As there are so many sub genres in the crime genre it is difficult to tell exactly where the crime itself genre actually began. However the 1930’s was when gangster crime films became noticed. The original gangster movie “Little Caesar” was made, the film was based on the life of the notorious Chicago crime boss, Al Capone. Another famous crime film made in the 30’s was the original “Scarface” which was one most violent crime films to be made in the 30’s and also the very first film in which a gangster uses a machine gun. This film shows how an ambitious, almost insane violent gangster ups the ladder of success in the mob. However his weaknesses seem to be the reason for his downfall.
These films introduced the world to a new movie genre, and gave inspiration to film makers as this genre still lives on. Such Gangster films the 1930’s, used the rebellious figure of the criminal and the hierarchical structure of the criminal organisation both in a competition to ironise capitalism and also the business ethic. The popularity of the American Gangster films with audiences was perhaps because they experienced both the satisfaction of vicarious involvement in gangster violence and seeing violence then turned on the particular gangster.
Another significant time in history for the crime film genre was the 1960’s when crime films had now expanded, for example the film “Bonnie and Clyde” put a new spin on the genre and added new aspects of cheekiness and self-referential comedy to the plot. This film shows Bonnie as Clyde as two anti-heroes who follow a life of crime and show the couple as always on the run.
This film is also classed as a landmark film as it was one of the first films in the “New Hollywood” era and it was also highly popular for the younger generation as it broke many of the taboos of crime films, also it gave inspiration for future filmmakers as it gave them initiative to bring sex and violence in to their films which most filmmakers now do.
Within the 1940’s 50’s and 60’s crime films generally focused on the police officer as being the investigating hero, however the police officer character moved on from being just being an figure just doing his job in the 70’s became a more violent and vigilante police officer and later in movies in the 80’s became a more wisecracking action-hero which offered an correct understanding of law-enforcement and masculinity in American culture. An example of this is Bruce Willis in the crime, action, thriller film “Die Hard”.
The 1980’s were another influential and remembered period of time for major crime films as such films worldly popular films such as “Die Hard”, “Lethal Weapon”, “The Untouchables and the most recent remake of “Scarface” were made, which all had multiple sub genres such as action, drama, history, and comedy as well as having most of the codes and conventions of a crime film. This shows us that crime films have moved on, from just being one certain genre such as gangster crime.
Friday, 26 March 2010
certificate of our crime film
The certificate of our film, is rated ‘15’ we can justify this because the themes included in our film meet the rated ‘15’ guidelines for example; our movie includes scenes of violence however they are not strong scenes of violence there is no extreme gore or sexualized violence, however the use of strong language and slight nudity are used in our film but it is not used overly frequently and it doesn’t contain the strongest terms of language or full frontal nudity In our film. Also due to our complex chosen storyline, you would need to be at least 15 years old to be able to fully understand and follow the plotline of our film and the reasons behind the events within, therefore we have concluded that our film fits into the rated ‘15’ certificate.
Target audience for the crime genre
I believe that the crime genre is generally stereotyped as being aimed at men, especially as typical crime films involve things such as sex, violence cars and usually the main character is male and the female is portrayed as the wife or girlfriend who stays at home more of an object than an a main character, for example films such as Public Enemies or Die Hard, which therefore tells us that crime films are being aimed at the male gender. The media says that women generally prefer typical chick flicks such as Legally Blonde or The Notebook because there is a typical love story between two characters, which most women are supposed to enjoy. which I don’t necessary think is always the case I think crime films can appeal to any type of gender I think it’s all about opinion and what you enjoy for example I enjoy most types of film I enjoy Crime films and Chick Flicks.
I think the age of the audience who watch crime films is from 15 and above because most crime films are 15 or 18 certificates therefore this tells us that they are aimed at a more mature audience due to the content of most crime films. A quote from the Office for national statistics website says that “ young people aged 15 to 24 are the most likely age group to go to the cinema, in 2002. 50 per cent of this age group reported that they went to the cinema once a month of more in Great Britain compared with the 17 per cent of over 35 year old”. This tells us that 15- 14 year olds are the most likely to go to the cinema which tells us that the big budget films that are brought out at the cinema are aimed at this age group because these are the people who are going to go watch it at the cinema.
I think the age of the audience who watch crime films is from 15 and above because most crime films are 15 or 18 certificates therefore this tells us that they are aimed at a more mature audience due to the content of most crime films. A quote from the Office for national statistics website says that “ young people aged 15 to 24 are the most likely age group to go to the cinema, in 2002. 50 per cent of this age group reported that they went to the cinema once a month of more in Great Britain compared with the 17 per cent of over 35 year old”. This tells us that 15- 14 year olds are the most likely to go to the cinema which tells us that the big budget films that are brought out at the cinema are aimed at this age group because these are the people who are going to go watch it at the cinema.
Film Analysis
Shawshank Redemption- 1994
“Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free”.
Genre: Drama, Prison Crime.
The opening sequence of the film involves the character Andy played by actor Tim Robbins sitting in his car were he gets a gun and several bullets out places them his lap and begins to start drinking alcohol, then the scene changes to Andy in a court room being questioned about killing his wife and her lover. It then flashbacks to his wife and her lover at her lovers house about to make love with the sound of Andy getting questioned playing in the background, it then goes back to the courtroom where Andy is still under questioning where all evidence seems to be against him.
At this point you believe that he committed such a crime, as you have no reason to think other wise especially with all the evidence is proving to be against him. The opening scene also shows the credits over the picture and has music playing in the back the music is old fashioned and in a way depressing to show the atmosphere and feelings of Andy and where he is in the opening scene.
This film has quite a complex opening scene compared to others that have no detail just credits and music, the opening scene is set in a non linear narrative structure as the events shown in the opening scene are portrayed after they have happened for example the lovers getting shot happened before the court date. However the rest of the film is set in linear narrative structure as all the events are portrayed as they happen.
This film has the usual codes and conventions of a prison crime film it has definite conflicts between the inmates and the guards as if you step a inch out of line with the guards you will get severely punished publicly or being confined in a small dark room for weeks or even months. The film has antagonist characters which are Andy and Red, and protagonist characters the guards and the warden. Another code and convention included in the film is the use of a voiceover character for example Red’s character does a voice over the some of the scenes e.g. the scene when he says that this happened to Andy for years ( how Andy was treated) because in reality the film would have had to be much longer if it included every year Andy was in prison because he was in there for 20 years so by Red talking over it skips through the years, this happens in lots of crime films as a way of skipping out years to make room for the important parts of the films.
A good example of this conflict is the scene of the movie were Andy sneakily locks himself in the warden’s office and decides to play Mozart’s music over the Shawshank’s public address system for all the inmates to hear and enjoy which Red quotes about the music made “every last man in Shawshank felt free” . This scene shows the conflict between the inmates and the guards, as Andy rebels against the officers when they try and tell him to stop and to come out, and when he does not the officer breaks in and sends Andy to “The Hole” for a month shows the power the officers have, however this scene shows us that the officers are not always in control as Andy managed to get inside the wardens office.
To summarise the film, its about Andy and Red played by Actor Morgan Freeman friendship in prison, and the reality of how prison was back the late 40s and how badly treated the men were. And with hope anything can happen.
Goodfellas (1990)
"As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster." -- Henry Hill, Brooklyn, N.Y. 1955
Genre: Crime, Biography, Gangster and Drama
The opening scene of Goodfellas is in the present narrative and involves Henry Hill- played by actor Ray Liotta and his friends driving in the car with the date New York. 1970 comes up on the screen, then they pull the car over because they hear a banging sound from the boot of his car they open the boot where they see a man tied up barely alive making noise trying to move, then Joe Pesci pulls out an large knife out of his jacket and begins stabbing the man tied up until he knows he’s dead then Robert Deniro decides to shoot him a few times to make sure that he’s definitely dead both men have no remorse after killing the man. Then the scene pauses on Harry hill where it has his speaking over the picture saying the famous quote “ As far as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a Gangster”. This opening scene tells the audience quite a lot within two minutes it shows us what type of people the characters are and how they can treat people they perhaps don’t like and also the main character thoughts which basically tells us what film is going to be about with him saying he’s always wanted to be a gangster tells us that’s the plot of the film.
This film has the usual codes of conventions of a gangster crime film; such the characters success is measured in material goods such as expensive clothes, cars, and jewellery. For example all the main characters are dressed in expensive clothes and also their other half’s are expensively dressed in the movie. Money seems to be no object for the characters in the film; they just spend the money on whatever they want because they know they can just get more by doing more deals. Another typical code and convention of a gangster crime is the loyalty the gangster has for his roots the loyalty Harry has in the film is more to his friends as they are the people he’s grown up with more than his actual family because to him his friends are his roots. The film is also set in a big city like most gangster crimes, also the gangsters can only gain power by taking it which is a main theme in Goodfellas as they are always taking things or taking lives to gain power in the mob hierarchy.
To summarise the plot of the film is basically how Harry Hill and his friends build their way up through the mob hierarchy and killing or hurting anyone who try’s and get in their way. Goodfellas is set in an linear narrative as the events within the film are set in the order they happened.
Alpha Dog (2006)
“Inspired by true events”
Genre: Crime, Drama
The opening scene of the film shows video clips of the characters in the movie as young innocent children playing together with the song “over the rainbow” playing over the video clips this scene has no relevance to the type of film it is as this the scene shows the characters in a different light and by just watching this scene it could be from any type of film genre because it’s so innocent it gives no hint about what the films about other than the children from the clips could be who the film is about. However the opening scene set out this way is good because it doesn’t give away the plot of the film like some opening scenes of crime films do it leaves the audience curious to what’s about to happen in the film.
The style of this film is made for teenagers and young adults as they can relate to the modern style of the film. You can also tell this film is for a younger teenage audience by the way the film is set out and the way the characters are portrayed and how they act, heavy violence, boozing, partying, sex and drug use is shown throughout the film and by the way the teenagers talk and treat each other symbolising a more modern way of how teenagers act.
The codes and conventions used in the movie include the usual gang dynamics and how they stick by each other and only listen to the instructions of leader of the gang the gang members do as he says as they don’t want to be on the bad side of the leader because they know what power he has and what he can do to you if you step out of line also the way the gang acts such as they do what they want ,when they want and if anyone tries to get in their way they will start a fight by giving them a bloody nose or shooting them which is the same as most gangster type characters act ,this dynamic is the same in most crime films if there is a gang of people there is always a leader that the rest of the gang look up to and follow. Also the social context, how the characters speak to each other and to others around them a ghetto way of talking as the characters in the film are mainly teenagers they don’t treat each other with as much respect as adults perhaps do. And the use of swear words are extremely common in their vocabulary which is another common convention of a modern crime drama for the teenager audience.
To summarise the film, it’s based on a tragic true story of the kidnapping and murder of Nicolas Markowitz an innocent 15 year old teenager the movie shows the involvement of Jesse James Hollywood a young middle class drug dealer and his friends living in California. The film itself demonstrates the internal gang dynamics and the social context that contributed to the events leading to the kidnapping and murder of Nicolas. Alpha Dog is set in a linear narrative as the events are shown as they happen.
“Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free”.
Genre: Drama, Prison Crime.
The opening sequence of the film involves the character Andy played by actor Tim Robbins sitting in his car were he gets a gun and several bullets out places them his lap and begins to start drinking alcohol, then the scene changes to Andy in a court room being questioned about killing his wife and her lover. It then flashbacks to his wife and her lover at her lovers house about to make love with the sound of Andy getting questioned playing in the background, it then goes back to the courtroom where Andy is still under questioning where all evidence seems to be against him.
At this point you believe that he committed such a crime, as you have no reason to think other wise especially with all the evidence is proving to be against him. The opening scene also shows the credits over the picture and has music playing in the back the music is old fashioned and in a way depressing to show the atmosphere and feelings of Andy and where he is in the opening scene.
This film has quite a complex opening scene compared to others that have no detail just credits and music, the opening scene is set in a non linear narrative structure as the events shown in the opening scene are portrayed after they have happened for example the lovers getting shot happened before the court date. However the rest of the film is set in linear narrative structure as all the events are portrayed as they happen.
This film has the usual codes and conventions of a prison crime film it has definite conflicts between the inmates and the guards as if you step a inch out of line with the guards you will get severely punished publicly or being confined in a small dark room for weeks or even months. The film has antagonist characters which are Andy and Red, and protagonist characters the guards and the warden. Another code and convention included in the film is the use of a voiceover character for example Red’s character does a voice over the some of the scenes e.g. the scene when he says that this happened to Andy for years ( how Andy was treated) because in reality the film would have had to be much longer if it included every year Andy was in prison because he was in there for 20 years so by Red talking over it skips through the years, this happens in lots of crime films as a way of skipping out years to make room for the important parts of the films.
A good example of this conflict is the scene of the movie were Andy sneakily locks himself in the warden’s office and decides to play Mozart’s music over the Shawshank’s public address system for all the inmates to hear and enjoy which Red quotes about the music made “every last man in Shawshank felt free” . This scene shows the conflict between the inmates and the guards, as Andy rebels against the officers when they try and tell him to stop and to come out, and when he does not the officer breaks in and sends Andy to “The Hole” for a month shows the power the officers have, however this scene shows us that the officers are not always in control as Andy managed to get inside the wardens office.
To summarise the film, its about Andy and Red played by Actor Morgan Freeman friendship in prison, and the reality of how prison was back the late 40s and how badly treated the men were. And with hope anything can happen.
Goodfellas (1990)
"As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster." -- Henry Hill, Brooklyn, N.Y. 1955
Genre: Crime, Biography, Gangster and Drama
The opening scene of Goodfellas is in the present narrative and involves Henry Hill- played by actor Ray Liotta and his friends driving in the car with the date New York. 1970 comes up on the screen, then they pull the car over because they hear a banging sound from the boot of his car they open the boot where they see a man tied up barely alive making noise trying to move, then Joe Pesci pulls out an large knife out of his jacket and begins stabbing the man tied up until he knows he’s dead then Robert Deniro decides to shoot him a few times to make sure that he’s definitely dead both men have no remorse after killing the man. Then the scene pauses on Harry hill where it has his speaking over the picture saying the famous quote “ As far as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a Gangster”. This opening scene tells the audience quite a lot within two minutes it shows us what type of people the characters are and how they can treat people they perhaps don’t like and also the main character thoughts which basically tells us what film is going to be about with him saying he’s always wanted to be a gangster tells us that’s the plot of the film.
This film has the usual codes of conventions of a gangster crime film; such the characters success is measured in material goods such as expensive clothes, cars, and jewellery. For example all the main characters are dressed in expensive clothes and also their other half’s are expensively dressed in the movie. Money seems to be no object for the characters in the film; they just spend the money on whatever they want because they know they can just get more by doing more deals. Another typical code and convention of a gangster crime is the loyalty the gangster has for his roots the loyalty Harry has in the film is more to his friends as they are the people he’s grown up with more than his actual family because to him his friends are his roots. The film is also set in a big city like most gangster crimes, also the gangsters can only gain power by taking it which is a main theme in Goodfellas as they are always taking things or taking lives to gain power in the mob hierarchy.
To summarise the plot of the film is basically how Harry Hill and his friends build their way up through the mob hierarchy and killing or hurting anyone who try’s and get in their way. Goodfellas is set in an linear narrative as the events within the film are set in the order they happened.
Alpha Dog (2006)
“Inspired by true events”
Genre: Crime, Drama
The opening scene of the film shows video clips of the characters in the movie as young innocent children playing together with the song “over the rainbow” playing over the video clips this scene has no relevance to the type of film it is as this the scene shows the characters in a different light and by just watching this scene it could be from any type of film genre because it’s so innocent it gives no hint about what the films about other than the children from the clips could be who the film is about. However the opening scene set out this way is good because it doesn’t give away the plot of the film like some opening scenes of crime films do it leaves the audience curious to what’s about to happen in the film.
The style of this film is made for teenagers and young adults as they can relate to the modern style of the film. You can also tell this film is for a younger teenage audience by the way the film is set out and the way the characters are portrayed and how they act, heavy violence, boozing, partying, sex and drug use is shown throughout the film and by the way the teenagers talk and treat each other symbolising a more modern way of how teenagers act.
The codes and conventions used in the movie include the usual gang dynamics and how they stick by each other and only listen to the instructions of leader of the gang the gang members do as he says as they don’t want to be on the bad side of the leader because they know what power he has and what he can do to you if you step out of line also the way the gang acts such as they do what they want ,when they want and if anyone tries to get in their way they will start a fight by giving them a bloody nose or shooting them which is the same as most gangster type characters act ,this dynamic is the same in most crime films if there is a gang of people there is always a leader that the rest of the gang look up to and follow. Also the social context, how the characters speak to each other and to others around them a ghetto way of talking as the characters in the film are mainly teenagers they don’t treat each other with as much respect as adults perhaps do. And the use of swear words are extremely common in their vocabulary which is another common convention of a modern crime drama for the teenager audience.
To summarise the film, it’s based on a tragic true story of the kidnapping and murder of Nicolas Markowitz an innocent 15 year old teenager the movie shows the involvement of Jesse James Hollywood a young middle class drug dealer and his friends living in California. The film itself demonstrates the internal gang dynamics and the social context that contributed to the events leading to the kidnapping and murder of Nicolas. Alpha Dog is set in a linear narrative as the events are shown as they happen.
Audience research
Do you enjoy crime films, Yes or No and why?
If yes than what are your favorite types of crime film. For example: Gangster, prison?
If no than what films to you prefer? For example: Chick Flicks, comedy?
What is it about these types of films that make them your favorite?
How many times a month do you go to the cinema?
After giving out these questionnaires to a varied audience of men and women of different age groups, I came to the conclusion that majority of men prefer to watch action and crime films with plenty of violence and suspense, whereas majority of women enjoy watching romantic comedies, and chick flicks with typical boy meets girl relationships within however this is not always the case few of the women I asked enjoy romantic comedies and crime and action films not just simply one or the other. Therefore this is stepping away from the typical stereotype of what films men and women choose to watch its showing that women can and men can enjoy a varied choice of films and not just stick with the typical representation of men and women only watch. My questionnaire research also concluded that the most common age group who go to the cinema is teenagers which is why our crime film is aimed at a teenage audience because if our film was to be seen at the cinema the most likely age group to go and watch it would be teens.
If yes than what are your favorite types of crime film. For example: Gangster, prison?
If no than what films to you prefer? For example: Chick Flicks, comedy?
What is it about these types of films that make them your favorite?
How many times a month do you go to the cinema?
After giving out these questionnaires to a varied audience of men and women of different age groups, I came to the conclusion that majority of men prefer to watch action and crime films with plenty of violence and suspense, whereas majority of women enjoy watching romantic comedies, and chick flicks with typical boy meets girl relationships within however this is not always the case few of the women I asked enjoy romantic comedies and crime and action films not just simply one or the other. Therefore this is stepping away from the typical stereotype of what films men and women choose to watch its showing that women can and men can enjoy a varied choice of films and not just stick with the typical representation of men and women only watch. My questionnaire research also concluded that the most common age group who go to the cinema is teenagers which is why our crime film is aimed at a teenage audience because if our film was to be seen at the cinema the most likely age group to go and watch it would be teens.
Analysis of film posters
The image of Bruce Willis holding a gun up is a typical action code used in films suggesting that he is about to shoot someone.
The quote ‘would you sacrifice another family.. Is implying that he is helping another family instead of his own family, who could be in danger. This suggests an enigma code to the audience as they don’t really expect anyone to sacrifice their family to help another.
The name itself hostage suggests the plot of the story. Without even watching it suggests as someone is going to be held hostage.
The word hostage also tells the audience that the film is a crime/ thriller film as it tells us its about a crime of a hostage is going to be take place.
The colour red used on the title “Hostage” could be symbolising danger which could be telling the audience what to expect in the film.
Also the fact it’s written in a large font and only uses capital letters draws attention the title, and by grabbing the audience’s attention makes them want to watch the film to see what the hostage is all about.
The way Bruce Willis is portrayed in the image could be suggesting that he has power by the way he’s holding up the gun and his serious expression all suggest that he is a powerful man.
The title “the usual suspects” suggests that the a certain group are the usual suspects for a crime this could be because they have been involved in crimes before therefore they are prime suspects.
The five men stood in a line up against a wall suggests that this film is a crime film as they look like how suspects of a crime that are set up at the police station.
This quote suggests that everything is not how it seems and that we need to look past people who may be the usual suspects of committing a crime. This is an example of an enigma code on a film poster as its making you question things, something you wouldn’t usually question.
The quote here is an enigma code suggesting something out of the norm. Which creates confusion/interest with the audience by doing this is makes the audience want to watch the film to find out what’s going to happen.
The title suggests that the dark knight is some kind of anti-hero by putting the word dark next to knight could be symbolising there is more to him than just a knight and he might not be a good knight like you might expect.
However by the way the man is standing suggests he is of importance and that he is a hero type by the way he is dressed in a costume this also implies he is hiding his appearance for some reason, perhaps he doesn’t want people finding out his true identity perhaps if people found out his true identity his family and his lifestyle could be in danger.
The image in the back ground of the building on fire and falling down suggest that this could be a crime film as it could have been done my somebody perhaps on purpose. The colours and the images used on the poster are dark and gloomy suggesting that bad things are going to happen in the film doing this its telling the audience what to expect watching the film.
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