1. Beth Melia
How to analyse a film
To analyse a film there are many different ways to approach it. Two types of analysis are genre
analysis as well as Auteur Theory. Genre directors would make a film that sticks to all the typical
codes and conventions of that type of film. Including: codes and conventions, characters, themes,
narrative, iconography and the ideological message. For example, the director of Mean Girls- Mark
Waters sticks to the genre’s codes and conventions of a teen rom com. Propp’s character types such
as the princess, hero, villain, protagonist, protagonist, are evident in Mean Girls and the portrayal of
these character types is very conventional for the genre of teen rom-com. The narrative of it
includes the usual popular girl fighting with the unpopular girl to get the popular boy, highlighting
Todorov’s equilibrium theory, where the story starts off with everyone happy, then there is
disequilibrium, then there is the struggle to repair the equilibrium and finally the equilibrium is
resolved.
When applying auteur theory the director of a movie doesn’t stick to the codes and conventions of
certain genres. They will break the rules when it comes to making films. For example Jared Hess who
is the writer and director of the film ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ breaks away from the typical convention
of a teen comedy. The ways in which it does this is by keeping the main character, who is a ‘geek’, as
a geek and not turning him popular at the end of the film. He doesn’t find love or ‘live happily ever
after’, this is also what makes it different to the typical film. One of the only things that are typical is
that it is set in a school. Although usually the school is big and modern, the school in this film isn’t. In
other films the school is the main setting, whereas in this film it is only shown a few times.
2. Beth Melia
Another film that follows conventions of genre is the James Bond film ‘Quantum of Solace’. The
codes and conventions are all typical, such as the setting. The setting is based in the rich city of Siena
in Italy. This is typical of an action film because films such as ‘Batman’ and ‘2 guns’ (2 guns being set
in California). The characters stick to Propps character type’s theory, for example the hero (James
Bond), the villain (Dominic), the princess (Camille). James bond is the protagonist, he is made out to
be the stronger more powerful character, whereas although Camille seems strong on the inside, we
can see deep down she is not as strong as we think as she fears the enemy. In laws of female
representation Camille is represented as a sex object and ends up sleeping with James Bond. Sexual
objectification of women is a convention of the action thriller scene particularly in James Bond.
Themes in James Bond are Revenge, good triumphing over evil, fast cars, power, life and death. In
this film there is a conventional linear narrative.
An action film that has an auteur director and a non-linear narrative is Pulp Fiction. It breaks
conformity when it comes to codes and conventions but still has all the elements of the genre, which
is crime drama. For example, it still has the typical iconography; such as guns and drugs. The way it
breaks conformity is by making the film non-linear. It jumps from one time to another. When it
comes to characters we see that there isn’t one main protagonist. There are a few main characters.
This is breaking conformity as usually there is only one main character (in films such as James Bond
and Leon). When comparing this film to James Bond the setting is very different. James Bond is set in
a rich city and exotic locations, whereas Pulp Fiction is set in a dirty urban city. The main differences
3. Beth Melia
between the two films are the narrative. James Bond has a linear narrative, whereas Pulp Fiction has
a non-linear, elliptical narrative, it is time disordered and there is a narrative enigma. Something
both these films have is sexual objectification towards women. This appeals to the target audience
of these films as women are something men want to see.
