1. When we analyse a film there are a multitude of different and preferred ways that people can do it.
The two main ways we can analyse a film are either Genre analysis or Auteur Theory. Genre analysis
is the easier of the two in the way that due to a films genre it will usually follow the codes and
conventions of that genre perfectly. For example Horror is always a genre that is seen to be cliché in
this day and age due to the way that codes and conventions are so overused that sometimes it
becomes totally predictable when watching a new horror film because it hardly ever breaks away
from what other horror films have done before it. The codes and Conventions go beyond the actual
film as well, for example horror films will usually be released towards the end of the year around
Halloween and November this is partially due to the fact that the days are darker and colder and
greyer and also the fact that people always watch horror films around Halloween. Another example
would be that large scale movies that are expected to rake in millions would be released generally
around the middle of the year in summer due to the fact that this is when people have a lot of free
time and are more active about leaving the house and going out. A lot of children’s films will be
released around this time of the year as well due to the fact that their main demographic will be off
school and will have almost nothing else to do, Releasing a film around a certain time of year is a
good marketing strategy and is now a part of the codes and conventions for some genres. Auteur
Theory is s lot more in detail and specific about analysing films. The Word Auteur is the French word
for author and is used in media to describe a director who breaks away from codes and convention
or blends multi genres to form a hybrid genre film. Examples of Auteur Directors are people like
Quentin Tarantino Who made such films as pulp Fiction (1994) and Reservoir Dogs (1992) and
Stanley Kubrick Who made such films as A Clockwork orange (1971) and (1980).
When using Auteur theory there are seven main areas that should be covered.
These are;
Codes and Conventions
Character
Setting
Narrative
Themes
iconography
Ideological message

2. The codes and Conventions of a film are like a guideline of rules and cliché that a lot of genres
follow. For example in the horror genre has codes and conventions such as blood and gore. Every
genre of films has its own varied set of codes and conventions, for example a Teen comedies and
Teen horrors will always have the Same Character Hierarchy; there is always the jock, the pretty one,
the Quiet geek, etc. This kind of Hierarchy stays true to the way that Social groups are formed in
American high schools and so this means that it’s relatable and relevant to the demographic.
Settings are often synonymous within genres, for example a horror film will feature dark castles and
haunted houses and the like and Action films will often have parts of the film set in exotic countries
and places. Themes within a film are what is happening basically, in pulp fiction there is a recurring
theme of drugs which ties in with the storyline. The narrative of a film is how the story of the film is
set out, there are two types of narrative, linear and non-linear, a linear narrative is the normal way
of setting out a story with a start middle and end whereas a non-linear narrative does not follow a
clear path of events and can flash forwards and backwards. A perfect example of a non-linear
narrative is pulp fiction, the beginning scene also recurs again at the end but from a more clear
perspective and the actual ‘end’ to the film is a few scenes before the ending scene before the
credits. Ideological message is when a film has a certain meaning behind it, for example when the
war of the worlds was we released it had a lot of intertexuality of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and
Steven Spielberg stated that he re-made it as a statement on the vulnerability of the American
citizens. Iconography is Very similar to the codes and conventions, every genre has something that
is iconic for it, and it is something we would expect to see as a symbol of the genre, for example in a
western action film things such as tumbleweeds and cactuses would be iconic of this genre.
Using these 7 key areas to analyse the film Quantum of solace
Directed by marc Foster in 2008 we can see that it is a very
conventional action film. The James bond Series is often seen as
very cliché for the action genre. A lot of the conventions are
synonymous throughout all the James bond films, not just the
modern day iterations. The Flashy sports car the Aston martin
and the way James bond dresses are now iconic of the James
bond films and of the Action Genre. The James bond Series is
truly a staple to the action genre world as it has been going for
such a long time many films and media products can be seen to
be influenced by it. To me personally the James bond films have
never really been interesting due to the overuse of the same
things over and over again. Setting has always been important in
action films and James bond is no difference, usually set in exotic
places in other countries this is usually because it opens up a lot
of opportunity to explore other cultures and create a new layer
of interesting things to put in the mise en scene. If the entire film
was set in England it wouldn’t be as exciting because an English
audience would already know of English culture and the places
shown, when shown something new it adds a layer of excitement and wonder of the unknown. This
particular film is set partially in England but also in parts of Europe. Europe is often used in James
bond Films because the Villains are usually European with Thick accents from places such as

3. Germany or Austria. The way that the villains are portrayed in comparison to the English often
comes off as racist because we as the English are shown to be very classy and well-spokenwhereas
the villains are usually brutish with thick almost unintelligible accents. England is often portrayed
very differently to it is in the real world, in the film we are seen as a powerful and dominant country
but in actuality we are almost nothing like we are portrayed in the film. This is because the film is
meant to be fictitious and focus less on actual real world happenings allowing them to be far more
creative and create their own events and technology still not yet available to us. Female Characters
in James bond films (with the exception of m) are famous for being objectified and placed in lower
power roles than the men, Bond girls are very iconic over sexualised women used mostly for their
aesthetic appeal than for story or artistic merit. I believe the contrasting roles between the bond girl
and M is very interesting because there is such a huge difference in their roles to the storyline and
the whole balance of power and intelligence.
Comparing and contrasting this with the 1994 Film Leon
Directed by Luc Besson This film is very different to the
James bond Series even though it is still an Action film.
The film focuses more on Character and Story
development than over the top stunts and the usual
character Archetypes. The main protagonist Leon plays
a sort of twisted villain role, he is an assassin because
this is all he knows and he only takes on jobs to
assassinate those who have performed misdeeds. His
simple innocence is often shown throughout the film in
the way that he handles his money and his other
mannerisms. His money is in possession of the man
who gives him his work and is given out to Leon when
he asks for some. The young girl plays also a very
twisted role because young girls are often portrayed as
sweet and innocent and blind to the real world around
them whereas Mathilda is very rude, frank and brash.
She swears drinks and smokes and acts a lot older than
she actually is. This is because of her unusual childhood
and somewhat abusive family, her father is dealing with
drugs and crooked cops and her brother is the only one
keeping her from falling apart. One day when Mathilda
is out shopping for groceries the family are attacked
and killed in revenge from the crooked cop because the
father stretched the drugs. This is how Mathilda meets
Leon by seeking refuge in his apartment. Her unbearable family and childhood and the Fact that her
Younger brother was also a victim of the tragedy has forced Mathilda to grow and move past childish
things and now she desperately seeks revenge on the crooked cop for the death of her brother.
There is always an unusual atmosphere Surrounding Mathilda and Leon because she believes that
she is in love with him and is sometimes flirty and slightly forward about her feelings and affection.
Although it is stated quite obviously throughout the films multiple times Leon is not a Paedophile a
lot of people will always jump to this conclusion because of the unusual relationship between Leon

4. and Mathilda. It’s like he is a child and she is an adult so in a way the roles of paedophilia are
reversed. A lot of people will argue and debate whether Luc Besson is an auteur director but it is
clear through this film that the traditional codes and conventions of an action/crime thriller have
been broken and or at least twisted in some way. A lot of the films released at the same time in 1994
were all very conventional and a lot of the same thing just re hashed and then this film comes
through like a breath of fresh air
Darren Lynn Bousman is the Director of the SAW Horror films (excluding number 1) and Director of
my Favourite film of all time Repo! The Genetic opera (2008). While
a lot of people see the Saw films as Generic and cliché horror films
they broke the conventions in their own way by creating an unusual
story depth and Creative way of exploring how to create the gore
and scares. Each iteration of the films follows a group of people who
have each done something horrible for bad reasons such as murder
for addiction to drugs and such. There is always a way to get
around dying and this is unusual for a horror film as it is always
clearly obvious that almost everyone will eventually meet their
unavoidable death but in the Saw films the games and traps are set
out to be avoidable with team work and common sense. The way
that the films explore the human nature of betrayal and devotion
and the fight or flight theory is very unusual for a horror, many
horror stories will focus on a single entity or being that will murder
the same types of characters But saw uses a multiple array of
antagonists mainly because the original one dies from a fatal
disease. The way that the films play on human nature and emotion
rather than cheap thrills and jumpy scares is very unconventional.
REPO! The Genetic opera is A Goth Opera directed by Darren Lynn
Bousman and was produced in 2008. The film itself is an Opera Musical so it Features little to no
talking throughout the film which in itself is very unusual for a horror film. The only Characteristic
that defines repo as a horror is the gore which one would expect from a film about organ
Repossession. The original Story was written By Darren Smith and Terrence Zdunich as a stage play,
The inspiration came from Darren Smiths friend who was going through bankruptcy and was having
his Things repossessed, Through this Darren came up with the idea of a future where they can
repossess organs and body parts. I feel like this may be because of the crushing sadness and the pain
that repossession ad bankruptcy can because it feels like you have lost a part of yourself. Through
the years of the stage play originally Named the ‘’Necromerchant’s Debt’’ The story was originally
about a Grave robber in debt to a repo man, but the Story and characters have Changed and been
developed drastically since then. The way that the film plays on the human condition by using
Characters as a framing device for these emotions and attributes such as; Mortality, Vanity, Anger
and Addiction is very clever and I believe has a strong ideological message behind it. In a world
where Surgery and organs are seen as a fashion statement rather than a vitality they have become a
necessity. The film often bashes at perfectionism i and offers a very frank View of modern society
with lines such as ‘’if you could have genetic perfection would you change who you are if you
could?’’ and ‘’Your Designers heart still beats with common blood’’. I interpret the film’s ideological

5. message as you can throw money at a problem and try to cover it up and you can try to attain
perfection but in the end you will always be left Vulnerable and Flawed because you cannot change
that you are human. This seems apparent to me as the character of Rotti largo is the world’s most
powerful man who saved humanity from the epidemic of organ failures has a fatal disease and
cannot cure himself, His children Amber Pavi and luigi play the roles of Anger Vanity and Addiction
and as such are seen as too ungrateful and useless by their father to inherit his company when he
goes, The world’s richest and most powerful family are far from perfect and no amount of cover ups
and plastic surgery will change any of that. These Themes of helplessness and Flaws are often
portrayed in the Song lyrics with lines such as ‘’I can feel
nothing at all, I can do nothing at all’’ From the Song
‘’Zydrate Anatomy’’ about Addiction and the line
‘’Remember who you are’’ From the song night surgeon. The
film could also be seen to play on Corruption and
entrapment with the Characters Nathan and Mag both
bound for life by the same man in contracts signed in blood.
The Film Features a non Linear narrative and Features a lot
of breaks in the storyline to flash back through illustrations,
This feels more like a superhero film with the art style of the
illustrations looking very similar to that of a comic. Receiving
general negative reviews from critics the film is often stated
as stale and uninteresting but receives very positive Reviews
from Viewers of the film in general. The negativity of the
review does not matter much to the film as it was made
more for Artistic merit than for money or fame, The film
feels like Couture made for a certain appreciative audience
and it does no matter if it goes mainstream or not. A lot of
films these days Are all about money and success rather than
style and art so I feel that Repo! Is a breath of fresh air
through the stagnant lingering odour of Repetitiveness in
modern films.