2. TYPES OF LOCATION
THAT CONTRIBUTE TO
SCALE AND SPECTACLE
Epic – e.g. ancient ruins Tomb Raider, Indiana Jones
Exotic – e.g. jungle, tropical island
Dangerous – e.g. war zone, collapsing building
Unusual – e.g. underwater, on top of a mountain
Fantasy/sci fi – e.g. a newly created world
Historical – e.g. a reconstructed famous location
Discussion: Can you think of other types or examples?
3. NARRATIVE EVENTS
THAT CONTRIBUTE TO
SCALE AND SPECTACLE
Battles
Sieges
Extended chase sequences
Quests
Exploration/searches to new places
Colonisation
Sport/fight event/entertainment/race
Can you think of any others?
4. TASK
Up date the list with your own examples:
Epic – e.g. ancient ruins Tomb Raider, Indiana
Jones
Exotic – e.g. jungle, tropical island
Dangerous – e.g. war zone, collapsing building
Unusual – e.g. underwater, on top of a mountain
Fantasy/sci fi – e.g. a newly created world
Historical – e.g. a reconstructed famous location
5. Watch the extract four times and make notes on each of the
technical areas in turn:
• Camera angles and framing/ movement/ shot types
• Editing
• Sound
• Mise en scene
<iframe width="560" height="315"
src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k5miL8L82es"
frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Write up your notes using the following prompts
GLADIATOR
6. TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
Question 1 Using this extract…
Explain two ways the characters/events in the extract fit the
action adventure genre
Explanation 1
Explanation 2
7. CAMERA ANGLES AND
FRAMING/SHOT
TYPES/MOVEMENT
• How important are long (or wide) shots in the sequence?
• Are there any unusual shots, angles or camera
movements?
• If close-upa are used, what to they show and why?
• Are there shots filmed at anything other than ‘normal’
speed? If so, what effect does this have?
8. EDITING
• How does the editing contribute to creating a ‘sense of the
real’?
• Are there other noticeable editing effects?
Cross cutting, action match, whip pan, racked focus, shot
reverse shot, over cranking, under cranking
9. SOUND
Listen to the sound mix carefully.
• What elements of the soundtrack are most prominent
(i.e. dialogue, ambient sound, music, specific sound effects)?
• What kind of music is used in the sequence? Is it used
throughout or introduced/isolated at a specific point?
Diegetic, non diegetic
10. MISE EN SCENE AND
SPECIAL EFFECTS
• What elements of the mise en scene are most striking?
• Does the sequence seem real? What aspects contribute most
to this?
• What aspects of the mise en scene are intended to add to the
sense of spectacle (such as performers’ reactions, lighting,
special effects, stunts, etc)?
• How far do you think the use of visual effects is intended to
impress the audience?
• How original or unusual do you feel the mise en scene is?
