CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF ACTION FILMS

Action films are essentially a long quest with a series of different challenges which involve different chase sequences, violence, fight scenes and physical threats each one being more death defying and impossible than the one before. There are many codes and conventions associated with action films and they can often be seen through props, colours, clothing, body language and setting.

Settings: Action films are usually set in cities and other built up urban areas, this is predominately because when there is a chase scene eg. involving cars, it is easy to present fast things rushing past buildings rather than countryside. It also helps create a sense of danger as pedestrians are often around. Other settings involve casinos, banks, skyscrapers and police stations.

Characters: Most action films always follow a traditional layout of characters, one being a main protagonist (the hero) who often controls the action and fights against a villain who is often a rich millionaire, or ex military veterans with menacing accents for example the character ‘Raoul Silva’ in ‘Skyfall’. Or the villain could be well known to the hero but still hides their true identity for example the character ‘Thomas Gabriel’ from ‘Die hard 4’. They often have a evil girlfriend or female companion to accompany them on their evil doings. Often the hero may have a sidekick or companion who may hold them back until a necessary time where they show their intelligence. A final character who is guaranteed to be in a action film is a victim or group of victims, most stereotypically a woman who could sometimes be a princess or a child. This is because they are easy to present vulnerably.  

Lighting: Lighting is predominantly natural as most shots are filmed outside in open air. However if the villain is shown, they may use low key lighting to reflect the mood and their actions.  

Mise-en-scene: Heroes often have a range of clothing, sometimes they could be dressed in a smart suit maybe attending a social event and other times they could be dressed in rugged, rough clothes possible after a fight. A villain normally wears similar outfits to the hero but they are often darker colours and don’t involve as many accessories. Potential female victims are always dressed nicely unless they have been held captive, potentially causing them to look dirty and weak.  

Props involved in an action films would include weaponry such as guns, machinery, explosives and knives. As well as technology such as fast cars, helicopters, cell phones and computers. Action films are often big budget as they involve these props to add a cinematic and exciting experience of watching the film.