UNIT 6 LO4.

I have chosen to research and cover action within TV, movies and games
because it appeals to me most as its my favourite movie genre and I play some
action games so it takes my interest most. First I will be covering who watches
action movies and who action is aimed at.
Who watches action movies? Who would watch it?
Action movies would generally attract the male audience, as it is stereotypical
for men to be drawn to violent films. Action movies would likely have a male as
the main character so a male would be able to connect/relate with the character
more than females would so it appeals to males more. Bad Boys would appeal to
a wider range of races as the characters are both African American than if it were
an all-White cast. Middle class people generally have the luxury of watching
movies, so they would be the main audience. The age range would be 15-40
most teenagers love a good adrenaline rush so watching a movie filled with
action would get the heart pumping. Action films appeal to the younger
generation so they would be the primary audience.
Codes and
action Movies.

conventions of

How are these

films distributed?

Action films would be distributed to Cinema as the genre is one of the most
popular and the genre would be made by big directors and have popular actors
involved so cinema would be the primary distribution. After the movie is in the
cinema for quite some time its likely that the film would next be distributed to
DVD and therefore as it is distributed on DVD it would then be allowed to be
distributed to movie websites like Netflix and Amazon. Before Netflix and TV
movies were only distributed in cinema. These movies would be consumed most
at cinema on the release of the movie during the hype of it especially if it was a
big movie it would definitely be consumed most at cinema during release but
after the hype and it being out for a while it would turn to being consumed most
on DVD.
How action has changed over time
Early action in the 1920s and 30s the predominant films were classic movies
where heroes would battle villains with a sword. In the 40s and 50s war movies,
cowboy movies and spy movies would have took the stage as the top action
films of the time. The leap from swords to western and spy type movies were

more realistic as the costumes became more normal and associated to the
theme so then it became more realistic to the audience. During the 60s it was
films like James Bond which dominated the 60s as the character was much
larger than life as James Bond was pretty much a one man army. The way he
fought the enemy with weapons and gadgets would have attracted a whole new
audience. In the 70s gritty detective and urban crime dramas became the new
action style. The 70s also saw the introduction of martial-arts films. In the 80s
action became the Hollywood main genre and became very male dominant and
as comedy was coming up some action became comedic and other races were
introduced and the culture changed and more action was introduces like
explosions and a larger budget. From there special effects began to become
quite insane and the audience again would have become even larger over the
90s into the 2000s and more women would have been involved as feminism
became a huge thing again opening up a newer audience. Older action moulded
modern action into what it is today it has been influenced by old films.
Narrative structure of action movies
Action films have recognisable narrative structures which offer a way to examine
how a story is organised and shaped in terms of time and events. The narrative
structure would always have closure with all problems being resolved and the
hero being triumphant. All action have a recognisable heroic central character, a
character who is able to overcome anything. Action would always have a fast
plot and always have quick decisions which gives it a fast pace and this is what
attracts its audiences, the plot would always lead to an ending but during the
ride it would always have twists and turns which knock the character off course
but the character would always end up successful in the end in action movies.
Representation in action (Genders)
During the start of action movies females would have been very portrayed and
made to look very vulnerable and would always be relying on the Male in the
movie to save them, the female in early movies and still some today would have
been one of the main links to the male characters problems throughout the film
and also would have been the motivation of the character for example in the
films Taken the characters daughter gets taken and the whole films is based
around saving her. Today females are a looked at so much different in action
movies, females have become main characters in this age and would be the bad
ass of the movie also. During early action movies women would have been used
for the gratification of men.
Representation of men across all media tend to focus on the following

Strength
Power
Sexual attractiveness
Physique
Independence

Representation of women across all media tend to focus on the following

Venerable
Damsel in distress

Sexual Attractiveness
Reliable on the male

Reference: http://www.slideshare.net/martellekumar/the-evolution-of-action-filmgenre-14914355

Now I will be covering action games.

How are action games portrayed?
Action games are portrayed highly by the media and also mostly by
parents/adults. A survey of 1102 adolescents found that 97 percent had played
video games in the past day. Although most parents checked the censors rating
before allowing their child to purchase it, 50 percent of boys and 14 percent of
girls favoured games with an M (Mature) or AO (adult only) rating, which
implies a high degree of violence. Due to these surveys the stats have caused
concern. Research has shown there is
a relationship between games and
violence and aggression among
children and youth who play these
violent games. According to research
by Irvine M they believe games
could/will cause children to imitate
action in violent video games and
make them more aggressive and
violent. This has not been proven,
there has been cases of people
imitating scenes from movies, TV
shows and games but in every case
just the scene from the movie or game
isnt the only motivation towards their
actions, most cases they have
discovered that there are many different motivations behind their actions rather
than just playing a game, playing a violent game could be part of their
motivation to their actions but it doesnt make them more violent and
aggressive. Some cases that people have imitated games and movies they have
discovered that the person has some mental problems. Due to this research
violent games have been highly portrayed by adults/parents and the media
causing commotion on children playing these, yeah there is an age limit and they
should be followed but it has been proven that games are very educational and
actually could make you smarter in a different prospect.

Who plays action video games?

Games are aimed at anyone
really, 40% of all gamers
are female and that figure
is growing as gaming is
becoming more popular for
women. Games are less
stereotypical nowadays and
equally represent male and
females.

Reference:

http://www.esrb.org/about/video-game-industry-statistics.aspx
Codes and Conventions of action video games.
There are two types of gaming casual and hard-core. Casual games are usually
primarily features on mobile phones due to the simple controls and simple
objectives. Hard-core games are usually based on consoles and PC and these
games are more complex with harder controls and a more complex objective
making it much more interactive. Call of duty is a good example of a hard-core
game due to the complex storyline and personalisation of the multiplayer. Casual
games are less likely to have any violence in and will just have a simple
objective, hard-core games will have violence and a complex objective.
Distribution of Games.

GAME
HMV
Xbox Marketplace
Play.com
Amazon
Games Station
PlayStation store
iTunes
Steam
App Store
Miniclip
EBay

Some of these distributers are free if you own a PS4 and Xbox for example.
These games would mostly be consumed in stores like GAME and mostly on the
PS4 and XBOX marketplace.

Reference: http://www.slideshare.net/cigdemkalem/video-games-distributionand-marketing
Reference: https://06wakemanp.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/research-gamecodes-and-conventions/

Evolution of gaming.
Gaming has been around for quite some time and all started out in 1947 to 1960,
in 1947 T Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann created a small object with digital
graphics on which a person could simulate firing at targets. The 50s saw video
games such as OXO in 52 and tennis for two in 58. In the 60s video games had
started to become more popular and saw games like Mouse in the maze and TicTac-toe. The 60s also saw the first game to be played on a TV set, it was called
chase. The 70s was a huge year for gaming as it saw the first coin operated
machines like Galaxy Game and Computer Space. All of these machines were
based on space war. The creators later created the company Atari. 1972 Atari
created Pong. It was very popular selling 19000 copies! The 70s also saw the
very popular space invaders. The late 70s were considered the golden age of
video games, with machines appearing everywhere, malls, stores and
restaurants. Pac-Man also came out in the late 70s. The 80s was the climax of
the golden age of video games coming out with games that are still popular
today, games like Legend of Zelda, during this period arcade games moved on
from machines to PC and more powerful consoles. The 80s also saw games like
Kung-Fu master and Prince of Persia it also saw the first RPGS like Dragon
Warrior. The 80s topped it off with the first online gaming and we cannot forget
Super Mario one of the best video game franchises. In the 90s games were
becoming more complex and challenging and they also saw the first 3D games
like sonic the hedgehog which would have been played on the first consoles like
the Nintendo 64 and Games Cube and also PlayStation 1. In the late 90s the
Nokia was released with games on the device like snakes. Finally we get to
current gaming in the early 2000s we saw the PlayStation 2 and Xbox release
and these were the best consoles of their time then moving onto the PlayStation
3 and Xbox 360 which stayed the most popular consoles because of their
reputation and the reputation is still here in 2016 with the release of the new
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One released in 2014/15.
Reference: http://www.slideshare.net/romansevo/evolution-of-video-games
Narrative Structure of Video Games.
The Narrative structure in games is very similar to Movies especially in action
packed games where you will play as the main character which will typically be
the hero, some games you will switch between characters. Most games you play
will have a successful ending and you turning out as the hero. Action packed
games can be quite attaching and really draw you into the characters to give you
a sense of relation to the character making it much more fun. As the main
character in most games you will have to overcome things/objectives to
complete rounds, in a sense that is what the main character in a movie would
also do accept in a video game you are playing as the main character.
Representation of genders.

In games like Call of Duty or Battlefield there has

been no women representation at all over the past 7
years of the call of duty franchise there has been no
women represented in the game until now Black Ops
3 has finally represented women in the game. Often
there are women in other games but they are very
stereotyped, every female character in Max Payne 3 is
a damsel in distress. Women have been stereotyped
in games just like in movies. The male in pretty much
every game is the hero and the women in the game
would always be the distraction from his objective.
Reference: http://ctrl500.com/developerscorner/beyond-the-portrayal-of-women-in-video-games/

Now I will be covering action across TV.

Who watches action TV? Who is it aimed at?

Action TV and who it is aimed at is just the same as movies, it is mostly aimed
towards male audience. The age range would be 15-40 most teenagers love a
good adrenaline rush so watching a movie filled with action would get the heart
pumping. Action films appeal to the younger generation so they would be the
primary audience.

Codes and conventions.

How is this distributed?

All would be distributed over TV.

How it has changed.
TV has changed
just like movies
have, more
access to
special effects
to make
dramas look
more realistic
although in TV
dramas things
arent that
realistic. TV
began with
small TVs in
black and
white, in 1884
the first

electromechanical television was developed. In America broadcast television first

began in the 1930s. Here is a graph showing television broadcast over the
decades. Since the 1930s TV has changed dramatically due to more updated
technology better TVs were produced, more channels and better broadcasters.

Reference: http://www.personal.psu.edu/jtk187/art2/television2.htm
Narrative Structure.
TV dramas have a simple structure to them, for example EastEnders always has
the same structure by building upto something serious every few months, there
is always something going on for example, there is always the bad person being
portrayed in the series and someone knowing about it, keeping it quiet etc all
leading upto something serious which most of the times ends up in someone
dyeing. Thats the usual structure for EastEnders. In tv dramas there is always
drama that gets resolved but in dramas on TV they seem to be resolved in the
worse ways with someone getting hurt or dyeing/going to prison.

How genders are portrayed.

Female characters are fewer in number and less central to the plot.

Marriage and parenthood are considered more important to a womans

than to a mans life.

Television portrays the traditional division of labour in marriage.

Employed women are shown in traditionally female occupations, as

subordinates to men and with little status or power.

TV-women are more personally-and less professionally-oriented than TVmen.

Female characters are more passive than male characters.

Television dramatic programming ignores the existence of the womens

movement.

The media will create a fatherly role that is not accurate just to get some
laughter out of the audience. Today instead of being bombarded with
unrealistic images of fatherly perfection, we too often suffer from the sitcom
dad epidemic: the buffoonish father who forgets birthdays and causes his
kids to fail their school projects because his help is so misguided Here is the
stunning reality: Dads are people too. In real life, dads are flawed, well
rounded, sometimes wise, sometimes goofy, mostly somewhere in the
middle, full of shades of gray. These are the dads we should see on
television. Fathers are getting upset with the way they are being portrayed
because there are too many loving, caring fathers out there who have a great
relationship with their children. If they are working hard to have a happy
relationship with their children, then they should not be put down repeatedly
in the media.Because of this children see this and have a different attitude or
perception toward the fatherly figure which could quite possibly effect the
relationship.
Reference: http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/violence-formula-analyzing-tvvideo-and-movies

Conclusion
Action and TV dramas have all changed over the board, action movies started
out with the typical Spy/Western movies moving onto James bond which
dominated action and set the trend of what it is today, crime dramas and action
movies have all developed into what they are today through the mark that was
left during the begging. Obviously action is what it is today because of the
history of it but just a transformed form of it because of the technology and
special effects. Video games has started out from the digital 2D games with a
small objective moving onto games which have a larger objective making it more
interactive and fun/entertaining.