There are two main methods for analyzing films: auteur theory and genre analysis. Genre analysis examines elements like setting, characters, codes, conventions, and themes to determine if a film follows or breaks from the conventions of its genre. For example, the main character in Leon breaks the action film convention of being a handsome, muscular man. Auteur theory posits that certain directors like Quentin Tarantino, Francis Ford Coppola, and Wes Craven have unique styles and prioritize original artistic expression over commercial success, earning them status as "auteurs". Genre analysis specifically looks at seven elements: codes and conventions, setting, characters, themes, narrative, iconography, and ideological messages. These elements are

1. There are many different ways of analysing films and two of the main methods for analysing
films are auteur theory and genre analysis, these are both contrasting examples. Genre
analysis is basically looking at the individual elements of a film, setting, character, codes and
conventions, themes etc. Looking at whether or not the elements are generally the same as
most other films of that particular genre and whether or not the individual elements break
the convention. For example, the main character in an action film is usually a strong man
who is considered handsome and is usually muscly, but in the film Leon, the main character
is quite old and would not be considered handsome, this breaks convention of the action
genre. Auteur theory basically means a director is an ‘author’. It means the director is
generally the creator of the film, they create the meaning/ideological message, they
generally make a film to look good and original rather than make it just for the commercial
value. Auteurs are known for their individual style and the way they use originality and
make a film their own. Directors such as Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction), Francis Ford
Coppola (Apocalypse Now) and Wes Craven (Nightmare on Elm Street) are considered to be
auteurs for their originality in their films. Not many of those films were particularly success
in terms of commercial value but are all well known for their individual style and gave those
particular directors the reputation of auteur.
Genre analysis looks at seven individual aspects of a film which are probably the most
important aspects in terms of analysing films. The first one is codes and conventions which
arethings in a film which are a vital part of any genre, they let you know what genre it is
because they are specific to that genre. For example in an the James Bond film Quantum of
Solace, an action film, it usually involves police, uniforms, guns, cars etc. These are all
conventions of an action film and at least one would be seen in the majority of action
films.The second aspect is the setting, very important for genre analysis which is basically
just where the film takes place. Each genre has a typical setting, for example an action film
such as Quantum of Solace would take big place in a big city, usually in America but London
in this case, things such as large buildings, busy streets, shady back alleys would be used in a
typical action movie. Character is analysing the main characters, the protagonist, sidekick,
antagonist, love interest, father figure etc. Character analysis is looking at aspects of a
character and seeing if they fit the characters you would generally see in the specific genre.
For example in an action film such as Quantum of Solace, you would expect the main
character (protagonist) to be quite muscly, attractive to women, possibly rich and usually a
bit older than the kind of character you would see in a comedy movie. In a comedy film you
would expect the character to be a teenager and quite often they are seen as an outcast so
would have a distinctive feature which causes them to be outcasted. Themes in genre
analysis include elements such as love, friendship, hate etc. Typically in an action film, the
main theme would be hate because the antagonist has a hatred of something causing them
to be evil. Also it could be friendship in films where the protagonist has a sidekick. In a
comedy film it could be love because a lot of comedy films involve a love interest and also
friendship because there is always a group of friends involved. Narrative is a basic outline of

2. the story and other narratives within a story. For example in a comedy film, typically the
narrative would involve a road trip, or someone moving to a new school or trying to win
back a girl, not all comedy films have this narrative but they are very common for comedy
films. In an action film, quite often the plot is straightforward, it usually involves a villain
taking something away from a protagonist or doing something he disagrees with him which
causes him to track him down.Iconography analysis is things in a film that are well known for
being in a certain film or film series. For example in James Bond films, everyone recognizes
the expensive suits, the Aston Martin cars and generally the smart male protagonist theme.
In a film such as Back to the Future, everyone would recognize the Delorean and would
think of the film if they were to see one. Ideological message is basically messages that a
film gives out, a lot of the time they depend on when the film is set, in movies set in the past
there is sometimes a lot of racism because it was common back in that day. In Quantum of
Solace and other Bond films an ideological message is something such as British army
dominance, they show James Bond as being the best at what he does and beating enemies
of other nationalities, which represents the British army as being the best and beating other
nations at war. Also there is the objectifying of women,it is very common in James Bond
films as they are known for being quite sexist.