We respond to media products in many ways, some of the approaches may be in the manner in which we analyse genre, narrative, semiotics and representation. In this article I will be looking at these four areas when analysing film texts.

One of the films texts I will be analysing is Léon: The Professional, which is a 1994 English-language French thriller film, written and directed by Luc Besson. The film features sucessful and well-known actors/actresses such as Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman and Danny Aiello. In the film Leon (Jean Reno), a professional Italian hitman (referring himself as a "cleaner") , reluctantly takes in 12-year-old Mathilda (Natalie Portman), after her family is murdered by corrupt Drug Enforcement Administration agent Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman). Léon and Mathilda form an unusual relationship, as she becomes his protégée and learns the hitman's trade.

Applying genre analysis and semiotic analysis to Léon; such as the setting, character (representation), iconography and style (mise en scene/ camera/ editing), I will explain how these elements help establish the genre of action thriller.

The opening shot of the film is an extreme long shot and aerial shot of New York, showing iconic buildings such as the Empire State Building and the Twin Towers. The film then cuts to a forward tracking shot of a street scene showing yellow taxi’s which is again another New York icon. Another shot in the scene shows a street sign saying “Welcome to little Italy”, which illustrates that the film is in a different and more crime related area of New York, in which the Italian mafia are situated. The opening scene includes dark lighting which shadows the faces of the two characters, signifying mystery and that the characters are being secretative about a certain matter. The props and costumes include fitted suits and guns attached to the hips of clothing, which represents that the film is of an action genre, also relating to the plot of the film that features a Mafia gang. Also in the shot of this scene is a bag of drugs that is clearly not for personal use, connoting that they are drug dealing, again linking back to the action thriller genre of the film and also the mafia line of work of the characters.

There are many colour representations in the film such as red, green and black. Red is the colour of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Green is associated with meanings of growth, harmony, freshness, safety, fertility, and environment. Green is also traditionally associated with money, finances, banking, ambition, greed and jealousy. Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery which links to the action and crime genre of the film. During one of the many action scenes, there is binary opposition in which one character has a knife put to his neck by a much taller and fearless character, showing that he is in control of his victim. The next main character Matilda is introduced which is a 12 year old girl, she is sat behind railings and has a cigarette in her mouth, showing that she is rebellious. The third character is introduced and is having a conversation about organised drug crime. Another mob boss character is introduced as a character of extreme power who is feared by many. The scene then shows that the young girl has swapped her cigarette for a lolly pop as her dad is around, which shows that she is quite smart underneath her innocence. Other characters are introduced into another action scene situated in the main accommodation building, in which 3 stereotypical looking hippy characters with guns confidently stroll through the building to kill the family, with one of them having a Jamaican accent. Another main mob boss character Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman), fearlessly shoots the family with sheer confidence apart from 12 year old Matilda, who is not yet in the building after she goes food shopping.

The narrative of the film is in the correct sequence, showing events in a consecutive order, but features flashbacks throughout the film. The film fits into the 3 act narrative structure as the first act of exposition helps to establish the main characters, their relationships and the world they live in. In this first act, an

on-screen incident occurs that confronts the protagonist, Mathilda's father, as he attempts to fight back the mob boss in his own home which leads to the first turning point, ensuring that life will never be the same again for Mathilda's father and her family. This also raises the dramatic question that will be answered in the climax of the film, will Mathilda be saved by Léon as she begs him at his apartment door to let her in?, this is also known as the inciting incident. The second act, also reffered to as "rising action", depicts the main characters attempt to resolve the problem initiated by the first turning point, only to find herself in even worsening situations as she tries to persuade Léon to teach her how to use weapons and certain hitman skills to get revenge on the killer of her parents and younger brother. This is also referred to as character development. The third act features the resolution of the story and it's subplots. The climax is the scene in which the dramatic questions are answered as the story is brought to it's most intense point, as Mathilda comes face to face with the mob boss who killed her family. Vladimir Propp was a russian critic in the 1920's who identified the theory that characters and actions have a narrative function, providing a structure for the text. Relating to Léon: The Professional, the typical characters Propp found within his theory is the hero, traditionally a male protagonist whose role it is to restore normality by defeating the villain, in this case the hero would be Léon as he decides to look after Mathilda and gradually becomes her father figure. Another character he found within his theory is the villain, the cause of disruption and the enemy of the hero who may also be a threat to safety, in this case the villain would be classed as Norman Stansfield as he tries to track down Mathilda and kill her. The next character he identified within his theory is the donor, who gives the hero something to help him along his journey such as advice or an object such as a weapon, this would be classed as Tony who provides Léon with advice about Mathilda. The dispatcher is the character who sends the hero, Léon, on his quest via a message which in this case is Tony who provides the hitman jobs for Léon. Another character within Propps theory is the false hero, a character who initially seems to be on the side of the hero but turns against him or deceives. The next character from Propps theory is the helper who aids the hero in restoring normality, in this case I would say the helper is Mathilda as she teaches Léon to read in exchange for teaching her how to use weapons, also helping him to build on his memory. The princess character acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villains plots. The last character in Propps theory is the father, who acts to reward the hero for his effort, however Mathilda's father is killed early into the film. In a struggle scene Vladimir Propp suggested the theory that there is a struggle between the hero and the villain as the hero is branded, the villain is overcome and the state of disorder is settled. During the recognition scene, the hero Léon is recognised as he takes his own life and the villain's life by a grenade to save Mathilda and allow her to safely escape from the conflict.

Todorov's narrative theory states that most stories or plot lines follow the same 5-step pattern or path. The first part of this path is equilibrium which means that the story will display a happy start, in which the majority of the characters are content and everything is as it should be. In Léon: The Professional, the story shows the normality and day to day life of Mathilda and her family. The second part of the story will feature a problem or a disruption to the happiness, in the case of Léon: The Professional it begins when the family have hitmen and a mob boss outside of their apartment waiting to attack, in which the family try to escape the building or hide. The third part of the story is the realisation, in which somebody realises there is a problem and there is chaos, in this film the realisation occurs once the mob boss and hitmen enter the home and murder all of the family apart from Mathilda, who had left the apartment earlier that day to do some food shopping. The next part of the plot is the restored order, in which the characters attempt to repair the damage and restore the problem, therefore Mathilda is determined to persuade Léon to teach her how to use weapons so that she can get her revenge on the killer of her younger brother and family. The final part of the plot is equilibrium again, which is where the problem is resolved and normality can resume, in this case Léon succesfully kills Norman Stansfield but sadly takes his own life too in order for Mathilda to survive and escape the building. Mathilda then visits Tony who has safely kept Léon's money which he left for Mathilda and she then starts school.

Claude Levi-Strauss's narrative theory examined how stories unconsciously reflect the values, beliefs and

myths of a culture, which are usually expressed in the form of binary oppositions. Examples of binary opposition used in Léon: The Professional includes young VS old, strong VS weak, empowered VS victim and boy VS girl.

The camera techniques make the viewer feel claustrophobic as they are close up shots of the characters and objects. The editing includes over-amplified sounds which are related to action films. Cross cutting is also used to show more than one event happening at the same time and to see both reactions of the different chatacters. Non diegetic sound is also used for dramatic effects throughout the film. A hand held camera is used during an action scene whilst following one of the characters to show his panic. The music, non-diegetic and diegetic sound all stop at the same time whilst a character has a knife put to their neck. The dialogue uses diegetic sound. Once Leon opens his door for Matilda, high key lighting is used on her face which symbolises a fresh start and also a change for Leon as he is a lonely person and is letting somebody become closer to him. Leon is humorous and welcoming to the young girl, who shows signs of happiness through her facial expressions e.g. smiling. Leon becomes a kind family figure over Matilda which is more than what she is used to. The camera is at a straight close up angle on Matilda as she speaks about how she doesn’t want to die, making the viewer feel sympathetic towards the character as she is revealing her innocent side. Music is used to build tension during an upcoming moment of action or a specific important plot event.

Steve Neale's genre theory of repitition and difference states that a film and it's genre is defined by how much it conforms with a genre's stereotypes and conventions, and also how much a film subverts the genre's stereotypes and conventions. In the case of Léon: The Professional, the film conforms with the action genre's stereotypes and conventions as it stereotypically features drugs, bad language, fighting/gun crime, deaths of loved ones, explosions and crashes, a motive, outbursts in settings and a mission waiting to be completed. However, the film also subverts with the action genre's stereotypes and conventions as it does not feature futuristic or expensive cars/motorcycles, a modern city or Modern technology/Hi-tech machinery.

The second film text I will be analysing in the same way is Pulp Fiction, a 1994 American neo-noir crime black comedy film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, from a story by Tarantino and Roger Avary. Directed in a highly stylized manner, Pulp Fiction connects the intersecting storylines of Los Angeles mobsters, fringe players, small-time criminals, and a mysterious briefcase. Considerable screen time is devoted to monologues and casual conversations that reveal each character's sense of humor and perspective on life. The main cast of the film features sucessful and well known actors/actresses such as John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Maria de Medeiros, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, Christopher Walkden and Bruce Willis.

Applying genre analysis and semiotic analysis to Pulp Fiction; such as the setting, character (representation), iconography and style (mise en scene/ camera/ editing), I will explain how these elements help establish the genre of neo-noir crime black comedy.

The first shot of the film is situated in a diner featuring two of the main characters. The woman, "Honey Bunny", appears to have an American accent where as the male, "Pumpkin", has a British accent and is smoking a cigarette which highlights his bad habit. The props in the scene include food and hot drinks on the table, a gun which is then placed with force on the table by the main male character, and also another gun owned by the main female character in the scene which they both begin to point at the public as they begin the robbery of the restauraunt. A lot of scenes throughout the film show the character's taking or dealing drugs such as heroin and cocaine, which links to the genre of Pulp Fiction.

Within the next scene which features a different story with the 2 main characters, Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, there are many colour representations such as black, white and gold. Both characters are wearing fitted black suits with white shirts, black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery, which links to their crime-related jobs and their extreme fearlessness and power. White has a positive connotation and is associated with safety, cleanliness, light, goodness, innocence, and purity. It is considered to be the colour of perfection. This connotation completely contrasts to their characters as they are portrayed as bad people associated with crime. However, it could also symbolise that they still have some good within themselves and have to put on an act of power to fear their victims. Vincent and Jules are both wearing gold jewerelly which is a precious metal associated with wealth, grandeur, and prosperity. During this scene, Jules does all the talking to the 2 victims whilst Vincent looks for the briefcase in the apartment, whilst doing this Jules speaks to the victims in a normal yet intimidating manner. Jules tends to stay calm throughout the conversation whilst still portraying himself as powerful and intimidating, yet once one of his victims speaks to Jules first, he shoots his gun in the direction of the second victim in the apartment to scare them. Jules then starts to raise his voice towards his clueless victim and violently throws the table across the room expressing his anger, this highlights his physical strength and his power as he also closely points his gun at his victim, in which he then does not hesitate to shoot in the shoulder. The camera uses low-angled shots during this scene to show that the characters are both extremely powerful and are hugely feared by their victims. Other camera work includes a close up shot of Jules's face in which his eyes are wide with anger and are looking directly into the camera.

The narrative of Pulp Fiction is non-linear as the intersecting storylines are presented from the perspectives of the different characters. This unconventional way of presenting events challenge the viewer's memory in the way that they can only understand the plot by making cause-and-effect connections between the scenes. The film fits into the 3 act narrative structure as the first act of exposition helps to establish the main characters, their relationships and the world they live in. In this first act, an on-screen incident occurs that confronts the protagonist's, Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega, as Mia finds Vincents heroin mistaking it for Cocaine, causing her to have an overdose whilst Vincent is not around. Vincent's attempt to deal with this incident leads to a second and more dramatic situation, raising a dramatic question that will be answered to the climax of the film, Will Mia Wallace survive? This is known as the inciting incident. The second act, also reffered to as "rising action", depicts the main characters attempt to resolve the problem initiated by the first turning point, only to find himself in even worsening situations as Vincent can only rely on his drug dealer for help to prevent the death of his boss's wife, Mrs Mia Wallace. Vincent must develop his character and arrive at a higher sense of awareness of what he is capable of in order to help save Mia Wallace. The third act features the resolution of the story and it's subplots. The climax is the scene in which the dramatic questions are answered as the story is brought to it's most intense point, as Vincent Vega inserts an adrenelin shot into Mia's heart with the sheer risk of missing the location of her heart. The dramatic question of Mia Wallace's survival or not is then answered as the adrenelin shot works and Mia becomes conscious again, leaving Mia and Vincent with a new sense of who they really are. Vladimir Propp was a russian critic in the 1920's who identified the theory that characters and actions have a narrative function, providing a structure for the text. Relating to Pulp Fiction, the typical characters Propp found within his theory is the hero, traditionally a male protagonist whose role it is to restore normality by defeating the villain, in this case the hero would be Vincent Vega as he saves Mia Wallace from her overdose. Another character he found within his theory is the villain, the cause of disruption and the enemy of the hero who may also be a threat to safety, in this case the villain would be classed as Butch Coolidge, who gets revenge on Vega by killing him. The next character he identified within his theory is the donor, who gives

the hero something to help him along his journey such as advice or an object such as a weapon, this would be classed as Vincent Vega's drug dealer who provides him with advice and instructions of how to gain the consciousness of Mia Wallace . The dispatcher is the character who sends the hero, Vincent Vega, on his quest via a message, which in this case is Marsellus Wallace who is the boss of Vega and provides the crime related jobs/tasks. Another character within Propps theory is the false hero, a character who initially seems to be on the side of the hero but turns against him or deceives. The next character from Propps theory is the helper who aids the hero in restoring normality, in this case I would say the helper is Jules Winnfield, who works alongside Vega completing crime related jobs/tasks. The princess character acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villains plots. The last character in Propps theory is the father, who acts to reward the hero for his effort, in this case the father would be Marsellus Wallace as Vega successfuly looks after Mia Wallace as he was instructed to. In a struggle scene Vladimir Propp suggested the theory that there is a struggle between the hero and the villain as the hero is branded, the villain is overcome and the state of disorder is settled. During the recognition scene, the hero Vincent Vega is recognised as he successfully regains consciousness of Mia Wallace by providing her with an adrenelin shot to her heart.

Todorov's narrative theory states that most stories or plot lines follow the same 5-step pattern or path. The first part of this path is equilibrium which means that the story will display a happy start, in which the majority of the characters are content and everything is as it should be. In Pulp Fiction, the story shows the normality and positive vibe between Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega, as they take a trip to the Jack Rabbit Slims restauraunt and try to get to know each other more. This scene also shows both characters dancing together as they partake in the Jack Rabbit Slims twist contest, showing that everything is going well. The second part of the story will feature a problem or a disruption to the happiness, in the case of Pulp Fiction, it begins when Mia Wallace finds Vincent Vega's heroin and begins to cosume it mistaking it for Cocaine. The third part of the story is the realisation, in which somebody realises there is a problem and there is chaos, in Pulp Fiction the realisation occurs once Vincent Vega notices Mia Wallace is unconscious on the floor with plenty of blood on her face and realises she has had an overdose. The next part of the plot is the restored order, in which the characters attempt to repair the damage and restore the problem, therefore Vincent Vega takes unconscious Mia Wallace in his car to his drug dealer's house for help to regain her consciousness and prevent her death. The final part of the plot is equilibrium again, which is where the problem is resolved and normality can resume, in this case Vincent Vega sucessfuly provides Mia Wallace with an adrenelin shot to her heart and takes her back home once she has regained consciousness and is well again.

Claude Levi-Strauss's narrative theory examined how stories unconsciously reflect the values, beliefs and myths of a culture, which are usually expressed in the form of binary oppositions. Examples of binary opposition used in Pulp Fiction are man VS woman, strong VS weak and empowered VS victim.

There are a lot of postmodern features and iconography throughout Pulp Fiction, especially throughout the scene featuring Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega at the Jack Rabbit Slims diner. Intertextuality is used when Mia orders a shake which is available "Martin and Lewis or Amos and Andy", which is a reference to a white comedy team and a black comedy team. She orders the Martin and Lewis (Dean and Jerry) and receives a vanilla shake. Parody is also used in this scene as whilst ordering food from the menu, Vincent calls Mia "Peggy Sue" which is a song by Buddy Holly, who is the waiter serving Mia and Vincent. Vincent orders the Douglas Sirk steak, Douglas Sirk was a 50's director of melodramas such as Imitation of Life and Written on the Wind. The waiter asks if Vincent prefers his steak "burnt to a crisp or bloody as hell" which could maybe be a sly reference to the extreme drama of his films. Pastiche is used as the

scene features Marilyn Monroe's skirt blowing up which is a pastiche of the film "The Seven Year Itch" (1955). Bricolage (Baudrillard) is used in this scene as the Jack Rabbit Slim's themed restauraunt is centered on 50's pop culture icons: the host is Ed Sullivan while Ricky Nelson performs on stage and the wait staff consists of Zorro, Marilyn Monroe, Mamie Van Doren and Buddy Holly. Self-referentiality is also featured in this scene as Mia Wallace speaks about her being in a pilot for a film called "Fox Force Five" which was a planned but cancelled TV show,with the 5 girls in the film perfectly matching the description for the 5 women in Kill Bill: Vol. 1, which is a mention for the Tarantino films Kill Bill: Vols 1 & 2 which Uma Thurman starred in.

The camera techniques used in Pulp Fiction include close up shots of characters and objects to highlight feelings through facial expressions and also for emphasis of the film plot. A tracking shot is used throughout the Jack Rabbit slims restauraunt scene in which Vincent Vega is being tracked by the camera as he walks around the diner, showing his reactions to the historic references of the people around him and also whilst he is familiarising himself with the location. Low-angled shots are also used to emphasise the power and importance of certain characters throughout the film. High-angled shots are used throughout Pulp Fiction to focus on certain details, an example of when this is used is during the Jack Rabbit Slims twist contest, showing Mia and Vincent's feet whilst they are dancing together. During this same scene, two shots are used whilst Mia and Vincent are dancing together to show the proxemics between both characters and how the space becomes intimate rather than personal. There are also features of diegetic and non diegetic sound throughout the film. Examples of diegetic sound are the voices of the characters, sounds made by objects in the story and also music coming from instruments in the film. An example of diegetic sound in Pulp Fiction is during the scene in which Mia Wallace returns home from Jack Rabbit Slims diner with Vincent, in which she then begins singing along and dancing to some music, these sounds have not been edited into the film and are diegetic. Examples of non-diegetic sound are sound effects which have been added for dramatic effect, mood music and also the narrator's commentary. An example of non-diegetic sound in Pulp Fiction is during the opening scene between Pumpkin and Honey Bunny, the sound is edited in once Pumpkin places his gun on the table, emphasisising how heavy the metal gun is. Different lighting is also used throughout the film for different effects. An example of this is whilst Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield go to collect a briefcase from an apartment for their boss, Marsellus Wallace, once Vincent opens the briefcase high-key lighting instantly shines on his face which could represent positivity and a new start. Low-key lighting is also used in the scene of the meeting in the club bar, the lighting has a red tint which shadows the details of the character's faces. The colour red is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power and determination, which has a direct link with the crime related genre of Pulp Fiction.

Steve Neale's genre theory of repitition and difference states that a film and it's genre is defined by how much it conforms with a genre's stereotypes and conventions, and also how much a film subverts the genre's stereotypes and conventions. In the case of Pulp Fiction, the film conforms with the comedy genre's stereotypes and conventions as it stereotypically features some bright settings/locations that are known for social events, it features diegetic and non diegetic sounds to place emphasis on certain scenes, has natural lighting in scenes to create a realistic environment, features sarcastic and socially awkward yet intellegent characters to create humour, camera shots such as mid-shots, close-ups and two-shots are also commonly used to express the relationships between each character. However, the film also subverts with the comedy genre's stereotypes and conventions as it does not feature many bright and happy colours, idiotic characters, has mainly dark lighted scenes and shows that some characters are better than others.

Pulp Fiction is also of a crime genre which conforms and subverts these genre stereotypes and conventions. The film conforms with the crime genre's stereotypes and conventions as it stereotypically features an urban inner city setting featuring the 'mean streets', black humour/one liners, expensive and fast cars, plenty of violence, the consumption of alcohol and illegal substances, knowledge gaps such as two characters passing each other but not realising who each other are, the use of weapons such as

guns or knives, the film emphasises the struggles and difficulties of the characters, features a strong female character, portrays the authorities/police in a negative light, has bad language, features a lot of blood and murders and also has debates about innocence and guilt. However, Pulp Fiction also subverts the crime genre's stereotypes and conventions as it does not portray the characters as people with very little money, does not use a lot of false accusations and does not feature good overcoming evil.

Deadpool is a 2016 American superhero black comedy film directed by Tim Miller featuring actors/actresses such as Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool, Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Ed Skrein as Francis Freeman/Ajax, T.J. Miller as Weasel, Gina Carano as Angel Dust, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Stefan Kapičić as the voice of Colossus. The opening credits of Deadpool have many post modern features, including self-referentiality as the film features a wallet card from the Green Lantern, which Ryan Reynolds has previously starred in. The opening credits also has elements of pardody as instead of stating the actors/actresses names humorous descriptions of the characters have been used instead, an example being "Starring cods perfect idiot", relating to Ryan Reynolds. Pastiche is also included in the opening credits as titles such as "The Comic Relief, "A Hot Chick" and "Produced by Asshats" are used to point out all the clichés in the world of superhero films. The beginning of the opening credits shows a thug with a lighter coming out of his mouth, as a joke is filmed where Deadpool burns a circle in the middle of his forehead and says “I loved your work in Daredevil!”. Colin Farrell was Bullseye in the Daredevil movie and he had a little target tattoo in the middle of his forehead, this is therefore an element of self-referentiality. The credits also include an element of intertextuality as there is a coffee cup with the name “Rob L.” written on it, which is a reference to comic book artist and Deadpool co-creator Robert Liefeld. To introduce Ryan Reynolds into the film more, the opening credits features props such as a Ryan Reynolds magazine cover, the Orange Number 5 card and the Hello Kitty lip balm.