2. Director: Joss Whedon
Release Date: April 11 2012
Plot:
S.H.I.E.L.D. has located the mysterious Tesseract device and
the Army's super soldier Captain America. The Tesseract is
actually a gateway to an entirely new world called Asguard.
A mysterious being known as Loki arrives on earth and
immediately assumes that he can rule all human beings. But
that irks S.H.I.E.L.D. directory Nick Fury the wrong way. As
Loki escapes with the Tesseract, Nick Fury believes this is an
act of war against Earth. His only hope is to assemble an
actual team of super heroes. Dr. Bruce Banner, who turns into
an enormous green rage monster known as the Hulk. Tony
Stark and his venerable Iron Man armor. Captain
America, the Stark Enterprises created super soldier. Thor, the
god of thunder, protector of Earth and his home planet of
Asguard, and Loki's brother. Master assassins Hawkeye and
Natasha Romanoff. Together they will become a team to take
on an attack that will call them to become the greatest of all
time.
3. Director: Gore Verbinski
Release Date: 19 July 2003
Plot:
Pirates of the Caribbean is a sweeping action-adventure story
set in an era when villainous pirates scavenged the Caribbean
seas. This roller coaster tale teams a young man, Will
Turner, with an unlikely ally in rogue pirate Jack Sparrow.
Together, they must battle a band of the world's most
treacherous pirates, led by the cursed Captain Barbossa, in
order to save Elizabeth, the love of Will's life, as well as
recover the lost treasure that Jack seeks. Against improbable
odds, they race towards a climactic confrontation on the
mysterious Isla de Muerta. Clashing their swords in fierce
mortal combat, Will and Jack attempt to recapture The Black
Pearl ship, save the British navy, and relinquish a fortune in
forbidden treasure thereby lifting the curse of the Pirates of
the Caribbean.
4. Director: Gore Verbinski
Release Date: 13 December 2013
Plot:
After successfully crossing over (and under) the Misty
Mountains, Thorin and Company must seek aid from a
powerful stranger before taking on the dangers of Mirkwood
Forest--without their Wizard. If they reach the human
settlement of Lake-town it will be time for the hobbit Bilbo
Baggins to fulfill his contract with the dwarves. The party
must complete the journey to Lonely Mountain and burglar
Baggins must seek out the Secret Door that will give them
access to the hoard of the dragon Smaug. And, where has
Gandalf got off to? And what is his secret business to the
south?
5. I have chosen the Genre Action Adventure. The 3 films that I have chosen include
some fiction which is one of the reasons I enjoy them. I like the idea of fictional places
and characters and the way that the films makes these places and characters believable.
Fiction is something that these 3 films have in common, at some point in all of these
films we are taken to places that are fictional as well as introduced to fictional
characters.
The actors I believe are very important in films. Even though the films can look good
the actors can contribute to making the film appeal to its audience for example; Johnny
Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean. When this film first came out fans of Johnny Depp
would want to watch the film because they know that they enjoy his films which
would have given Pirates of the Caribbean a more positive look.
The Avengers is another example the characters/actors are all very well known which
attracts the audience and makes them want to watch the film. The actors in The
Avengers already have their own previous films such as Iron Man, Thor, Captain
American and others. These films would have gained a following and contributed to
the success of The Avengers.
Promotion of a film is always a good way to attract people. I will usually watch a film
if I enjoy the trailer. The trailer gives the audience a look into the film which they can
then decide if they will enjoy the film. Trailers also show the special effects, which
attract me to the film along with the storyline and cast.
6. Reception Theory is based on our Age, Gender, Social class and cultural
background. The producer of the films will encode meaning in the film
which the audience can then decode the film, either agreeing with it and
enjoying everything about it (Preferred) disagreeing with it and disliking it
completely (Oppositional) or neither liking it or disliking it (Negotiated) I
prefer the genre Action/Adventure genre this is because I grew up watching
this genre. The James Bond films are a good example of the type of film I
enjoy, I watched these when I was younger so I get a feel of nostalgia when I
watch them, even when it comes to the newer films. One of my favourite
things about films are the special effects, effects are used in a lot of films but
I prefer to see less effects than more which is one of the reasons I enjoy
action adventure films more because they don’t have too many effects.
Reception Theory
7. Intertexuality
Intertexuality is when a Media Product includes text
from other media Products. This occurs in products
such as Films, Music Videos and TV shows.
For Example in the animated film Rango there are a
few things that are related to Pirates of the Caribbean.
Both films are directed by Gore Verbinski and they
also have the same leading Actor.
There is also a scene in the film Harry Potter which
could have reference to Pirates of the Caribbean. Both
of these films feature a ship emerging from the water.
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, a School Ship
emerges from the water and in Pirates of the
Caribbean Davy Jones Ship known as The Flying
Dutchman comes out of the water.
In the film ‘The Avengers’ the character Black Widow
relates to a variety of different Characters from other
Films. Related Characters are: Elasta Girl from the
animated film ‘The Incredibles’ Selene from
‘Underworld’ Selina Kyle from ‘Dark Knight Rises’
and Sue Storm from ‘Fantastic Four’
8. Star Theory
Star Theory focuses on the Actors in the Films. The actors that are selected will
be well known by the public. Star Theory is used in many films for example:
In Pirates of the Caribbean the main star is Actor ‘Johnny Depp’ however, originally
the role was made for Actor ‘Hugh Jackman’ but this was in the 1990’s and at this
time Hugh Jackman wasn’t well know outside of his native Australia and because of
this, Disney cast a more famous actor Johnny Depp who is known world wide as an
Actor. Personally, I will watch a film if I think it looks good regardless of the cast
however, if a well known actor is in a film and I like the Actor it helps me to look at
the film more positive.
Star Theory also occurs in the Marvel Films. With Well known actors being cast in
the solo films and then all of them cast in the group film ‘The Avengers’
9. Frameworks of Interpretation
Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
Codes & Conventions: The Trailer shows a lot of fantasy such as Hobbits and Elves, this
conforms to the Genre and supports that the film is fantasy. Many Camera angles are
used throughout the trailer. We see a lot of scenery and Characters reactions to certain
events.
Setting: The Films setting is ‘Middle Earth’ we see many fantasy like characters such as
Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits and Orcs .
Character: Many characters are shown in the trailer, to name a few;
Frodo – Main Character/Protagonist
Sam – Best Friend/Protagonist
Gandalf – Wizard/Brave/Wise
Gollum – Strange/Antagonist/Creature
Theme: We can see In the trailer the film is set in the middle ages due to a number of
things. For example: Horses are being used for transportation and swords, bow and
arrows being use as weapons.
Narrative: Frodo must destroy the Ring to stop Sauron from ever returning.
Iconography: The Ring – Represents Power
Ideological Message: The Message for the film is that the protagonists must fight
together and destroy the ring.
10. Frameworks of Interpretation
Thor: The Dark World
Codes & Conventions: Thors Hammer, Cars
Setting: New York, Asgard (World of Gods)
Character: Thor, Loki, Dr Jane Foster
Theme: The theme in this Trailer is Revenge/Life & Death/ Romance
Narrative: The Trailers narrative is sequential because it goes back in
time, narrative and denouement because the Hero Lives.
Iconography: Power
Ideological Message: Even when faced with Struggle, goodness will prevail
and all will end well.
These all conform to the films genre and doesn’t break it in any way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bFZJ-3zNFg
11. Frameworks of Interpretation
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Codes & Conventions: The Trailer shows many of the fictional characters from the
book. Wants are being used and broomsticks.
Setting: In the trailer there is one main setting which is the fictional School
Hogwarts.
Character: We see a number of characters in the trailer, to name a few:
Harry – Main Character/Protagonist/Hero
Hermione – Supporting Character/Protagonist
Ron – Supporting Character/Protagonist
Voldemort – Main Character/Antagonist
Theme: The theme of this film is based around magic and good vs. evil.
Narrative: The narrative I see from the trailer is that good must fight to destroy evil
and that only one will survive.
Iconography: Wands, Broomsticks
Ideological Message: good must fight to destroy evil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_kDb-pRCds
12. Media Literacy
There are a number of ways that we can hear about films, for me the main one is
friends and family through word of mouth. Other ways I can hear about
upcoming films is the use of social Media sites such as Facebook and Twitter
through official pages and posts by family and friends. Trailers are often shared
on social media sites by YouTube links and I will watch the trailer if I like the
look of it.
I also hear about upcoming films from websites such as ODEON, AMC and
IMDB. On these sites there are subpages that have lists of upcoming movies.
13. Active Spectatorship
Similar to reception theory, people will view films in different ways. Peoples
reactions to the film will be different and question it.
Fan clubs are often created for films that have a big following. Fan clubs are
created for fans of the films to speak about the movies with other fans. They also
promote the film and gain a wider audience. They can also organise events such
as conventions. This happens with a number of different film, an example would
be Star Wars which has many different fan clubs across the internet. There is also
a Star Wars convention which is held every year in Europe and fans from all
around the word gather for the convention.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etq9pchzLZA
‘Comic Con’ organise conventions all around the world for comic books, there is
one held in Manchester every year where fans of the marvel films and comics
can gather for the event. Fans also dress as characters from the films and comics.
