Master and Commander: exam style questions

1. Explain two ways the characters and/or events in the extract fit the action adventure genre. Use examples from the extract. [10]

Russell Crowe, who plays Jack Aubrey, conforms to the action/adventure genre as he is very demanding and is out in the role of leadership. We can see this as he is the first person that we see in the extract, he starts by giving out an order to get ready for battle. This foreshadows the upcoming events of war and battle which are key elements in action genre- good versus evil. As the battle is happening, a lot of fast paced action is used to convey to the audience that a tense moment is happening for the characters. Throughout the battle scene is happening, we see Jack fighting and commending his crew for the bravery that they have fought when the battle is over. This shows that the protagonist is resourceful and clever and that conflict is resolved through violence.

Another factor is that the characters are all men, this is a common feature in action/adventure films as it shows that they are all physically and mentally strong and capable for battle. This shows that the protagonist is attractive and resourceful against the antagonist. The Captain orders the men to fight with bravery and willpower which shows that the characters will fight with bravery despite the seemingly impossible odds that they may face. The audience will see this characters as a heroic figure and the story will surround around them so it is important that the audience can relate and empathise with the main character. This is another reason that the main character is played by a young person, as it is mainly aimed at teenagers and so they need a figure to associate with.

2. Explain how each of the following is used to create effects that fit the action adventure genre:

• soundtrack
• camerawork
• editing
• mise-en-scène. [20]

Soundtrack- There is an extensive use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound in the extract, particularly at the beginning scenes as dialogue is heard by the Captain giving orders and soon following is the sound of warfare- cannons and also some tense music to add effect throughout the war scenes. This helps create a tense atmosphere for the audience and sets a mood for the action taking place. This is shown by a sound bridge as the sounds of warfare continue on from different scenes with synchronous sounds of shouting and firing of cannons and shrapnel.

Camerawork- The extract starts with an establishing shot of the ship, this sets the scene for the audience and helps them with their initial thoughts of the action that is about to take place. A dolly zoom is then used to create an effect of the chaos in the scene. In this extract, the main characters, Jack, is standing away from the audience and the background is filled with the crew members working to get the ship ready for battle. Throughout the main battle, a hand-held camera was used to create a more 'personal' feel for the action that is taking place. This helps the audience feel like they are in the battle itself and helps them feel like they are taking part in the battle.

Editing- As the main part of the extract is a battle, the majority is presented as cross-cutting editing from the perspectives of the crew men firing and loading cannons below deck and the action taking place on the main part of the ship. This is used to build suspense and help guide the audience to certain aspects of the action. Fast-paced editing is also used to establish action occurring at the same time in different locations which uses different cut scenes in one fast presentation to make the audience feel like the action is taking place quickly and can build tension.

Mise-en-scène- The costumes of the characters are all period clothing, this signifies the time period in which the director wanted the film to take place in (around 1650-1730, which was the golden age of piracy.) The audience will have very little knowledge of that time period and will most likely be a place that they have not been before, this helps the audience's initial thoughts on the scene to help them see how the plot will develop further with the characters. The overall lighting throughout the battle scenes are very dark and eclipses to connote a mood of darkness and unease. The audience can sense this as it differs greatly from the beginning of the extract where the lighting was much brighter and each individual character was visible. This can have an ambiguous meaning on the audience as they can associate the beginning of the extract with peace and serenity of being along on the ship. However the dark atmosphere connotes a sense of panic and as it the 'shadow' effect represents chaos and havoc.

3. Discuss how people are represented in the extract. [20]

Throughout the extract the characters are represented stereotypically and atypically to connote and celebrate different values and ideals. Firstly it is gender stereotypical as the extract shows all men in the scene preparing for battle. This could represent that women are not physically capable for battle, or perhaps it was common in the time period that it was set in that women were not allowed to be on ships and be engaged into battle. However, this is a common feature in action/adventure films where the protagonist is male and is attractive in comparison to the antagonist who is presented as unappealing so that the audience gathers a sense of hatred for the antagonist character. Another stereotype that they follow is ethnic stereotype as all the crew in the establishing shot are white men. However, when thinking of the time period that it is set in it could connote that the British flag that they raise just before battle shows their grouped colony and how they may have been travelling and invading other countries.

The Hurt Locker: exam style questions

Q1. Explain two ways the characters and/ or events fit the action adventure genre.

Use examples from the extract. [10 marks]

The character James conforms to the action adventure genre due to him being very skilful with weapons. We see this as he walks up to the person claiming he has a bomb strapped to him and starts to give orders about what equipment he needs to help disarm it. As the person with the bomb, in this case the antagonist in the scene, attached to his torso cries out James, the protagonist, pulls out a gun to tell him that he cannot save him and that he has tries all alternatives. This suggests to the audience that a tense scene is occurring and that the main character will have to make a choice whether to save him or to kill him. This fits the action adventure genre because of the climax it builds up leading the audience to be engaged in what's going on.

The events in which occur in the scene also conform to the action adventure genre due to the setting in the exotic location. It looks like it is set in a very hot place in the east that has been deserted because of war-suggested by the military squad nearby. This will most likely be a place that the majority of the audience will have not been before, therefore giving them an experience of a more foreign place. This build to the tense atmosphere as the audience will have little knowledge of the place and so will the characters and so they can relate and experience the scene together.

Q2. Explain how each of the following is used to create effects:

• Soundtrack
• Editing
• Mise-en-scene
• Camerawork

Use examples from the extract. [30 marks]

Camera- At the beginning of the extract an establishing shot is used to set the scene and help the audience establish the setting. The camera often alternated between point-of-view shot and hand-held camera shot because of the scene and the tension building up for the audience. This gives a very personal perspective for the audience and makes them feel as though they are involved in the action altogether. The different P.O.V shot helps the audience distinguish the character dialogue from the fast-paced action.

Editing- Fast-paced editing is used throughout the entire extract to maintain the focus on the action and keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Shot-reverse-shot us also used to distinguish dialogue and help the audience keep up with the characters thoughts and movements. The use of cut editing helps to make an abrupt transition from each scene and used to maintain continuity editing.

Sound- An extensive use of diegetic sound is used, for instance, the sound of shouting, gunfire and the sounds of machinery which helps with the use of sound bridge. This is also identifies with the use of synchronous sound.

Mise-en-scene- The costumes of the characters are all military based which connotes that the film is an action/adventure genre and also what is happening in the scene which adds to the tension and the audiences initial thoughts of the scene. The exotic setting helps the audience experience this from the character's perspective as it is a place that the audience will have not likely been before- as well as the character and so they can experience the same thoughts as the characters and see how the plot develops further to overcome the problem at hand.

Q3. Discuss the ways in which people are represented in the extract.

Refer to stereotypes in your answer.
Use examples from the extract. [20 marks]

Throughout the extract, characters are portrayed stereotypically and atypically to connote and celebrate different values and ideals. For instance, the representation of race and nationality is predominantly unconventional, as it doesn’t follow the stereotype of one race as the hero and another as the villain. This is shown through the military squad rushing around as the camera fall on different types of ethnic people all fighting o the same team. The only main stereotype is the hero being young and the villain being a civilian of the exotic setting that has been caught up in the action.

Gender is another stereotype that mainly occurs in the extract, as the genre stereotype of a women is to be weaker and less violent and less powerful than men. However there are no women in the scene. It could be argued that the setting is stereotypical as it looks in a place in the far east- Iraq where the theme of war is common and 'stereotypical'.

Explain how the film is typical of the action advenure genre.

The Mummy Returns

The events in the film The Mummy Returns fit into the action/adventure genre. The theme of good versus evil fits into the genre conventions and a large part of the film is based on war which is a large part of action adventure films and adds excitement and thrills to the film to keep the audience on edge. It enables a large battle/fight scene at the end of the film and at one point enables the antagonist to have the power to create suspense for the audience. However soon the protagonist starts to slowly gain the upper hand on the battle and finally defeats the antagonist once and for all. This helps the audience empathise with the main protagonist as they are the morally correct characters to feel empathetic towards and be on their side. The antagonists and protagonists are clear in the film in the sense that the protagonist is presented as heroic and confident, which their superior capabilities of the heroes position the audience to empathise with them an be on their side. The antagonist is presented as demonic and evil partly done by special CGI effects with the scene in which Imhotep rips his face off to the audience when he is first shown. The protagonist has a clear goal in which he has to reach before the end of the film. In this case it is Richard O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) saving Evelyn O'Connell (Rachel Weisz) and defeating Imhotep and potentially saving the world from an eternal reign of evil.

GCSE Media: Exam Paper Textual Analysis Action Adventure Q2-

Q2. Explain how each of the following is used to create effects:

• soundtrack
• editing
• mise-en-scene
• camerawork

Use examples from the extract. [20 marks]


Camera- At the beginning of the extract, an establishing shot is used to set the scene for the audience, this creates a sense of atmosphere and tension and sets the scene as a huge battle. In this extract, the establishing shot is shown with the helicopters and the military-type buildings. Subsequently, the camera shot turns into a tracking shot to give an overview of the rest of the characters to make the audience feel as though they are involved in the action . A point-of-view shot is applied which connotes to the audience the emotions of the characters. In the extract, the main character tries to detach himself from the exploding ship and frantically reaches for the eject button. The audience will be able to feel the sense of urgency which builds up tension as the camera looks quickly around the scene. The use of a hand-held camera shot during a battle scene creates a very 'personal' view and makes the audience experience themselves in the action. This also adds to the chaotic feel of the battle in action. Furthermore, the use of shallow focus shots enables the audience to focus on the protagonist and signifies his presence and reinforces his bravery. The use of dolly zoom also reinforces the idea of heroism and courage as the hero stays the same size on the frame as the background size changes. In the extract, it gives the audience knowledge of the chaos and frenzied atmosphere.

Editing- Throughout most of the extract fast-paced editing is used to build up mood and atmosphere, especially to create tension through action-packed scenes. As the genre is Action-Adventure, it also clashes with the Sci-Fi genre, hence the use of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery). This editing feature enables the graphic alien species in the extract to look realistic and believable to the audience. Alternatively, the shot-reverse-shot enables the audience to identify the dialogue between to characters. In the extract, this is shown at the point where Cage (the main character) has found Rita and the camera flips back and forth between each characters as their dialogue is being said. This helps to maintain audience involvement. Cross-cutting is used to build suspense between 2 different scenes. This can be shown through the battlefield scene crossing between the main characters fighting and another character battling elsewhere to show the whole area. Cut editing is used to abruptly transition from one scene to another. It is often used throughout the extract, specifically when Cage dies and wakes up of the ship. This connotes a change in scenery and therefore an abrupt difference between the two scenes and draws the audiences attention to the editing, similarly, to a jump-cut shot. Continuity editing shots draw attention to the flow of the scene and emphasizes smooth transition of time and space. Consequently, the film is quite controversial in the way that it plays with the nature of time travel throughout the narrative.

Sound- At the start of the extract, non-diegetic sound is used to create suspense and anticipation for the audience with the soundtrack. In addition, diegetic sound is also used throughout the entire extract as it has an on-screen source such as dialogue and sounds form the battlefield. This adds to the sound bridge which follows sounds throughout multiple scenes such as gunfire and shouting which can be heard through the images of the protagonist and the other characters in battle. This connotes to the audience how the scenes are 'linked' together. Synchronous sound is also used effectively in order to build up tension and helps the audience to feel more immersed in the action as it is sound that are expected. Referring to the extract, these would be the sounds of warfare: gunfire, shouting, crashing, explosions etc. The directors intentions for this would have been to make the audience believe that they are involved in the action as the sounds are expected and it helps to set the scene so they can focus on the characters.

Mise-En-Scene- Mise-en-scene is predominantly used throughout the entire extract-this may be down to the props, lighting, costumes etc. used to create a visual impact on the audience. The costumes are futuristic as they are large and heavy pieces of amour and have various technological devices strapped to them. This signifies to the audience that the time period is in the future rather than in today's world and makes them believe that anything is possible which is the normal stereotypical depiction of the future/unknown. The props used are fairly basic in terms of the warfare scene as mainly weapons are used and the audience will often find themselves briefly visualising segments of debris and machinery on the floor. In terms of relationships with characters, the extract seems to promote the significance of women in warfare, due to the main character finding Rita who seems to be a character with lots of experience and knowledge of what is going on and the advice that she gives to Cage. These all add up to generalise the scene and create visual effects that make the scene seem realistic whether the audience are aware of this or not.

4. (a) Compare how and why two programmes were scheduled on different channels

Bad Education is scheduled for Tuesday’s at 10:00pm on BBC 3, commissioned by the editor of the BBC, the producers are Ben Cavey and Pippa Brown Tiger Aspect productions. The humour contained in the programme and the transgressive jokes are aimed at the younger audience (aged 16-20) in the aspect that they are in a school and also the fact that Jack Whitehall is a popular comedian amongst the younger generation which makes it more relatable for the audience. The common storyline that it follows is the school setting and some of the characters (which are relatable types of characters to the audience) coming face-to-face with extreme situations which are relatable to the audience but interpreted on a larger scale to make it entertaining for the audience. It is shown  after the watershed which mean that the content is not suitable for younger viewers as it contains sexual references and inappropriate language and behaviour. It is shown on the BBC because to attract he younger audience and the fact that it is a terrestrial and because of this there will be no adverts in between and the amount of people that watch the channel as the adverts are not paid for. The BBC can be more risky with their content as the are not bound by the expectation of their niche audience. The age range is also specified due to the fact that older children have more lenient curfew hours, unlike younger children, and so will be the main audience for the programme. Furthermore, interacting with this target audience will create a sense of popularity amongst most, therefore generating more viewership.

Friday Night Dinner is scheduled on Sunday’s at 10:00pm on Channel  4 and also commissioned by Channel 4, and produced by Popper pictures and Big Talk productions. The programme would be aimed at 18-25 year old boys in particular because the main characters are male and of that age and so everyone within that age boundary can relate to the scenes that the characters go through to make it humorous. The characters that play the boys have made an appearance in the hit film The Inbetweeners and so the show will be related to their target audience and will be more popular as all of the cast have been recognised from former films/sitcoms. Those who  have formally watched the film will identify the characters in similar roles and will help gather a larger audience and, in total, a larger viewership. In addition it is also aimed at the Jewish community and their interpretation of a typical Jewish Family dinner however  something always goes wrong which is where the comedic side comes in. Channel 4 is a commercial channel and so it gathers their funding by selling time slots and commercials. This is also the reasons why the programmes cannot be so controversial such as Bad Education. This is also the reason why certain taboo words have to be identified as catchphrases so that the audience are familiar with the content and cannot freely express this kind of dialogue like the BBC- which uses this to their advantage by using features like this to make their channel more unpredictable.

The two programmes are scheduled on different channels because of their content and what they channels are allowed to show to their target audience, this is all to do with them being shown after watershed hours and the content that each delivers. For example Bad Education features taboo language and sexualisation of the students and certain references. In addition, Friday Night Dinner features taboo catchphrases and adult humour which makes it enjoyable. However they both have different audiences that they appeal to: Bad Education has an audience demographic of unemployed students as they are teenagers and most teenagers do not have a job as yet current due to studying further education. Their audience can relate to all of the scenes and stereotypes such as the different types of characters and also some of the behaviours and situations that are interpreted on a more extreme scale. Alternatively, The audience demographic for Friday Night Dinner would be skilled workers as the are stereotyping a typical home in which people come home from work and have a family meal together. The BBC can allow itself to be more risky with their content as they are not bound by any commercial expectation from their niche audience, unlike channel 4. This means that the comedic style of the programme can be more unpredictable- and therefore have more freedom with their narratives. Channel 4, however has to be careful as they are funded by their advertising and so they need as many people to view their channel, therefore, they have to make sure their content is not too controversial, otherwise they will start to lose their viewership.



4. (b) Discuss in detail how one programme (Bad Education) offers audience pleasures. Give examples from the programme. [15 marks]

'Bad Education' is a comedy sitcom which starts in the exact same place that it ends. This allows the audience to build a relationship with the characters as they are in the same environment throughout the whole episode. The familiarity with the characters and the setting allows the audience to get to know the characters and their personality and behaviour throughout the episode. This will also lead the audience to analyse the stereotypes that each character plays to make it entertaining as they are familiar with the concept of stereotyping which makes each character have a likeable trait. One example of a stereotype is Jing. Her character is specified as the logical and smart one, who is also portrayed as the 'smart Asian'. Throughout the episode, we see her personality as arrogant and egotistical because of her knowledge and constantly telling the teacher what to do and insulting them for not handling the class the way that anyone would expect the teacher to behave. 







Another stereotype would be Alfie Wickers who is portrayed as the lovable loser. Throughout the entire episode we see him trying to impress his colleague Miss Gulliver who rejects him because of his immature and irresponsible attributes. He seems to constantly do this throughout the series to make it humorous for the audience as he fails no matter how many times he tries. Relating to this, this is how the audience familiarised themselves with the characters. Alfie Wickers is the immature teacher who has no authority over the students and lets himself get bullied because of this. This makes the audience realise that these are the attributes that he shows throughout all the episodes and how the audience can identify how he will act in different situations which is presented in the narrative. One example of this is when the school bully confronts Mr Wickers in the corridor and compliments him on his shows, following this he threatens Alfie to give him his shoes. Because Alfie has no authority he unwillingly gives him the shoes and looks in loss property for a pair of ugly shoes. The audience will find this aspect funny but will realise that Alfie has no authority over the other students.

Resaearch for Scheduling Question (4a)

Bad Education:

Date scheduled: Tuesday 10:00pm

Channel: BBC3

Commissions: Commissioning editor of the BBC

Producer: Ben Cavey and Pippa Brown Tiger Aspect productions

Target audience: The humour contained in the programme and the transgressive jokes are aimed at the younger audience (aged 16-20) in the aspect that they are in a school and also the fact that Jack Whitehall is a popular comedian amongst the younger generation which makes it more relatable for the audience. It is shown  after the watershed which mean that the content is not suitable for younger viewers as it contains sexual references and inappropriate language and behaviour. As it is shown on the public service broadcaster it has to have appropriate content before the watershed which is 9:00pm. It is shown on the BBC because to attract he younger audience and the fact that it is a terrestrial and because of this there will be no adverts in between and you will not have to worry about the amount of people that watch it as it is not paid for the adverts.

Friday Night Dinner:

Date scheduled: Sunday

Channel: Channel 4

Commissions: Channel 4
Producer: Popper Pictures and Big Talk Productions
Target Audience: The programme would be aimed at 18-25 year old boys in particular because the main characters are male and of that age and so everyone within that age boundary can relate to the scenes that the characters go through to make it humorous. The characters that play the boys have made an appearance in the hit film The Inbetweeners and so the show will be related to their target audience and will be more popular as all of the cast have been recognised from former films/sitcoms. In addition it is also aimed at the Jewish community and their interpretation of a typical Jewish Family dinner however  something always goes wrong which is where the comedic side comes in.


Channel 4 is a commercial channel and so it gathers their funding by selling time slots and commercials. This is also the reasons why the programmes cannot be so controversial such
 as Bad Education.