Jw lo1 -_how_do_we_analyse_film_assignment

Jonathan Ward

Extended Diploma In Creative Media Production

Task - Unit 26 Film Studies L01

How Do We Analyse a Film?

Introduction

There are different ways to analyse a movie. You can compare the movie to other films or
you can generally just research into the film. Liking or disliking a film is a personal choice
but when critiquing a film you have to look deeper into whether the story was told well or
not, if it was original/unique or didn’t even try to be different, if camera shots where good or
bad and the sound effective - Did the film achieve its objective? There are different ways to
analyse this and I will be looking into Genre Analysis and Auteur Theory methods and
explaining the difference.

Genre analysis is when you view a film placing it into a category and seeing how well the
film fits in. A film can be assessed over many categories but the usual starting point is theme
where a film such as ‘I am legend’ (Francis Lawrence – Warner Bros Pictures, 2007) would
be classed as a disaster movie. Most films are a blend a different stories which cross genres.
The popularity of genres changes, a creating a film in the correct genre can make a big
difference to its audience appeal.

Auteur Theory looks at how typical of the
director, as author, the film is. This can be
a recognisable type of film, a style of
filming or the role of sound within the
film. These films are distinctive as though
they have the director’s stamp. Typical
examples are the Alfred Hitchcock films
although in the more general crime genre
they are instantly recognisable in the way
they are filmed, etc. to build on suspense
Hitchcock becoming known as the master
of suspense.

http://classicfilm.about.com/od/actorsanddirectors/a/HitchProfile.htm

Jonathan Ward



Genre Analysis

The Internet Movie Database defines the following Film Genres;

Action Adventure Animation Biography

Comedy Crime Documentary Drama

Family Fantasy Film-Noir Game-Show

History Horror Music Musical

Mystery News Reality-TV Romance

Sci-Fi Sport Talk-Show Thriller

War Western

Thesegenres are words which help us define the type of production made.

Genre analysis looks at how well the film fits into genre we measure this using seven key
areas which are;

Character

Codes and Conventions

Iconography

Narrative

Setting

Themes

Ideological Message

Character – The character isn’t always just a person acting in a film/story, they can be
presented in a way to display something such as powerful or weak, a character may represent
something in real life, such as James Bond (Casino Royale, Martin Campbell – Columbia
Pictures, 2006; etc) where he is displaying the dominance of England.

Jonathan Ward



The use of a character and their dress
within a given location can also add to a
film for example in Crocodile Dundee II
(John Cornell – Paramount Pictures,
1982) Dundee‟s presence in New York
brought humour to the film. However,
generally the audience will expect to see
a character fit into the genre of the film,
seeing a cowboy in a Western film.

Codes and Conventions - The codes and conventions of a movie are like a way of saying
‘the typical things’ that happen in a movie of that genre. The sets, costumes and props all
form the mise en scene. For example, Saw (James Wan - Evolution Entertainment,
2004), a Horror movie.

The codes of the horror genre are to use
the mise en scene to create tension
caused by anticipation before climaxing
as a monster/villain jumps out, etc.
Some horror films are gruesome and
show blood and guts others are more
psychological but all specific close-up
camera shots to show the villain and use
scary music to help set the scene.

Iconography – Iconography is used in
films quite a lot of the time, this is used to
sort of symbolise the film genre out, like in
a western audience expect to see
revolvers, rifles, stetsons, horses,
stirrups, leathers, etc. and in horror films
audience expects to see maybe previous
victims, young girls and lots of blood and
gore.

Jonathan Ward



Narrative – The film narrative is the series of events that happen that cause to effect the
relationship of the film. For example in a action film, the hero always starts off powerful and
then at some point there is a downfall then at the end of the film there is a resolution and
everything resolves back to normal and usually falls in love with a girl. It’s the way the film
is structured.

Occasionally a vocal narrative is used to
add more emphasis and keep the film
moving this is the case in The
Shawshank Redemption (Frank
Darabont – Castle Rock Entertainment,
1984) where Morgan Freeman provided
the voiceover.

Setting – The setting or location of a film is always important as towards the film genre,
some locations just cannot not fit the genre as each type requires its own specific setting.

For example a horror movie may be set in
a deserted area or an abandoned house,
like in The Shining (Stanley Kubrick –
Warner Bros. Pictures, 1980) where a
family become the caretakers of an
isolated hotel.

Action films usually in urban areas, big
cities and so on. They can use the
confined spaces for car chases and gun
fights like in The Transporter (
LouisLeterrier and Corey Yuen –
Europa Corp., 2002).

Jonathan Ward



Theme - Themes in film is the conflict
between the narratives. Revenge and love
are two themes that are used a lot but it
varies on the genre of the film, as in an
action film you may see love and revenge
together but in a horror film see only
revenge. Several film franchises have
been setup based on films of reoccurring
themes such as Indian Jones with the
theme of long lost treasures and the race
to retrieve it first.

Ideological Message – All files have a message although some are difficult to read or
mean different things to different people. This is used quite often in films to represent to
relate something or someone to one another or just in real life genuinely, for example in
James Bond films he drives a really fast car which is armoured with gadgets, you could relate
this to him because bond is yet powerful and really fast and together the car and him make a
perfect combination, and depending on which country the car is from, it shows the power of
that country too.

An ideological message can also show
dreams, power, determination and a will
to overcome adversity as in the film
Apollo 13 (Ron Howard – Universal
Pictures, 1995) where the fate of the
astronauts is determined in a near fatal
mission to the moon. The message here
is to „Never give up‟.

Jonathan Ward



In order to conform to a genre certain aspects are expected:

In a Western genre film, the story is
usually set in the wild west of America
and shows the time in the 1800s when
the population started to spread into
vast open spaces. Wide angle shots are
used to film panoramic scenes that show
the setting as a lonely and sometimes
dangerous place. Topics vary such as
but can be life on a ranch, cattle drives,
cavalry fighting Red Indians, robberies
from banks, trains or stage coaches etc.
Films in this genre include, Cowboys
and Aliens (Jon Favreau - Universal
Pictures,2011), The Magnificent Seven
(John Sturges - The Mirisch Company,
1960), Shanghai Noon (Tom Dey -
Touchstone Pictures, 2000) and True
Grit (Ethan and Joel Coen - Paramount
Pictures, 1969).

Area of Example Technical feature
Analysis

Codes and Horses Close up shots to make these conventions
conventions Cowboy Hats recognisable. Echoing sounds when guns are
Revolvers fired

Setting Old buildings Panoramic shots of the desert, Tumble weed
Desert rolling around the main street and cacti growing
small town in deserts
Character Hero- Marshall Low shots to make them seem powerful and
Villains – Former convicts strong. Over the shoulder shots when talking
Thieves
Beautiful woman
Themes Revenge During a love scene, always light hearted music.
Hate
Love
Narrative Revenge on marshal because of N/a
prison sentence to a convict

Jonathan Ward



Iconography Tough man – representing power Always starts and ends with a wide shot of the
Horses – a big part of the cowboy location, with some kind of soundtrack.
way of life.
Steam Train – because
everybody is leaving on it, it also
shows that steam trains have
become a huge downfall in the
cowboy lifestyle.
Ideological Can symbolise the power of
message Americans and how living in
America is a dream with all the
success.

In a Science-Fiction genre film the setting
is usually away from Earth in outer
space but when on Earth is either set in
the future or is about an alien invasion.
Costumes and make-up play a big part
in this genre as well as special effect
showing space ships, laser weapons and
explosions: Alien (Ridley Scott -
Twentieth Century Fox Productions,
1979), Predator (John McTieran -
Amercent Films, 1987), StarTrek: The
Motion Picture (Franklin J. Schaffner -
Paramount Picture, 1979) and Star
Wars.: Episode IV A New Hope
(George Lucas - Lucasfilm, 1977) are all
examples of Science Fiction.

Analysis

Codes and Space suits Close up shots to make these conventions
conventions Laser guns recognisable. Beeps, and radar sounds. Laser
Explosions noises.

Setting Space ship When spaceships usually arrive, there is high
Strange Planet lighting and smoke.

Character Hero – usually human Slowly reveals the alien, maybe by not showing
Alien the face until later on in the film. Over the
robot shoulder shots.

Jonathan Ward



Themes Revenge
Hate
Love
Narrative To save Earth or a planet and Shots shown from different perspectives
overcome the aliens

Iconography Tough man – representing is Low angle shots to show toughness of
power characters
UFO – alien transport or city

Ideological That we as a species are strong Wide angle shot showing aliens defeated and
message and overcome anything retreating fast

In a War genre film, the aim is usually to
depicts an event where an impossible
situation was overcome by the skill and
heroics of a totally outnumbered group
of soldiers for English speaking
countries these are normally American
or British, settings such as the first and
second world wars have been used
repeatedly but more recent films show
the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Examples in this genre include: Saving
Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg - Amblin
Entertainment, 1998), Apocalypse Now
(Fancis Ford Coppola - Zoetrope
Studios, 1979), Rambo:First Blood(Ted
Kotcheff – Anabasis N.V., 1982) and
Black Hawk Down (Ridley Scott -
Revolution Studios, 2001).

Analysis

Codes and Tanks Bomb noises coming from the distance
conventions Uniforms shows a wide shot of an army marching,
Rifles gunand other weapon sounds.

Setting Partly blown up town Lots of fire and smoke shots.
Desert POV shots
Bridge

Jonathan Ward



Trenches
Ships

Character Hero - Low angle shots to display power
Villains – opposition guns
Beautiful woman
Themes Revenge
Hate
Love
Narrative Seemly impossible objective Impenetrable situation with only one small
needs to be accomplished. weakness

Iconography Tough man – representing is Close-up shot showing sweat, concentration
power and determination no matter what
Flags – to display the country
dominance
Normal man – making a
difference of an impossible
situation.
Ideological Shows country power. Usually American or British anthem played at the
message end.

Jonathan Ward



An Analysis of Quantum of Solace

Quantum of Solace (dir. Marc Forster 2008) is an
action thriller coming from the tried and tested
Bond studio. The use of action, mystery,
adventure within the story, the camera shots in
interesting and unusual locations plus the
drama and excitement caused by the build up
of music is always a winning combination.
Quantum of Solace is no different from other
Bond films where the initial scenes aim to
grab your attention from the start. A genre
analysis of the opening sequence is in the table
below. The opening sequence is has all the
typical action thriller conventions in it and has
many similarities to Leon, as both opening
scenes open with a reveal of the location it is
set, both main characters are dressed smartly
in suits. There is also a lot of gun fire and
people that are hurt or killed. I think Marc
Forster is influenced by Luc Besson’s Leon
quite a lot throughout the rest of Quantum of
Solace.

Jonathan Ward



Area of Analysis Example Technical feature Conforms Breaks
(Camera/sound/mise to genre? conformity? Y/N
en scene/ editing) Y/N If yes, how?
Codes and Fast cars Fast editing, close-ups Y N
conventions guns shooting noises
Setting Glamorous locations Wide shot Y N
Urban, beach, mountainous quarry
holiday resorts, location
Character Hero - Bond Big built secret agent, Y N
Enemies
Victim
Car chase Lots of shots of the car Y N
Themes

Narrative Bond is trying to Shots of cars rolling Y N
escape down mountains in
danger
Iconography Bond – powerful - Y N
man representing
English
dominance.Masculini
ty

Ideological message English dominance - Y N

Jonathan Ward



An Analysis of Leon

Leon (1994) directed by Luc Besson
contrast is another action thriller but unlike
the Bond films is uses a lot of close
camera shots and dark scenes to bring an
intensity to the action. The film also uses
the relationship between Leon and
Mathilda to appeal to the viewer. The film
comes across as more realistic being much
less glamorous than a Bond in terms of the
location, actors and general storyline. The
opening sequence is like any other
where Leon starts off as a villain type
character to the audience but as film
carries on you realise that Luc Besson
breaks the general action thriller
conventions as Leon is an assassin and
in the normal action thriller an assassin
is not usually the protagonist.

This makes a more realistic scenario
because in reality, in the world people
aren‟t genuinely evil or good, people
tend to have a mixture of good and bad
in them which Leon shows because he
shows his evil bad side by doing his job
of murdering individuals and he shows
his heart and good side by taking in
Mathilda and showing her his ways.

Jonathan Ward



Area of Analysis Example Technical feature Conforms Breaks
(Camera/sound/mise to genre? conformity? Y/N
en scene/ editing) Y/N If yes, how?
Codes and Guns, suits, cqc Slow editing, Y Y, because
conventions combat scene shooting noises action scenes
usually include
fast editing with
lots of gunfire as
for leon this is
different to
aoriginal action
movie such as
James Bond
Setting Glamorous Wide shot Y N
locations Urban, mountainous quarry
beach, holiday location
resorts,
Character Hero - Leon big built, assassin Y Y, unlike most
Enemies – action movies
Stansfield the hero is
Victim – Mathilda portrayed as
good, but as
leon is an
assassin, it is
quite unusual to
see somebody
who is bad and
good be the
hero.
Themes Car chase Lots of shots of the Y N, There is no
car chase scenes in
Leon, this is
strange as an
action thriller
usually has.
Narrative Leon is trying to Out of the building Y N
escape that is being raided
by police
Iconography Leon – powerful - Y N
man representing
masculinity

Ideological message Tells us that - Y N
sometimes one
life can change
another life by
just adding a bit
of good to
yourself no matter
how bad you are.

Jonathan Ward



Jonathan Ward



Similarities and Differences

Both Quantum of Solace and Leon are similar;

The main characters are both male and female

A relationship is formed between the two main characters

Both male characters do similar jobs

The male characters both have and use guns

Both Bond and Leon dress smart and look dominant

Both films have an opening scene which displays the power of both males

Each of the films opens with an aerial tracking shot

Both films also have many differences;

Quantum of Solace does not turn into a drama

The editing in Leon isn‟t as fast as in Quantum of Solace

The picture overall is darker in Leon

The background music isn‟t as extreme and have the impact in Leon that it has
in Quantum of Solace

The locations used aren‟t as glamorous in Leon

Jonathan Ward



Auteur Theory

An auteur film is used to describe a film where the director‟s personal view and creative
vision has made a distinct and recognisable impression on the film. When the director
has made several films in this way they maybecome known as an Auteur Director. Films
can be of different genres but must have the director‟s influence of style and consistency
as a recognisable signature.

Andrew Sarris originated the term Auteur theory in the essay, "Notes on the Auteur
Theory in 1962". According to Sarris to be classified as an auteur, “a director must
accomplish technical competence in their technique, personal style in terms of how the
movie looks and feels, and interior meaning”.
http://www.fadedrequiem.com/zoetrope/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/andrew_sarris_notes_auteur_theory.pdf

Recognition as an Auteur director can elevate the director into one of the greats in the
industry.

Quentin Tarantino is one of todays well
known Auteur Directors, his films such
as Reservoir Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction
(1994), Kill Bill (2003), etc. are
recognisable through their style of
chapters, language and humour all part
of Tarantino‟ signature.

‘Cowboys and Aliens’ (Jon Favreau – Universal Pictures, 2011) is as its name suggests a
combination of the Western and Science Fiction Genres but other elements are touched upon
such as romance and crime in order to make the film more appealing to a larger target
audience. Mainstream actors have also been used to help guarantee that the film is a
commercial success by drawing in the audience to see stars such as Daniel Craig and
Harrison Ford.

Jonathan Ward



Jon Faveau directed the film but with five screenplay and three screen story writers and given
the story is based on a Marvel comic story at first glance you wouldn’t say that he was an
Auteur. But of the films he has directed many have a theme in that they are based on comic
characters and stories. As well as ‘Cowboys and Aliens’ he has produced ‘The Avengers’ and
the ‘Iron Man’ films and ‘Zathura’. ‘Zathura’ in particular, is similar to ‘Cowboys and Aliens’
because it brings together humans in their family home with an alien environment. Jon
Faveau seems to like making this genre of film and is successful in making them. The
western/science fiction theme isn’t original, films like The Time Machine and Back to the
Future have touched on this in the past. The film was enjoyable reminding me of an Indiana
Jones type adventure but I do not think that it had its own style. The film had its moments but
I do not think it involved outstanding technical excellence or had any special artistic merit.
His use of so many star names to me makes this much more of a commercial money
making scheme rather than a directional masterpiece. In my opinion the film isn’t original
or unique enough to class Jon Faveau as Auteur however his recent interest in this genre
should continue since it was entertaining. The location used was typically western with an
acceptable code convention featuring the usual cowboy/sheriff characters until the
science fiction of the aliens arrived. Again their code convention was correct featuring
flying craft and laser weapons but somehow the mixture of the two mise on scene genres
made the film less realistic.I particularly enjoyed the camera work when the cowboys on
horseback attacked the alien spacecraft. The mixture of wide shots with close-ups really
captured the speed and danger of the moment.

Conclusion

By reviewing the films using the different methods of Genre Analysis and Auteur Theory we
are able to look into the inspiration behind the direction and creation of the film. The methods
contrast but together give a fuller and better understanding.

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