Codes and conventions of fight scenes
The following clips are taken from Troy
Beach of Troy clips
Camera shots
1. All shots here of achilles (gold armour, Brad Pitt) are taken from a low angle to accentuate Achilles' God-like ability to fight, also for traditional use a low angle shot makes the character/s appear more powerful
2. Here the combat by Achilles is made to look effortless and relaxed interchanging between Match on Action, kill one camera pans slightly to the right to view parry and counter, kill two, pan to the left, parry and counter. This looks more visually appealing to the audience viewing.
3. Achilles here is never out of shot, match cutting is essential because it keeps the viewer in touch with the action, also of note is Achilles' jumping attack where the shot becomes slow-mo and is at a very low angle, it returns to normal speed and changes shot as he strikes. Here little - no regard is taken of the 180 degree rule but the featured character (Achilles) remains in shot the entire time
4. Towards the end of the clip we also see a match on action as Achilles does a spinning attack and kills a Trojan, cueing a match on action of the soldier with a sword in his head. This transition appears to be a fast pan but is actually a well masked cut, this has been created by filming the shot of Achilles, filming the shot of the Trojan dying, and filming the pan
Editing
1. Most common cuts used here for fighting are match cuts as they stray from the action as little as possible thus making the audience unconfused as to what is going on.
2. Cut zoom in is shown here to be another common form of editing is. The cut zoom can add emphasis to a particular action, allowing the audience to focus on that particular action rather than anything else in the clip
Sound
1. The fight music is atmospheric and heroic and makes the viewer feel tense and 'on the edge of their seat'
2. There is no to little non-digetic sound other than the musical score
3. Achilles' sword clashes are louder than everyone else's making the audience side with him. This also makes the audience focus on Achilles and makes the audience become fixed on him. This coupled with the camera shots keeps the audience focused on what the director wants them to see
4. There is a lot of foley in this fight. Foley would create the sword clashes, armour ruffling, swords piercing flesh etc to make the audience feel like they are at the centre of a battle. This helps the audience to actually believe they are there on the beach with all the soldiers and the battle erupting around them.
Mise-en-scene
1. Costume: The armour in use tells us immediately that we are in a battle which is really all that can be said, other than that both sides are well prepared for this fight. The actors therefore must appear to be where they are.
2. Lighting: Normal, albeit bright including a lens flare when Achilles does his "super jump move" the lens flare to associate with the sun and signify Achilles' godlike ability to fight. This is done to make Achilles look 'cooler' to the audience.
3. Actors: The Greeks are more european looking so are more familiar to us, therefore making the audience more attached to them, whereas the Troy people are turkish and so are contrastingly unfamiliar to us, creating the opposite effect of unattachment.
4. Make up: Little other than fake sweat and blood. This are natural components for a battle and if either of these were left out it would create a loss of the realistic feel.
5. Props: Swords, shields; essentially weapons again making the audience feel they are in the centre of a battle
6. Setting: Beach and temple; gives the audience and idea of what they are fighting over. This accompanied with the sound of sand crunching under the characters feet, created by the Foley artists, provides the realism that the audience are really there
Achilles vs. Hector
This fight is meant to be the high point of the film and the best fight to watch, this is meant to keep the audience's attention throughout the fight and keep them on the edge of their seats.
Camera shots
1. As the two approach we see them in a extreme long shot however this is extremely brief as the camera immediatly changes to a mid shot of Achilles run up attack. This is possibly done to emphasize Achilles' speed and fighting ability to the audience.
2. We are given fast reaction shots as soon as an attack is made in order to give the audience a clearer picture of what happens to the Character receiving the blow. This process continues throughout the fight as we change from action orientated shot to an appropriate reaction shot. This clearer picture created for the audience gives them a better idea of how the fight is progressing, this coupled with the framing of the shot, such as close-up, long shot and mid-shot, gives an idea to the audience of how hard a character has been hit or how close the last attack was to killing a character.
3. There are several almost uneeded shots which give us match on action, such as a close up of achilles when he jumps, also when the two lock swords we see a very brief shot as hector throws it away. This is to subconsciously tell the audience that certain things are happening in the fight, this will tell them what is going on in shot without the need for a longer shot that will detract them from the fight.
4. Both characters are in shot when there is a fight going on apart from when there is a singnificant action occuring where we see it clearly in a matched on action close up. An example being where Achilles swings for Hectors face and the camera matches on the dodge. These two shots being a form of match on action that I call a "reaction shot" tells the audience that this is a significant action and wants the audience to see it.
5. There are as many shots as possible made during the fight as to increase the number of oppurtunities to change shot. This will provide a greater sense of dynamic ability during the fight and keeps the audience interested. The numerous angles taken of the fight help in the editing room too, as the more shots they have, the more chances that there are for the shot to look interesting to the audience.
Sound
1. The music is constanly present as a quiet drum beat when the characters are out of the fight, however when they engage the other the music intensifies to match with the action. This tells the audience upon the intensification of the music that the next few seconds are critical to the fight.
2. Sword clashes are high pitched and almost sound like they are screaming to accentuate the hardness of the strikes making the audience believe that the actors are striking hard. This gives an sense of appeal to the audience and brings out a sense of cool in the fight
3. Sword clashes and other diegetic sound take predominance over music
4. In the directors cut as above the music is slightly different as it is more intense than that of the rest of the film and can sound slightly off genre, however in my opinion it is a better track and matches the importance and magnitude of the fight
Editing
1. Match cutting is of great improtance in the fight as it keeps the audience in touch with the action
2. Cutaways feature other character's looking onward and also the match on action of the sword clashes
Achilles vs. Patroclus
This is by far the least exciting of the fights, largely because it is the least tense and overall from a character's perspective; a training fight. This is the greatest context match of my fight. Another thing to note here is that it is also the least appealing and memorable fight.
Camera shots
1. These shots are far longer in take length
2. The shots of the action during the fights are long takes and essentially follow the actors around the set.
3. The close ups here are largely to zoom in for dialogue or a reaction to a particular move
4. Camera work here is smooth and not vigorous
Sound
1. As the swords here are wasters the usual clang is replaced by the dull thwack of wood
2. The music is lighter and is more based around strings and horns rather than the drums of other fights in the film largely to give the fight little meaning
Editing
1. The editing here is far slower, and with the utilising of long shots and the like, there is as little editing as possible
2. Match cutting here is present but as mentioned earlier, it occurs far less often
Mise-en-scene
1. Wasters for swords
2. Relaxed clothing
3. Relaxed acting which is almost comical
What can be drawn from the Troy fight sequences
Camera Shot
1. Never are both actors out of shot
2. Match on action significant events
3. Reaction shots are clear and vary in closeness according to significance
4. As many camera angles taken as possible so everything looks interesting
Editing
1. Match cuts here are common
2.
Opening sequences
King Arthur
The opening of King Arthur is one that I will try to emulate. It uses subtitles to set the main scene being the Late Roman empire in Britain, we then meet the main characters before being thrust into an action scene.
- This opening scene portrays Lancelot's introduction, and gives the audience a sympathetic feel for the character as he and others are drafted into service in the roman army.
- Lancelot provides character voiceover to help set the scene in England
- We are then brought into an action sequence as the 'woads' attack
Kingdom of Heaven
This film largely has the same iconic opening sequence, very similar to that of King Arthur, using a large bold title followed by atmospheric music. This however utilises credits instead of a voiceover to fully introduce the world
Opening sequences
- Use a large bold title at the start accompanied by atmospheric music to add a feeling of nostalgia
- Use a voice over or titles to introduce the world (Preferably voiceover as it adds a more human feel)
Research Into Target Audience
Knowledge of Target Audience
Target Audience in general are divided in divisions of age and gender. Other factors that come into consideration in decisions about target audience are the socio-economic status of the party, location, race. It also must be recognised when making a film whether it will only appeal to a niche audience, target audience or mass audience, this would preferably be mass audience as it would generate the most income for the studio. The film would not do very well economically if it were to only appeal to a small group of people interested in the sword and sorcery genre, by this revelation this must be played around to appeal to a larger audience to make the film viable.
I will create a questionnaire to see whether my audience is interested in my film brief and how they would prefer for it to be presented. My first question will break down the age bandwidth of target audience and see whether they are truly interested in my film. Ideally a film of my storyline could appeal to a younger audience, maybe even breaching the boundaries of the teen band. However it must be left into consideration that a portion, however unlikely, may be interested in my film.
My questionnaire will be distributed in a public place to around one hundred people to make the maths easier, asking them questions about age, gender etc, this will give me a better idea on how to appeal to these masses of people. The first question will determine the age of the person, followed by gender, and the third will ask the appeal of the idea, next determining genre and lastly the era it should be filmed in.
Thank you for participating in this survey. Your answers will help me to determine a variety of features in my film for my media coursework.
Please blot out your answers to the following questions in the areas provided.
1. Please determine your age in the correct band width
5 - 10
11 - 13
14 - 17
18 - 24
25 - 32
32 - 54
55+
Are you?
Male
Female
2. Please read the following description of a film and then answer the following questions
" A nation is thrown into turmoil as the last of an ancient order of guardians are destroyed, and a foreign power now controls them. Two survivors plot their downfall and personal revenge..."
2. Does this film interest you?
Yes
No
3. What genre would you find this film most suitable for viewing?
Action/ adventure
Gangster / Crime
Science Fiction
Western
Other (Please specify)
4. What era should the film be set?
Medieval Period
Close past ( 100 - 300 years ago)
Present Day
Close future (slightly more advanced than present day)
Distant Future (space travel era)
I then logged my findings into a computer onto a Excel spreadsheet. Here are my results
The large percentage of those who answered my questionnaire were in both the 11-13 bands and the 25-32 bands with a slightly smaller 14-17 band. This indicates that the data retrieved will mostly come from younger bandwidths. This in a sense is a good thing as these people are more likely to view the film at the cinema.
In this graph it shows that the genders included were equal from males and females, this would make my questionnaire fairer in terms of statistics.
This was a more diverse band to be included as featured are the gender specific answers of yes and no, overall this demonstrates that the majority would want to see my movie. The results were slightly predictable being that the males stated they were more likely to want to watch my movie and the females less so. This shows that my target audience predominantly consists of males, however an almost equal number of females also would like to watch my movie meaning that i must appeal to them too. When divided into age groups it can be seen that the majority of males who said yes were in the younger age bands such as the 11-13 bands and the 14-17 bands with the possible inclusion of the 5-10 age band and parents this amounts to a significantly large target audience. The older age bands also predominantly said no to viewing my film, this was not surprising and so means that they for the most part they are not included in my target audience but this cannot rule out the possibility of interest.
As a result the majority thought that the better or more fitting genre for my film was an action adventure film, this is the genre i will use in my film.
As the results show the majority of people who wanted to view my film thought that it would be preferable for viewing in the close past. This may not be most convenient on the part of my mise-en-scene but if it is more effective it is the time era that i shall use.
In conclusion I have found that:
- My target audience predominantly consists of the younger male bandwidth
- The genre preferably to be used is that of the action adventure genre who are interested in the stereotypical "revenge" storyline based in the close past
it must be put into consideration that there are exceptions of certain people within bandwidths will be interested in my film, however we must concentrate on the interests of those who have already noted the films interest and appeal to this audience.
This audience i am attracting is reasonable large meaning a large number of people would want to view my film. Should this film be made in a mainstream market and with a good budget and done professionally. It could attract a good profit.
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