Master and Commander

Q1: There are various different ways that the characters and events in this film fit the action adventure genre. The event taking place in the film is a battle situation. It's a battle between two ships set in the ocean. Battle situations are very common events in action and adventure movies because they add to the suspense and tension of the overall film. 

The characters in the film are sailors/naval officers. This fits the adventure genre because they were known for being explorers and adventurers. This fits the action genre because navy soldiers are often placed in tense situations and often have to fight in battles.

Q2: Many different movie making aspects are used to create effects that fit the action adventure genre.

Soundtrack: The soundtrack in this film contains sounds like explosions and gunfire. This fits the action adventure genre because films of this genre usually contain a battle situation. The musical score is also quite intense as this is a battle scene. They have scored the film in this way to make the audience excited and engaged with the action on screen.

Camerawork: An establishing shot is used to set the scene and show the audience where the battle is taking place. Lots of wide shots are used throughout the scene to capture the large scope of the battle between the two ships. They have used a shaky cam technique when there is an explosion to make the audience feel like they are a part of the action. The shaky cam helps to simulate an explosion for the audience watching the film. Close up shots are used when the main character, Jack Aubrey, is talking to his crew on the ship. They mainly focus on him to show his importance in the scene and the overall movie.

Editing: The editing is fast paced in this scene and it includes a lot of quick cuts. This is because its a battle scene and it has to be faced paced to keep the audience "on the edge of their seat" and excited. CGI has been used to enhance and improve the overall battle scene. For example, cannon balls and explosions were added in during post production to create the image of two ships battling each other.

Mise en scene: This film is a period piece so the costumes are old fashioned and historically accurate to the time it was set. The lighting is quite dark to create an intense and gloomy atmosphere for the battle. The scene is set in the middle of the ocean because the characters in the movie are sailors/pirates. Props such as ropes, sails and flags are used to make the ships look more authentic and historically accurate.

Q3: There are various different ways in which characters are presented in this extract of Master and Commander.

The captain of the ship, Jack Aubrey, is presented as an aged and rugged sailor who looks like he has been in many battles in his time. The various other crew members are presented in this way. They are also shown as stereotypical sailors. They wear rugged, tatty clothes and shout frequently throughout the scene. This film is a period piece so the characters are shown to be from the era that this film is set in (1700's-1800's). This adds to the overall authenticity of the film and helps to present the characters as 18th century sailors.

Hurt Locker Questions

Q1. The characters and events fit the action adventure genre in a variety of different ways. The characters are soldiers that are in a war situation. War and battle situations are very common in action adventure movies and they are present in this movie.The characters are soldiers that are armed with guns. They have been placed in a tense situation where they have to calm down a suicide bomber and prevent him from blowing himself up. This kind situation is common in action adventure movies because they help to add tension to the film.

Q2. Various different movie making aspects are used to create effects throughout the scene. 

Camerawork
The camera is shaky in various parts of the scene which adds to the suspense, realism and grittiness of the scene. There are also various close-up shots used so we can see the expressions on the characters faces. 

Editing 
The editing was used to create quick jump cuts. The more the scene progresses the more jump cuts there are to different characters in the scene. This also adds to the suspense of the scene because we see all of the different characters worried expressions. It also makes the viewer feel nervous and uneasy. 

Soundtrack
The soundtrack gets more and more intense as the scene gets closer to the suicide bomber exploding. This adds to the tension of the scene because the music is quite loud and it makes the viewer nervous. There are also explosion and bullet sound effects because this is a war film in the action adventure genre. 

Mise-en-scene
The costumes are all army uniforms because it's a war film and the setting is middle eastern because of the current situations taking place there. Countries in the middle east are known for being war torn countries which is why it makes an appropriate setting for the film.

Q3: Throughout this clip, various different stereotypes are presented. Stereotypical action movie soldiers are present in this film. They are armed with weapons and use certain soldier jargon words when speaking to each other. The suicide bomber is presented as middle eastern. This is a common stereotype that action movies of this type use when they feature a terrorist/suicide bomber character. This may be because this is how they are shown in certain other types of media such as the news.