audience wanting more. The trailer then ends with the voiceover saying the actors names and the name of the film.
The main factor I love in this trailer is the way the mood goes up and down, keeping the audience on edge, and I intend to include this kind of style in mine and my group's trailer.
Monday 16 November 2009
Thursday 12 November 2009
Choosing the genre
Horror Genre
Pros
-Many shots are easy to complete and emphasize, this effective camerawork is vital in a horror, resulting in the trailer reaching its full horror potential.
-Multiple settings can be used, making it easy to find a place to film the trailer.
-Simple props can be used to produce a big impact.
-It is more simple to produce a tense, scary trailer because it is easy to produce fast paced editing to produce this type of trailer.
Cons
-Not challenging enough!
-Effective soundtrack may be hard to find without copyrighting.
-Costume and make up is usually complicated to produce the best effect which may be expensive.
Romance genre
Pros
-Amazing graphics, which are hard to produce, aren't vital in a romance.
-Romance storylines can be simple and easy to think up.
-Multiple shots can be used for effective camerawork.
Cons
-Reliant on acting and dialogue.
-Many extravagant settings may be needed to emphasize the relationship/romance in question.
-More than one actor will need to be involved, it may be hard for us to find characters who are all free at the same time.
Thriller/Action
Pros
-Fast paced editing is easy to produce and will emphasise the fast paced action/thriller movie effectively in the trailer.
-Everyday props and clothing can be used, resulting in the trailer being inexpensive to produce and becoming more realistic.
-There are many existing trailers of this genre to draw inspiration from.
-We believe the technical elements and body language would be more beneficial to the film and create more tension. Which is easier to produce effectively compared to a film reliant on dialogue.
Cons
-Props such as guns may be hard to get a hold of.
-Finding the right setting to produce highly powerful shots may be difficult.
As a group we have decided to create an action/thriller trailer because we found more pros than cons and believe it will be an exciting trailer to produce. We also came up with the most ideas and a storyline faster than we did when thinking of the other genres. Another reason we chose this genre was the help and inspiration we had from the many existing action/thriller trailers we have found which have helped us with the production and imagination process. We will display and evaluate these trailers on our blog in due course.
Pros
-Many shots are easy to complete and emphasize, this effective camerawork is vital in a horror, resulting in the trailer reaching its full horror potential.
-Multiple settings can be used, making it easy to find a place to film the trailer.
-Simple props can be used to produce a big impact.
-It is more simple to produce a tense, scary trailer because it is easy to produce fast paced editing to produce this type of trailer.
Cons
-Not challenging enough!
-Effective soundtrack may be hard to find without copyrighting.
-Costume and make up is usually complicated to produce the best effect which may be expensive.
Romance genre
Pros
-Amazing graphics, which are hard to produce, aren't vital in a romance.
-Romance storylines can be simple and easy to think up.
-Multiple shots can be used for effective camerawork.
Cons
-Reliant on acting and dialogue.
-Many extravagant settings may be needed to emphasize the relationship/romance in question.
-More than one actor will need to be involved, it may be hard for us to find characters who are all free at the same time.
Thriller/Action
Pros
-Fast paced editing is easy to produce and will emphasise the fast paced action/thriller movie effectively in the trailer.
-Everyday props and clothing can be used, resulting in the trailer being inexpensive to produce and becoming more realistic.
-There are many existing trailers of this genre to draw inspiration from.
-We believe the technical elements and body language would be more beneficial to the film and create more tension. Which is easier to produce effectively compared to a film reliant on dialogue.
Cons
-Props such as guns may be hard to get a hold of.
-Finding the right setting to produce highly powerful shots may be difficult.
As a group we have decided to create an action/thriller trailer because we found more pros than cons and believe it will be an exciting trailer to produce. We also came up with the most ideas and a storyline faster than we did when thinking of the other genres. Another reason we chose this genre was the help and inspiration we had from the many existing action/thriller trailers we have found which have helped us with the production and imagination process. We will display and evaluate these trailers on our blog in due course.
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