Representation of teenagers in action films

You have one lesson to complete this task (period 1 Monday 16th January). You should be able to complete at least one female and one male representation. Students who fail to do so will receive a detention.

• Think about the representation of teenagers in action films (e.g. Maze Runner, Divergent, Spiderman, The Hunger Games etc). 
• Are the representations stereotypical or not? Offer examples from any films you can think of.
• Think about how male and female representations differ. Write down some of the differences from the films you have seen.
• Is there anything in particular that you notice about the representations?
• Do this work in your books - illustrate with images.

In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen is represented as being very resourceful. One example is that she is highly skilled at climbing trees. This helps her numerous times in the film, most notably when she flees from Cato's group whilst injured. She has the sense to tie herself to the branch so that she won't slip and fall if she drifts asleep. This shows the audience she is adept at surviving outdoors and that she should be taken seriously by the other competitors in the Hunger Games.

This should be one of many things you could write about Katniss. You need to do this, or similar for all the characters you write about. Some characters will require less detail than others depending on how important they are to the plot of the film.

10W - Work to do

Do the following:
Finish the 'What are the codes and conventions of Action Adventure Film?' task by the end of this lesson.
If this is unfinished then complete for homework (It's already on SMHW).
If you finish, move on to the extension task.

Extension task:

• Think about the representation of teenagers in action films (e.g. Maze Runner, Divergent, Spiderman, The Hunger Games etc). 
• Are the representations stereotypical or not? Offer examples from any films you can think of.
• Think about how male and female representations differ. Write down some of the differences from the films you have seen.
• Is there anything in particular that you notice about the representations?
• Do this work in your books - illustrate with images.

In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen is represented as being very resourceful. One example is that she is highly skilled at climbing trees. This helps her numerous times in the film, most notably when she flees from Cato's group whilst injured. She has the sense to tie herself to the branch so that she won't slip and fall if she drifts asleep. This shows the audience she is adept at surviving outdoors and that she should be taken seriously by the other competitors in the Hunger Games.

This should be one of many things you could write about Katniss. You need to do this, or similar for all the characters you write about. Some characters will require less detail than others depending on how important they are to the plot of the film.

What are the codes and conventions of Action Adventure Film?

Narrative

• 12/15 certificate, maximising youth audiences. What certificate is your film?
• Often hybridised with Sci Fi/Adventure/Romance. What other genres are used in your film?
• Major Hollywood studio produced and distributed. Who produced your film?
• High production values including CGI FX. Fast paced editin.g Is CGI used in your film?
• Classic Hollywood 3 act narrative structure.
• Predictable chain of events – cause and effect. Describe the plot of your film.
• Single stranded, linear, closed narrative.
• Dramatic non-diegetic sound (soundtrack music). 
• Clear binary oppositions (good v evil). Explain in relation to your film.
• Star Marketing: Audience identification/expectations .(Cruise/Pitt/Johnson/Thurman/Jolie/Tatum/Craig/Di Caprio/Damon). Does your film feature any stars? Who are they? What types of film are they best known for?
• Generic Typecasting and Secondary Persona apply (stock characters). Are any stock characters Used?
• Romantic sub-plot, humorous dialogue. Does this apply to your film? When/ how?
• Relationships with new technology (youth audiences). Is this evident in your film? Give examples.
• Use of close ups.
• Dominant representation of gender: male/female action hero. Is the hero male or female? Does the hero conform to gender stereotypes?

• Narrative led films contain tightly woven story arcs, where the dialogue drives the plot rather than builds character.
• An action adventure film is essentially one long quest with a succession of different chase sequences, each one more death defying and seemingly impossible than the one before. The trick for the producers is to ramp up the tension as the film progresses to a storming end sequence. Will our intrepid explorers make it, or will the evil antagonist get there first.
• A strong story ark of a quest for treasure, or an incredibly valuable object, or an item which has occult power.
• Love interest that both hinders and supports the main quest.
• A fast moving narrative with constant set backs that are overcome one by one, leading to fairly complex plots.
• In many respects this genre of films derive their energy from being more exciting, more adult and much more dangerous versions of children’s stories of adventure such as Enid Blyton’s Famous Five or Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons.
• Thrilling action where the protagonist saves his fellow travellers through a variety of non realistic but apparently logical escapades.

Characters and locations

• These are not realistic films, although the characters must be believable. They are set in a stereotypical world of the not too distant past e.g the 1930s, or the fictional world of storybook adventures e.g. A high tech, futuristic maze. Where is your film set?
• A main protagonist who is a seen as a 'normal' person and who just happens to have amazing powers of endurance in the face of extreme danger, and is also very clever. James Bond is a Secret Service agent. Captain Jack Sparrow is at first an ordinary good for nothing pirate with incredible agility and luck, although he later takes on supernatural powers.Explain how the main character or characters in your film are 'special'.
• There are always helpers who are a team of innocent characters who happen to get caught up in the action. Who are the helpers in your film? Explain what they do to help the main character.
• Humorous dialogue often diffuses taught and sometimes frightening situations.
• The characters take the twist and turns of the plot very seriously as they are often in mortal danger from an assortment of unusual animals, machines and monsters orchestrated by an evil antagonist. Describe some of the situations the characters find themselves in.
• Exotic locations where the characters have to contend with extremes of climate, as well as evil forces.What locations were used in your film? Describe some of them.
• The aim is to please the audience by keeping them on the edge of their seats through a series of mind-boggling chases, exotic locations and hair-raising adventures in historically inaccurate but somehow elementally possible settings. How was your film exciting?  Describe some of the exciting moments in your film.
• Action Adventure films are designed to create an action-filled, energetic experience for the audience who can live vicariously through the exotic locations, conquests, explorations, struggles and situations that confront the main characters.

Task: Having read through this description of the action adventure genre (characters and locations), apply each area to an action film of your choice. 
The questions are in red in the first and final section. In the middle section you need to apply them on your own.

The film must be from the last 5 years.

Explain your points, using examples from the film as evidence to support your ideas.

10W - Work To Do (Monday 21st November - Thursday 1st December)

This week (21st - 23rd November) your lessons are with Miss Marvin (Monday period 1) and Mr Ford (Wednesday period 5).
Next week (28th November - 1st December) your lessons are with Mr Ford (Monday period 5 & Thursday period 3 ) and Miss Marvin (Tuesday period 2).

You should have already done the following:

• Completed all the research tasks here
• Completed audience profiles here
• Flat plan/ mock up of both posters (teaser and full)
• Added all your text to both posters
• Found an appropriate background image to use on both posters

Over the next two weeks you need to do the following:

• Find appropriate images of actors (make sure images are large)
• Add the images to your posters (pay attention to size of each image)
• Decide who your own star will be
• Take photos of your star (take at least 20 photos)
• Add the star image to  your posters

ALSO

1. Remember to use your checklist - tick off the different pieces of work as you complete them and add them to your folder.
2. Keep looking at real posters for ideas
3. Keep looking at real posters for size comparisons of text and images

Film poster credits

Use the template above as a guide for your own film poster credits. 
Ensure that every line of text is in a separate text box.

10W - Work To Do (Monday 14th - Thursday 17th November)

This week your lessons are with Mr Ford (Monday period 5 & Thursday period 3 ) and Miss Marvin (Tuesday period 2).

By the end of Mr Ford's lesson on Monday you will have started adding the text to your film posters.

In Miss Marvin's lesson on Tuesday you will continue to add the text and begin to add appropriate background images.

In Mr Ford's lesson on Thursday you need to complete the work listed on the list of things to do blog post.

You will have homework tasks.

10W - Work To Do (Monday 31st October - Friday 4th November)

This week your lessons are with Mr Ford (Monday period 5 & Thursday period 3 ) and Miss Marvin (Tuesday period 2).

By the end of Mr Ford's lesson on Monday you must have completed the preparatory tasks for your film posters and have completed a flat plan for your main poster.

In Miss Marvin's lesson on Tuesday you will finish the flat plan and then ensure your initial research and planning is in your folder.

In Mr Ford's lesson on Thursday you need to complete the work listed on the list of things to do blog post.

You will have homework time to complete the tasks.

Action Adventure Film Posters - Preparatory Work

Period 1 Monday 24th October

As part of your coursework you will need to design two posters (a teaser poster and a main poster) for an action adventure film (of your own creation) aimed at a teenage audience.

In today's lesson you need to make progress on the following:

• Decide on the sort of action adventure film you will be making the poster for.
• Choose a suitable title for your film.
• Decide on a tagline for your title - on the poster above the tagline is "Welcome to the home of the brave".
• Write a brief plot outline for your film - what happens in the film plot wise.
• Decide on the stars who will appear in your film - ensure they are stars who will appeal to teenagers. Explain why you have chosen them.

You need to aim to finish this in Miss Marvin's Monday's lesson. In Mr Ford's lesson you will move on to your poster flat plans.

10W - Work To Do (Monday 10th - Thursday 13th September)

This week your lessons are with Mr Ford (Monday period 5 & Thursday period 3 ) and Miss Marvin (Tuesday period 2).

By the end of Mr Ford's lesson on Monday you must have completed the majority of the analysing movie poster work. All work should be stuck into your exercise book.

In Miss Marvin's lesson on Tuesday you will finish the the questions if necessary and then move on to the extension tasks. 

In Mr Ford's lesson on Thursday you need to complete the work.

All work must be completed in the three lessons.

10WMS1 - Work To Do (3rd - 5th October)

This week your lessons are with Miss Marvin (Monday period 1) and Mr Ford (Wednesday period 5)

In Miss Marvin's lesson you will conduct preliminary research into film posters. This work must be completed in one lesson. In Mr Ford's lesson you will be moving on to film poster analysis.

Film Posters - Preliminary Research

Today you will be researching ideas for a piece of work-the creation of a poster for an action/adventure film aimed at a teenage audience.

Your task is to find at least twenty different examples of movie posters for action adventure films. Save the images in a folder and add them to a PowerPoint. Make sure they are all clear and of the same size on your page. 

Categorise the posters in two ways:

• posters promoting films for a teenage audience
• posters promoting films for an adult audience

Extension task:

You will notice that some movies have multiple posters. Choose a recent action/ adventure film and find as many posters for that film as you can.