Action introductory research

         At this point, I have decided I want to do some sort of action movie. It took me a lot of deliberation but after running through some basic plots I decided given the circumstances, an action movie would be the best way for me to move forward. Action is a very encompassing genre with many sub genres like sci-fi, superhero, spy, martial arts, disaster and many more. Obviously given the circumstances as well as the resources on hand any movie involving superhero's or sci-fi is likely ruled out. As of right now I think a movie opening to a spy action film would be best or a combination of a spy and buddy cop action film. The first step is to research.

        In general action films are films that are usually very fast-paced, high energy and have many stunts. This comes into play usually in the thick of the plot of an action film, so I do not really have to worry about stunts since I am doing a film opening where I am most likely going to only be introducing the conflict. The fast-paced movie is meant to stimulate the senses of an audience and boost their adrenaline. 

                                                                OVERVIEW

        As stated before, action movies are very encompassing so this leads to the fact that the genre can have many different types of plots and conflicts. Usually their are five plots in action movies: Escape, assassination, revenge, oppression and kidnap. An escape movie plot is usually where a main character is trapped in some sort of location and has to break free like in Die Hard. An assassination plot where the main character has to track down the villain and kill or capture him like in Hitman. A revenge plot is where something happens in the main character early in the film like their loved one is killed or kidnapped and they spend the rest of the movie trying to get back at that person who caused their pain like in John Wick. An oppression plot is where a group of people is under the rule of more powerful people and they have to fight to escape that rule like in Avatar. A kidnapping plot is when either the main character is kidnapped or someone they know is kidnapped and they have to either escape being kidnapped or they have to save the person who has kidnapped like in Taken. The most important thing for me is to pick a plot that allows me to be creative and create something I like while also within the limits of my capabilities and the extra limits set by COVID.

        The most common aspect of all action movie plots is the necessity for very fast-paced scenes that boosts adrenaline. These scenes are very important and to create them directors and their crew use many techniques to achieve this. Without these techniques, an action movie would not be successful and would not be a good product. When I create my film opening I will focus on using these techniques to create my film. 

        The editing in action movies is unique and is one of the major reasons why action movies seem so fast-paced. Firstly, during a fight scene or car chase, there are usually many cuts that are quick and show different angles of the conflict occurring. These quick cuts helps to further encapsulate the chaos that is going on. This helps to build-up excitement and tension during the fight which boosts adrenaline. Speed ramping which is when shots are sped up or slowed down is also another technique used that builds up tension and excitement.

        The lighting and colors vary depending on what kind of action movie is being made. For more lighthearted action movies, like a buddy cop movie, the lighting is more prominent and lighter colors are used and the action sequences usually take place during the day. However, for more solemn action films, the directors use darker color palettes and the lighting is darker especially around the main character which is meant to symbolize the position the main character is in at that point. These intense movies make use of lighting to help convey the solemn and serious tone of the movie, while lighter colors help to convey a more fun and lighthearted tone in a movie. 

The camera shots in action movies also help to create tension and excitement. In action sequences, usually when the main character is being overwhelmed, a close up of their face will be shown to convey a sense of desperation which further boosts tension. Moreover, action movies have alternating medium and long shots of action sequences to help show the audience all angles of a car chase or fight scene. These multiple angles are necessary for an action movie to because it helps create a mood of excitement. 

 

I really feel I can incorporate these techniques into my opening and that for me to have a successful opening it will need these editing techniques.