Romance Within Action Films

Within our group we decided that our action film will have romance involved, as a sub-genre to appeal to the female secondary audience. I believe that women appeal more to romance than action due to uses and gratifications theory which states that the audience is active and uses the text for their own pleasure giving them power not the media producers. Women could use the romance within the film to gain their personal identity on what their beliefs of relationships should be like, using the media as a model of behaviour of how they believe couples should act for an ideal couple, this relates to information theory, of people using the media in order to satisfy own interests and beliefs to ensure a sense of security is given through their own knowledge.

I have watched and studied a number of action films with the sub-genre of romance to develop my understanding further and to pick out key points that appear relevant in all of the films that I could possibly suggest to the group to use in our final piece.

Killers

Lionsgate produced this action film, it is about an ex-spy who gave up his career for a woman he met whilst carrying out an assassin and she is left to never know his prior career before their marriage however she soon finds out due to an unexpected break out in their own home when someone attempts to kill the couple, they find out it is one of their family, friends or neighbors and have to escape and her husband is forced back into the career he once loved however now Jen (the wife) is involved in the killing and they must now run from whoever is attempting to kill them. 

Representation

Throughout the film, stereotypes are extremely prominent, with the wife being extremely stereotypical and meeting social expectations by firstly being clueless and dependent on her husband to protect her and refusing to harm anybody which reflects women's innocence and purity within film. This is shown on the cover as she still maintains to be posing for someone which suggests that she cares highly about the couples appearance and the way they are perceived to everyone. Furthermore, she is wearing impractical clothing that make her seem sweet and almost basic, as where the costume is concerned she is wearing black and white which suggests simplicity which juxtaposes against her husbands suit which is a more detailed and coloured to suggest that he is more complex. She also appears dependent on her husband due to the body language used as her hands are resting on his body for support, if he left she would fall, symbolizing her love for her husband alongside this, the iconic lifted foot is used to reflect adolescent love to suggest she is so in love with him. The fact that she is dressed in a short skirt and heels and so reliant on a man may appeal to men, this supports the male gaze theory developed by Laura Mulvey, she expressed that women are placed within media for visual pleasure and are there for the use of male characters, this is true as without his wife, the male protagonist would not be in this situation. Furthermore, where props are concerned the male is also shown as meeting stereotypes due to him holding the gun, this shows that he has the power and that he is the most dominant and strong one within the relationship which is reflected again by the use of her body language and representation.

Mr. & Mrs.Smith

Produced by Regency Enterprises, this film is extremely well known and successful, due to its use of comedy and excellent choice of actors. Within this action film , a strong twist has been placed in, similar to most spy films, their jobs are kept secret from their significant other, the two protagonists have been married for five or six years hiding their career from their partner however it is soon revealed that each other are assassins, with each other as their target putting a huge twist on the romance sub-genre included within the film. The use of romance, action and comedy without this film helps intrigue both genders for a more wider audience.

Representation

Within this film I thought that the typical gender roles were altered due to the woman being seen as equal to her husband due to her career as the job requires violence, anger and control which women are stereo-typically not involved in due to their motherhood instincts. I believe the narrative is also shown within the cover/poster as their body language suggests. Both the protagonist's body language are far apart and looking away, to show that they aren't in love like other "normal" couples, the fact their eyes are looking away shows that they believe they are the superior which gives off a childish impression as they are refusing to look at each other. Despite the fact that the woman is presented as equal she is also portrayed in a proactive manner revealing her legs and upper thighs, this could relate again to the maze gaze theory as it would give visual pleasure for both the male character and the audience watching, the use of the prop of the gun along her upper thighs suggests that she will use her beauty and the act of seduction in order to kill her husband showing that she is smart and cunning. The use of her hands being free shows that she has nothing to hide and is able to use them at her will which juxtaposes against her husband as he has a gun in his hand showing that he is doing his job the professional way and is not afraid to show what he is willing to do for his career. Furthermore, he could be using the prop to refer and reinforce his masculinity within both the situation and relationship due to the prop being a phallic shape. The couple show their equality as they are both subtly using their love for each other in order to assassinate one an other alongside both having the same props and body language alongside the costumes worn, as they are both dressed in black which foreshadows death, yet is it the death of each other or something else? These queries make the audience eager to watch the production and find out what happens. 

Prelim Task

Evaluation On Prelim Task

When given the preliminary task, I was extremely eager to begin, we had many great ideas we were all looking forward to start filming, we all decided on dedicated roles to make the process easier and run more efficiently to ensure that everyone had an equal part within the task as this way it will be easier to reflect on what we have all contributed to the task set and also allow us to prepare for the main piece of coursework. Ashleigh was assigned as a small character and would help with any filming timings, telling us when to film and act and how, I was assigned camera woman and had to film the shots effectively and professionally, lastly, Jess was assigned as the main protagonist as she acted from an early age and was keen to be involved, we also thought that her appearance would suit the main character as she has dark hair which contrasts with her skin tone making the character seem more intense, this would also reflect against stereotypes which will be incorporated within our main task of a woman being the most dominance and independent character on screen.

We first began by finding the right setting, for the first shot we needed an empty room with a table and chair, we found a nearby classroom in which we could film in however noise from the corridor and surrounding classes was a small issue as we had to wait until everything had quietened down before filming to ensure there was complete silence to create the mysterious effect we were looking for. When filming we made the simplistic error of filming with the camera portrait instead of landscape on the Ipad and so we had to re-film, however this was not a major issue as we recognised the problem fast and approached it effectively and quickly to make sure we can continue filming as scheduled.

Within the first few shots we included shot reverse shot as this was one of the types of shot we had to include, here, we had a phone, Jess, the phone and back to Jess for a final time before the phone began to ring again, we decided to do this as it would show what the protagonist was waiting for; a phone call. This, we thought, would help build the tension and mystery at the beginning as Jess is shown to be nervous and impatient. In order to make the filming look effective, I used the same angle for the phone (a wide shot) to show what the main focus was and then the same type of shot for Jess also. I used a high angle shot to show the weakness of Jess and how dependant she appears to be at first on the phone, which links with the typical stereotypes of women being unable to be independent, however this soon changes as later on she appears to be powerful by taking matters into her own hands.

We had further issues when filming the dialogue as the microphone was not picking up what Ashleigh had mentioned, we thought that by editing the clip we could increase the volume however the volume is still minimalistic, here, I believe we could improve by re-shooting the clip, however the rest of the dialogue was accurate and went to plan as this scene swiftly links well with the match on action shot of Jess opening the door and running through the corridor to get to her desired parcel. However, the only issue we had with this was timing, as when we opened the door, people continued to come through the corridor, with this in mind, we could have improved the efficiency of filming by using a more appropriate setting to ensure that there weren’t as many retakes.

When editing, we had to ensure that the ringtone from the phone carried out into another shot of her eagerly grabbing it so when using Final Cut Pro we had to cut out some of the video extremely carefully to make sure that it sounded organised and had the ringtone flowing, however, an issue we faced with this shot was that Jess was absent at this time and therefore had to have me grab the phone instead of Jess but due to it being done quickly the improvisation is not that obvious. I believe that my editing skills have improved when putting the final clip together as we had to place things at appropriate timings and crop to allow the flow. Furthermore, to enhance the preliminary task we incorporated sound effects to ensure that the short film was as effective as possible. When the match on action shot was used we used sound effects to relate to other action conventions, for example we used a helicopter sound to suggest drama and secrecy as no one can see it yet they can hear it, as Jess is running it suggests some sort of chase which makes the narrative more entertaining for the audience. 

I believe that the coursework required us to follow the tasks set in order to allow us to practice our camera skills and editing skills, and for some acting skills. I think that it is beneficial due to us now being aware of the surroundings and how well we must plan everything and film everything, I feel that now we have completed the prelim task, we are more prepared for the final opening scene.

Storyboarding The Preliminary Task

When discussing what to include within our preliminary task, we first began thinking about what we needed to include; A character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character with whom they will then exchange conversation with the 180 degree rule, match on action shot and shot reverse shot.. We decided that we would link the storyboard with our genre of action to ensure that we begin to develop ideas for our main piece, we came up with the idea of  using comedy as a sub genre also, this was to make the task appear more appealing and give it a bit of an edge and uniqueness to it in comparison with others. 

We brainstormed ideas together, thinking about what action conventions are effective within a short film, we came up with the ideas of lots of fast paced motion and agreed that there should be an element of mystery that is withheld until the end to ensure that the audience is intrigued when watching, deciding on how to open the short task we decided to have a nervous and panicked character in a wide shot to show basic surroundings and emotion. Where the soundtrack is concerned we agreed to have it silent to create tension and mystery to give an edgy feel. For the main idea we decided to have Jess (shown on the right of the photograph) as the main protagonist, we would have her shown to be panicked stressed and on edge about a mystery delivery only for the ending to be revealed that it is only a pizza, giving it the comedy element. For the exchanged conversation we decided to have Ashleigh, another member of our group, come in and question her about the mystery delivery to ensure that we have exchanged conversation and also include the 180 degree rule as we do this. Where the match on action shot is concerned we have the protagonist run through several doors in urgency to create a sense of drama and thrill. 
Overall I believe that we have appealed to the audience of action films due to the fact that we have included tension and a lot of movement for example the protagonist chasing towards the delivery. We have ensured that we have included symbols and signs that the audience will be able to recognise to suggest mystery via semiotic value such as hidden notes to suggest that the mystery character should not be found but hidden away which supports Propp's theory of the narrative being driven by symbols and signs, points of cultural reference and simple description and reproduction. To creates mystery we ensured that simple description was used within dialogue however included lack of information to drive the plot further as it would intrigue the audience more and therefore made sure they continued to watch.

Certified BBFC

When discussing  BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) we decided that we were going to ensure that our film was a 12, this meaning that only people at the age of 12 and older are able to watch the production due to including; moderate violence, which will be included as it is a common action film convention, threat again typical as the antagonist  will be a  alarming frightening character further. Moreover, to add more of a comical sub genre some mild language may be used however nothing extreme to ensure that it remains a 12, alongside this,  to ensure that the film appeals to the secondary audience of females we have also decided to include romance as a sub genre, therefore sexual references may be included however done subtly and mildly to ensure it is not too obvious yet maintains effective.

To ensure we have chosen the appropriate BBFC rating, we further researched into other action films and their BBFC ratings and institutions to see if we could make comparisons or any links.

• The Hunger Games Mocking Jay Part 1 (Liongsgate): 12 Due to the moderate violence and threat of the action of the film, I believe this is a 12 as the threat would be unsuitable for a child as it may appear frightening and distressing.

• James Bond: Casino Royale (Columbia Pictures): 12A due to the acts of violence commonly found within action films, sexual nudity and a scene of torture.

• Lord Of The Rings (New Line Cinemas): 12 due to some mild language to create drama and to reflect emotion within characters and some violence that some viewers may find offensive at a younger age.

Other BBFC certificates we could've applied to our filming are shown below:

Exploration of representation of women

In order to go against most representation of women, I have decided to view how women are particularly portrayed in a drama based genre, this will allow me to explore in further depth how women are typically portrayed in order to create drama and excitement as this will enable me to incorporate these within my groups opening sequence. As discussed within the group, we have decided to go against typical representations of women, and so this will allow us to view the conventions in which we must challenge

Representation of “Naomi Clark” within 90210 from season 1-5.

90210 is a teen drama in which attempts to represent the lives of older teenagers within Beverley Hills. The audience are typically girls aged between 15-18 as the storylines target current events that could possibly be occurring in their life, thus giving them almost a relationship with the characters also supported by the idea that as the characters get older, so do the audience. Furthermore, the reason some people may choose to watch this as to aspire to their lives and escape from realism, as the life they portray as having is extremely busy and popular as they’re wealthy and young - a lot like within action films.

One of the main female roles within this series is Naomi Clark, although within the first season arguably she reflects many theories revolving around representation of women, I would now suggest that she is now challenging these representations and stereotypes within season 5. Within the first season Naomi was portrayed as superior and pretentious as she had extreme wealth and power over her peers as long as they were female for she appeared extremely dependent on the fact that she needed her boyfriend – Ethan. This was shown as shocking as she appeared strong and dominant which challenges typical representation and stereotypes as one of the six technical codes of presenting gender would suggest that women are less-dominant than men however she is shown to reflect male approval as even when she did not longer have feelings for her boyfriend she wanted his approval and attention.

As times have developed so has the character, thus challenging McNiel’s theory in 1975 of women’s movement being ignored, as Naomi became extremely independent, reflecting the typical, more recent views on women and their equality. Furthermore, Naomi is shown to challenge more feminist theories as she is shown to be career driven and ambitious as she is soon to make her own business showing that she does not aspire to have children and marry like the rest of her peers, she begins to show lack of emotion and becomes stronger when things don’t appear to go her way, again challenging typical stereotypes of women being more passive and emotional.

Despite this, Naomi does appear to reflect the typical “beauty” look where appearance is concerned throughout as she is constantly shown to be eager in fashion. Within season one however, she attempts to embarrass everyone who looks different however as she grows she begins to understand more and become more willing of change at the end of the series. She reflects the male gaze theory as she is sexualised, both by herself and men as she usually uses her body to get what she wants, constantly putting on bikinis and strutting around her slim body that most of the audience would aspire too. Thus may reflect Fouts theory within 2002 of young single women conforming to the girl next door appearance, tall and thin, whilst mocking any women that look bigger or “less attractive” this is represented when Naomi meets one of her old high school friends and expresses in delight “you’ve lost so much weight, you look great now”