2) Explain how soundtrack, editing, mise en scene and camerawork is used to create effects.

Soundtrack 
The main form of sound for this clip is diegetic sound, through forms of dialogue between the characters. Dialogue is an important part of this scene and needs to be focused on. One of the main characters in this particular scene, the suicide bomber, is foreign and needs a translator to converse with the protagonist. The audience needs to understand that what the character has to say is important and therefore must be focused on to get the points across. There is different volumes of dialogue used by the different characters to portray their state of mind. An example of this is the suicide member shouting at a high volume to portray his frantic state, in contrast to this the protagonist and his sidekick have a conversation at the beginning of the clip in a low volume indicating a private and quiet conversation with a calm and collected tone. Throughout the clip there is no use of any non-diegetic sound to keep the focus on the dialogue. There is synchronous sound in the background of the scene of shouting between soldiers that can't properly be understood, the crackling of radio and at the end the sound of the explosion. This use of sound is used to portray a classic military scene and to help set the setting of the scene for the audience.

Editing
The Director uses jump cuts when showing the soldiers talking while watching the suicide bomber, this editing technique allows the audience to understand that despite their conversations the soldiers and main characters maintain a focus on the bomber. The use of different angles is more effective than placing the camera directly in front of them as it helps to portray a focus on a particular object and gives them the understanding that despite their initial calm and collected tone they know that something dangerous could happen. Continuity editing is used throughout the clip to maintain high levels of tension as the audience waits for what is going to happen. This editing technique provides a smooth finish allowing the flow to remain constant while still showing different aspects of the scene.

Mise en scene
The setting of this clip is quite empty and basic, there is buildings around the main square where the scene is filmed but other than that there is just boulders and sand. The overall colour of the setting is bland and pale possibly to portray the mood and atmosphere of the scene, this is also the common colour scheme of most war scenes and is in keeping with the reality of war. The lighting is all natural light as the scene is filmed outside and any extra light could portray a more futuristic/unrealistic setting and take away from the reality of the scene.  When conversing the protagonist and sidekick are in close proximity to one another suggesting that their conversation is private and they possibly don't want others to hear, appearing close could also be connoting their close friendship. When the soldiers are stood watching the suicide bomber the large space between them clearly portrays their feelings towards him, it signifies their caution and their understanding of the danger that surrounds him. The costume is fitting with the roles of the characters, they are all soldiers and are wearing military uniform. Midway through the clip the protagonist puts on a helmet which the audience learns is extra protection against the bomb if it detonates close to him and again is a common military clothing item.

Camerawork
Throughout this clip the main camera method is the use of handheld camera, this creates a shaky effect for the audience making them feel as if they are there. A handheld camera also has a more realistic effect and helps to create the nervous feeling and tension felt by the characters as the scene before them plays out. There are a number of occasions where establishing shots are used, at one point early on in the clip this is done to give a wider perspective of the setting for the audience to help set the scene to improve their understanding of what is going on. An establishing shot is also used to show the distance between the soldiers and the suicide bomber to connote the distance that needs to be there to keep the characters safe, this helps the audience to see the danger of the situation. There are a number of zoom ins to focus the audience's attention on to particular things in the scene rather than providing them with a wider outlook. There are some cases where zoom ins are used to provide a clearer view of the soldiers expressions to connote their feelings and emotions at that particular part of the scene as the tension increases.

1) Explain two ways the characters and/or events fit the action adventure genre - Hurt Locker clip

In this clip there is a clear protagonist and sidekick to match the action adventure genre. The audience is made aware of who the protagonist is because as soon as he enters the scene he starts giving orders to the soldiers. A common view on the protagonists in action adventure films is a sense of respect, from both the audience and the other characters. Here, respect is shown when the soldiers obey all of the orders that he gives them. The audience understands that the protagonist has everyone's best interests at heart and does what he can to protect other characters, a usual trait of protagonists in this genre, as he delivers orders to fellow soldiers in order to save their lives from the bomb and attempts to save the suicide bomber from being blown up. The sidekick communicates with the protagonist the most, signifying the close bond that is common between a protagonist and his sidekick. The sidekick is also a soldier and helps the protagonist to deliver his orders and helps him put on his protective suit holding the role of an assistant. There is a common theme of sacrifice in action adventure films and there are a number of examples in this clip. First, we see the sidekick willing to sacrifice his life to stay with the protagonist who is assisting the suicide bomber as he fears that something could happen to his friend and the protagonist sacrifices his own safety by attempting to save the suicide bomber with minutes to spare.

In this clip there are soldiers and the use of weapons which are common elements of films in the action adventure genre. The soldiers are wearing military gear which connotes to the audience that the characters are in a time of war, the audience understands that war comes with action and death. Every action adventure film has at least one action sequence in order to fit with the genre and nearly every sequence results in death. In most action adventure film deaths, the character that dies is normally the antagonist meaning that the audience wants them to die. However, in this particular death it's different to what is normally expected of the genre, there is a death but the audience is given a brief account on the man which allows the audience to feel sympathy towards his character.

Explain how each of the following is used to create effects: soundtrack, editing, mise-en-scene and camerawork.

Camerawork
The Director uses different camera techniques to create an effect on the audience during the action sequence. When the main character and the other soldiers are in the aircraft, a point of view shot is used to show the main character's perspective. This camera shot allows the audience to feel like they are in the character's position and they can therefore see what the soldiers think of the protagonist based on their facial expressions. Dolly zoom moves down the aircraft to build up suspense for the audience in the lead up to the action sequence by emphasising the amount of soldiers that are on the aircraft. Before the main character drops from the aircraft the Director uses shallow focus on the protagonist's gun, this is steadier than the previous camera movements to draw attention to the gun so that the audience can understand that this signifies his entrance to the battle. Throughout the whole sequence the Director uses a hand-held camera to create a shaky effect, making the audience feel like they are a part of the action by involving them in the shaky experience of a natural action sequence, which connotes the chaos of the battle.


Editing
Different editing techniques have to be used to create a successful action sequence. Shot-reverse-shot is one of the techniques used by the Director in the aircraft, the audience is able to see the perspective of another character as well as the main character. This allows them to see the outward appearance of the protagonist and how others view perceive him. The Director uses used a common technique used in action sequences, fast-paced editing, to create the effect that the action is taking place quickly in a chaotic atmosphere. Fast-paced editing builds the tension for the audience because something is always going on and a lot of action is taking place in the background creating the chaotic atmosphere of the sequence. In action-adventure films, Computer generated imagery is a favourite and in this sequence the technique is used for the monsters and spaceships to connote to the audience the genre of the film while also adding to the fantasy element of the film by creating monsters that look realistic.


Sound
In the action sequence, sound is an important feature needed to make it successful by achieving a high level of tension that can build to a climax. Synchronous sound is present throughout the sequence to match the chaotic and tense atmosphere that is playing on-screen. The audience expects to hear the sounds in the background, e.g. explosions, but the noise level is increased to add to the tension for the audience by placing them in the depths of the action. There is a section of diegetic sound where the protagonist and the main female character (his sidekick) exchange dialogue. This section helps to break away from the action temporarily to draw the audience's focus to their conversation. Synchronous sound is still present in the background so that the audience understands that the intense action is still going on.


Mise-en-scene
Different elements of Mise-en-scene are used to fit the fantasy and futuristic themes flowing through the action-adventure genre. The costumes in this sequence is futuristic armour that is worn by the soldiers, this matches the fantasy element of the genre and helps to create the illusion of a battle scene. The armour is robotic and impacts on the way that the soldiers walk, making them and their movements look robotic. Throughout this sequence the main props are the soldiers weapons, all of the soldiers have guns which signifies that the characters are in the depths of a battle and they are prepared to kill, hinting at what may play out in the action sequence.

Discuss the ways in which people are represented in the extract.

In 'The Edge of Tomorrow' there is a key female, Rita, that acts as a supporting character to the main protagonist. In recent action adventure films female characters are beginning to play a bigger part in films and are showing strong , powerful and courageous traits e.g. Katniss Everdeen in 'The Hunger Games'. Although Rita isn't the main protagonist she shows a lot of the traits that the strong female characters do. These powerful traits break the stereotypical image of women, in a lot of films they are made to appear girly and set on finding love, however a lot of action adventure films are trying to break this image to prove that women can be strong characters too. The creators and writers have been transferring the traits that are commonly assosciated with men to female characters, creating a sense of equality. These changes have been made to reach out to a wider target audience that includes females of all ages so that they are shown that heroes and the protagonists can be women too.

Explain two ways the characters and/or events fit the action adventure genre.

The film 'The Edge of Tomorrow' has a number of different conventions that link it to the action adventure genre. There is a clear protagonist from the first scene of the film, William Cage, we know that he is the main character as he is the only character that remains while others appear and disappear in different scenes. This informs the audience that the main focus will be on him and that they will be watching his story evolve. The protagonist holds a formal approach at first as we understand that he had a high position in the army, when he loses his position and is sent to fight we see that he is still in the mind-set of someone in a higher role, he likes to be in control and this is clear from the beginning. In action adventure films the protagonist usually loses something or faces a problem that results in them having to change, in this film it is when William Cage is stripped of his high position and he is forced to adjust to having somebody else tell him what to do. Also, it is common for the protagonist to gain a sense of control and take situations into their own hands. However, in this film it is slightly different, at first we see the protagonist have a loss of control but this changes and he has to take control again to stop himself from reliving the same day repeatedly.


The action sequence is a key part of the film and shows a number of the main conventions that follow through nearly every action adventure film. For an action sequence it is important to create a sense of tension for the audience that will draw them into the scene. There are a number of key features of an action sequence that make it possible to achieve this feeling of tension. At the beginning of the sequence there is silence while the action is beginning to happen in the helicopter, this is done to create the initial build-up in tension as the audience watches the drama unfold but is still unsure of what is going to happen. The use of silence is effective as the audience relies on music and sound to predict what is going to happen, however silence takes this sense away and they don't know what will happen next. As soon as the protagonist hits the ground the sound comes back and it is overwhelming and creates more of an impact on the audience due to the loss of sound before. Different sound effects are used to create a successful action sequence, such as explosions, gunshots etc. The sounds and special effects are positioned close and far away to the camera so that the audience can understand the extent of the action. Every action sequence that involves a large number of people results in a number of deaths, in this particular sequence the camera pans around so that we witness a lot of these deaths. However there isn't a point when the audience feel bad about the death and it doesn't affect them as there are no ties, even if they have been introduced to him.