Action genre opening scene analysis

The Dark Knight opening scene analysis

The opening scene of The Dark Knight begins with a bank heist. After opening with title screens, the Legendary pictures logo follows silence which gives the film a sense of eeriness. We then start to hear sound in the form of a ticking noise which seems to give the impression of a bomb timer; the non-diegetic sound gives the film its theme of danger. The logos and Bat symbol are presented in a black or dark blue light; this gives the audience the feeling that the film they will be watching will be very dark in tone.

It cuts to a long shot, which could also be considered an establishing shot, of a large building and the camera begins to quickly track in towards the windows of the building. As we get closer to the windows suddenly one explodes creating a slight "jump" moment that confirms our thoughts about this scene beings associated with danger. It cuts to the interior of the office building. We then get to see our first character of the film however; he is wearing a clown mask and holding some sort of gun. Clowns are one of the biggest fears in the world so this combined with the fact he is holding a gun tells us that he is both an antagonist and that he has been placed in the film specifically the create fear upon the audience. As the window smashes a modified version of the ticking noise continues. One of the clowns shoots a grapple hook over to an opposite rooftop. The audience could tell that the clowns are likely to be the bad guys and would most likely believe that they are planning to pull off some kind of dangerous act like a bank robbery.

The scene cuts to reveal a man standing with his back to the audience holding a blue bag and a clown mask whilst the camera slowly tracks in to his back, the props he is holding imply that he is also an antagonist. The audience never see this face which automatically makes us think that this person is a bad guy as we have nothing to identify him by, also as it cuts to this character the tense non-diegetic tune begins to start again possibly telling us that this person may be the leader. As it continues tracking into the character, a car suddenly pulls up and allows him to get in. The tense tone stops completely and it cuts back to the people in the office building, allowing us to figure out that they are travelling in two different groups. Throughout this shot, the background has a shallow depth of field which allows the audience to focus on the foreground of the frame and focus on what the directors want the audience to see.

The shot cuts to the group in the office building as they attach a bag to their zip line and then go down themselves. As they go down the camera follows them as they move out of the window but the camera quickly tilts down to show the way down to the street to create a feeling of uneasy upon the spectator, as it does the non-diegetic sounds referred to as the soundtrack, suddenly makes a large boom noise and as it cuts again it carries on as we see long shot showing the clowns zip lining with the street beneath them. It cuts again to show them landing safely on the other side.

We see the other group of clowns in the car and hear our first line of dialogue. Although, the light outside is very bright the inside of the car is very dark to again tell the audience that the people in this car are the antagonists of the film. It cuts to a close up of one of the clowns although; we do see the other two in the background. They are talking about the heist that they are doing and talk about a specific character known only as "The Joker". despite the character that entered the car does not talk and instead is at the back, he is still slightly in shot so the audience remembers that he is there; this makes it obvious this particular character is important to this part of the film.

The audience are then shown a parallel action, as the other group of robbers on the roof continue their conversation about "The Joker" suggesting he is the main antagonist; the characters are drip feeding the audience information about the main antagonist so in time they can reminisce on the opening scene when faced with The Joker. The shot cuts back to the group in the car, they leave the car and approach a bank. The camera follows the third member of the group who is the only character yet to talk. There is a match on action as the robbers enter the bank and begins to shoot the air to worry the people inside the bank. The non-diegetic sound still plays, although is much quieter than before. The camera tracks around the bank and rarely stays still to keep up the speed of what is happening, connoting panic, chaos and confusion.

The music begins to pick back up as it again cross-cuts back to the group on the roof that are checking the alarm system. We then go back to the clowns who are now in control of the bank and see that the mysterious character is going around securing grenades to the hostage’s hands, he has still not spoken. We go back to the roof after one clown deals with the alarm the other clown shoots him, creating an enigma as to why he has killed his fellow teammate. The audience are given the idea that these clowns are not to be trusted and are slowly killing each other to get a bigger share of the money. He runs in to a room and the camera pans round to reveal a large vault, the sound quiets down and begins to tick again suggesting this vault door is important to this scene, the ticking could also suggest that they are under a time limit.

As we realise the clown are now in charge, it cuts back to the vault to reveal one of the robbers breaking in to the vault with a large mechanical device. As it cuts back to the main hall we have a shot of one of the more psycho clowns beating a hostage, we then get a close up of the bank manager with a rising tone in the background suggesting that he will be an important figure during this scene. The bank manager suddenly shoots the clown and the non-diegetic sound then kicks in to a kind of action tone as he walks out with the shotgun and the other clowns run in panic. The focus again is put on the mysterious clown as the bank manager shoots at him. The soundtrack slowly begins to tone back down as he shoots more bullets. We get a shot of the 2 clowns who are hiding behind a desk who are surprised that they have been put in this predicament. As the leader realises that the protagonist is out of ammo the leader rises then gets shot by the bank manager. Through all the murders of the various clowns it implies that a theme of the film will be betrayal. The mysterious clown rises up and shoots the bank manager. The camera then slowly tracks in to the mysterious clown to then possibly suggest that he is in fact the leader of the group as he is a lot more efficient and skilled compared to the other clown who just got shot. The music becomes gradually silent and then kicks in with the tone used previously to suggest that there is no more danger for the robbers.

The clown that was shot rises up to reveal that he was only wounded by the manager, he runs down to meet with the clown in the vault. One of the clowns opens the vault and after he is done gets shot by the other to again show the theme of betrayal. We then cut back to the main hall to reveal the mysterious clown who looks like he is now in charge of the whole operation as it seems he is now in control of the bank and hostages. As it cuts, the tense tone begins to rise up again. It cuts back to the other clown in the vault who begins taking money; there is an ellipsis that cuts from the clown taking the money to the main hall where the money is now collected. The clown who went to the vault then threatens the mysterious clown with a gun, again suggesting another theme of betrayal. The non-diegetic sound begins to repeat the same two notes over and over to build tension. In this part we hear the first line from the mysterious clown "No, no, no. I kill the bus driver" the audience are confused as they would’ve expected his line to be a lot more exciting and thrilling due to what we have been shown so far. The scene concludes with a huge bus loudly crashing through the wall and killing the other main clown, leaving the mysterious clown which has now confirmed suspicions that he is leader with him being the only one left and that he has planned this.

Action genre opening scene analysis

Casino Royale opening scene analysis.

The opening scene is presented in black and white throughout, this could connote good v evil, it can also create a tense mood throughout and the audience will be more likely to be focused on the action sequences instead of being distracted by different colours in each frame. The first shot is a low angle establishing shot of where the scene is set. The low key lighting due to the black and white filter can create suspense and gives off a negative mood for the audience. In the bottom left hand corner we are given the location for where the scene is set 'Prague, Czech Republic'. We are next shown a low angle close up of a man getting out of a car, the low angle shot can suggest that he be seen as important to others as a low angle shot can imply power. The shot is slightly slanted which can give a distorted view to the audience. His facial expression looks concerned or nervous as his eyes move around a lot which can imply he is looking out for anyone who could possibly be watching him. The next shot is when he is moving up the elevator, but instead of a low angle shot, the audience are given a high angle close up of the man who can suggest vulnerability and weakness. The extreme close up of the elevator levels; give the audience the enigma asking them where this man is going at such a late time of night. As he walks out the elevator, the long shot of him walking through the corridor allows us to look at his expensive and modern looking surroundings, which can suggest that he has a lot of power and wealth.

We are shown a low angle long shot of the character walking into a very dark room which can create anticipation for the audience, as the shot moves around to show an office we are suddenly blocked from the shot by a chair and suddenly the next shot we are shown is a close up of the man. He suddenly halts and his facial expression suggets shock and anxiousness as he realises he is not the only one in the room. He jump and turns around as we see through an over the shoulder shot that the protagonist, James Bond, is sitting the chair, supposedly waiting for him. He is sitting quite far away which means most of his body is covered up by the dark lighting apart from his face which is the only part the audience can see. This connotes a sense of mystery and tension between two characters and the audience are given another enigma as to why James Bond is here and what he wants from the man. As the man, whose name we are not yet given, slowly sits down with caution, the non-diegetic sounds start to play, we hear an eerie high pitched sound that also plays a part in building tension and anticipation for the audience. Secretly, the man opens a drawer beside him and we are shown a close up of a gun in the drawer, this is a general convention of an action film as weapons are used a lot throughout fight scenes and physical stunts between characters to excite and thrill the audience. The next shot is a medium shot of what the audience now see as the antagonist, the shallow depth of field in the foreground allow the audience to completely focus on him, even with the low key lighting. The long shot show the two characters, it shows the audience the amount of tension between each other, even though they both look relaxed and calm. There is more lighting over the antagonist rather than the protagonist which can connote that the protagonist is more secretive and cautious of himself, compared to the antagonist who is proud and thinks he is the more dominant role between the two.

Suddenly the shot turns to an action scene between the protagonist and another character, the lighting is very bright compared to the frame before and jucstaposes with the fighting scenes as white should connote purity and goodness but contrasts with the hatred and fighting between the two characters. We are shown a range of high angle shots looking down at the fight scene, which can give the audience a clearer view of what’s going on. As well as this, we are shown a range of close up and a medium shot, the shots are very fast paced and doesn’t give the audience enough time to focus on each separate shot which can connote chaos and that both characters are struggling for control. This fight scene is a general convention of an action genre because throughout action films, we will be shown tremendous impact, continuous high energy, lots of physical stunts, races, rescues, fights, escapes, non-stop motion, spectacular rhythm and pacing, and adventurous heroes - all designed for pure audience escapism. Just as the non-diegetic sound picks up which rapidly builds tension, it stops suddenly as we are taken back to the dark lighting scene where the antagonist points a gun at James Bond. we are shown a close up shot of the antagonist with the gun in the foreground of this frame but with a shallow depth of field, allowing the audience to focus on the mans facial expressions, the smirk on his face suggests that at the point, he believes that he is in control because he has the power to kill the protagonist if he wants to. As he decides to pull the trigger he realises that he has no ammo in his weapon and his expressions implies that he is stunned and now terrified by the fact that now he knows he has no power because he cannot defend himself.

As the scene is so tense at this point, the protagonist who we all know as, James Bond, breaks the tension with 'I know where you keep your gun', this can be seen as a humorous line or something that can break the suspense, even though the non-diegetic sound plays a part at trying the increase it. As the conversation goes on between the two characters, we are quickly passed back onto the action scene, showing a low angle shot; the victim would be the prevalent character, this can make the antagonist in this scene look weak because he is lower down compared to James Bond, and the low angle can connote a sense of power and dominance for Bond. We are shown a close up of Bond's face as he is drowning his victim, his face connotes strength determination but also a sense of being reluctant as it is a long process before he dies and can be quite uncomfortable to watch, especially for the audience. This is a general convention of an action film because we are most likely to watch fight scenes and death scenes, to bring thrill and excitement to the audience.

Our final shots are back between the two characters, and as the antagonist is talking we are shown a close up of Bond pointing the gun and shooting it at the protagonist. We are shown a clean, cut, high angle shot of the antagonist falling backwards, as this happens the non-diegetic sound suddenly picks up to build tension and stops after the antagonist is killed. Our final shot is a close up of James Bond talking to himself and the last sound we hear is the diegetic sound of the gun taking itself off the trigger.

Target audience of a Romance Genre.

Target Audience for Romance Genre:

 Romance Genres are mainly targeted at females because they would easily relate to situations and be inspired to have a happy ending like a romance genre sometime would. Despite this the romance genre is not always restricted to the female audience and so they do not specifically target them at females, however in most cases males do not like the rom
antic genre. Males would typically not watch romantic films due to the re-occurring themes in every romantic film which they would consider boring compared to a horror or action genre.  Romance films are usually rated at 12 or 15, the target audience age would rage from 12-24. Romantic movies are generally watched by groups of teenagers who are intrigued by the happy endings or sad endings as it is another way for them to express or relate their emotions to. Couples would also watch romantic films due to the fact that it creates a nice and loving atmosphere, for the couple to enjoy each others company and relate to what they see on the screen. 



Horror opening scene analysis

 

The Woman in Black opening scene analysis

During the opening scene, our first shot is an extreme close up of a china teapot pouring imaginary tea into a china cup and saucer, the following close ups are of the characters pouring the imaginary tea into their dolls mouths, connoting that these characters are playing a harmless game with their dolls. As we are shown the long shot or mise en scene, we are shown three young girls who express happiness and innocence. Despite this, we are shown very dark and old colours such as grey, brown and plain patterns, the scenery and props are very old and antique looking, which can make a very creepy and eerie atmosphere. The dark lighting can connote a ghostly and spooky atmosphere which is a general convention of a horror film as all of these aspects help build tension, as well as create a scary effect for the audience. The non-diegetic sound plays throughout, and has a childlike and innocent tone, but at the same time can be connoted as very spooky and unusual, as in horror films, the children are usually possessed, so childish music can create a very uncomfortable atmosphere for the audience.

The next shots are close ups of the girls playing with their dolls, brushing their hair and dressing them up, which we would consider normal, but still the non-diegetic sound still creates anticipation for the audience. The next close up shots are of the characters, their facial expressions connote happiness and show a care-free attitude, the camera shots are very slow which can present almost a dream-like atmosphere or can connote a time from the past.

Suddenly the camera shows a long shot of the room and the non-diegetic sound becomes a lot deeper and produces an echo which can start to build tension for the audience. The three girls turn their heads slowly and stare at the camera, as they are a distance away, the low lighting and old fashioned costumes can create a very ominous and chilling effect, which is a general convention of a horror film as the low lighting can build suspense and can create a scary atmosphere. The next long shot faces the girls, but as a lower angle, which can make the audience feel inferior to the characters as they look more important. As they turn their heads towards the window, all emotion has been stripped off their face, which can connote to the audience that they are possessed or being controlled, which is a horror convention as in most horrors, the children become under control of the antagonist.

The audience are faced with a zooming in medium shot towards the window; the window can be connoted as a dominant part of the scene because the non-diegetic sound gets louder as we are presented it. The dark scenery around it can connote fear to the audience but also a haunting prop used in the scene.

The next medium shot is again of the three young girls, slowly standing up, but their eyes are still fixed on the window with no emotion and this creates the enigma for the audience, asking why they aren't looking away from the window, and why they now show no emotion on their faces. The non-diegetic sound helps to build tension as it creates a mysterious atmosphere for the audience as it has throughout the scene. As they walk towards the window we are shown close ups of their feet, standing and smashing on their dolls and toys without thought of where they're walking. This creates another enigma, as to why they now suddenly don't care about their toys which a second ago they found so precious and cared for.

The next shot is the three young girls walking towards the window, but for the audience, it looks like they're walking towards them, this can make the audience nervous or uncomfortable. Their eyes are not looking straight into the camera but straight past it, connoting that they are almost mesmerized by the window, but because they show no emotion it can also connote that the window has control over them. The background is very dark and gloomy and can create an evil and spine chilling atmosphere towards the audience, but the contrast with the bright white colours from the costumes of the young girls, can suggest that these girls are still innocent but controlled by the darkness around them which can be seen as quite haunting. The non-diegetic sound gets louder and a more prominent feature in the opening scene, building more tension and making the audience feel even more uncomfortable. Making the audience feel disturbed is another convention of a horror as it prepares them to get scared by something soon after.

The use of symmetry between the girls makes the opening seen even more creepy and evil, and during the long shot we watch the girls all open the windows at the same time, the close up and diegetic sound of the door handle opening builds tension and the anticipation is rapidly increasing. Suddenly the girls step up onto the window and the non-diegetic sound calms into a low humming noise, connoting that something is about to happen and as the three girls jump out the windows at the same time the non-diegetic gets loud and reaches its climax then stops to hear the diegetic sound of a mother screaming 'my babies!'. As she screams, we are shown a close up of a china doll which the audience would connote as quite disturbing and uncomfortable and final zooming out long shot fades to black.

Romance Genre Codes and Conventions

 

Codes and Conventions of a Romance Genre:

• Aimed at the female audience
• Lead characters are usually attractive
• 12-15 certificate to maximise the audience
• Would usually involve sexuality, status, gender and relationships
• Narrative: usually the main character talking to themselves
• Often a voice over to introduce the love theme
• Setting: often set in a recognisable environment so the audience can relate e.g the city, beach, countryside.
•  Establishing shots, wide shots in the opening to set the scene around the character
• Sound usually sets the mood or the atmosphere e.g guitar, piano
• If the movie is going to be sad it can introduce the non-diegetic sound of a violin
• Pretty scenery, builds the romance
• Usually set around special times of year e.g christmas, new years eve
• Main characters meet through work, easier for the audience to relate.

Cliches:

• Boy meets girls, boy loses girl, boy finds girl again
• Female lead never ends up with the man she was originally supposed to be with at the start.
• Hero realises he makes a mistake at the airport and runs to be with the love of his life
• Misfortune brings lovers together
• Dance can be a crucial element of love
• Bride or groom is ditched at the altar
• Woman initally hates the man
• Opposites attract
• Love is an obstacle course
• Heroine initially involved with a possessive creep



Horror opening scene analysis

 

Scream 1996 opening scene analysis.

During the opening scene of Scream the opening shot is the title of the film, straight away we hear the diegetic sound of a telephone ringing along with the title that is white on a black background but slowly turns red. This is a convention of a horror film as nowadays, most horror films use white writing on a black background but the red can connote, blood, death and violence. The next shot is a close up of the telephone ringing which leads to a close up shot of a woman picking up the phone, the audience understand that this girl will be one of the main characters. Naïve to the fact of who is on the phone, she hangs up when she realises he has the wrong number, as she walks away the phone rings again her face expression connotes confusion, but believes it is a coincidence that the phone rang again, showing a close up of the telephone again, the shot turns back to the woman in a slightly slanted medium shot, showing the back door in the background, this makes the audience slightly eerie as they are worried that someone will be in the background and will be ready to jump out, which is also a general convention of a horror film. Straight away the audience are given the enigma as to who is on the phone and why they keep calling to the house.

In the next shot we are shown is an establishing shot of where the scene is set, is shows a large house in what seems like a rural area due to the vast amount of trees and nature around it. There is no diegetic sound which can also play a part in building tension, as we are oblivious as to what is going to happen next. The next shot is an extreme close up of a gas cooker turning on and the woman putting a tray of popcorn over it, while doing this the phone rings again. Throughout the next medium shot the woman is walking around her kitchen and leans down on the counter, the audience would be curious as to why she is still on the phone to a stranger and would think she is quite stupid as she doesn't know who this person is or why he is constantly calling. As he asks her favourite movie, she reply's with Halloween, and pulls out a knife from the knife block. The knife can connote to the audience that something gruesome is likely to happen; it can also connote violence and death. The knife is an important symbol as it starts to build up tension for the opening scene and for the audience. Another contributor to the build of tension is the close ups of popcorn that is being cooked, as it grows larger and larger it can connote the build-up of tension in the scene.

As the conversation goes on the audience have still not been given the answer to the enigma as to who is on the phone, and the audience start to realise the woman gets too comfortable with the unknown caller, she starts to flirt with him as she tells him she is single and jokes about going on a date with him, this is a convention of a horror film as the teenagers usually deserve to die and in this case the woman is not being sensible as she is flirting with a man she does not know and is naïve to whom he could be, so believes flirting is harmless.

The tension starts to rapidly increase as suddenly he asks her name because he wants to know who he is looking at, which is unusual as he could not possibly see the girl as he is on the phone to her, the audience are suddenly given another enigma as to if the caller is in the house or if not watching the woman from outside, giving the scene an eerie effect. As he says this, the shot suddenly goes from a medium shot to a close up, her face expression can suggest she is scared and uneasy about the situation she is in. The non-diegetic sound starts to play in the background, which is a convention of a horror as it helps to build suspense and scares the audience as they are given the feeling that something is going to suddenly happen which they are oblivious to. The diegetic sound of a dogs bark makes her turn her head in panic suggesting she is now anxious and worried. As she turns and turns on the patio lights we are shown a long shot of her patio, the audience are given the effect that she wants to make sure she is safe and no danger is in close range to her.

The next shot is a medium shot of her back turning of the patio doors and then we are shown a close up of the woman locking the door, this can suggest she is starting to panic and builds tension for the audience as we are slowly starting to reach the climax of the scene. As the woman becomes resistant to keep talking to the speaker, his tone of voice gets more aggressive, this can connote anger and frustration. Again, we are shown another close up of the popcorn which build up more tension as it now looks full and almost ready to burst, which can suggest we are about to reach the climax and it is about to burst and something scary is about to happen.

Obviously as another convention of a horror film, the woman starts to panic and realises she has made a mistake, the phone rings again, and now the audience can tell she is more reluctant and she takes longer to answer, her facial and body expression suggests that she is nervous and fidgety and is concerned about what the caller might say. Her tone of voice also becomes more aggressive which is different as before she was happily flirting with him. As she hangs up again and walks into the kitchen the shots become faster and her actions get a lot more aggressive and faster as well.

Reaching for the popcorn, the phone rings again and her body and facial expression connotes anger and frustration, picking up the phone she screams 'listen asshole!' which can connote that she is trying to scare him off and is trying to show that she is fearless towards the unknown caller. Before she can finish her sentence the caller disrupts her sentence with even more anger, threatening to 'gut her like a fish' if she hangs up again, the sudden climax alerts the audience and the medium shot again moves further into a close up, suggesting that the woman feels threatened and isolated as she has nowhere to go. Her facial expression connotes fear and absolute terror. The woman's tone of voice becomes very fragile and quiet, connoting her weakness which is a convention of a horror film, as woman are usually seen as the victim and are the weaker gender compared to the male e.g. antagonist being the more dominant scarier character. The voice on the phone starts to tease her and as she backs away trying to find a place of comfort and safety, the unknown caller, calls the woman a 'blondie' which gives the audience the idea that he is watching her.

In absolute fear and panic she runs all over the house showing medium shots of the woman running and locking all the doors in her house, connoting that she is panicking and is trying to defend herself by keeping the house locked and safe from anyone getting in. The non-diegetic sound picks up and gets louder, creating a more dramatic and chaotic atmosphere. The loud dramatic music is a convention of a horror film as it builds tension and fear throughout the audience. The next shot is a close up of her peering through the front door window, checking if anyone is outside, her eyes connote dread and despair and she is literally trembling with fear. The panting of her breath suggests to the audience that she is frightened and it is stopping her from staying calm. The non-diegetic sound becomes quiet again just as the protagonist is taunting her, he suddenly tells her that he wants to 'see what your insides look like' this presents vile and gruesome imagery to the audience and would make them feel uncomfortable. At this point the non-diegetic sound suddenly picks up again and becomes very loud and rapidly increases the tension. The woman’s facial expression connotes that she has become hysterical and in complete dismay, the audience would connect with the character as when putting themselves into her position they would feel the same. The facial expression is a general convention of a horror as the victim should feel terror and show it through their face or body movements.

As she hangs up the phone and walks away we are shown a long shot of her back walking away, she is struggling to breathe which connotes that she is distraught and is rapidly losing hope. Suddenly, the diegetic sound of a doorbell rings and makes the woman jump, panic and scream. She shouts 'who's there' which is a general line of a horror film as is it usually ironic and that it will be the villain. As she runs to a medium shot of her picking up the phone, in hope to call the police, the phone rings in her hand making her scream and panic even more, connoting she is in absolute chaos and doesn't know what to do. Of course the caller on the phone is the protagonist and as he is still constantly talking to her throwing threats the camera slowly zooms from a long shot into a medium shot, but follows her slowly while she is backing away from the front door. This builds tension as the slow moving pace of the camera creates an eerie effect which would usually be a convention of a horror as they would end up which a scary shot, making the audience jump.

While the camera is still moving back, following the victim, she starts screaming into the phone threatening that her boyfriend will be there to protect her she gets louder and louder to try and make her seem powerful even though she is the weakest link between them both. as the character gets louder so does the non-diegetic sound, becoming more dramatic, this builds even more tension and makes the audience feel uncomfortable as they can’t tell whether something scary is going to happen or not. The next shot is the long hallway, with the front door at the centre of the frame, the occurring shot of this build tension as the audience believe that the protagonist is waiting behind it. While taunitng her he reveals the name of the woman boyfriend, this brings a shock to the audience as well as the woman, giving us the enigma as to how he knows his name? At this point her face shows shock and trauma connoting that for her and the audience, that the film is only going to get better.

Action Genre Target Audience.

Action Genre target Audience

 

Action movies are one of the most popular film genre's, both mass and niche audiences watch them. At rated certificates of either 12/15 action films are watched predominatly by males from ages 12-30, they usually go to see these films to gain a sense of things that are stereotypically 'masculine'. most characters in action films tend to be male, which would also attract more male viewers. This includes scenes with car chases, explosions, fight scenes etc.

Working-Middle class people are more likely to go and watch action films as they have disposable income and may not have as many commitments as higher class people. People are easily influenced by action films as they want to get the adrenaline rush and experience the thrill that the characters do on screen. Younger viewers would aspire to be like the protagonist and would imagine being the hero and would attract more teenage attention. 

Action genre codes and conventions.

Codes and conventions of an action genre.

• 12/15 certifictae: maximising youth audience
• Often hybridised with Sci-Fi/Aventure/Romance
• Major Hollywood studio produced and distributed
• High production values including CGI, FX
• Fast paced editing
• Predictable chain of events- cause and effect
• Dramatic non-diegetic sound
• Chase scenes, fight scenes, weapons used throughout
• Low lighting on evil characters
• Extreme close up of characters to show expression duirng action and tense moments
• Immaculate clothing becomes torn and scruffy towards the end of the film to symbolise their situation
• Lots of high energy throughout
• Music to suit the characters
• More narrative action codes-enigma codes-puzzles
• Clear binary oppositions, good v evil
• Romantic sub plot, homorous dialogue

There are several cliches and conventions of an action film, some of these include:

• Several large men possessing preposterous level of upper body musculature
• Villains are usually heavily accented
• Females tend to be promiscuous, weak and usually the victim, not having a large role throughout the film
• Emergency surgery, falls from great height, reasonable amounts of torture
• Characters with lots of scars, and each scar should come with a story.
• Off road vehicles only
• Attacks that come as a complete surprise
• Stream of deadly machine guns
• Leap away from explosions
• Sliding down the sloped of an all glass skyscraper
• Inability of the bad guys to hit anything with their weapons

Horror opening scene analysis



Drag Me To Hell opening scene analysis.

 During the opening scene of Drag Me To Hell, the audience are faced with the opening establishing shot, the shot is of a huge, extragavent house with expensive cars in the driveway which connotes that whoever lives here is evry successful and rich. In the bottom right corner the audience are shown small text as to where and when the scene is set, 'Pasadena, California 1969'. Straight away the audience's first enigma is answered. The non diegetic sound is of almost a ghostly and female voice, the high pictch sound builds tension and makes the audience feel quite uncomfortable, this is a general convention of a horror film as the tension will keep the audience on the edges of their seats as they are unknowing of what will happen next. The audience are shown in the background a dusty, old, worn out truck driving into the driveway, the audience would find this unsual as it doesn't fit with all the extravagent scenery around them, connoting that these people do not belong in this area. 

As the truck stops our next shot is a long shot of the back of the truck, where we see a woman holding a young child wrapped in a blanket, as the male driver runs out of the car we understand that these two adults are parents. The shot moves along to the right, showing another long shot of the woman shouting and running up to the front door asking for help, the audience are given the enigma as to why they are in such a panic and what they want from the owner of such a rich and beautiful house. The use of subtitles from the characters connote that they are not going to be important characters throughout film and that they will only be in it for a short time as the audience would not be prepared to watch subtitles for the whole film.

The next shot is a medium shot of all the characters crowding around the child who looks very ill and the scene explains that the young the boy stole a necklace from a gypsy woman and is now cursed because of it, this can be a general convention of a horror film as in most horror films the child is possessed or deserevs to die. Straight away the way the characters are staged shows the division of power and weakness, the rich, successul lady is standing on a few higher steps looking down at the family, this can connote that she has a lot more power compared to the poor family, who are at the bottom of the stairs looking up which can connote that they are weak and inferior to the woman they are begging for help. As the shots are moving back and forth from the family to the rich woman to connote a converstaion, the expressions on the rich woman's face connote that this situation is very extreme and important, her eyes are fixed onto the boy as if she is looking at something much deeper, which gives the audience the idea that something is wrong and that she is somewhat scared of what she is being told.

We are next shown a close up of the gypsy necklace and the non diegtic sound becomes a lot deeper and louder, connoting that this necklace is important but also the deeper nosie suggets that is very evil and unwanted. the audience are put off as we hear the digetic sound of a fly which breaks the tension for a split second, as the rich women pushes the fly out of the frame, her eyes are still fixed at the boy.

As she allows the family inside we are quickly shown a close up of the sweaty ill boys face wrapped up in a blanket. the experssion on his face connotes that he is terrfied and in a state of shock. As he looks above the camera shows a moving long shot of the ceiling and the audience see shows of abnormal hands stretching across the ceilign becoming larger, this conntoed that only the boy can see this. the abnormal shadows of the hands match the convention of a horror film as it is a dark, unsual picture that looks quite scary and unreal which would build he suspense for the audience.

As the woman starts her chanting and calling out, which the audience would see as a spell, the audience are suddenly shocked with a loud scream and the doors opening wide with wind rushing through, which the audience see over the shoulder of rich woman. The sound becomes loud with diegtic screams and the audience would be scared as it would create a sudden shock which they didnt see coming, this is a convention of a horror film as the suspense build up and suddenly they are scared with unexpected action. One by one the rich woman and the parents are thrown and hit by what the audience would think it a possessed demon, the scene around them is chaotic and would connote panic and terror. The young boy is left to fend for himself and while trying to run to safety, the camera moves quickly towards the boy from a long shot all the way to a close up, connoting that the camera was showing the movements of the demon. The boy is suddenly thrown over the second floor and hits the ground. As the boy is falling, the loud screams and non diegetic sound become silent and all the audience are left to hear is the boys scream and sudden landing on the floor below. As this happens, the camera is fixed on a long shot of the second floor, which builds tenison and an enigma as for a few seconds the audience can't see what has happened to the boy.

The next shot is an over the shoulder shot of the rich women running towards the balcony looking down at the boy on the first floor as the camera turns to face the woman from a low angle shot, it can connote power again as the boy is lower down compared to the rich woman who is safe, it can connote that the boy is weak, defencless and inferior to everything around him. As the rich woman is looking down is can also connote that she is looking down at hell as the boy has been cursed and is wanted by a demon.

While the parents are screaming in panic and running down to rescue their son, the flor starts to split and break up. The diegtic sound of screams are now present again. As the audience see the boy struggle to find safety from a high angle shot, the floor suddenly rips open and we get a glimpse of what can be described as hell. We are shown close up shots of the rich woman whos expression connotes panic and terror, but at the same time she is defenceless and cannot change what is about to happen. The next shot is a close up of the boy who is screaming with his mouth wide open which can connote devastation and terror on a much wider scale. The terror and panic from all the characters are all conventions of a horror genre as they are all powerless and cannot change the next events which are about to take place, as they are all inferior to the antagonist.

The non diegtic sound becomes alot more powerful and conquering as the next shot is the shadow on the wall of the boy being dragged to hell, the shot leans up to a close up of the rich womans face who still fixed on the boy and her expressions show that she is in a state of shock as she knows she can't physically do anything that will be able to save the boy. The final few shots is a close up of the boys hand struggling to stay on earth but as all the audience can tell, the hand dissapear under the floor and the cracks have vanished.

The final shot is a close up of the rich woman still staring at the floor, the diegetic and non diegtic sound becomes silent as we hear the last few lines of the opening scene which says, 'we will meet again'. The characters face shows determinationa and suddenly the shot shows the opening credits of the films title, Drag Me To Hell. The writing is white on a black background which is also a general convention which most horror films use nowadays to conntoe darkness and terror.

Overall the opening film is very good at showing all the genral conventions of a horror film straight away, as well as building tension and suspense for the audience which will keep them on the jumping onto the edges of their seats throughout the film.

Conventions of a Horror Genre.

Conventions of a Horror genre.

• Young/teenage characters.
• Set in rural settings e.g, farms, countryside.
• Clear binary oppositions e.g. good v evil.
• Old, cheap houses with a basement in the middle of nowhere.
• Dark rooms and chase scenes between the antagonist and protagonist.
• Dominant representation of gender: male-villain, female-victim.
• Use of hand held camera: audience identification/realism.
• Possessed children or children with possessed imaginary friends.
• Predictable narrative content, follows format.
• Diegetic sounds e.g screams.
• Non diegetic sounds e.g creepy, music that that builds tension and suspense.
• Extensive use of close up, long shots, point of view shots.
• Low key lighting, use of CGI and FX.



Horror Genre Target Audience

Target Audience for  a Horror Genre

The usual age for someone watching a horror movie is usually between 15 and 25 as the certificate of horror movies are usually 15 or 18. People would argue that during young adulthood they are in key stages of developing themselves and would want to try new things and experiment different feelings. Horror movies would give these young adults a thrill and can excite the younger audience easier than the older audience. The younger audiences are also less likely not to be put off the film by violence and unnatural images, which may make older audiences feel a lot more negative towards the film.

It is said that males are more likely to watch horror movies than females, due to the stereotypical thrill seeker which is portrayed with a boy. Violence is often loved by males which is a convention of a horror film. A stereotypical boy would often seek the thrill of, blood and gor which is why males would usually be a fan of horror films as they are all conventions of the horror genre.

The audiences for horror movies are often groups of friends, but couples commonly go and watch horros due to the comfort that is needed after seeing a horror film. They are also seen as good converstaion starters and therefore are a popular converstaion choice.