Action Genre

An action movie consists of explosions, fights, crash sequences, stunt work, and the fate of the world at the hands of a heroic individual who is willing to do anything to fight an evil force. Classics like Fist of Fury, Aliens, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Bad Boys are all action movies.  

The target audiences for these movies are teens and young adults ages 15-35, mostly males since they tend to contain more masculine ideas like physical strength, fights, and explosions. The typical audience tends to enjoy more fact-based, high-stakes films.  

Content: 

The most common theme developed in action is good vs evil. This theme usually includes a heroic protagonist or a group of heroes fighting against a villain or an evil force. For instance, the movie Die Hard. In it,  John McClane (Bruce Wilis), battles a group of terrorists led by the villain Hans Gruber, who has taken hostages in a skyscraper. McClane, an off-duty cop, must take down Gruber and his crew to save the hostages and stop their evil plan. The good would be John McClane and the evil will be Hans Gruber and his group. 

Most of the time there will be a heroic protagonist in action movies. This protagonist can have different personalities like the lone wolf who works by himself (James Bond), the supernatural heroes, who possess an abnormal ability like super strength (Superman and Hulk), and the technological heroes who rely on their technology to save the day (Iron Man). All of these types of protagonists share certain similarities though. The lead in action movies is most likely to be a male who is highly skilled, brilliant, part of an organization whether governmental or fictional, and who has a very clear idea of the good and the bad. The protagonist will need to solve a problem or go on a mission to fight a greater injustice against another group considered the villain. 

Production Techniques:

Since these movies heavily rely on the plot and excitement of the story, they tend to be very quick and fast-paced. For example, in a fight scene, there will be quick cuts between shots to add intensity and build up tension during these moments. Additionally, loud sound effects like gunshots, punches, explosions, etc. are used to dramatize and make the scene come alive. For instance, in the movie Rocky II, the song Eye of the Tiger famously plays as Rocky fights Apollo Creed to reclaim his title. This song is now an iconic part of the movie and is still associated with it. 

Another technique these movies use is CGI. They use this technology to develop things like huge armies during battles, creating creatures, adding speeding cars, and bullets, and creating fictional cities. These visuals help these movies be more visually captivating to the audience since they seamlessly blend real and digital elements together. In the movie Avatar CGI is used to create the mesmerizing and unreal look of the avatars.  

Marketing: 

When it comes to the trailers of these movies, directors opt for a fast-paced action pack (chase sequences and major fight moments) to draw the audience in. They introduce the threat and highlight the special effects and well-known actors in the film. Often, they will end on a cliffhanger to make the viewers want to see more. 

In action films, the use of specific actors contributes to the marketing of these movies. For example, Sylvester Stallone is most known for his acting in his action films so by making him the lead the audience will associate his past performances in other action films with the new production creating more interest in the piece. Marketing teams use this to their advantage. They highlight famous action stars like Stallone to make the movie look even more exciting, attracting fans who already love his movies. It’s like a shortcut to get people interested because the actor’s name will tell people what kind of action they can expect. 

 
Examples: 

A film that embodies the action genre is "Mission: Impossible" In which IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is framed for the murder of his team during a mission gone wrong in Prague. To clear his name and find the real traitor, Hunt assembles a new team to infiltrate the CIA headquarters in Langley and steal a valuable list of undercover agents. He must overcome all the challenges he is opposed to to find the real traitor. The film has a high-stakes plot taking place in various locations around the world, which revolves around Hunt’s desperate quest to prove his innocence and prevent a catastrophic breach of intelligence. The gripping action sequences, such as the chase through the streets of Prague, keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Mixed with the iconic and recognizable theme song, which amplifies the tension and excitement.  

The film Terminator revolves around a cyborg assassin, The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who is sent back in time from a dystopian future to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose future son will lead a resistance against machines. To protect her, the human soldier Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) is also sent back in time. This movie embodies the action genre with its high-stakes plot that revolves around the battle between humanity and machines. The film features intense action sequences, including explosive car chases, shootouts, and confrontations with the relentless cyborg, showcasing both physical prowess and technological menace. Its score, composed by Brad Fiedel, enhances the tension and urgency of the escape from the Terminator. 

  

Some Action Movies:

First Blood (1982)

World War Z (2013)

Fast Five (2011)

The Matrix (1999)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Sources: 

Conventions of the 'Action' Films Genre by Ben Kelleher on Prezi 

Action Genre: How to Tell an Exciting Life and Death Story 

Central Themes in Film - Film and Media Studies - LibGuides at Eastern Arizona College 

Representation in Modern Family

 The TV show Modern Family follows the lives of three related families, focusing on relationships like Cameron Tucker and Mitchell Pritchett with their adopted daughter Lily, Phil and Claire Dunphy with their three kids, and Jay Pritchett with his wife Gloria and their children. In this post, I’ll be discussing the representation of Gloria and the portrayal of Cameron and Mitchell’s relationship.  

The character of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, portrayed by Sofia Vergara in Modern Family, is often exoticized throughout the series. The show uses various stereotypes to develop her culture. Gloria is portrayed as a short-tempered woman, with a thick Colombian accent, and a curvaceous figure, and she is always shown to have a strong effect on men. One of the things highlighted the most is her physical appearance. Her fashion choices (tight dresses, high heels, and bold makeup) emphasize her physical appearance, which is often exoticized by other characters. In one of the episodes, Claire openly comments on Gloria's sex appeal, highlighting how her appearance makes her seem intimidating. This constant focus on her looks feeds into the broader stereotype of Latinas being valued for their physical attractiveness rather than their intellect or personal depth.  

Gloria’s Colombian background is often exaggerated in Modern Family, making her seem more "exotic" and different from the other characters. Her thick accent and the way she often mixes up English sayings are used as jokes throughout the series, which makes her stand out as foreign. While these moments can be funny, they also emphasize how she’s not like the others because of where she’s from. In Season 3, Episode 12, “Egg Drop”, Gloria is portrayed as overly emotional and dramatic, which plays into the stereotype that Latina women are always fiery and passionate. This makes her seem more like a mockery than a fully developed character. 

On the other hand, the representation of the LGBTQ+ community in Modern Family regarding Cameron and Mitchel’s relationship is very positive. Unlike older shows that often show gay characters in a stereotypical way, Cam and Mitch are portrayed as a regular, loving couple. They go through everyday situations, like raising their adopted daughter, Lily, and dealing with the same challenges any couple faces.  What makes their portrayal important is that they aren't just shown as "the gay couple", they are shown just as a regular family even showing their wedding, the process of adopting their daughter, and their everyday challenges. By showing them as a regular family instead of funny side characters, Modern Family helped audiences see LGBTQ+ couples in a more positive and relatable way. This show made a big step forward for historically underrepresented groups in the media. 

Overall, Modern Family has good and bad representation. Gloria’s character and value were somewhat accurate coming from a Latina myself but some of her characteristics were exotified to create a greater appeal to the audience. Regarding the LGBTQ+ representation in this show, I think that it is one of the best out there since it really delves into the family life of a gay couple and helps normalize this.

Clip From the Show

I couldn’t find the exact Egg Drop clip but this scene from season two illustrates the on-running jokes about her accent and the outfits she is mostly seen in. Modern Family - Gloria´s accent (youtube.com) 

Mitch and Cam Get Married - Modern Family (youtube.com)   

Unexpectedly Human: A TD Bank Story – Commercial (youtube.com)

Sound Project

 During class, I learned several types of sound techniques, examples of each, and why each of them is used. We learned terms like diegetic sound, asynchronous sound, sound motif, voiceover, etc. These sounds are created using sound effects and sometimes sound effects are created using foley. Foley is a technique used in filmmaking and sound design to create or enhance sounds that are added in post-production. These are recorded on a foley stage, which is a special recording space designed to create sound effects and is equipped with a variety of surfaces and props. They are made by a foley artist.  

After learning the basics we were assigned a sound project. The project had to develop a scene using only sound. This scene had to be 1-2 minutes long and must contain four sounds created on a ‘foley stage’. Once we are done, we must submit three files, our final soundscape, a video of our ‘foley stage,’ and pictures of our editing timeline. 

My teammate and I started by brainstorming a possible scene we could create for our soundscape. At first, we thought of doing a tour through the safari, but we remembered that our scene had to happen in the span of 1-2 minutes. So, we decided on a basketball game in the park. Next, we started working on our outline where we listed each moment of the scene and what sounds we would include. We included sounds for the atmosphere like birds chirping, kids playing, bicycle bells, cars in the distance, and the wind swaying the trees. This outline helped us envision how our final product would be and to list each sound we would need to download and create. 

Since my teammate and I wanted to do most of the editing at home, we decided to use the editing program DaVinci Resolve. I had experience with this software, but it took me some time to figure out how to use it. The program allowed us to import all our sound files and place them on a timeline where I changed the volumes and layered a lot of sounds. 

Regarding our final product, I am very content with the layering of sounds we created. We included things like the player's breathing, the jerseys rubbing as players push each other, the bike bells, the distant cars, etc. One thing I would like to improve is the blending of our foley sounds with the digital sounds, especially the basketball dribbling. I think that messing with more of the audio settings could have fixed that, but I would have needed more knowledge of DaVinci Resolve. Overall, this project was quite different from anything that I have done before, and I am immensely proud of our final product. 

 

If you want to watch our project, click here

If you want to watch our Foley video, click here

And if you want to see our outline, click here