Unit 26: Film Studies - Task 4

Action Films

Introduction - I really enjoy the action genre as the whole genre allows the viewers to enjoy a high amount of drama and witness action packed adventures. Many of my favorite films over the years have all been action movies for example the James Bond franchise, The Dark Knight Trilogy and the Star Wars series. I personal think that the codes and conventions of every Action film are very obvious and are very easy to notice, they are as followed:

• Engaging content

• Special Effects

• Drama

• Big Budget

• Male lead

Active Spectatorship - This is when members of the audience see something and react in the way the director intended them to react while understanding what they meant and the meaning behind it. In the movie The Dark Knight the message that Christopher Nolan intended to be put across was well received amongst the audience and resulted in Heath Ledger’s Oscar. In the film The Dark Knight there are many messages being displayed and given to the audience, in most crime movies there is always the message if someone were to commit a crime they would be punished through the justice system and the idea of Batman is to show that even where everything is corrupt justice will still happen. When I watch a film it is very obvious what the message is especially with action films as they can have different messages but often have very similar messages to the example given.

Pleasure - When I watch a action movie I often watch it for seeking adrenaline and all the emotions I would experience if I was there in the film. The emotion that people seek when watching films are different and dependent on what genre they are watching, for example in a romance film the audience would want to experience some sort of fanaticism. One of the uses of gratification that people seek in films are divergence which is to divert their attention from their everyday life and make them focus on a fictional narrative that meets their needs and one of the best ways to do that is through creating emotion.

Frameworks of Interpretation - In action movies the narrative can be left up to interpretation and allow people to be creative. In certain films there are cliffhangers in endings like in The Dark Knight Rises, the Bat-cave is revealed to a police officer and many fans of the series predicted that the police officer would take on the role of Batman in Bruce Wayne’s absence.

Media Literacy - In films there are many obvious codes and conventions that are needed to be shown to the audience. Usually in action films the climax is always 30 minutes from the end which means that the build up is long and suspenseful. All these codes and conventions must be used successfully and in an attempt to consistently keep the viewer entertained.

Intertextuality - In some action movies for example Mission Impossible there are always references to other films (like the previous ones) and the news which is what intertextuality is. Many films make more subtle references like when they take scenes from other films and implement them into their film, an example here would be when characters dress up in suits much like the character James Bond from the James Bond Franchise.

Effects - Usually after I watched a action film as a child I would normally idolised the main character as I pretended to be them, this was because of the strong screen time the character has and the way in which they present themselves in a cool and strong way. An example of this sort of character would be Indiana Jones.

Fandom - Fandom is when people become fans of certain films for example the DC fandom are fans of all DC films (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman etc.). There can be fandoms created around actors too like Harrison Ford where the fans are big fans of Star Wars, Indiana Jones and other films he was in as I was a fan too.

Interactivity - Interactivity is when fans that are part of fandoms interact with one and other and try to come up with new theories about what happened in particular films. For example I spoke with several of my friends and discussed who Snoke was in the recent Star Wars films.

Social Networking - Social Networking is when a film is advertised on social media and other online platforms so people are able to view it and receive information on the film. There are many pages online that are fan accounts dedicated to actors and films that were made for example there was a Facebook page made for the Die Hard films where they posted memes and information about the film.

Pre and Post-viewing Experiences - These two stages play a big role in the movies success. Pre is when the film is advertised a lot making it highly anticipated and heavily look forward to by fans and mainstream viewers. The new Star Wars films were heavily anticipated when they were announced and I personally was looking forward to the films release. The Post stage is after the film has been viewed and the opinions are formed on whether the film was good or not. When Star Wars The Last Jedi was released the public had many mixed opinions, i for one thought it wasn’t like a film in the way it was presented, it was more like a TV show and there wasn’t enough action in it.

Conditions of Reception - When I watch films that I look forward to watching I usually watch it in the cinema the week it is released. The way films are viewed are very important to the opinions people get from watching it for example action movies seem the best in IMAX as the viewing is enhanced through sound and sight. I personally enjoy the experience but I think cinema tickets are too expensive for films as it is an industry that is soon dying.

Bibliography

https://prezi.com/ppvquzz7kq5a/action-codes-and-conventions/