Planning:Initial Ideas on Choosing a Film Genre

In this post I will be carefully choosing the different types of genres and making sure I am going to pick the right one. Bearing in mind, I have very low experience, low budget and limited filmmaking ability to execute effectively. The genres have been described in the previous post, and here they are listed:

• Action
• Adventure
• Animation
• Biopic
• Comedy
• Crime
• Documentary
• Drama
• Fantasy
• Historical
• Horror
• Musical
• Romance
• Science Fiction
• Thriller
• War 
• Westerns

I had a lot of initial thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of creating an opening two minutes on the certain genre, here they are:

• Action - Would need to have a lot of fighting scenes, explosions, fast pacing etc to make it interesting for the audience. Can be done on a low budget but needs to look expensive to look successful. Would need a suitable storyline, location, and actors.
• Adventure - Links in with Action, can be done but storyline will need to be on a journey to accomplish something, may need a little but more investing in finance. 
• Animation - Expensive, time consuming, I do not contain high skills in animating, I am not sure if I could manage making rough Computer Generated Imagery(CGI) against live action, but to make a wholly animated film would take a lot more. Also at a low budget it wouldn't look very good anyway. Therefore making an animated opening two minutes wouldn't be a success.
• Biopic - I do not believe I have the practicality for this genre, as the requirement is to have a very specific storyline, and the locations and actors are also very specific, which, not only limits my creativity, but also is extremely high budget. The limits for this genre are very high, and therefore making an opening for this wouldnt work as well.
• Comedy - In order for it to be successful, it needs to be funny. If its not funny, it won't be successful. Its very risky and high humour would be needed to be involved. They can be made on a low budget, and technically they are easy, but it's just the small issue of having to make it funny that brings it down. Need an original idea on what do make.
• Crime - A mix of drama, action, and thriller. Could be done.
• Documentary - A documentary would be very easy to make; they could be about anything! I don't want to do a genre that is too easy, and isn't very interesting anyway. Documentaries limit your creativity more than any other genre, and I don't want that sort of limit. Would need to look at specific target audience and who would be interested in the documentary.
• Drama - Would not be focused on special effects, comedy or action. It is serious. Would involve intense character development and interaction, so actors need to be experienced enough so shots wouldn't have to be taken a numerous amount of times to save time.
• Fantasy - Expensive and requires a lot of editing.
• Historical - Expensive, a lot of equipment would need to be bought. Every tiny detail has to be in tune with the period in which the film is set, and that requires huge amounts of money! It also includes a lot of research into language, culture, clothing etc, and would take a lot more planning than the time available, this genre also limits creativity.
• Horror - They are very hard to make, and make well. Even in the professional film business horrors are hard to make very well, and very few of them receive critical acclaim. Horror films have to have a scare factor otherwise they are not successful, and when it comes to amateurs trying to scare an audience, the success rate is not very high. It would fall back far too heavily on cliches, and would lack a personal flourish to it, which is essential in being successful.
• Musical - I could make a musical, except for the fact that I have to write my own songs, perform them, record a backing track, and choreograph dance.
• Romance - I don't think I would be able to show enough filmmaking techniques, and I don't think it would stretch me enough. I cannot include kissing/sex scenes.
• Sci-fi - Science fiction is a very expensive genre. It requires a lot of sound effects and money, and although I can handle a small amount of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI), I don't think I could handle a full on science fiction film. I don't want our film to look cheap, and I think that by doing science fiction it would look very cheap.
• Thriller - Linking into Action, it can be low budget but needs to look expensive to be successful. Films from this genre are high budgeted. Would need a suitable storyline, location, and actors. 
• War - Would need a lot of editing, a lot of space to film and would be expensive.
• Western - I have no knowledge or ever seen a Western film, would be expensive and not willing to do it.

So, in my initial thoughts I have eliminated most of the genres from my list, which are: adventure, animation, biopic, documentary, drama, fantasy, historical, horror, musical, romance, sci-fi, war and western . The ones that I have chosen to go into deeper thoughts of doing are: Action, comedy, crime, and thriller.

Planning:Film Genres' Descriptions

In this Post I will be describing the different film genres I could pick to do the opening two minutes on.

A lot of genres cannot be done well on a low budget, and some require a very experienced and refined filmmaking ability to be able to execute effectively. The obvious film genres are:

• Action - An action story is similar to Adventure, but the protagonist usually takes a risky turn, which leads to desperate situations (including explosions, fight scenes, daring escapes, etc.) E.G. Die Hard, The Dark Knight Rises.
• Adventure - An adventure story is about a protagonist who journeys to epic or distant places to accomplish something. It can have many other genre elements included within it, because it is a very open genre. The protagonist has a mission and faces obstacles to get to his destination, searching for lost continents, "jungle" and "desert" epics, treasure hunts, disaster films, or searches for the unknown. E.G. Indiana Jones.
• Animation - ones in which individual drawings, paintings, or illustrations are photographed frame by frame (stop-frame cinematography). Usually, each frame differs slightly from the one preceding it, giving the illusion of movement when frames are projected in rapid succession at 24 frames per second. E.G Toy Story, Up, Shrek.
• Biopic - dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character’s real name is used. They differ from films "based on a true story" or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their lives. E.G. the Social Network.
• Comedy - Comedies are light-hearted plots consistently and deliberately designed to amuse and provoke laughter (with one-liners, jokes, etc.) by exaggerating the situation, the language, action, relationships and characters. This section describes various forms of comedy through cinematic history, including slapstick, screwball, spoofs and parodies, romantic comedies, black comedy and more. E.G The Hangover.
• Crime - developed around the sinister actions of criminals or mobsters, particularly bank robbers, underworld figures, or ruthless hoodlums who operate outside the law, stealing and murdering their way through life. Criminal and gangster films are often categorized as film noir or detective-mystery films - because of underlying similarities between these cinematic forms. This category includes a description of various 'serial killer' films.
• Documentary - are non-fictional, "slice of life" factual works of art - and sometimes known as cinema verite. For many years, as films became more narrative-based, documentaries branched out and took many forms since their early beginnings - some of which have been termed propagandistic or non-objective. E.G March of the Penguins.
• Drama - Dramas are serious, plot-driven presentations, portraying realistic characters, settings, life situations, and stories involving intense character development and interaction. Usually, they are not focused on special-effects; comedy, or action, Dramatic films are probably the largest film genre, with many subsets. E.G The King's Speech.
• Fantasy - A fantasy story is about magic or supernatural forces, rather than technology, though it often is made to include elements of other genres, such as science fiction elements, for instance computers or DNA, if it happens to take place in a modern or future era. E.G. Ghostbusters, Marvel's The Avengers.
• Historical - costume dramas, historical dramas, war films, medieval romps, or 'period pictures' that often cover a large expanse of time set against a vast, panoramic backdrop. Often share elements of the elaborate adventure films genre. Epics take an historical or imagined event, mythic, legendary, or heroic figure, and add an extravagant setting and lavish costumes, accompanied by grandeur and spectacle, dramatic scope, high production values, and a sweeping musical score. Epics are often a more spectacular, lavish version of a biopic film. Some 'sword and sandal' films (Biblical epics or films occurring during antiquity) qualify as a sub-genre.
• Horror - Horror films are designed to frighten and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while fascinating and entertaining us at the same time in an energizing experience. They are often combined with science fiction when the menace or monster is related to a corruption of technology, or when Earth is threatened by aliens. The fantasy and supernatural film genres are not usually synonymous with the horror genre. There are many sub-genres of horror: slasher, teen terror, serial killers, Satanic, Dracula, Frankenstein, etc. E.G. Scream.
• Musical - Musical/dance films are cinematic forms that emphasize full-scale scores or song and dance routines in a significant way (usually with a musical or dance performance integrated as part of the film narrative), or they are films that are centred on combinations of music, dance, song or choreography. Major subgenres include the musical comedy or the concert film. E.G Grease.
• Romance - Traditionally, a romance story involves chivalry and adventure. In modern writing, a story about character's relationships, or engagements (a story about character development and interpersonal relationships rather than adventures). It has produced a wide array of sub genres  the majority of which feature the mutual attraction and love of a man and a woman as the main plot, and have a happy ending. This genre, much like fantasy fiction, is broad enough in definition that it is easily and commonly seen combined with other genres, such as comedy, fantasy fiction, realistic fiction, or action-adventure. E.G The Notebook.
• Science Fiction - Sci-fi films are often quasi-scientific, visionary and imaginative - complete with heroes, aliens, distant planets, impossible quests, improbable settings, fantastic places, great dark and shadowy villains, futuristic technology, unknown and unknowable forces, and extraordinary monsters ('things or creatures from space'), either created by mad scientists or by nuclear havoc. They are sometimes an offshoot of fantasy films (or superhero films), or they share some similarities with action/adventure films. Science fiction often expresses the potential of technology to destroy humankind and easily overlaps with horror films, particularly when technology or alien life forms become malevolent. E.G. Back to the Future.
• Thriller - uses suspense, tension and excitement as its main elements. Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewer's moods, giving them a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and/or terror. Films of this genre tend to be adrenaline-rushing, gritty, rousing and fast-paced. A thriller provides the sudden rush of emotions, excitement, and exhilaration that drive the narrative, sometimes subtly with peaks and lulls, sometimes at a constant, breakneck pace. It keeps the audience on the "edge of their seats", akin to a sensation of hanging from a cliff, as the plot builds towards a climax. Literary devices such as red herrings, plot twists and cliffhangers are used extensively. A thriller is usually a villain-driven plot, whereby he or she presents obstacles that the protagonist must overcome. Common sub genres are psychological thrillers, crime thrillers, erotic thrillers and mystery thrillers.
• War - War (and anti-war) films acknowledge the horror and heartbreak of war, letting the actual combat fighting (against nations or humankind) on land, sea, or in the air provide the primary plot or background for the action of the film. War films are often paired with other genres, such as action, adventure, drama, romance, comedy (black), suspense, and even epics and westerns, and they often take a denunciatory approach toward warfare. They may include tales, stories of military operations, and training. E.G Saving Private Ryan.
• Westerns - Westerns are the major defining genre of the American film industry - a eulogy to the early days of the expansive American frontier. They are one of the oldest, most enduring genres with very recognizable plots, elements, and characters (six-guns, horses, dusty towns and trails, cowboys, Indians, etc.). Over time, westerns have been re-defined, re-invented and expanded, dismissed, rediscovered  and spoofed. E.G Unforgiven.

Research:Film Classifications - '18' Certificate

18 rated films are the highest rated films on general theatrical release. There is also 18R, but these films are not shown as widely, and are reserved for sex shops and specialised theatres. 18 rated films can go extremely far in regard to violence, sex, language etc, and the boundaries are continually being stretched. Twenty years ago, what is now rated an 18 would have been banned, showing the development of the film industry and the acceptance of some topics being shown on film. 18 rated films are not always pointless sex, violence and swearing, but a lot of 18's have actually won Best Picture Awards, such as American Beauty in 1999. Due to it being the highest film rating, there is a very wide range of what is shown in an 18 film. Some are reasonably mild and only show the odd bit of violence, but others are completely crazy, and go all out in every aspect. Films such as 'Saw' turn film away from an art form, and simply turn it into what is known as 'torture porn', and I personally do not think that these films are needed, as they degrade the art form. The trouble with 18's is that it reduces the audience, and stops the teenage audience going to see the film. Teenagers make up a big part of the film's earnings and without them; the film would lose out on a lot of money.

Consumer Advice

Only adults are admitted. Nobody younger than 18 can rent or buy an 18-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game, or watch a film in the cinema with this rating. Films under this category do not have limitation on the bad language that is used. Hard drugs are generally allowed, and explicit sex references along with detailed sexual activity are also allowed. Scenes of strong real sex may be permitted if justified by the context. Very strong, gory, and/or sadistic violence is usually permitted. Strong sexual violence is permitted unless it is eroticised or excessively graphic.

Examples

Django Unchained

Evil Dead

Research:Film Classification - '15' Certificate

If a film is rated 15, it means that no one over the age of 15 is allowed to view it. These films can include swearing, more sexually explicit scenes etc. They tend to be taken more seriously than the lower classifications, as they are primarily aimed at an adult audience. A lot of films that are aiming for the teenage audience cut out a lot of their violence in order to appeal to a wider audience. Many films cut out many seconds of violence in order to stick with its target audience and to allow teenagers to watch it. Consumer Advice

Only those over 15 years are admitted. Nobody younger than 15 can rent or buy a 15-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game, or watch a film in the cinema with this rating. Films under this category can contain adult themes, hard drugs, frequent strong language and limited use of very strong language, strong violence and strong sex references, and nudity without graphic detail. Sexual activity may be portrayed but without any strong detail. Sexual violence may be shown if discreet and justified by context.

Examples

The heat

Mama

Research:Film Classification - '12' Certificate

12A

12 rated films mean that the audience has to be over 12 to be able to watch it, or they can be accompanied by an adult. These films are a step up from 'PG's' as they can include blood and they are allowed mild swearing. These are the borderline of adult films, as they are the start of getting into more serious topics.

Consumer Advice

Cinema only. Introduced in 2002. Films under this category are considered to be unsuitable for very young people. Those aged under 12 years are only admitted if accompanied by an adult, aged at least 18 years, at all times during the motion picture. However, it is generally not recommended that children under 12 years should watch the film. Films under this category can contain mature themes, discrimination, soft drugs, infrequent strong language and moderate violence, sex references and nudity. Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Sexual violence may be implied or briefly indicated.

Examples

Red 2

Iron Man 3

Pacific Rim

12

Consumer Advice

Home media only since 2002. 12A-rated films are usually given a 12 certificate for the VHS/DVD version unless extra material has been added that requires a higher rating. Nobody younger than 12 can rent or buy a 12-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game. The content guidelines are identical to those used for the 12A certificate.

Examples

Les Miserables

Research:Film Classification - 'PG' Certificate

'PG' stands for parental guidance, meaning that people under the age of 12 should not watch it without the permission of their parent/guardian. PG films are a step up from U films in the sense that they can subtly reference drugs and sense and nudity is allowed. PG's are still aimed at a young audience. 

Consumer Advice

All ages admitted, but certain scenes may be unsuitable for young children. May contain mild language and sex/drugs references. May contain moderate violence if justified by context (e.g. fantasy).

Examples

Wreck it Ralph

The Sapphires

Research:Film Classification - 'U' Certificate

When a new film is released, it undergoes a process known as film classification; this gives the audiences an idea of the sort of audience that is recommended for the film. In Britain, films are classified by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). In the following series of posts I will go through each of the ratings and talk about what makes a film that rating, and what sort of audience it would attract.

This is the lowest film classification; it stands for 'Universal' - a universal audience. This means that anyone can watch it, however they tend to be aimed for a very young audience. A lot of U rated films are animations and almost all of them are aimed at children.This film classification is very much for family films.

Consumer Advice

All ages admitted, there is nothing unsuitable for children.

Examples

Turbo

The Smurfs 2

Preliminary Task Evaluation and Cinematography

Cinematography

Our preliminary task video was generally quite good if you consider the different aspects of our video.
Firstly, Toby’s use of camerawork was very steady while holding a shot/s with all the types of shots that were constructed in the video. So in terms of holding a shot steady, we did well.
In terms of camera angles, we aimed to use a few shots such as:

• Panning - the camera horizontally so that it sweeps around the scene.
• Over the shoulder - a shot of someone or something taken from the perspective or camera angle from the shoulder of another person. The back of the shoulder and head of this person is used to frame the image of whomever the camera is pointing toward. This type of shot is very common when two characters are having a discussion and will usually follow an establishing shot which helps the audience place the characters in their setting. It is an example of a camera angle.
• Two shot - the frame encompasses a view of two people.
• Match on action - simple but essential technique, where the perspective of the camera changes during a scene and the scene continues to flow.
• 180 degree rule - basic guideline regarding the on-screen spatial relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene. An imaginary line called the axis connects the characters and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for every shot in the scene, the first character will always be frame right of the second character, who is then always frame left of the first. If the camera passes over the axis, it is called jumping the line or crossing the line.
• Zooming shot - A shot in which the magnification of the objects by the camera's lenses is increased (zoom in) or decreased (zoom out/back).
• Medium Shot - a camera angle shot from a medium distance. The dividing line between "long shot" and "medium shot" is fuzzy, as is the line between "medium shot" and "close-up". In some standard texts and professional references, a full-length view of a human subject is called a medium shot; in this terminology, a shot of the person from the knees up or the waist up is a close-up shot.
• Close Up - tightly frames a person or an object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium shots and long shots (cinematic techniques). Close-ups display the most detail, but they do not include the broader scene. Moving in to a close-up or away from a close-up is a common type of zooming.
• Shot reverse shot - a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other.In terms of shot-reverse shot, we received good feedback from other students as some mentioned the fact that the use of shot-reverse-shot was effective for when Liam and Richard where sitting around the table face-to-face. They also thought that we had good use of shot-reverse shot in the video as a whole, so this was a strong positive factor of our video which was good.

With this very varied range of shots we were able to really experiment with different methods of storytelling, and I think they are one of the main reasons for our films success! Film is a visual medium, and so these visuals should be used to their highest potential through different camera angles.

The use of camera angles in our preliminary task video was overall seen as good.

Also, based on then editing used in the video, we recieved fairly decent comments. Some of the comments involved the good length of shots, good range of shots like close-ups, the right pace of editing etc One slight problem of the editing was the dialogue.The reason why this was a slight problem is because the sound of the dialogue was quite quiet which was the only real downside to the editing of the video.

The objectives of our task were to catch the audience's attention. To entertain them and to make them feel interested in the video.

There were only a few 'named' shots that we did not include, because of practicality or just not finding a use for them:

• Dutch Tilt

• Aerial Shot

The Dutch tilt is more commonly associated with horror films, so was a completely inappropriate shot to use for our film. The aerial shot is hugely impractical seeming as we do not have access to much height, however the opening establishing shots could be argued to be 'aerial'.

Evaluation
This task has taught me a great deal; not only about working in a group (and those constraints) but also about technical problems that can unexpectedly arise during filming. The filming process took longer than I expected due to a few issues with the camera. I think our preliminary task clearly demonstrated match on action (when the main character walked through the door), shot reverse shot (during the conversation), and the 180 degree rule.

The first problem that occurred was the choice of our actors: it took enough time to film a standard amount of footage as they didn’t take it very seriously; this resulted in a lot of wasted time combined with poor quality footage. The next problem that surfaced was that the footage hadn’t recorded properly as the camera wasn’t set up to record on to the memory card.

Our group did not have any organisation or planning, as we weren't able to decide on the storyline, as well as the different types of shots and angles before we started filming; this could of saved a lot of time. I am glad that the technical problems with the camera happened during the preliminary task and not the final task, as this taught me to always check that the camera is set up correctly and is recording on to the memory card – so we will not make the same mistake again. I also learnt that test filming is very useful as the lighting of a shot can appear very different on a full screen as opposed to a camera screen; its normally much darker than you actually think it is.

I am glad that I worked with the group that I worked with, as it taught me to choose who I work with carefully as I don’t want to end up doing all of the work. Luckily there was one member of my group that I worked really well with; we contributed our ideas, worked hard, explored creative editing and filming techniques and committed our free time to finishing the film. So I now know that I work best in a pair as we can share out equal amounts of work, I also know who I am going to work with to create the final film – we already have many ideas and have past experience with working with each other so we will definitely make a good team.

Overall I believe we done fairly good in our preliminary task as we all worked hard on different aspects and put them together rather well. We came across quite a few problems whilst filming but we overcame them and managed to finish filming. We could have improved our time management by finishing filming earlier but as we didn't have a room, we were still being productive by editing the bits we had filmed and comparing angles as we filmed some scenes a number of times at different angles to find the most suitable. To conclude, I believe our preliminary task was a success. The biggest problem for us was when we went against the 180 degree rule and this tells me how such a small factor can make people confused.

Self Assessment of Adobe software and camera equipment - Practise Run

What are you doing?

This video shows our practice run of using the camera equipment, we got to know how the camera works. 

The following, I have listed some strengths, weaknesses, and targets for the next video we make as an evaluation:

Strengths

• I found the camera equipment relatively easy to use.
• Understanding of the camera usage(buttons etc.) .
• Interesting 23 seconds of footage.
• Good use of film title at the end, audience will more likely to remember it.

Weaknesses

• The  microphone seemed very quiet and it was difficult to film with it because we had to do close up shots in order to hear the person speaking.
• No Storyline - Random shots.
• Camera does not catch the best picture, so the person who was holding it needed to be very steady.
• Actors are not fully in role(at the end).

Targets

• Use a wider variety of shots.
• Plan a storyboard before filming - to have a rough idea of what we are going to do.
• Steady hands for the camera person.
• Take a number of takes if needed to make sure actors have been in role.

Codes and Conventions of a Comedy genre

Codes and Conventions of a Comedy genre

The comedy film genre belongs to the groups of films that evoke laughter/humour from the audience. 'Comedy' is the most important category in cinema, present in every national film culture and dominant in many. But much of the time comedy is enjoyed by audiences as an element across many films rather than as a distinct genre. 

Comedy films fall into two main sub-groupings: a) the comedian-led film, structured through gags and sketches; and b) the comedy situation film with a more coherent narrative. These two groups can sometimes overlap and indeed the 'pure' comedy film of any kind is a fairly rare animal. Most so-called comedy films are in reality hybrids, 'comedy hyphenates' such as comedy-horror, comedy-thriller, comedy-musical etc. 

In contemporary cinema, critics and theorists have been mostly concerned with defining specific hybrids, which draw on the broader repertoire of 'comedy elements' in easily recognizable ways: 

• 'Teen comedy' - often set in high school and involving adolescent sexual adventure and conflicts with authority
• 'Romantic comedy' - a popular hybrid, targeted at women and couples, especially in the 25-35 age group 
• 'Social comedy' - 'situational comedies' drawing on class conflict and social realism, a feature of British cinema 
• 'Gross-out comedy' - a currently successful cycle which may involve any of the above, but pushed more towards outrageous gags.

Theoretical work has focused on particular forms such as 'screwball comedy', the first great cycle of which appeared in the 1930s and 1940s with performers such as Carole Lombard, Barbara Stanwyck and Katherine Hepburn. The subversive nature of this cycle and its structural similarity to horror are just two of its critical attractions. 

In a comedy film, audiences respond to two different comedic elements: 

• The Gag - visual, aural, verbal jokes, carefully timed and delivered for maximum impact; 

• Comic situation - 'narrative comedy' in which it is the developing relationships between characters and the social environment that causes us to laugh. 

These two elements make a volatile combination since the performance of gags is often highly disruptive of the progression of the narrative. In most comedy films there is a tension between the gag and the narrative situation and between the comedian and the comic actor. 

The pedagogic problem with comedy seems to be that it is very difficult to pin down. As well as the tension between the gag and the narrative, there is a further set of categorizations which refer to the purposes of comedy and, linked to this, the status of the comedy form.

Here are four distinct types: 

Slapstick is 'visual and vulgar'. It is in one sense primitive and universal, relying on our almost instinctive reaction to characters assailed by danger, pain etc. At the same time it requires great timing and all round performance skills. And in the form of the traditional cinema cartoon it can become a highly sophisticated exploration of human behaviour (think Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote). 

Observational comedy is gentler and more subtle and presents everyday life as quirky with unusual behaviour in a realist context. Parody mocks existing forms, requiring audiences to have specific knowledge of media texts, although in its current incarnation as the 'spoof', this knowledge could be limited to what is available on mainstream television. 

Satire is comedy used to make political and social commentary. This requires analysis of the whole social context, implying an educated audience. These different types can be mixed together. (Monty Python's Life of Brian arguably displays elements of all the types.) 

Codes and Conventions of Comedy:

1. Film Language 

The secret of comedy is timing and performance. A person could analyse routines, gags etc. and see how they are used within a narrative feature. It would be interesting to compare a visual gag with a classic suspense sequence. Both involve a careful playoff between what we know as the audience and the awareness displayed by the character. Our pleasure comes from the gleeful anticipation of the humiliation of the comic character or our fear for the hero. 

2.Representation

Possibly the most productive approach, analysis of character 'types' and situations should open up comedy films for student analysis. Comedy, like drama, depends on conflicts, in particular between weak and strong characters. Much comedy arises from the success of the weak in deflating the powerful. On the other hand, comedy is also a weapon against fear of the unknown or 'the Other', so that the basis for comedy becomes racism, sexism etc. 

3.Audience

The advantage of comedy to producers is that it appeals across all audience groups. However, there are distinct differences in audiences for certain types of comedy. In the UK these are often class differences and age differences. The distinctions were particularly strong in earlier periods when genre production was still possible in British Cinema - e.g. the 1950s with Norman Wisdom (working class) v. the Doctor series (middle class). 

4. Institutions 

Comedy films may be quite good for studying institution. Historically, various cycles of films can be traced back to their origins in other forms such as music hall, radio and television and in the last twenty years, from club 'stand-up'.

Action Poster Analysis - Superman:Man of Steel and Skyfall(James Bond 007)

Superman: Man of Steel

This is the most recent Man of Steel poster. As we see from this poster, it draws the audience in as it is vibrant and eye catching. This is a huge selling point for people to come see the film. Firstly, we see from the poster a blurred background off the city. This promotes the fact that Superman (Henry Cavil) is 'flying' at an immense speed. This portrays superman’s powers, being able to fly at very high speeds. This is very common in superhero films. We next see the superman logo twice in this poster, once on the front of superman’s costume and then again in a more animated and complex style behind the Man of Steel title. This promotes that it is a superhero film; also that everyone knows the superman logo. It also helps people analyse that it is superman, just because of the movie title not including the words 'Superman'. This all represents the film as being an action/Sci-fi film. We see a slight light on the top left of the poster, this could being the sun just to represent superman’s powers of being able to fly or it could interpretive an alien invasion, which does happen later on in the film.

The title 'Man of Steel' is in a dark blend of silver and black, with a flare above the 'Sin Steel, this makes the title stand out and slightly eye catching, meaning that it will attract the target audience. The use of facial expression of superman infers that he’s serious and determined to save people which could be what the film poster wants the audience to infer and see which is what action films want to get across to the audience. The use of mise-en-scene the clothing of superman infers that he is superman as he is wearing a superman costume. The location of the film poster is a busy city this infers that there shall be crime which is what’s included in a horror genre film within the film industry.

The Unique Selling Points - The USP of the film shows that superman is the protagonist, where everything is about him/what the story is based on. The title Man of Steel has a unique selling point as this can portray Superman as being made from steel. This portrays Superman that he is 'invincible' and that he can defeat anything that’s in his way. The famous colours of Blue and Red on his costume is also a unique selling point as you know straight away that its Superman, this brings in the target audience, of comic book fanatics to people who love watching action films.

Skyfall(James Bond 007)

We first see a few iconic images in this poster, firstly, James Bond (Daniel Craig, who is a very successful actor and has been in many other top rated films) holding a gun, whilst in a tuxedo, this shows that he's sophisticated, but mysterious and dangerous. We also see the Aston Martin, this portrays about being British, as in every Bond film, the agent's car is always an Aston Martin, but it does portray being British as this car is made in Britain. We also see in the background one of London's iconic buildings which is 'Big Ben' on the Houses of Parliament, this also portrays being British, this iconic landmark also portrays the films background of being British.

The shot type being used is a long shot; this gives the effect of getting all of the background and not just the character. This means that with this shot, we can not only just see the main character which is James Bond but it shows that the background has more of role in the film as it shows that it’s the landmark of which the film is set.

The colour of the poster is in a silver/ Black and white setting to it. This could portray the past of James Bond, meaning that all the other posters of James Bond are in colour. The colour of the poster could also link in with the Aston Martin car, meaning that the number plate and the car is also old fashioned, this means that this could be Bond's first mission being James Bond. The only part of the poster that has colour is the 007 with the gun, which is in gold. The 007 with the gun is a selling point as it is the only part of the poster in a different colour, this could be that it wants to attract the audience as they want the audience to know that it is a bond film. The gold shows higher class as gold is a wealthy colour. The 007 with the gun blended into the 7 portrays that it is an action film bringing out the reason of being dangerous.

The font of the title is very bland but unique, meaning that it is just a basic font but it stands out like all the rest of the poster, as it being in a silvery colour, it blends in well with the poster.

The Unique selling points of this film as it uses a few iconic images and uses a high rated actor, being Daniel Craig, who has starred in other films such as The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and other James Bond films. Bringing in a British actor portrays that this is a British film. Another selling point is the 007 sign, this being showing the link between James Bond, if other people don’t know who he is, also it is his agent sign, that everybody knows who 007 is. We also see that Daniel Craig (James Bond) is holding a gun, but not pointing it at anything. This means that without thinking, we see that this film is going to be an action film, meaning that there will be faced paced action and danger. Also the Aston Martin links in as in every bond film; he has an Aston Martin, linking in with the Bond Franchise, bringing in a bigger target audience. Another point is the iconic London landmark Big Ben this being that it is well known around Britain and the world, as loads of people want to see this landmark.

Comparison

Both posters, made for action films, aimed at similar audience have you very valid points in the posters. The film titles in both posters stand out, in front of a strong image that the movie is linked into. Both posters include:

•   Main actor(s) name
•   Background images
•   Image of star or an iconic image from the film (point of focus)
•   Title of film
•   Tagline
•    BBFC certificate
•    Billing block

Codes & Conventions and Cliches of a Horror genre

Codes and Conventions of a Horror genre:

·         Split into sub genres, often hybridised

·         Primary target audience – male, 16-24, Mainstreamers

·         15 or 18 Certification (promises of pleasure) – debates on passive consumption

·         Uses and Gratifications (active audiences) theory can apply

·         Extensive use of Narrative enigmas

·         Exploration of Narrative Themes

·         Slow pace of Editing, builds tension. Long takes

·         Three act narrative structure

·         Predictable narrative content (follows format)

·         Clear binary oppositions e.g. good v evil

·         Use of low key lighting

·         Use of CGI, FX

·         High production values but many low budget horror films

·         Dominant, hegemonic representation of gender: The Female Victim

·         Extensive use of close up

·         Incidental non-diegetic sound

·         Distorted diegetic sound

·         Extensive use of narrative off-screen space

·         Young/teenage characters

·         Use of hand-held camera: audience identification/realism

·         Point of view shots

·         Low angle shots

The Cliches:

The Protagonist:

·        Teenagers - mainly girls.

·        Daredevils/ rebels.

·        stupid.

·        College dropouts.

·        Even more stupid boyfriends.

·        Blonde.

·        Screams.

The Antagonist:

·        Ghosts

·        Zombies

·        Creepy children

The Story:

·        Unresponsive bodies.

·        Haunted houses.

·        Haunted graveyards.

·        Haunted towns.

·        Haunted hotels with equally creepy workers.

·        Shower murders

·        Creaky doors.

·        Creaky stairs.

·        Creaky rocking chairs

·        Dolls.

·        Pictures with blurry faces.

·        People coming out of pictures or TV's.

·        Creepy, suspenseful music.

·        Chainsaws

·        Knives