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1. Know your Genre – Additional Group Research
FilmTitle: Genre (andor sub-genre):Crime
Group Members:
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
Heat Criminal Neil McCauley(RobertDe Niro) istryingtocontrol one of hismen and their
rogue actions,and planson retiringandtherefore setsupone lastbigheisttosethim
for life. LieutenantHanna(Al Pacino) attemptstostop McCauley andhisgroup of
criminalswhilstdealing withthe chaosinhisownlife,includingthe infidelityof his
wife (Diane Venora) andthe mental healthof hisstepdaughter(NataliePortman).
McCauleyand Hanna discoveramutual respect,despite theirdifferencestheyrealise
they alsohave a lot incommon.
Film2 –
Title Synopsis
Goodfellas A youngman (RayLiotta) attemptstorise throughthe ranksof the mob;howeverhe
becomesaddictedtodrugsand alcohol andhismistakescause hisventurestofull
apart.
Film3 –
Title Synopsis
Scarface Tony Montana (Al Pacino) receives agreencardin exchange forassassinatingaCuban
governmentofficial.He thenattemptstostake a claimon the drug trade in Miami by
any meansnecessary.
Film4 –
Title Synopsis
casino Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro) is asked by the mob to head up a string of new
casinos in Vegas. At first all is well however over time corrupt politicians, Sam’s
reckless enforcer Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), and his wife (Sharon Stone) present
problems and put Sam in ever increasing danger.

2. Film5 –
Title Synopsis
The departed Boston cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes undercover to help expose Frank
Costello’s (Jack Nicholson) criminal organisation. As Billy gains trust, a crooked cop
named Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) reports on the police’s activities to his criminal
bosses. When both organizations learn they have a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin
must figure out each other's identities to save their own lives.
Settings
What are 6 settingsthathave appeared frequentlyinfilmsfromyourchosengenre?Listfilmtitle nexttoanswer.
1. A bank featuredinthe film Heat
2. Police station featuredinthe films the departed,heat
3. A casino featuredinthe film casino
4. Luxuriousandexpensivehouses,mansionsandapartments featuredinthe filmsscarface,goodfellas,
heat,the departedandcasino
5. Crookedbarsor nightclubsusedbythe criminals featuredinthe films the departedandScarface and
goodfellas
6. Crowdedcities featuredinthe films,heat,casino,scarface,the departedandgoodfellas.
Cinematography
Find3 iconicshotsfromfilmsof yourchosengenre.Copythe imagesandpaste thembelow.Identifytitlesunder

3. Heat Goodfellas Scarface
____________________________ ____________________________ _____________________________
List the majordifferencesandsimilaritiesbetweenthe images. Atleast3pointspercolumn.
Differences Similarities
Notall the imagesshowclearlythatthe charactersare
criminalsasdespite all 3actuallybeingthe resultsof
crime only2 showa crime actuallybeingcommitted
where asin the middle image the charactersare not
exposinganyweaponsorshowingintentof usingone,so
only2 connote violence throughpropsrealy.
All 3 include similarcostume,withall characterwearing
quite luxurious,expensive andsmartclothesshowing
theycare abouttheirappearance andare wealthy.
Only1 hascivilianspresent,andtheyare walkingaround
oblivioustowhothose menare andwhat theyare
capable of showinghowtheycan blendindayto daylife.
All 3 show criminal activityorthe resultof it.
Alsothe first1 issetin a cityoutside a bankwhereasthe
other2 are indifferentsettings.
All 3 characters share quite seriousandintimidating
facial expressionsandbodylanguage.
Image analysis
What do youbelievemakesthe imagesabove soiconic(orhave sucha strongimpact)?
For the firstone,heat,I thinkthatit’sthe wayhave the criminalsare able to blendIso easilyhavingjustrobbeda
bankfor millionsarmedwithassaultrifles.Itshow alevel of classandgeniusfromthe criminalsalmostforcingthe
audience toadmire Neil McCauley andwanttowatch more abouthim, theyfroman attachmentwiththe
characters.It showstheyare more than justbloodthirstytriggerhappymaniacs,theyare highlyskilled.
In termsof Tony Montanas laststand,thisis iconicsimplybecause he wassurroundedandhe wentdownfighting
and of course the line ‘sayhellotomylittle friend’whichIsseenasbothcomical and epichas remainedan
unforgettable movie quoteandagainlike heatthiscauses the audience tohave respectforthe criminal andside for
thempotentially.
Colour scheme

4. Are there any coloursor shadesthatcan be associatedwithyourgenre?Listthe colour,whywe mightassociate this
withyourgenre (whatwe see that isthiscolour) andany connotationsconnectedtothatcolour.
Perhapsthe colourblackas it isevidentthroughoutcrime filmsandinthe imageswe see itinthe heatpicture
especiallyonNeil McCauley’ssuit.The colourblackhasconnotationsof powerwhichwould be relevanttoa
character such as Neil McCauleyashe isa richpowerful andintelligentcriminal mastermindwhoisnottobe messed
withor takenlightlysothe coloursexaggerate thiseffectively.
Colour Where that colour appears in your
genre
Connotations – what we associate with
that colour.
black
Perhapsthe colourblackas it isevident
throughoutcrime filmsandinthe images
we see itin the heatpicture especiallyon
Neil McCauley’ssuit.
The colour blackhas connotationsof power
whichwouldbe relevanttoacharacter such
as Neil McCauleyashe is a rich powerful
and intelligentcriminal mastermindwhois
not to be messedwithortakenlightlyso
the coloursexaggerate thiseffectively.
Red We see thisinthe redcarpet on the floor
of tonyMontana’sbedroomfloor. Thiscouldconnote the violence anddanger
of a criminal lifestyle andhow life asa
criminal isa brutal and gory one.Itcould
alsoconnote the strengthandcapabilitiesof
characters suchas tony Montana,showing
he is a coldbloodedkiller.
Protagonists V Antagonists
Find an image of a notable protagonist and antagonist from your chosen genre.
Paste their image below.

5. Protagonists V Antagonists (continued)
What are the key or common characteristics of the protagonists and antagonists
from your genre?
Antagonist
Usually the antagonist is presented as a feared and respected character. They
are dangerous and because of this the general public usually fear them. I would
say that in terms of antagonists, unlike other genres the crime genre is special
because it’s a genre in which the antagonist is usually a character in which the

6. audience respect and desire to be like and in some cases even like which is not
typical of many genres as usually they are just the bad guys but in crime their
cool persona and bravery allows the audience to root for them in some cases.
For example in heat Neil McCauley is a criminal and yet he is loved by fans as he
may be an antagonist but he is relatable to the audience in the sense that he
shares some common values for example he is polite and dresses smart and
only uses violence when he has to, he is also looking for love and wants to enjoy
life which the audience sympathises with.
Also usually the antagonist is presented as being quite smart and deceptive for
example in the film se7en the serial killer tricks the detective into having him
murder him. This quality is shared between protagonist and antagonists and in
many ways these characters are the same but just on different teams, as seen in
the departed in which both sides of the law have their flaws and quality but
share a similar structure and lifestyle.
Protagonist
The protagonist is usually presented as being quite righteous and having a
higher moral ground than the antagonist. They are often presented as family
men and women and show less of an interest in money and fame but more in
family values and morals where as often the antagonist is portrayed as being
rich and driving nice cars and having the more enjoyable lifestyle compared to
the protagonist who has a more common lifestyle. Also the protagonist is seen
as being less violent and more caring.
What are some other common character types from your chosen genre?
Usually the crime genre consists of three main character types;
The people who solve the crime.
The people who commit the crime.
And the victims of the crime for example a damsel in
distress.___________________________

7. Props
What props appear significantly or commonly in your chosen genre?
Propsthat occur frequentlyincrime filmsare weapons.Forexample gunsare afeature of basicallyeverycrime film
made.Alsoknivesare commonandotherdeadlyweapons.
_______________
Costume and Make-up
What types of costumes are prevalent in films from your genre? Describe them
and find examples.
In terms of costume the crime genre usually consist of smart looking costumes
such as suits which look sophisticated and smart. Usually these suits are quite
dark with many being black suits or dark grey and usually the ties also follow
this convention, and the shirts are usually white.
How is make-up (or prosthetics) used significantly in your chosen genre?
Describe its use and find any notable examples.
Makeupisn’tusuallythatsignificantinthe crime genre andmakeupusedissubtle andusedinlow amounts.
Howeverif itwere tobe used itwouldbe to attemptto morphan actor intoa certainrole forexample JohnnyDepp
inblack massor heathledgerinbatman.It couldalso be usedto helpmake a character lookmore seriousorsmart.

8. Lighting
How is lighting used commonly and in your chosen genre?
In the crime genre mainly dark lighting is used with many settings being those
consisting of limited dim lighting and dark shades of colours.
What is the effect of these styles of lighting?
It can help create tension and suspense and make a location feel eerie to the
audience keeping them on the edge of their seat and concerned for the
characters involved.
Also it helps create mystery which allows the audience to become enticed and
hooked on the films plot.
Find an 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.
A good example of where lighting has been used effectively in the crime genre is
in the movie se7en. This movie uses dim lighting throughout nearly all of its
settings and this help create the setting of the film to be extremely eerie and
dangerous and mysterious.
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?
I would expect the main characters of a crime film to act with real pride and
authority. Every movement would be done with great confidence and precision.
They wouldn’t give too much away to each other and would remain focus on

9. their end goal. They would show great composure and yet know when force is
necessary.
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?
A real symbol of the crime genre is the Tommy gun and guns in general. In many
ways they symbolise the fast paced dangerous and impactful lifestyles of many
of the characters within a crime movie. They symbolise the crime themselves
and show how serious the characters are and that the weapons are not just for
show they are prepared to used them