Action films

Themes and Ideas 

      Themes for Action films would be masculinity as most characters seen as the hero and villain are male figures. Blood will also be a theme as a part of war between two characters or alliances. This could be because of themes such as involving the government. Action film is a film genre in which one or more heroes are thrust into a series of challenges that typically include physical feats, extended fight scenes, violence, and frantic chases. Action films tend to feature a resourceful character struggling against incredible odds, which include life-threatening situations, a villain, or a pursuit which generally concludes in victory for the hero.

Timeline of action films

      During the 1920s and 1930s, action films were seen as mostly western films or with wielded swords.

            The 1940s and 1950s, action films became more about war and cowboy movies and in the 1960s the Bond films became increasingly popular and the world was introduced to a new much more modern day version of action films.
      
      During the 1970s the bond films faced much competition from detective and crime dramas; the 1980s were seen as the golden era of action films and it was made popular by actors such as Al Pacino, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
           
      During the 1990s and 2000s, action films went to new heights as films makers were able to use higher quality technology. Elements of the 70s and 80s were used during this era through the Batman, Star wars, Star trek and the expendables films. Through this many prequels were used for the popular films that were made during the “Action era”.

Fast and Furious 6 Directed by Justin Lin, 2013

•During the opening scene, Dominick and Brian are racing in Canary Islands, Spain.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U2IRa47L2Q

•The use of genre conventions of action films are the cars that are used as Dom and Brian race through the Canary Islands in the opening scene.

•Both Dom and Brian are seen as very rough characters. During the race scene, it is filled with close ups if Brian and Dom to show the intensity and emotions. Using close ups helps distinguish the two characters and shows how Dom is more laid back than Brian is. The crops used in the opening scenes are the two cars. The car Dom is driving is an American muscle which is vintage and helps show the rough and tuff but laid back style he has; Brian is driving a sports car which shows that he is all about the speed and being more modern with his style. They have edited the cars in the film to make them look clean during the race but dirty in a way at the same time.  Also the sound in the opening, the volume is very high to help attract the audience and make their hearts beat faster. This helps show the dangerousness that these street racers are enduring in the opening scene.

•The different cars helps attract the audience as the cars can represent two different types of generation and culture. One is more classical and mature whereas the other is more modern and rude.

Inception directed by Christopher Nolan, 2010

•There is a loud sound over and over again and then it’s suddenly silent. It cuts to a slow motion shot of the waves of the ocean, then it shows Cobb lying face down on a beach. He looks up and sees his kids playing in the sand. A security guard with a rifle walks up to him and uses it to lift up the back of his jacket, revealing Cobb's handgun. He yells something in Japanese to someone off-screen. 

•A genre convention in the opening of inception is Cobb’s handgun. This help show the intent that Cobb has of defending himself and killing someone likely to be his enemy. Him yelling something in Japanese lets the audience know that there is something dearly wrong as his weapon has been exposed.

•Cobb is the main protagonist of the film. He is well known is the black market because of his levels of expertise in the field of extraction which consists of stealing his mark’s ideas by infiltrating their dreams and stealing valuable information from them. He also can never return home as his wife Mal in a death letter she filed with their attorney and is a wanted fugitive. Inception starts with an extreme close up on Cobb’s face as he washes up ashore on a beach looking very confused and tired. This helps confuse the audience into thinking what is happening as it creates many questions upon the audience and helps them to engage into the film as to how he got there and what has happened to him. Through Mise en scene, make up is used on Leonardo Di Caprio’s face which makes his face stand out more as he looks like he has been through a war which gets the audience wondering hat really happened. Editing was used with the sound to make the waves seem more realistic with the sound. 

•The opening scene helps attract the audience as they begin to ask many question about how Cobb ended up at the beach looking so beaten up as this gets the audience so lost in the film. This ends up making the audience want t find out what's going to happen next to the character.

Film Noir

Themes and ideas

Film noir is a classical period of Hollywood films which was extended from early 1940s to late 1950s and is usually associated with black and white visual style. There were a wide range of films with the themes of tension and insecurity because of the time period. Themes would be such as men in suits, Tommy guns, Mafias, Rolls Royce cars and Cigars. We would later develop our ideas into making a film noir as it would be better suited with the themes that we were associating and that themes of action films would still be used which would mean the combining of both genres.

Timeline of Film Noir

The 1940s and 1950s are seen mostly as the classical periods of American film noir and the golden years for these films. Although crime dramas such as Fury (1936) and you only live once (1937) which were directed by Fritz Lang are both seen as Film Noir even though it is outside the time frame of when film noirs took off. Although the film that is most commonly seen as the first true film noir is Stranger of the third floor (1940). Most film noirs made in the classical period were very low budgeted without any major stars. Before the notion was widely adopted in the 1970s, the classic film noirs were referred to as melodramas. Orson Welles’s Touch of evil (1958) is cited as the last noir of the classic period.

Casino Royale directed by Martin Campbell, 2006

•The film starts with an establishing shot of Prague. There is a wide shot of the building and is angled at an irregular tinted angle which makes the building look more sinister. The shadows also across the building uses the noir aspects of shadows and makes it look more frightening. This all adds to the mystery of the building leading into the darkness of the noir genre. Soon we are inside a building and his opponent is introduced outside an office block. A low angle camera shot shows him taking the lift as it follows him walking across the corridor as he enters a large office.

•Genre conventions is used throughout the opening sequence as it is all filmed in black and white which adds to the sinister atmosphere. The opening is in a completely different style to the rest of the film adopting conventions of the film noir. Also the deserted night time urban location which adds to the eerie and tense atmosphere created within the shot. Dryden, who is seen as the black guy is wearing a black hat which is a convention of villains as he looks very uneasy and paranoid like he is afraid of someone.

•James Bond played by Daniel Craig is an MI6 agent and holds the code number 007 which gives him a licence to kill. James Bond has a Walther PPK gun was used in the film Casino Royale, this symbolizes Bond as a superior character, and also gives him his double 0 status. He is also wearing a suit which shows that he is of high class and therefore fitting in with the noir genre. High angle shot make Dryden look weak and frightened. Also, a close up is used to show Bond’s and Dryden’s emotions. An insert is used to show the flashback in time where bond kills the contact. Through sound, footsteps are emphasized  to make Dryden look more vulnerable. Dryden wearing a black hat distinguishes him to show that he is not a good guy.

•There is a shot of the detective pointing a gun which is used as a prop which is mimicking the noir genre. The image also uses a wide shot so you can see more of the setting around him.

•The film hooks the audience as it mixes both action and thoughtfulness through the fight and dialogue. The audience feel inspired by Bond as he is seen as the perfect man with his fighting skills and brains. The men watching this film want to be him whereas the women want him. It makes the audience want to see what Bond does with his new double 0 status. 

The Maltese Falcon

This film noir opens with an establishing shot of San Francisco. It then shows a man wearing a suit making a cigarette as cigarettes are a key feature of film noir genre. a close up is then used for the blonde woman and the 180 degree rule is applied as they engage in a conversation. Once the conversation has finished there is another woman who is dresses in very expensive clothing which goes to show her superiority in class compared to the other two characters the audience have been introduced to. The film was directed by John Huston and was released on October the 1st, 1941. The film was distributed by Warner Bros.

Synopsis 

      Frank, who was Johnson’s best friend at one point, stole money from him a while back. Johnson is secretly in the drug business hiding in plain sight and is not someone you mess with. Johnson now see’s Frank as someone who betrayed him and can no longer trust him so has him taken to a forest and beaten up until he’s dead.