Viewing entries from category: Codes & Conventions
Teaser Trailer Analysis: Deadpool »
Categories: Codes & Conventions, Analysis, Film Trailers, Films & Case Studies, Hollywood Films, Deadpool
Deadpool (2016) Yes, it is a superhero film, albeit with spoof elements, fully deserving of the hybrid description of superhero/comedy. As officially the 8th film in the X-Men franchise it takes a satirical look at the genre, whilst also following the codes and conventions within a familiar formula – Wade Wilson wears a superhero costume that could be argued is a cross between Iron Man and Superman, he has special powers (a classic convention), the film is produced by Marvel (a superhero…
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Superhero Genre »
Categories: Codes & Conventions
Initially ‘Saturday Movie Serials’ - e.g. Batman (1943) and Captain America (1944) - were successful with young audiences, but fundamentally Superhero Movies went into decline in the 1950s and 1960s, and did not pick up until much later. Occasional films like Batman (1966) with Adam West, borrowing from the success of the TV series, and Mario Bava’s Danger: Diabolik (1968) were exceptions, offering limited interest at the cinema. With this in mind, it was not until Superman…
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Fantasy Genre »
Categories: Codes & Conventions
Examples Lord of the Rings (Peter Jackson, 2001-2003) Harry Potter (Chris Columbus, 2001-11) Chronicles of Narnia (Andrew Adamson, 2005) Tron (Kenneth Branagh, 2011) Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006) Codes and Conventions High production values Younger target audience although significant older appeal Wide/saturated distribution (normally by an American Studio e.g. Warners or Disney). Mainstreamers and Aspirers Dedicated, sometimes obsessive fan base Convergence and Synergy…
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Action Adventure Genre »
Categories: Codes & Conventions
Contemporary Action Adventure Films (including hybrids) Your Highness (Adventure/Comedy Hybrid) 2011 Raiders of The Lost Ark (1981) Pirates of the Caribbean – On Stranger Tides (2011) Superman Returns (2006) The Italian Job (1969) Romancing The Stone (1984) Stormbreaker (2006) Godzilla (1998) King Arthur (2004) Back to the Future (1985) Chicken Run (2000) Star Trek (2009) Chronicles of Narnia (2005) The Musketeer (2001) Blackbeard (2006) The Mummy (1999) Robin Hood (2010) Beowolf (2007)…
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Horror Genre »
Categories: Codes & Conventions
Contemporary Examples The Rite Mikael Håfström, 2011 Paranormal Activity 2 Tod Williams, 2010 Saw (6 films in franchise) James Wan, 2002-2009 Blair Witch Project Daniel Myrick + Eduardo Sánchez, 1999 Dog Soldiers Neil Marshall, 2002 Urban Legend Jamie Blanks, 1998 I Know What You Did Last Summer Jim Gillespie, 1997 Hostel Eli Roth, 2005 Codes and Conventions Split into sub genres (see below), often hybridised Primary target audience – male, 16-24, Mainstreamers 15 or 18…
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Documentary Genre »
Categories: Codes & Conventions, GCSE, A Level
Below is a list of conventions applied to Documentary film making – it must be remembered that not all conventions apply to all film texts: Hand held Camera - encoding realism and ‘truth’ Narrative Voice Over - leading the audience into a preferred reading Vox Pops and Interviews with experts / witnesses / participants Often a shorter running time than non-fiction feature films Intercutting / Parallel Editing linking key scenes Use of Archive footage to support…
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Documentary Definitions »
Categories: Codes & Conventions
Realism: The ‘kind’ of reality produced by a media text Mediation: The process whereby media texts select and construct the world through different techniques Documentary encodes versions of reality that are mediated into our individual context. Realism is a term that does not always apply to what is actually real, but to degrees of realism and audiences’ expectations of reality. Documentary Modes of Representation In “Representing Reality, Issues and Concepts in…
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