Media Studies Portfolio

Genre Research: Action

Definition and Target Audience:

An Action film is defined as a film with high energy, a fast-paced story with a solid impact, lots of fighting and/or chase scenes, various well-known locations and a plot revolving around a battle, rescue, disaster, and other conflict issues that can involve a hero and a villain. The target audience consists of young adults,16-25 years of age, with a secondary audience of adults 30-40 years of age.

Content:

Action films can take place in a realistic urban environment that the audience has a high chance of recognizing (Ex: Avengers (2010) taking place in New York, The Fast and the Furious (2001) taking place in Los Angeles, etc). The plot usually revolves around some sort of conflict, whether it is a battle or war, a disaster either natural or manmade, or a competition. All action films have a hero, and most have a villain. Sometimes these films are based on real events but others are usually based on novels or comics. Characters often fall under the good or bad umbrellas whether they are supporting or the main characters. For example in the James Bond films, there is usually a supporting character introduced partway through the film (Luigi Farrera in For Your Eyes Only or Corinne Dufour in Moonraker) that helps the protagonist gain a crucial foothold towards the solution/victory but pays with his or her life for it. For the main characters, they can consist of spies, heroes, soldiers, average people cast into the spotlight, athletes, warriors, policemen, bounty hunters, hitmen, race car drivers, and even animals or aliens.

The action genre started out in the 60s with spy movies, the pioneer being Ian Flemmings James Bond novels which were adapted into films. Overtime reaching 24 films and counting, the franchise is one of the most successful in all of film. The first film was Dr. No (1962) and Sean Connery starred as Bond. He would continue to play the role for another 6 films while the role pass passed through several actors, presently Daniel Craig. After the spy film era came a very dynamic time in the 70s and 80s with a number of martial arts films and combat films, like Fist of Fury (1971), Rocky (1976), and First Blood (1982). Bruce Lee and Sylvester Stallone were extremely successful in this era. After these movies would come to the basis for present action films with movies like The Fast and the Furious (2001) and The Matrix (1999).

Production Techniques:

Action Movies rely heavily on scenes of conflict; essentially fight scenes, challenges, etc. Using lots of martial arts and combat scenes are essential to production. The coordination of shots is very important as well since the camerawork often highlights the fast pace of the film during fight and chase scenes. This includes a variety of shots, specifically focusing on close-ups, long shots, two shots, and medium shots. CGI has also had a massive role in action movies, specifically in the past 20 years. In fact, many action movies now would be completely different without the use of CGI, and arguably non-existent. These movies are market through their fast-paced stories, and otherworldly action and stunt scenes to lift the viewers out from reality.

Film Sample #1: James Bond, You Only Live Twice (1967)

You Only Live Twice directed by Lewis Gilbert and written by Roald Dahl is about how an American spacecraft is hijacked mid orbit and disappears from radar. Being the height of the Cold War, the Americans accuse the Soviets of being behind the event. Noticing the spacecraft fell into Japanese waters, the British government (serving as a mediator between the superpowers) send MI6’s James Bond to Tokyo after he has faked his death to enter deep cover. Working directly with the head of the Japanese Secret Service, Tiger Tanaka, and SIS agent Aki, Bond takes on Osato Chemicals, a front company for SPECTRE, the long-running powerful crime syndicate which has been hired by a third-power (implied as China) to start a Nuclear War. The plot is highly attentive, blending the pressing issues of the world at the time with Japanese culture and shinobi. The action scenes are well filmed, along with the use of “spy gadgets” like Aki’s decked-out Toyota 2000GT and Q’s “Little Nellie” a small combat aircraft. Bond’s character development is also unique as he is forced to take on the role of Japanese fisherman and husband on a very traditional island while coping with Aki’s death. Overall, the film does an excellent job keeping the audience entertained with action as well as a quality plot.

Film Sample #2: Akira (1988):

Akira directed by Katsuhiro Otomo is a Japanese anime film set in Neo-Tokyo in 2019. In 1988, the city was destroyed by a nuclear bomb dropped by the Japanese government in order to eliminate the results of experiments with ESP on children that had gone out of control. Neo-Tokyo is crime-filled and corrupt: a hostile city. Tetsuo Shima, a Bōsōzoku member crashes into Takashi, an esper who escaped captivity. This awakens ESP powers in Tetsuo, who is now being tracked by the Japanese Self Defense Forces which eventually arrests him, only for Kei, an activist to convince the authorities to release him. Tetsuo’s struggle to cope with his overwhelmingly powerful ESP powers and the violence that surrounds him and his friends makes for an extremely captivating story. The surprisingly large usage of violence coupled with the well-animated fight scene s made a strong impression on viewers, which is why Akira is widely considered the pioneer and one of the greatest anime films to date. As a whole, the film does an excellent job of highlighting a dystopian story with a completely twisted and unexpected outcome.

Avengers (2012):