Blog Feedback

Research and Planning 15/20: Some excellent research and planning. To make your work even better try to link your points to target audience and your own ideas or thoughts for your own production - are these appropriate genres for a small budget project like your own. To show excellent use of ICT include mindmaps and youtube footage to support your posts. A very promising start!

Crime Cliches

Crime genre

Definition

The genre ‘crime’ focuses mainly on the subject of criminals and their motives.  A crime is anything which goes against the moral code of society. There are a variety of different crime films: some may be seen from a criminal’s point of view and the audience may be willing them to get away with the crime; some, particularly those involving an unpleasant crime, make us very anxious for the criminal to be caught; and in the final group we are not sure who the criminal is and enjoy working out the puzzle. Most crime genres follow a similar structure in that a crime takes place and there is an investigation, pursuit, evidence and possible conviction.

Tough guys

In crime films there is usually at least one gang, who are the tough scary villains. They are the ones who operate outside the law and often the audience don’t indentify with them.  Usually the gang is a minority group who is involved in crime. Sometimes there is the added thrill of violence to the plot.

The gang leaders in crime films are nearly always feared by everyone. This is a cliché which adds something that the audience can be scared of and who they don’t want to do well.

The good guy amongst the villains

The good guy amongst the villains is a person the audience has sympathy with. It causes the audience to anxiously follow the activities of the criminals in the hope that all will be well for the good guy. It also means that the audience can relate to one of the villains. The audience then can have an interest in both the law abiding and criminal aspects of the film and it is hoped that ‘the good guy’ will change his allegiance in the end.

Corrupt cop

The corrupt cop in crime films is a cliché as the policeman is often being turned or bribed by one of the gang members to help them. This is the opposite scenario to the good guy amongst the villains. However because the audience tends to relate more to the law abiding side it does not have the same effect of making them take an interest in everybody. Quite often one of the policemen doesn’t play by the rules or is undercover. This may make the audience more anxious about the people they identify with and more worried that they are going to be betrayed. This heightens the tension in the film.

Gang rivalry

Quite often in crime films there is one group who is against the other group: this causes gang rivalry. There is quite often a fight or disagreement between these two gangs which means the police become involved. This is exciting for the audience as the conflict between these two gangs is thrilling and exciting.

Good cop/ Bad cop interrogation

The good cop, bad cop interrogation scene became very popular as soon as the genre crime began. This highlights the different personalities of the two policemen and shows the different views the audience may feel. It also demonstrates how the character who is being interrogated reacts and how he is putting up a front about his situation.

Code of honour (not explicit)

In crime films there is always an amorphous code of behaviour amongst the criminals or their family members which must not be broken. Although the code is vaguely mentioned throughout the film it cannot be dishonoured. This is what usually starts the film’s plot line. This sometimes intrigues the audience and makes them think about what it could be. The neighbourhood is often very similar in crime films, set in large, crowded cities, to give the element of secrets of the criminals which means that the society that the criminals live in is very similar. This could be the reason for the code of honour.

Violence

Violence is a prominent factor in crime films as the gangs are usually aggressive and forceful towards some of the other main characters in the film. The body in the car boot is a cliché as it is very common in the crime genre. This is because the gangs are brutal and may feel that it is necessary to kill someone. This gives excitement to the plot and means the audience feels interested.

The Film: The Departed

‘The Departed’ begins in the close Irish neighbourhood of South Boston. This is a kind of cliché although the neighbourhood chosen is usually Italian. Perhaps this film has changed it to make it less of a cliché. This is effective as it is a different society from most other crime films. However it still uses the ‘minority group’ cliché.

The ‘tough gang’ is made up of Irish mobsters lead by Frank Costello. Sullivan, who is part of Costello’s gang, is trained to become a mole inside Massachusetts State Police. This is a cliché as Sullivan is undercover in the police force which focuses on organized crime. Costigan, who is graduating from the police academy, is asked by Queenan and Dignam, two high ranking police officers, if he will become an undercover agent as his family was linked to organized crime. This then leads to Costigan having to drop out of the academy to increase his credibility. This means that the plot is more complicated and involved as they have two men who are working undercover. These two clichés put together is unusual as it is rare for a film to have two people undercover from different sides. This technique is probably not used very often as, although an interesting scenario, it is also somewhat confusing for the audience.   

In ‘The Departed’ Costigan is asked if he is an undercover cop. He says he is not. This is a cliché as this question is often asked in crime films as they frequently have an undercover cop. This may be entertaining for the audience as it is dramatic irony in that they know who he really is and that he is lying.

The meeting at the beginning of the film between Queenan, Dignam and Costigan is the ‘good cop/ bad cop’ cliché as Dignam is quite brutal and outspoken towards Costigan whereas Queenan doesn’t speak very much, but when he does he gets straight to the point. This is effective as their two different characters work well together and it causes the audience to really like the character of Queenan and makes the scene when he dies all the more emotional.

The scene when Costigan chases Sullivan through Chinatown is a cliché as a chase occurs very often in crime films. This is a very exciting scene in the film as it is dramatic and fast paced.

Violence is a prominent theme of the film as it takes place throughout. This is mainly portrayed with gun shots and many people are killed: for example Costello and his gang become involved in a gun fight with the police, concluding with most of the mobsters being killed.

 

Comedy Cliches

 

Comedy Genre

Definition

The genre comedy is normally a light hearted drama which usually aims to create entertainment and keep the audience amused. The comedy genre over exaggerates situations and the characters to make the film humorous.  Comedies are often satirical in tone and have a happy conclusion to the thematic conflict.

Slapstick

In the film genre comedy there are lots of different types of humour used and slapstick is just one of these techniques which some audiences find amusing. It usually involves aggressive, physical or visual actions. People are invited to laugh at other people’s misfortunes. Perhaps it is the surprise element that makes the audience laugh or perhaps they just enjoy seeing somebody suffer minor accidents to make them feel better.

Hero

The main character of the film is usually seen at the end as a hero. This may be shown in many different ways. He is usually known as one of the idiots at the beginning of the film who wants to overcome his misfortune. This causes the audience to know right from the start that this character is going to entertain them throughout the film, and as he is a likeable character the audience will want him to be happy. They will also be interested to see how he can overcome his stupidity.

A best friend/ Side kick

The main character usually has a few friends who are also idiots at the beginning. They are quite often hopeless as friends which can be seen as funny to some audiences as they get to see the mistakes made by them. The audience may be able to relate to the main character and feel sorry for him as he doesn’t stand a chance.

Stereotypes

There are a variety of stereotypical characters used in the comedy genre and they are very often connected with a minority group of some kind. People are more inclined to laugh at or about somebody who they feel is different from themselves. It is perhaps not so much that they are actually laughing at the minority group but more that they are trying to show that they are part of the main stream community. Laughing at other people makes them feel more powerful. The minority groups targeted may be those with disabilities, those of a different race, of the opposite sex, of a different sexual persuasion or two dimensional characters.  As an example of this in ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ the best friend of one of the main characters is obviously gay and the audience laughs both at him and with him as his ‘campness’ is exaggerated. 

Romantic sub plot

This type of comedy is usually called ‘romantic comedy’ which typically involves a relationship between a man and a woman. This story line may appeal more to the female audience as it is about relationships and love interests, although the male audience may be able to relate to the male main character if he has had unfortunate situations with his own relationships. This could add more entertainment and enjoyment for the audience.

Journey

One of the clichés seen is a journey which the main character and their friends will embark on. This means that as the film progresses the audience will feel attached to the characters and begin to understand them.

The Film: Dodgeball

The film ‘Dodgeball’ is a comedy genre which uses lots of clichés. It is about Peter LaFleur (Vince Vaughn) the owner of Average Joe’s which is a small unsuccessful gym. He can’t manage to pay the mortgage so enters a dodgeball tournament in an attempt to win the big prize money and prevent the owner of Globo-Gym, White Goodman (Ben Stiller) buying it from him.

At the beginning of the film you see Goodman being the typical ‘idiot’ who is quite full of himself. This means that right at the beginning the audience already are starting to dislike him as he is very arrogant and big headed. Physical comedy is then introduced as the picture shows how Goodman used to be fat. Some audiences may find this funny as very over weight people may have a comical factor which thin people may not have.

The scene then leads to LaFleur who is asleep on the sofa in a dirty apartment while a message on his answer phone says that he needs to pay his bills. This is another cliché as it is very common in comedies of the stereotypical man. It also means that the audience can get a feel of the character and get to know his sort of personality. LaFleur appears as a hero at the end as he manages to overcome his conflict with life.

The gym which LaFleur owns has a small number of customers who are also ‘idiots’, for example Gordon acts younger than he is and Justin gets stuck in a piece of gym equipment. This is physical comedy also known as slapstick. The audience may find this funny as you can tell that he is an idiot.

Another cliché which appears in ‘Dodgeball’ is the relationship between LaFleur and Kate Veatch. Veatch is working on a transaction for White. The audience may believe Veatch to be LaFleur’s love interest as they have a close relationship throughout the film.   

Action Cliches

Action genre

Definition

An action genre always includes exciting action sequences often involving violence and intrigue. It is fast paced and should have no trouble holding the audience’s attention. There is often a hero who has to face a series of challenging situations. The audience feels for the hero and goes with him through a series of fights, chases and dangerous situations.

Explosions

The use of explosions in action films is sudden, dynamic and grabs the attention of the audience both through the visual effect and the noise that it makes. It varies the types of difficult situation the hero has to cope with and is a good vehicle for the use of special effects.

Hero/ heroine

The use of a hero or heroine is a common idea which enables the audience to identify with either of them. Since the action film genre is one that tends to appeal to men more, the hero in this type of film is very often male. Stereotypically men are faster, stronger and take more risks and therefore make a more dramatic subject.

Side kick

In this type of film there is frequently, but by no means always, a side kick. He is a person that the hero can confide in, thus letting the audience know what is going on in the hero’s mind. He is often of inferior intelligence and ability which makes the hero seem all the more brilliant. Since he is in on the plot he may be useful as a back up in getting the hero out of an impossible situation.

Chase scene

The chase scene in an action film is exciting and stimulating. People seem to enjoy watching vehicles travelling incredibly fast as this is not something normally allowed, and are often startled at the feats which the stunt drivers of the vehicles perform.   

Fighting (punch up)

The fight scene often involves heroes and villains, good and evil, coming into close contact with one another and striving to win. It is much more real and up close than seeing two machines confront each other. There are often sound effects of thumps and grunts which may cause the audience to almost feel the pain.

Self surgery

This shows that the hero is brave and strong and will carry on whatever happens. He is not deterred or put off by a major injury.

Villain (usually Effeminate/ homosexual, foreign bad guy, oppositional characters)

The villain in an action film is the vehicle for the fear, tension and excitement that the action film tries to nurture. Villains need to be apparently strong, invincible and all powerful. They are usually thoroughly unpleasant so that the audience doesn’t mind what happens to them and are often part of some minority group that most of the audience will not identify with. If they are foreign the nationality is very often unspecified. While the villain may be in possession of advanced equipment and be backed up by an army of supporters or employees so that he appears fearsome, it is often when he comes into hand to hand contact with the hero that his weaknesses are revealed.  

The villain misses

Very often in action films the villain can’t hit a still target in front of him let alone hit any of the main characters. This is known as the Stormtrooper Effect. This adds to the heroism of the main character as it makes him look better and stronger.

The main character usually won’t die

It is the fact that the main character never dies that allows many people to enjoy sitting through the fear and tension of the fights, explosions and the chases. They know that their hero, the man they are identifying with, will survive come what may. He is an almost superhuman person that members of the audience may aspire to be like. 

Survival

It is often the case that however violent the explosion or fierce the fire the film will show hero or villain escaping with barely a scratch. This highlights their amazing abilities.

Male and female romance

Since the idea of the film writer is that everybody wishes to identify with their superhero, who is leading a life of excitement and challenge, they tend to round the hero off by not only making them invincible but also very attractive to the opposite sex. Therefore every woman who meets the hero will find them deeply attractive and the hero will win the prize of the woman who is perceived to be the most desirable.

The Film: Die Hard

The hero in ‘Die Hard’ is a detective of the New York City Police Department called John McClane. He arrives in Los Angeles to make things up with his wife, Holly Gennaro-McClane. John McClane doesn’t die which is a cliché as there are a lot of near misses. This suggests that he is even more valiant and can face anything.

The villain in the film is called Hans Gruber who is a German terrorist.  The film uses the cliché of the villain coming from a minority group which the audience will not identify with.

When Marco goes to shoot McClane and says ‘Next time you have a chance to kill someone, don't hesitate’. McClane answers with ‘Thanks for the advice’. This dialogue is a cliché as it is very commonly used. This adds comedy to this scene as it is a light hearted remark and makes the audience feel less tense in this scene. This break in the tension makes the return to the action all the more gripping.

When Gruber orders one of the terrorists to shoot the glass it means that McClane has to walk across it with bare feet as he has no shoes. This means that the glass cuts his feet and he needs to perform self surgery on them in the toilets. This is another cliché which shows how brave and courageous he is. This scene also shows the blood which has come from his feet smear across the floor. This adds to the effect and makes the scene all more valiant.

One of the fight scenes in ‘Die Hard’ uses a less common cliché which involves the element of surprise. Karl and McClane meet face to face. Karl is just about to shoot McClane when a shot is heard but he doesn’t fall. Suddenly the camera changes its angle to reveal that Powell has just shot Karl. This has the benefit of making the audience sit up and take notice. They are just beginning to relax, believing Holly and McClane to have escaped when suddenly they realize that McClane is about to be shot and cannot escape. There is a feeling of inevitability as the shot rings out and then puzzlement as McClane appears unhurt.

 

Horror Cliches

Horror genre

Definition

Horror films are intended to induce a feeling of fear and tension. The horror could be a somewhat realistic event or could be supernatural. The content is unpleasant and has the capacity to terrify or unsettle the viewers.  

Killing the pretty blonde girl

Killing the pretty blonde girl first, who is the helpless victim, causes the men in the audience not to like and admire the hero of the film as much because he didn’t manage to save her. This gets the male audience involved as they are thinking they could do better. The female audience will usually relate more with a pretty girl as they want to be her. This means that they are putting themselves in her position, which makes it a lot more frightening.

Children

The use of children in horror films is very effective as the audience finds them unpredictable and the creepiness of what they are doing contrasts with the innocence of their actions. What also may scare the audience is that they know the children don’t quite know what they are doing and aren’t thinking like an adult would. This means that they don’t know what the children may do next.

Scary location

When choosing a location for a horror film it has to reflect the feel and genre of the film. The film makers usually pick a scary location that the whole audience can relate to. They are often familiar surroundings such as woods or a dark house.

Lonely situation

When leaving one of the characters on their own it makes the film all the more frightening as the character does not have anyone to call on or to help them. The character is therefore more vulnerable when by themselves.

We only see glimpses of the villains face

In horror films they usually don’t show the villain’s face as the unknown is quite scary to people. It causes people to imagine their own villain which fulfils their worst fears. Suggestion stimulates the imagination of the audience and involves them in the creative process.

Tense moments

Tense moments in horror films are used to build suspense and instigate the audience to anticipate that the worst is going to happen. The big build up is also more likely to make the audience jump as it as it builds anxiety rather than getting it over with quickly.

Blood

Using blood in a horror film is very common as everyone has an automatic innate reaction to blood which makes the film shocking and gruesome.

Did I just see that moments?

These moments in a film make the audience think about the plot in more detail and they try to link it in to the story line. This again builds suspense and triggers the audience think something is about to happen.

Dreams

Although the use of dreams in horror films is quite common and could be looked upon as being a cliché the advantages of a dream situation are enormous. In a dream the brain is roaming and out of control. This means that the unreal and totally unexpected can occur. The possibilities for strange villains, supernatural experiences and non sequential events are endless.

The Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street

The main story line of ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ is that the teenagers keep having dreams about the same villain. This is a cliché as anything can happen in dreams so they can use extreme scenarios and brutal murders. When the characters are having these dreams they are by themselves which is another cliché as they are in lonely situations and have no one to help them. The audience may feel that they can relate to this as no one can control what goes on in their dreams.

The first person to die is Tina. She is a blonde teenage girl which is a cliché as this often happens in horror films. This causes the audience not to like the villain because the victim is more defenceless. This makes the male audience feel that they would have tried to save her and makes them dislike the villain more.

The normal environment of the street means that people can again relate to the characters and feel that they could be in the same situation. The fact that it is set at night makes it all the more terrifying. This adds to the fear when strange things start to happen throughout the film.

The cliché of using children singing a nursery rhyme in the scary scenes adds to the impact of fright and anxiety.

At the beginning of the film you do not see the villain’s face. This is a cliché as they want the audience be afraid of him and do not want to give too much away at the beginning of the film. People’s imagination is often more scary than reality.

During the film there are a lot of tense moments which are gripping and riveting.  This cliché adds fear to the film and makes sure people are engaged in the story line.

This film uses music a lot throughout to set the mood of the scenes. This plays a big part in horror films as it usually creates an atmosphere which can be tense or scary for the audience. This is done by incorporating sudden changes of loud and soft sounds with unusual instruments.

The use of blood in this film is quite dramatic as when someone is murdered you see a great deal of it. This is striking and eye catching as it draws the audience’s attention in and gives them a feeling of horror.

Romance Cliches

Romance Genre

Definition

The genre romance is when the plot of a film centres mainly on a relationship of love. The plot must be considerably interesting enough for the audience to have the characters’ emotions in mind and want the best for them despite the obstacles they may face. The story will focus on a relationship, and love between two people. Romance is a type of modern fairy tale.

There are lots of different clichés that appear in all romantic fiction films.

‘Mr. Right’ finds her initially annoying

At the beginning of a romantic film you don’t normally expect the two main characters to become a couple at the end. This makes the film more exciting and increases the audience’s interest. There is normally some difficulty in the path of the couple: perhaps one does not like the other for some mistaken reason, one is already in a relationship or a career or family is causing an obstacle.

Montages

A montage of the couple usually appears half way through the film and summarizes a mood or events that have happened in the last few months. Film makers sometimes use this technique as it stops detail becoming tedious and means they have more film space to add more detail to other scenes.

Love rival

At the beginning of the film the love interest doesn’t usually get on with the main character. This makes the film more exciting and less predictable at the end. It also builds suspense throughout the film as the audience aren’t sure if they will get together.

Pushy mother and subordinate father

In some romantic genre films there is a pushy mother or a subordinate father. This is usually the ‘villain’ in the film which adds good cop, bad cop. It gives the couple a difficulty they can triumph over and win against in the end. If the journey is too straight forward it does not make a good story.

Faithful side kick

In the film the main character and their love interest usually have a best friend in whom they can confide about their love life. This means that the audience can understand what they are feeling and know what’s going on all the time. It also usually adds a comedy aspect.

Coincidental bumping into each other

In romantic genre films sometimes the protagonists will bump into each other which causes ‘will they/ won’t they’ moments. This adds suspense and frustration to the film.  In a film of this type it is necessary to show how the characters first met and a quick accidental meeting is much snappier than a long drawn out acquaintance.

Happy ending

The end of most romantic films is positive. This will leave the audience believing that the two main characters’ love will last for the rest of their lives. However, this isn’t the case with some films for example Romeo and Juliet. These are known as romantic tragedies.  

The Film: Notting Hill

In the film Notting Hill a range of clichés are used. This adds predictability to the film. One of the clichés used is the relationship between Will Thacker and Anna Scott. This cliché is called ‘opposites attract’. Will owns an independent bookshop in Notting Hill and shares a small house with a room mate called Spike. In contrast to this Anna is a very well known and wealthy Hollywood actress living in America. This causes the audience to feel that this relationship will not work as they are so different and come from such diverse backgrounds. This is a strategy to make the unexpected happen in the end.

At the beginning of the film you find out that Will has been unlucky in love previously. This is another cliché as Will has lost his ‘Mrs. Wrong’. This grabs the audience’s attention from the start as they may feel they have been in the same situation and can identify with him. They also feel sorry for him and want things to turn out right for him in the end.

The part of ‘faithful side kick’ in this film is played by two characters: one being Spike who is Will’s room mate and the other being his bookshop colleague who has a much smaller part in the film. The function of Spike seems to be to add comedy to the film which lightens and contrasts with Will’s sadness. He is also someone that he can confide in about his relationship with Anna so that we know how he is feeling. Will’s conversations with his bookshop colleague enable us to see that Will’s love life is not his only problem: the business is going badly too.

Another cliché which we encounter at the beginning of the film is the ‘coincidental bumping into each other’. Will and Anna get to know each other through a minor accident in which Will spills orange juice over Anna. This causes the audience to think will they/ wont they get together? This adds unpredictability as they are not sure what will happen.

In the middle of the film you find out that Anna has a boyfriend which is a cliché as Will then has the competition which adds interest to the film.

The end of Notting Hill is happy as Will and Anna get on really well and end up marrying. The happy ending is a fairly predictable one for a romantic film of this type. It is what the audience have been wanting to happen.