Welcome to part two of my research on genres for my two-minute film opening. As I mentioned in my last blog, when I was introduced to the first step of the project research, I started brainstorming the genres I enjoy and could use to meet my expectations. At first, I was thinking of horror as it would be one of the more interesting ones. However, I found that the horror genre can be very repetitive, as many works share very similar elements. That’s why for my first genre I researched drama more specifically, tragic drama, and for my second genre I will be researching action, as I have mainly been watching two main genres, drama or action. Also, with the action genre, it contrasts the drama, opening up another world of creative freedom to achieve my two-minute film opening.
The definition of the action genre is the process of doing something, especially when dealing with a problem or difficulty (Cambridge University Press, n.d.). The action genre usually involves an external story of the protagonist’s sacrifice for hope, often along the lines of life and death, thereby building excitement for viewers. The five most common sub-genres within action are action drama, adventure action, crime action, survival action, and sports action. As before, I will want to focus on a specific sub-genre, and I decided to do survival action.
The definition of survival is the state of a person, organization, etc., continuing to live or exist. In the survival-action genre, the narrative focuses on a protagonist facing life-threatening situations, with the goal of survival. These life-threatening situations often push the characters to their physical and mental limits, setbacks, and sacrifices in order to survive. The survival action sub-genre will allow me to create a sense of resilience, tensions, and pressure thereby leaving a strong impression on viewers in my two-minute opening.
An important part for me to consider to make sure I achieve my two-minute opening in the best way possible is the conventions, the first of which is content conventions. In action films, most protagonists face a conflict that requires them to have courage, resilience, and be able to make split-second decisions. Themes within action films are adaptability, sacrifice, resilience, and confrontation. These themes help to drive the story forward and keep the audience engaged. Events like threats and obstacles make it feel more realistic, allowing the audience to imagine themselves in the characters' position. Internal conflicts like fear, doubt, or moral dilemmas, reveal the character's deeper feelings, while external forces create tensions and move the story forward.
The next convention is technical conventions that will help develop my opening. Some techniques, such as close-up shots, reveal characters' fears, determination, and thinking when under pressure. Another one is wide shots and multiple angles that reveal dangers, the environment, and the relationships between. Realistic effects, including sound, lighting, and environment, to enhance the viewing. Fast-paced editing adds tension and danger, and slow-paced editing adds relief and builds up the story.
The final convention I researched is institutional conventions, which are used to attract audiences to the film. Action films usually use trailers and posters to show intense, heroic, high-stakes, and exciting moments. These moments showcase major points in the protagonist's story.
Hunger Games by Gary Ross in 2012, is a mix of 3 action subgenera: survival action, adventure action, and authority action. I thought this film was such a good survival-action film because it is an adaptation of Suzanne Collins' novel about a young girl (protagonist) forced to compete in a deadly competition against others, fighting for survival in a totalitarian society. The survival aspect of film explores relationships, loyalty, and grief amongst the tributes and the families. The Hunger Games used close-ups and handheld shots to convey fear and vulnerability as the protagonist confronts life and deadly situations. The film provides a reference to the emotions and intensity occurring within survival action films.
As before through this research, I was able to gain a better understanding of the action genre, how to use these conventions, and how other productions engage an audience to achieve their goal as I will have a similar goal when I produce my two minute film opening.
Cambridge University Press. (n.d.). Action. In Cambridge Dictionary. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/action
Cambridge University Press. (n.d.). Survival. In Cambridge Dictionary. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/survival
Story Grid. (n.d.). Action genre: How to tell an exciting life and death story. StoryGrid.com. https://storygrid.com/action-genre/
Lionsgate. (2012). The Hunger Games [Film still]. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/mediaviewer/rm2148839936/?ref_=ttmi_mi_6_1
Twentieth Century Fox. (2000). Cast Away [Film still]. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0162222/mediaviewer/rm897882368/?ref_=ttmi_mi_3_3
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