This document discusses different types of film analysis: genre analysis and auteur theory. Genre analysis examines how a film follows the codes and conventions of its genre, like how the James Bond film Quantum of Solace includes elements typical of Bond films like sexualized women, gun fights, and expensive cars. Auteur theory looks at directors who break conventions, like how Apocalypse Now depicts the true horrors of the Vietnam War rather than glorifying the American army. Elements like sexually objectified women and depictions of violence against women and children would not be seen in a typical genre film but are used by auteur directors. The document also analyzes how the films Mean Girls, Leon, and Pulp Fiction follow or break conventions

1. How to Analysis a film?
Within films there are two types of analysis. The two different ways are Genre analysis and Auteur
Theory. Genre analysis is when a director follows the codes and conventions of films this can be
seen in such films at Quantum of Solace. This follows conventions of a Bond film because itsexually
objectifies women, have lots of gun fights and have expensive cars such as Aston Martins. Where as
an Auteur director does not follow the codes and conventions. Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis
ford Coppola is a good example of this because it shows what really happened in the Vietnam War,
so it is not showing off the American army in a good way, it shows women and children being killed.
This does not follow codes and conventions because in a Genre analysis film they would never show
women and children being killed.
Within a Bond film there are certain codes and
conventions that they follow, for example guns, sports cars
and girls are used. Girls are sexually objectified in Bond
films, they use young attractive girls in the film that James
has to rescue and normally at some point in the film they
will be in a bikini or not in much clothing. Aston Martins
are used by Bond because they represent him, fast and
sleek, Aston Martins are also very expensive which keeps
with the theme of his expensive taste. Eg: his Omega
watch and suit. As the protagonist James Bond always wears a suit and has ‘rugged good looks’ this
follows the conventions of an Action movie. Furthermore another iconic thing to a James Bond
movie is the Omega watch which all the Bonds wear.
Leon is a film directed by an auteur director Luc Besson. This is an action movie like James Bond with
the guns and a protagonist that is the ‘hero’ but apart from that they are quite different. In Leon the
protagonist is tall and skinny who always hides his face behind tinted glasses, which is
unconventional for a protagonist in an action movie. Futhermore there are no girls in this movie that
are sexually objectified, but there is a 12 year old girl called Matilda who fancies Leon which is not
conventional at all which follows an auteur director. Also in a conventional movie women and
children are not killed because most people who watch these movies don’t want to see this, but in
an auteur movie this is done openly in a big scene where we see a whole family get killed one by
one.
We also looked at the film Mean Girls. This follows the codes and conventions of a chick flick,
because there is a new girl that starts the school who doesn’t make any friends, but falls into the
‘popular group’ of girls where they try and make them ‘cool’ and ‘popular’ like them. Also Mean Girls
follows the conventions of where the film is set, for example high school canteens/classrooms,
parents house and the high school sports field are all places where this sort of movie is set, this is
because they are showing where most teenagers spend there time with their friends. At the start of
the film configurations to other chick flick films are used, for example the film is edited and cuts to
all the different social groups that are in the canteen, this is a good way by the editor to show the
viewer the different social groups. Furthermore in chick flicks there are a lot of different themes for
example Love, acceptance, friendship, sex, individuality. But mainly the new girl always ends up

2. falling in love with one of the ‘jocks’ of high school, and in
mean girls when Candy is in maths and this ‘jock’ turns
around their eyes meet, soft music is played and it is in slow
motion. The director is trying to show that Candy has fallen
in love by doing this.
Quentin Tarantino has a distinctive style that makes him an auteur director, for example in Pulp
Fiction he doesn’t show the film in chronological what makes the film complex to construct.
This means that the whole film doesn’t make sense fully until the end of the movie. Quentin
appeared in the film which is a crime thriller, this also backs up that he is a auteur
director.
In the different scenes throughout the movie we learn more about each character. John
Travolta and Samuel Jackson are the main characters in the film, and in a conventional
movie the main characters do not die, but because this is a unconventional film John
Travolta dies breaking conformity. This film is set In LA, but no in all the nice
famous/glamours places, they go to the dirtier less wealthier parts of LA which they do
not normally do in conventional films