Genre Analysis

ACTION

ACTION

0 Action films are major genre types which include films that have huge impact, continuous high energy, lots of physical stunts and activity and possibly extended scenes such as chases , races, rescues, battles, martial arts, destructive disasters (floods, explosions, natural disasters, fires, etc.), fights and escapes.

0 They usually include non-stop motion, spectacular rhythm and pacing, and adventurous heroes - all designed for pure audience escapism with the action sequences at the core of the film.

0 Action films and adventure films have tremendous cross-over potential as film genres, and road films often overlap with action films. Both types of films come in a variety of forms or genre-hybrids: sci-fi, thrillers, crime-drama, war, horror, westerns, etc.

0 Oftentimes, action films are great box-office hits, but lack critical appeal because of their two-dimensional heroes or villains

KEY FEATURES OF ACTION

0 When you think of action films, there are usually patterns of actors that spring to mind such as Bruce Lee, Steven Seagal, Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham and Jean Claude Van Damme. These are all male action characters and many of them have joined to be in action films together or as a group such as the film the Expendables which include 6 of the 9 characters listed above.

0 There are however women in action-films. Although women usually play the roles of accomplices or romantic interests of the hero, although modern action films have featured strong female characters to broaden demographic appeal.

0 There are many film companies that create action films but there are a few which stand out from the rest as being leading action film companies. One example of this is Columbia Pictures who are known for their distribution of action films such as the James Bond films including Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale.

0 However there are other big film companies that are known for the distribution of action films such as Lionsgate who are responsible for the distribution of action films such as The Expendables.

0 Finally Warner Brothers are usually well established in the action film market dating back a long time with their distribution of the film The Matrix.

MAIN ACTION FILM COMPANIES AND ACTORS

SYLVESTER STALLONESylvester Stallone is an American action film actor, screenwriter and film director born in New York in July 1946. Stallone is well known in the film industry specifically for action and has most noticeable roles of John Rambo and Rocky Balboa in the films Rambo and Rocky respectively. He has been nominated for best screen play and best actor awards for the film Rocky after only Charles Chaplin.

Stallone gained worldwide fame with his starring role in the smash hit Rocky (1976). On March 24, 1975, Stallone saw the Muhammad Ali–Chuck Wepner fight, which inspired the foundation idea of Rocky. That night Stallone went home, and after three days, 20 straight hours he had written the script.

Stallone then attempted to sell the script to multiple studios, with the intention of playing the lead role himself. Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff became interested and offered Stallone $350,000 for the rights, but had their own ideas for the lead role, including Robert Redford and Burt Reynolds. Stallone refused to sell unless he played the lead character and eventually, after a substantial budget cut to compromise, it was agreed he could be the star.Rocky was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay nominations for Stallone. The film went on to win the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Directing and Best Film Editing

0 Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-born American actor, filmmaker, activist, businessman, investor, writer, philanthropist, former professional bodybuilder, and politician. Schwarzenegger served two terms as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011. He is most known for his films such as terminator and Conan the barbarian.

0 Away from acting Schwarzenegger is well known for his bodybuilding career. Schwarzenegger's goal was to become the greatest bodybuilder in the world, which meant becoming Mr. Olympia. 

0 His first attempt was in 1969, when he lost to three-time champion Sergio Oliva. However, Schwarzenegger came back in 1970 and won the competition, making him the youngest ever Mr. Olympia at the age of 23, a record he still holds to this day.

0 He continued his winning streak in the 1971–74 competitions. In 1975, Schwarzenegger was once again in top form, and won the title for the sixth consecutive time, beating Franco Columbu. After the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest, Schwarzenegger announced his retirement from professional bodybuilding

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

0 Columbia pictures is an American film production and distribution studio of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film studios in the world, a member of the so-called Big Six. It was one of the so-called Little Three among the eight major film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age.

0 Columbia pictures have many films such as Casino Royale and 21 Jump Street. They have won several awards for their films including the best picture of the year and best picture Oscar.

0 In its early years a minor player in Hollywood, Columbia began to grow in the late 1920s, spurred by a successful association with director Frank Capra. It's the world's fifth largest major film studio.

0 The Columbia Pictures logo, a woman carrying a torch and draped in the American flag (representing Columbia, a personification of the United States), has gone through five major revisions.

0 In 1924, Columbia Pictures used a logo featuring a female Roman soldier holding a shield in her left hand and a stick of wheat in her right hand. The logo changed in 1928 with the figure wearing a draped flag and torch. The lady wore the stola and carried the palla of ancient Rome, and above her were the words "A Columbia Production" ("A Columbia Picture" or "Columbia Pictures Corporation") written in an arch. The illustration was based upon the actress, Evelyn Venable, known for providing the voice of The Blue Fairy in Walt Disney's Pinocchio.

COLUMBIA PICTURES

0 The Expendables is a 2010 American ensemble action film written by David Callaham and Sylvester Stallone, and directed by Stallone, who also starred in the lead role.

0 The film co-stars Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Steve Austin and Mickey Rourke. The film was released in the United States on August 13, 2010. It is the first installment in The Expendables film series. This was Dolph Lundgren's first theatrically released film since 1995's Johnny Mnemonic, and Steve Austin's last theatrical release film until 2013's Grown Ups 2.

0 The film is about a group of elite mercenaries tasked with a mission to overthrow a Latin American dictator whom they soon discover to be a mere puppet controlled by a ruthless ex-CIA officer James Munroe. It pays tribute to the blockbuster action films of the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was distributed by Lionsgate.

0 The Expendables received mixed reviews, praising the action scenes, but criticizing the lack of story. However, it was commercially successful, opening at number one at the box office in the United States, the United Kingdom, China and India. A sequel was released on August 17, 2012

THE EXPENDABLES

ACTION FILM OPENINGSHTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=YBRJT7G1TF8

This is the opening scene of the film Expendables 3 which is ‘right at the top’ when thinking about action films. This may be because of the hot-list of actors they have including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham but when analysing this opening scene it is evident that many of the key features associated with action films are on show in the opening 5 minutes. The use of fast paced cuts, exaggerated sound, background action music playing, the gun fights, blood, well thought out plan, the shouting and the consistent staring when looking at other actors all indicate clearly in the opening scene that this film is predominantly action filled. The props are in use to also highlight this idea with the weapons and fighter helicopter in particular. The actors are dressed in the stereotypical dark clothing associated with action films with the long dark trousers and short sleeved dark t-shirts which are so commonly used in this genre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ_Ki2yfkKQ

This is a scene from the James Bond film Skyfall. This scene is very similar to that of the expendables 3 scene which I analysed above. This scene also has a train as the centre of attention and the place where the fight scene which sets up the rest of the film is set. However the difference between this scene to the expendables is that there are no weapons used in the fight. This is simply a 1v1 fight which is purely who is the strongest and best at fighting. This scene also has the exaggerated sounds which are commonly used in action films such as the punches and the actors getting hit. Furthermore the woman who ‘takes the shot’ shouts when talking to the ‘boss’ on the radio. This element of shouting is also used in the expendables scene above and most action films as this is a way of portraying the characters personality and strength.

0 The Action genre has been round for a long time but the first main films which were created that had a main genre of action where the James Bond films. According to Guinness World Records, the most profitable film series of all time is "James Bond" and therefore the film is most associated with action.

0 Beginning in the Cold War 60s (after restrictions on violence and sex were lifted somewhat), the slick, escapist Bond action/adventure Spy Films appealed to large audiences with their exotic, travelogue locales, tongue-in-cheek humour and dialogue, nifty gadgets and ingenious toys to combat evildoers.

0 The films were mostly favoured by the male audience due to the fast-action suspense and audacious stunts, and gorgeous scantily-clad sexy women. The action-oriented, sophisticated and skilful agent, with a taste for fancy clothes (often tuxedos), dry martinis ('shaken, not stirred') and cars (notably the Aston Martin DB5, the Lotus Esprit, and various BMWs), battled various types of eccentric, deadly and infamous criminals who planned to assault the world.

0 The intriguing superhero lead role has been played by six actors - Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.

0 The first James Bond film created was Dr. No which was released in the year 1962 with Sean Connery playing the role of the hero of Bond himself. Up in till 1981 the films were distributed by United Artists but from 1983 to present this role has been taken over by the company MGM.

0 However the first recorded action film was in fact The Great Train Robbery which was released in the year 1903, over 100 years ago!!

WHERE THE GENRE ORIGINATED FROM

0 Hollywood has always enjoyed lucrative returns from the action-film genre, although the action film has been steadily worn thin with re-treaded stories, excessive macho-posturing of the 'one-man-army' hero or hit-man vigilante, and overwhelming special-effects and insane stunts. By the 1980s, action films became more hyperkinetic, violent, and expensive to produce. Raw, indestructible, powerful and muscular heroes of modern, ultra-violent action films were very much unlike the swashbuckler action heroes of the past. Many of the films have morphed into other genre areas, including thrillers, sci-fi, and adventure dramas.

0 They almost always have a resourceful hero(ine) struggling against incredible odds, life-threatening circumstances, or an evil villain, and/or trapped or chasing each other in various modes of transportation (bus, auto, ship, train, plane, horseback, on foot, etc.), with victory or resolution attained by the end after strenuous physical feats and violence (fist fights, gunplay). Action films have traditionally been aimed at male audiences, ages 13 to the mid-30s in both American and world-wide markets.

0 This film genre actually began with the silent era's serial films around the time of Edwin S. Porter's classic action-western The Great Train Robbery (1903). And it has remained strong throughout all of cinematic history. Action films then expanded in the 80s and 90s, with the growth of special effects techniques and in response to jaded audiences who demanded faster plots (coherent or not), greater violence, and stimulation.

MORE ON ACTION FILMS

DIRECTORS AND AWARDS When you think of directors of action films, 9 times out of 10 you will probably say Steven Spielberg or Michael Bay who are known for the action films that they have directed such as Transformers and Bad Boys for Michael Bay and Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park for Spielberg but there are some actors who are known for action films that actually direct the films themselves. Sylvester Stallone is an actor known for directing films that he has been in such as the Expendables, Rambo and Rocky.

There are a few awards which are given out to the best action films such as the broadcast film critics association award for best Action film, Saturn award for best action film and the Hong Kong best choreography award for action films.

The best film award has seen many action films such as The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938),  The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), Airport (1970), Deliverance (1972), The Towering Inferno (1974),  Jaws (1975), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Right Stuff (1983), The Mission (1986), The Fugitive (1993), and Apollo 13 (1995).

However in general action films do not usually pick up the most awards. Drama films lead the way with almost half of the awards followed by comedy with 1/5. in fact action is below historical and musical films in the order of most awards won. See the table below.

Genre 358 Nominees 74 Winners Total: 432 filmsDrama 49% 39% 47%

Comedy 18% 14% 17%

Historical/Epic 10% 16% 11%

Musical 8% 11% 8%

Action-Adventure 6% 5% 6%

War 5% 8% 5%

Suspense 3% 3% 3%

Western 2% 4% 2%

Best Picture Nominees by Genre (Chart)

From 1927/8 to 2001