1. Action
Colour Schemes
Characters Narrative
Mise-en-Scene
Camera Angles
Target Audience
Dark colours
Present day or not too
distant future
Explosions
Weaponry
Armour/military uniform
Male
Young/teens
Establishing shots
Close ups
Aerial or
Crane shots
Woman (damsel in
distress)
American hero (man)
Sidekick
Intelligent
(usually foreign
or disfigured)
villain
A crime (bank heist,
terrorist plot, etc.)
Woman needs saving by
male here
Sub-narrative:
Romance
between ‘damsel’
and ‘hero’
The
development of
the hero’s
character
City
Fast cars
Car chases
2. Crime
Colour Schemes
Characters Narrative
Mise-en-Scene
Camera Angles
Target Audience
Dark colours
City
Weaponry – knives, guns
and bombs
Police uniform
Police cars and
ambulances
Present day
Bright
colours/lighting –
police lights
Teen to middle aged
Mainly male
Crime needs to be solved
(e.g. murder, heist, etc.)
Sometimes a romance
Development of a friendship between
two main characters or a hero and his
sidekick (partner)
Mind games
between villain and
hero
Hero (detective)
Villain (criminal)
Sidekick (partner to hero)
Interfering boss of
hero
Damsel in distress
Establishing shots
Close ups
Over shoulder shots
Low angles High angles
3. Sci-fi
Colour Schemes
Characters Narrative
Mise-en-Scene
Camera Angles
Target Audience
Blues and blacks
Spaceships
Advanced gadgetry
The future
City, other planet or
space Futuristic weaponry
Futuristic costume
Male
Geeks
Young people
Establishing shotsWide shots
Shot reverse shots
Close-ups
Hero (male)
Villain (perhaps an alien)
Aliens
Minor characters (crew on
board spaceship, etc.)
Alien invasions
Threats to the galaxy
Sometimes a romance
Sometimes self-sacrifice of
hero
4. Horror
Colour Schemes
Characters Narrative
Mise-en-Scene
Camera Angles
Target Audience
Past or present day
Small town or
village/countryside
Creepy houses
Dark lighting
CandlelightCrucifixes
Churches
Dark colours
Black
Red
Teens/young adults
Male
Close ups
Extreme close ups
Wide shots
Establishing shots
Trying to escape
something (a room, etc.)
Running from
something/someone
Deaths
Main characters
attempting to stop a
monster, murder, etc.
Occasionally – minor romances
Sometimes a prologue
Monster, murderer, ghost,
etc. (antagonist)
Main character (male or
female)
Minor characters –
friends of the main
character
Relatives of the
main character
