Know Your Genre task

1. Know your Genre – Additional Group Research
FilmTitle: Genre (andor sub-genre):Crime Thriller
Group Members: Josh, Matteo,George
Popular films– list5 populartitlesfromyourchosengenre andwrite a 1-2 sentence synopsisforthem.Youdonot
needtohave watchedthese films,thoughitmayhelpyourawarenessof yourgenre towatchthemoverthe next
fewweeks. Donotcut and paste synopsis;putthe storiesintoyourownwords.
Film1 –
Title Synopsis
SE7EN
When retiring police Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) tackles a final
case with the aid of newly transferred David Mills (Brad Pitt), they discover a number of
elaborate and grizzly murders. They soon realize they are dealing with a serial killer
(Kevin Spacey) who is targeting people he thinks represent one of the seven deadly
sins. Somerset also befriends Mills' wife, Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is pregnant
and afraid to raise her child in the crime-riddled city
Film2 –
Title Synopsis
L.A.
CONFIDENTIAL
Three policemen, each with his own motives and obsessions, tackle the corruption
surrounding an unsolved murder at a downtown Los Angeles coffee shop in the
early 1950s. Detective Lieutenant Exley (Guy Pearce), the son of a murdered
detective, is out to avenge his father's killing. The ex-partner of Officer White
(Russell Crowe), implicated in a scandal rooted out by Exley, was one of the
victims. Sergeant Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) feeds classified information to a
tabloid magnate (Danny DeVito).
Film3 –
Title Synopsis
THE
UNTOUCHABLES
After building an empire with bootleg alcohol, legendary crime boss Al Capone
(Robert De Niro) rules Chicago with an iron fist. Though Prohibition agent Eliot
Ness (Kevin Costner) attempts to take Capone down, even his best efforts fail
due to widespread corruption within the Windy City's police force. Recruiting an
elite group of lawmen who won't be swayed by bribes or fear, including Irish-
American cop Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery), Ness renews his determination
to bring Capone to justice.

2. Settings
What are 6 settingsthathave appeared frequentlyinfilmsfromyourchosengenre?Listfilmtitle nexttoanswer.
1. Gruesome crime scenes Featured inthe film SE7EN
2. Police station Featuredinthe film SE7EN,L.A., THE UNTOUCHABLES
3. Victimshouse Featured inthe film SE7EN
4. Dark nightclubs Featured inthe film L.A.CONFIDENTIAL
5. Streetswithluridneonlights Featured inthe film L.A. CONFIDENTIAL
6. Police car Featured inthe film SE7EN
Cinematography
Find3 iconicshotsfromfilmsof yourchosengenre.Copythe imagesandpaste thembelow.Identifytitlesunder
GET CARTER (1971) HEAT (1995) THE GODFATHER (1972)
List the majordifferencesandsimilaritiesbetweenthe images. Atleast3pointspercolumn.
Differences Similarities
The imagesare all iconicbuttheyvary: ‘GetCarter’
showsa mediumshotof Michael Caine holdinga
shotgun,suggestingthere isactioninthe film, ‘HEAT’
showsboththe protagonistandantagonistsittingto
togethertalkinginadiner, as if theyare social, and ‘The
Godfather’justshowsthe titularcharacterstandingand
holdingacat.
All charactersfeaturedare wearingsuitsandcome
across as verysophisticatedandclassy.
The ‘Get Carter’image isthe onlyone thatimmediately
lookslike itisfroma crime film,whereasthe othertwo
are notas obvious.
The characters are all male and aroundmiddle age,
whichisstereotypical of gangstersincrime films.
‘The Godfather’image featuresthe oldestcharacterof
the 3 images,whichcaninferthatthischaracter has a
longercriminal pastcompared tothe others.
All the imagesare indimlylitareas,suggestingsome
mysteryandambiguityaboutthe characters.

3. Image analysis
What do youbelievemakesthe imagesabove soiconic(orhave sucha strongimpact)?
The imagesare iconicbecause when the filmscame outtheywere metwithcritical acclaim, andfeaturedfamous
actors of the time.‘GetCarter’starredMichael Caine,a worldrenownedBritishactor whohad previouslystarredin
otherpopularfilmsi.e.‘Zulu’(1964),‘Alfie’(1966) and‘The ItalianJob’(1969). The picture isalso quite an
intimidatingone,makingCaine’scharacterlookcool andpowerful inasense.‘HEAT’alsofeaturesfamousactors
such as Al Pacinoand RobertDe Niro,bothof whomhave starredin theirowncrime filmstoo (‘Scarface’(1983) and
‘Once Upon A Time InAmerica’(1984)).‘The Godfather’image isthe classiestandmostsophisticatedpicture outof
the 3. The filmisgenerallyreceivedasone of the greatestfilmsof all time,sothe filmhasmanyiconicimages.
Colour scheme
Are there any coloursor shadesthatcan be associatedwithyourgenre?Listthe colour,whywe mightassociate this
withyourgenre (whatwe see that isthiscolour) andany connotationsconnectedtothatcolour.
Colour Where that colour appears in your
genre
Connotations – what we associate with
that colour.
RED POLICESIREN LIGHTS
BLOOD
DANGER
DEATH/MURDER
BLUE POLICEUNIFORM COLD
SADNESS
MYSTERY
Protagonists V Antagonists
Find an image of a notable protagonist and antagonist from your chosen genre.
Paste their image below.

4. Protagonists V Antagonists (continued)
What are the key or common characteristics of the protagonists and antagonists
from your genre?
Protagonist Antagonist
What are some other common character types from your chosen genre?
E.g., Damsel in distress
The Grumpy Detective The Crooked Police Officer
The Sidekick
The Victim
The Criminal
The Troubled Police Officer
Props
What props appear significantly or commonly in your chosen genre?
GUNS SMALL WEAPONS POLICE BADGE
The protagonist is usually a male
character who has a hard upbringing
and possibly has little money. Some
may have dark pasts and are trying to
cope with their previous bad deeds,
leading to complex character arcs
The antagonist is generally cunning,
smart and psychological, pushing the
main protagonist to their limits and
putting them in uncomfortable
situations.

5. Costume and Make-up
What types of costumes are prevalent in films from your genre? Describe them
and find examples.
Description - The detectives generally wear suits and long coats, whilst the
victims clothing can be varied. Likewise, the criminals clothing is also varied.
Costume option 1 Costume option 2 Costume option 2
How is make-up (or prosthetics) used significantly in your chosen genre?
Describe its use and find any notable examples.
Make-up is used frequently in crime films as the victims are generally killed in
gruesome ways so to convey this, a lot of the budget goes into the make-up to
make the crime scenes look realistic.
_________________________________________________________________
Lighting

6. How is lighting used commonly and in your chosen genre?
Crime films tend to be dimly lit and bleak to connote the dark nature of the
story: the stereotypical, grumpy detective with alcohol problems trying to track
down a murderer. They also use neon lit streets to connote the seedy criminal
underworld.
_________________________________________________________________
What is the effect of these styles of lighting?
Low-key lighting is typically used when the director wants to either isolate a
subject or convey drama. Just because a scene is shot with low-key
lighting doesn’t necessarily mean it must be scary, but, they if want their
audience to be uneasy, low-key lighting is a great place to start. Low-key
lighting helps to minimize distractions in your frame, so it really helps to guide
your audiences eyes where you want them to be.
Find 2 examples of where lighting has been used significantly in your chosen
genre. Briefly explain the type of lighting used and the effect that is created by
the light scheme and shadow.
The lighting in this shot is low key as it is
predominately dark. The lighting creates a sinister
feel to the audience, connoting how these men,
despite being protagonists, are criminals and are
evil.
Lighting Continued
Like the previous picture the scene is dimly lit.
Nothing is in the light except the female character,
suggesting she is the main attraction for the
audiences attention.

7. Character action and movement
How would you expect your 3 main characters to act and behave? How would
they carry themselves/ pose/ act towards one another. Why would they act in
this way?
The two main protagonists would act sophisticated but would have individual
characteristics. One of the characters would fit the typical genre conventions
and be a darker take on a character, whilst the other would be more positive.
Both characters would often go head to head on how to tackle a problem.
The villain would be cunning and smart, testing the protagonists in various
ways.
Symbolism
What symbolic objects/colours/concepts/gestures/costumes might appear in
your film? Look to other films from your genre for inspiration. Find images of
your own symbolic objects. What could these objects symbolise?
As said before both protagonists will be wearing suits, a frequent convention of
characters in crime films. For the murder victim fake blood will be used, which
uses the colour red as a symbol for danger and death.
Examples of notable symbolic items
Scarface
Psycho - 1969