GCSE MEDIA STUDIES

SUMMER HOMEWORK 2015

Action/ Adventure Conventions Activity

The activities below should help familiarise you with the conventions used in the action/
adventure genre to help you prepare for your GCSE. Watch an action/ adventure film of your
choice and complete the following:
1. Write a bullet point list or create a spider-diagram to show what characteristics you think each of
the following character types have:
a) The protagonist (main character)
b) The antagonist (villain)
c) The side-kick
d) The female lead
You should focus: what they wear, how they speak, their personality, their appearance (their looks),
their role in the film (what do they typically want/do?)
2. Look at the different technical elements below. Explain how each of the following elements is used
to create a particular effect in action/adventure films. For example: A close-up could be used to create
tension or show emotion and signify something bad is going to happen, which would build suspense
for the audience.
You should try to think of an example from an action/adventure film to support your ideas.
a) Camera

c) Sound

a) Close-up

a) Diegetic sound

b) Tracking shot

b) Non-diegetic sound

c) Low angle

c) Sound effects

d) Dolly Zoom

d) Asynchronous sound

b) Editing

d) Mise-en-scene

a) Fast-paced editing

a) Costume

b) Cross-cutting

b) Sets and location

c) Jump cuts

c) Casting choices

d) CGI

d) Props

e) Slow motion

e) Lighting

Use the glossary below to help with definitions.

Film Poster Research Task

Create a document that includes:
1. Ten examples of posters for films aimed at a teenage audience
2. Ten examples of posters for action adventure films
3. Ten examples of teaser posters for action adventure films
Examples
Divergent poster
Divergent is a based on an internationally best-selling
book and aimed at a teenage audience. The poster
includes quite a bit of information such as the release
date, the names of the lead actors and (at the bottom
of the poster) the film credits.

Divergent teaser poster

The teaser poster includes less information than the
full poster. This is one in a series of teaser posters (all
featuring different characters). The poster includes
the release date of the film. The teaser poster is
intended to interest the audience and help generate
a buzz about the film.

Mad Max: Fury Road poster

This is a poster for an action adventure film
released in 2015. The poster includes many of the
conventions of an action adventure film poster the
names of the main stars, big guns, explosions, heroes
and villains.