AS Media research

1. GENRE RESEARCH
ACTION
By Oliver Booth

2. Introduction to action films
■ The majority of action films which you see include tremendous impact and continuous
high energy, to keep the audience with the whole rhythm of the scene and what's
going on. Lots of physical stunts and activity are put in to emphasize on the whole
action and brutality of the scene.They include chase scenes, races, rescues, battles
and other action-packed scenes.They get people's adrenalin flowing and pumping as
normally these are fast paced and include a large amount of destruction and chaos.
The film will often have continuous motion and action within it.The story usually
revolves around a hero that has a goal, but is facing incredible odds to obtain it.
Finally, action films usually get the audience on the edge of their seats as there are a
lot of twists and mysteries involved within them. Action films aim to keep you
entertained with pyrotechnics, amazing storylines and a bit of a twist.They deal with
semi-realistic storylines all though most of the weapons or dooms day devices may be
a bit far fetched, the plots of most action films are the same which contain either
terrorists, complete and utter psychopaths, exploration and crime fighting.

3. History of action films
During the 1920s and 1930s many films featured as ‘swashbuckling’, these are action
adventure subgenre films, which normally consist of sword fighting and adventurous
heroic characters.These will normally be sit in renaissance western Europe, the plot to this
is normally damsel in distress and a romantic element.
Many films associated with this subgenre in this era are:
 The Mark of Zorro (1920)
 Robin Hood (1922)
 TheThree Musketeers (1921)
 Captain Blood (1935)
 The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)

4. Notable Actors in the 1920s & 1930s
Douglas Fairbanks
Noah Beery
Errol Flynn

5. History of action films
The 1940s and 1950s saw a different subgenre of films, most films in the 1940s and 1950s
were mainly in the form of a war film, or a cowboy movie.War films were generally related
on warfare, these either consisted of naval, air or land battles. Some of these were
prisoners of war.This is where the film has the plot of someone who is held prisoner by an
enemy during or immediately after the war or conflict between either sides.
Some war Films from the 1940s and 1950s include:
 TheWooden Horse (1950)
 Albert R.N. (1953)
 The Colditz Story (1955)

6. Notable Actors in the 1940s & 1950s
DavidTomlinson JackWarner Leo Genn

7. History of action films
The 1960s Introduced a new subgenre of action films, this was the Spy Adventure Genre,
These films, were something new, James Bond came into the whole equation,These films
dominated the action films of 1960s.This introduced to everyone the staples of a modern
day action film.These films normally consisted of a ‘one man army’ who has the abilities
to disposal of villainous masterminds in even more creative ways.These films normally
included high speed car chases which would get on the end of your seat, also these
included fist fights and the big fight scenes with the use of different gadgets and
weapons.

8. Notable actors from the 1960s
Steve McQueen Sean Connery
Sir Roger Moore

9. History of action films
The 1990s was an era of sequels and hybrid, sub genre actions films, Like the:
-Western genre
-The spy-movies.
-urban-action films.These all were starting to parody themselves.With the growing
revolution in Computer Gaming Imagery these real world setting, started to have an
allowance budget of any motion picture films.
The success of many of the successful film sequels had proven that a single successful
action film could lead to a continuing action franchise.All the new rise in amount of
technology allowed many film makers to produce a new height in film making with breath
taking experiences.
In 1989 ‘Tim Burton’ introduced and had great successes ‘Batman’, which with its great
success lead to many great successful sequels and had proved the variability of a new sub
genre ‘The Comic Book Movie’.

10. Notable actors in the 1990s
Chris Farley Jackie Chan Will Smith

11. Awards given to action films
■ One of the main action film awards is the Critics Choice Movie Award for
Best Action Movie.This is one of the awards given to people working in
the motion picture industry by the Broadcast Film Critics Association at
their annual Critics’ Choice Movie awards. It was first given out in 2008
to the film ‘The Dark Knight’ which was directed by Christopher Nolan.
■ Another famous award that is given to action films is the Best Live
Action Short film which is one of the many awards given out at the
Oscars. It is a well recognised award that was won by ‘Stammer’ in the
Oscars 2016.

12. First film in the genre
■ Some historians consider The GreatTrain Robbery to be the first action film.The Great
Train Robbery is a 1903American silent shortWestern film written, produced, and
directed by Edwin S. Porter, a former Edison Studios cameraman.
■ Actors in the movie include Alfred C. Abadie, Broncho BillyAnderson and Justus D.
Barnes, although there were no credits.Though aWestern, it was filmed in Milltown,
New Jersey.The film was inspired by Scott Marble’s 1896 stage play.
■ At twelve minutes long, The GreatTrain Robbery film is considered a milestone in film
making, expanding on Porter’s previous work Life of anAmerican Fireman.
■ Here’s a short trailer:The GreatTrain Robbery (1903)