Ryan's Media Studies Blog

Action Genre Research

How can a Film Be Action Packed?

For as long as many can remember, Action packed films have been very popular in the box office, often pulling in millions upon billions of dollars every year. Being the most popular movie Genre that people watch meaning that there is a lot of media being put into the public.

Some characteristics of an Action film include Spectacular Physical Action, chases, explosions, and a narrative emphasis on fights. These intense scenes are universal meaning despite a persons background or ethnicity, there will always be a film that fits their demands/ Expectations. Unlike other Genres such as Horror, Action movies can be viewed year round. This factor equates to how popular the movies in this genre have become. A certain setback to creating an Action movie is costs. Many scenes in an action movie require extensive planning and can be expensive. To overcome this debt, movie creators make sure the content being distributed is suitable to many different markets around the world, drawing in greater profits.

Content:

When it comes to Action movies produced in todays society, the feeling of suspense is used immensely. This feeling transports the viewer to where the event is taking place and keeps them at the edge of their seats till the resolution at the end of the film. This can also create a connection between the actor playing the character and the viewer, causing them to feel as if they were apart of the story.

EX: Tom Cruse Playing "Ethan Hunt" in mission impossible creates suspense when he is suspended mid air trying to hack into the enemy's database without tripping any sensors or pressure plates on the floor.

Another important factor in Action movies is the use of Shock. The definition of shock is a sudden upsetting or surprising event or experience. Scenes that consists of shock in action movies include great amounts of blood and gore and even the loss of a specific character. These scenes can cause people to have certain feelings towards an antagonist and can help drive the plot throughout a movie.

EX: In the 2008 movie Rambo, Sylvester Stallone playing "Rambo" is shooting his adversaries with a fully automatic machine gun. There is a great amount of blood in this movie and this can cause the audience to feel shocked or disgusted.

One last factor that is prominent in Action Films is Foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is used to bring out anticipation from the viewer. This feeling can be brought out in ways such as a character doing or saying something in the beginning of the film and that very thing actually happening towards the end of the film or a subtle hint that might not make sense until another event happens. This overall factor causes the viewer to feel as if they also play a role in the story as it is being presented.

EX: In the movie, "Avengers," there is an image of thor's face in a rock with a crack through his left eye. This helps foreshadow the events that will happen to him in the future indicating his eye is going to get hurt.

Production Techniques:

Most Action movies that are made today follow the same basic structure. This structure consists of the Briefing, Initial Contact, Impossible mission, commitment, and showdown/ debriefing ending with a happy conclusion or a hint towards another adventure. Along with following this pattern Action movies use specific techniques that allow the message to be easily conveyed to the viewer. Parallel Editing is used to show two characters doing the same act, whether it be a stunt or a fight, rather than just one shot. Also editing during these scenes is very tight and fast paced keeping the attention of the viewer towards whats happening. Different color hues such as reds to show danger/ chaos and yellows to show confusion and madness help convey the events that are happening on screen.

The shots used in Action Films can very greatly from establishing shots to POV shots, but they all carry the same message. The camera view is shaky creating a sense of urgency that goes with the events that are happening in the film. Different types of fast paced music help show the urgency of the actions that are happening in each scene. The combination of these production techniques allows movie creators to convey different messages and bring out different emotions from its viewers.

EX: In the popular movie franchise, "Mission: Impossible," a well know tune plays in every movie indicating that a heist or important event is going to happen.

Marketing:

When it comes to Actions movies, the demographic for the people that watch them is 16 to 25 years old. This is mainly because the people in this age range are more open to the action and thrills that come with this Genre. This age group consists of the most influential group of individuals which equates to how popular this genre has become. The key characteristic of these types of movies is that it can break cultural barriers by being appealing to all people around the world. When we look at the different action movies made today, we can see who the main target audience is. Young males. Most films have the main protagonist as a male because they know that this would bring in the most individuals to watch the movie, rather than it being a female. Despite this trend some franchises have decided to break this tread and have made females be the main protagonist, and have been very successful.

The main marketing strategy for action movies to gain publicity is through posters and trailers. Posters for movies can be seen in many places in our modern day world (Billboards and out side movie theaters). These posters usually contain explosions and guns to drive the idea of what is going to happen in the movie. Due to society having a larger footprint online, trailers have become a popular way to get people interested in the movie. These different means of marketing have proven successful for gaining publicity for new films in todays society.

Samples:

The latest movie in the mission impossible franchise, "Mission: Impossible Fallout," released in July of 2018 is about Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise, and his team called the IMF who join forces with a CIA Assassin to prevent a disaster of humongous proportions. The terrorist group known as the Apostles plan to use three plutonium cores for a simultaneous nuclear attack on the Vatican, Jerusalem, and Mecca, Saudi Arabia. When the weapons go missing, Ethan and his crew find themselves in a desperate race against time to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. Throughout the entire movie there are numerous scenes that consist of car chases, explosions, and gun fights. This content goes with the basic events that are usually in Action movies of this caliber. Most shots are handheld and are used to show the sense of anarchy throughout the movie.

The movie entitled, "No Time To Die," is the latest installment of the James Bond Series, Released in 2020. The movie is about James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, who is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica after leaving active service. However, his peace is short-lived as his old CIA friend, Felix Leiter played by Jeffrey Wright, shows up and asks for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond on the trail of a mysterious villain who's armed with a dangerous new technology. Throughout the entire movie there are numerous scenes that consist of fast paced gun fights and car chases. The content throughout this movie follows the basic structure that can be found in other films Genre wide.

Some action movies worth watching:

First Blood (1982)