Star Wars Extract
Question
One: In what two ways are the narrative and characters typical of the AA genre?
Speed &
Motion
The narrative shown in this extract is speed and motion.
Firstly we can point out that there is speed because the boy and his competitor
are in a race as they are in an open cab pod which gives a sense of extra
speed- this also lets the viewer experience the canyon wars they are in. There
is also a sense of rushing when they are close to the ground and the spectacular
setting and hostile environment adds to the sense of excitement given.
Heroic
Protagonist
Anakin Skywalker is presented as a heroic protagonist in this
extract for many reasons. Firstly his machine almost failed whilst being in
this pod race and almost set alight, however he managed to fix it himself.
Secondly, he also seems quite young so for him to even be in this race makes
him seem brave- bravery is a main characteristic of heroism and this is
definitely shown by Anakin. This young boy also has the crowd on his side which
is also a key factor of heroism as the hero usually is an icon and the crowd is
cheering for him.
Question 2:
Two examples of camerawork
One shot that I noticed is a tracking shot. By using a
tracking shot the producer of this film gives the viewer a detailed tour of the
situation. It can also be used to follow a character it also enables us to
travel with the vehicles and experience how extensive the course is
Another is a point of view shot which enables us to
experience the same thing as the boy behind the wheel and we are put in the
driving seat. This enables us to see what it feels like to be in an out of
control machine.
Prep:
Mise-en-Scene
The mise-en scene in this extract of Star Wars is used to
create many effects. I will focus on two main ones I spotted which are the
setting and the strange alien like creatures. Firstly, the setting, the desert landscapes
with large Rocky Mountains make up the race track of the pod race. This creates
a sense of suspense and jeopardy as the narrow arcs the pods have to go through
and the height of them creates a sense of danger because if the pods crash they
could die.
Secondly, the strange alien like creatures creates the effect
of them being in a completely different world. We can tell they are alien like
because many creatures look snaky and some even have two heads. This creates a
typical Action & Adventure genre film because often the uglier, scarier
looking creatures are the bad ones where as the less scary look more normal
except a lot of the goodies look very unusual and ugly. They also look very
realistic which adds to the authenticity and makes it seem believable.
