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.    

Hurt Locker Analysis

Q1: The characters involved in the movie fit the action adventure genre because most of the main ones are soldiers. Their costumes are uniforms that a soldier would usually wear with green/brown colours. They are also armed with guns. Guns are usually seen in the action adventure genre because they are seen as to violent for any other genre. They fit this genre the best. 

The main character, William James, is forced into a tense situation where he has to persuade a suicide bomber not to blow himself up. This fits the action adventure genre because it has suspense and tension involved. These aspects are found a lot in the action adventure genre.

Question 2

Soundtrack

Various different aspects are used to create effects in the movie "Edge of Tomorrow". The soundtrack of the movie is very fast-paced and dramatic, especially in the beach battle scene. This adds more tension to the movie and creates a dramatic effect. Diegetic sound is used at all points in the scene. Characters talk to each other and things like explosions take place on screen. Non-diegetic sound is used as music throughout the scene. There is a beach battle in the scene so there is lots of synchronous sound that would be expected in a scene like this. Things like explosions and gun fire are heard throughout the scene.

Editing

The editing is also used for effect. There are various jump cuts which add to the movies fast paced tone. There is a jump cut right before the battle scene. William Cage is giving a speech and then he is suddenly on the military plane. There are many CGI creatures in the movie which add to the tension and suspense. They have a frightening appearance which adds to the suspense of the movie.

Mise en scene

Shot-reverse-shot is used to create tension between the various characters on screen. It is mainly used when the characters are arguing with each other. Dark lighting is used in various scenes to give the movie a "gritty" tone. The costumes are all robotic and high tech. This gives the movie a futuristic tone and it shows the audience that the movie is set in the future.

Camerawork

Camerawork is used to create effects in the movie. An establishing shot is used at the beginning of the scene when all of the helicopters are flying towards the beach to show the audience the setting. A point of view shot is used at various points in the scene to show what is happening from the main character's perspective. Tracking shots are used in the battle scene to capture all of the action that is happening. The hand-held camera technique is used to make the audience fell like they are "in" the action. 

Edge of Tomorrow Main Characters

The main character is called William Cage. He is played by Tom Cruise. The character fits into the action/adventure genre because he has a military background, which is common to the genre. The movie itself fits the action/adventure genre because it's a battle between good and evil involving weapons. This is also common in this genre. The villains in the movie are also very powerful and there are lots of them. This is also a common aspect of the action/adventure genre. 

Another way that the film fits the action/adventure genre is because the hero has to fight what appears to be an undefeatable enemy. He is outnumbered by the enemy which makes his victory at the end even greater. This is a very common aspect of action/adventure movies. The main character isn't very confident at first, but his character develops throughout the movie and he becomes a hero in the end. This is a very common aspect of action/adventure movies.

Bad Education Audience Pleasures

Bad Education Audience Pleasures

In Bad Education the plot starts where it ends. This is the case for most sitcoms. Between the start and the end there is always a “snowballing narrative” where the various characters encounter one problem after another. There is a lack of resolution so the audience will always tune in next week. This makes the audience laugh because the problems that the characters get involved in are humorous.


The more that the audience watch Bad Education, the more they get to know that characters. This means that they know how each character behaves and predict what choices they’ll make. The audience like this because they can identify with the characters more. They can also anticipate what the characters will say next because they recognise them and their personalities. Sometimes the main character will do something completely unexpected. This is known as unpredictability or spontaneity. The audience find pleasure in this because it's a surprise to them when it happens unexpectedly.




The same sort of narrative structure is repeated each episode. The plots are different but they usually play out in a similar way each episode. This is known as difference within repetition. This is what the audience enjoys because they feel like they can predict what will happen next, but they get something different each episode. The younger audience can relate to the student characters in the show.















The characters in the show have likeable personalities that the audience can find pleasure in. The different personalities that all of the characters have can appeal to a wide range of different people. The more that the audience watch the show then the more they come to appreciate the different characters in the show.

“Bad Education” and “Friday Night Dinner”

Bad Education

Bad Education is commissioned by BBC Three. The programme was produced by Pippa Brown who also plays the main character. Its main target audience is people aged 15-28. It is usually broadcast at 9:00 pm or after. It is broadcast after watershed because it is rated 15 and contains inappropriate content.

Friday Night Dinner

Friday Night Dinner is commissioned by Channel 4 E4. The programme was created by Robert Popper. The main target audience for this show is people aged 15-28. It is usually broadcast at 9:00pm or after. It is broadcast after watershed because it contains inappropriate content.