Crime cliche's

• In many crime films, there is gang rivalry. This is a popular cliche as crime is linked to police, and in the news there is a lot of gang rivalry. By using this cliche the audience are able to get involved in the film as they know it is linked to a real subject going in the world that they want stopped, and in crime films most of the time the good guys stop the gang rivalry to make everything okay again.

• Another popular cliche is good cop, bad cop interrogations. Using this in films is good because the audience likes to see the different sides of the police, to see who manages to get the information they need out of the bad guy. Also it can help them decide who's side they are on, either the good cop's or the bad cop's.

• Most of the time there is a 'rat' who is an undercover cop pretending to be part of a gang or on the bad guy's side. This is a effective thing to do as being undercover they can find out a lot of stuff the gang's wouldn't tell anyone else as they trust the rat to be trustworthy and faithful towards them. 

• Sometimes when the crime people are investigating, there is a dead body in the trunk of a car. This is a popular thing to do as the audience are led to question how long the body has been there for and who has done it, and why they have left the car and body alone for the police to find. As there is always a reason behind it, the audience feel the need to continue watching it.

• Never in crime films do they ask for ID. There could be someone the cops are protecting in custody, and the bad guy can walk right in past the guards, as the guards just assume they aren't there to kill the person; when most of the time that is their sole reason for being there. This a popular cliche that appears in many crime films, that the audience most of the time expect. It is effective because the audience still get frustrated at the situation even though they know it was going to happen. 

• There is also a lot of violence in crime films, as when you think about the police and detectives, their job is to do with violence, as they investigate murders and assaults etc. This is effective as the audience can relate it to real life and it makes it seem more real instead of it just feeling fake. 

• Most of the time there is also a corrupt cop, who doesn't play by the rules completely. He may sometimes let the bad guy's off or agree with them etc. This is effective as the audience can have someone they don't like and don't agree with to help them choose sides.

• There is also 'the neighbourhood' where all the crime takes place. This is mainly because the gang's are fighting for 'their territory' and don't want another gang to take over. 'The neighbourhood' can also be where the gang members have grown up, and would do anything to protect it.

• A lot of the time there is a respected gang leader, and what he says goes. Most of the time he is the person the cops want to catch most, as without him there is not a gang. The effectiveness of this is that the audience see the gang isn't so big and tough without their leader.

• Sometimes there is also a corrupt doctor/lawyer along with the corrupt cop. The corrupt lawyer may not act how he should and help the bad guy out, or possibly take a bribe etc. This cliche is effective as it may happen in the real world as well as the film, and may make it easier for the audience to relate. 

Comedy cliche's

• The comedy genre appeals to all age groups and genders. This is because different comedy films can be made for everyone, as many people like to watch something that'll make them laugh,
  
  
• Different cliche's are used to make the audience laugh. One popular cliche is that the hero is an idiot. This is effective to the audience as since the main character is an idiot, they know that he is going to make them laugh, and that the film is going to be worthwhile to watch. Also they will become interested in how he can out do himself on how stupid he can be.

• Another cliche is the 'slapstick' (someone making a mistake) this is effective as if someone for example fell over, the audience would find it hilarious, as watching someone falling over even if they do not get injured, is incredibly funny for most people and amusing to watch, 
  
  
• There is also most of the time a journey that the hero goes on, this is effective as during the journey the audience can start to grow attached to them, or if they didn't like them at the beginning, may start to like them now. Also the journey could be a funny one as the character could do loads of things wrong.
  
  
• There is also a best friend/sidekick in most comedies that can be quite hopeless, but is effective to the audience as we get to know how he thinks his best friend should deal with his problems, and how he and the main character act around each other. Also you get to relate to them as you may have a best friend that you act the same around.

• Another cliche in comedy films is the jokes or issues about stereotypes. the jokes about stereotypes include; sexuality, racial, disability and two dimensinal characters. The effectiveness of making jokes about these groups, or mentioning them is that they can be very funny. And some people will watch a comedy just to see someone taking the mick out of sexuality etc. The bad thing about this cliche is some jokes made in the comedy can be offensive and put people off.

• There is also sometimes a romantic sub plot in comedies, which can appeal more to females as they might feel they can relate more to the film if for example, secretly the comical guy, has a sweet part inside him that the woman can grow to love, also it may make males laugh and relate too as they could be going through the same thing that the character in the film is going through.

• Looking at comedies could be effective for my film production, as a lot of people watch and enjoy comedies. So the film we may possibly make could appeal to more audiences and groups of people if it was comical and made them laugh. If for example we made a romantic comedy, men may not want to watch it and find it boring, so the audience ratings may be affected. The same thing may happen with a horror as not everyone likes horror films even if they are older, and it may scare them, putting them off watching it. As action films appeal to men mainly, women may not find our film interesting if we did an action one, as the genre leans more towards the male audience.

Dodgeball -

• In the film 'Dodgeball' many cliche's that I have mentioned above are used. For example at the very beginning, there is a full of himself idiot. This is effective as the audience may start to not like this character as he is very abnoxious, leaving room for a new character they may like. Also by introducing a character who the audience may not like, will make them want him to mess up and create problems for himself, which would make a very funny comedy.

• Another cliche that is used is the physical comedy. After the full of himself idiot is introduced, you see an old picture of him where he is very fat eating ice cream. This for any audience to see is hilarious as over weight people have a better comical effect than a skinny person. The other physical comedy used is when a man gets stuck in the gym equipment. This is funny as seeing people fall over, walk into things etc is generally funny.

• The scene then leads to another person who is in his flat, asleep on the sofa having not washed, and not being able to pay his bills. His flat is also very dirty with clothes and rubbish everywhere. The comical effect of this is that most people's bedrooms are like this, and the program playing on tv is the full of himself character. The 'coinsidence' of this is that the man on the sofa, is the type of person the other character is talking about. The man on the sofa also has an old rusty car where everything goes wrong. This is funny as it is something that happens in everyday life.

• There is also another gym introduced which is full of losers, which makes the two gyms appear as a competion. Losers vs winners. There are also references to bodily functions and gay jokes. These jokes are effective as they make people laugh and make you want to watch more of the film to see what happens.

Mindmaps

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Research and Planning 16/20: Well done so far. Continuing like this will certainly put you int eh Level Four category. To improve your work try to include some mindmaps and link your comments to target audience and your own ideas for production work. A very good start to your blog. Well done!

Action cliche's

• The action genre generally appeals to males, but has some female fans. Like horror films and romance films, action films contain many cliche moments.

• One cliche is that the hero/heroine is very masculine, and mostly walks around in skimpy clothes to show off their muscles. This makes the males who are watching the film aspire to be like him and the females think about if they had him.

• Another cliche is that the bad guy is foreign and has a very strong accent. This is very popular to a British audience, so appeals to them, making them want to watch it. The villain is also usually homosexual/effeminate, and has big body guards with guns to protect him. This is cliche as in most action films, there are a lot of bad guys, and only one good guy who has to go up against everyone, and somehow always manages to succeed and win. This is effective to the audience as even when they think everything is going to be over, and the bad guy is going to win, the tables are always turned. 

• Another cliche is the fight scene or 'punch up's' there is always a fight between the two opposing sides, mostly including guns where no matter what gun is used (machine gun, shot gun) the good guy never seems to get hurt. He always manages to dodge all the bullets. This is a cliche moment as in real life, if a machine gun was being shot at you, you would not be able to dodge it and would be dead. 

• There are also fast paced scene and chase scenes which create tension for the audience, and make you wonder if the characters are going to get hurt during them or if they are going to manage to kill the bad guy during them. There are also plenty of explosions, and somehow the good guy always seems to jump out of them without an injury, when in reality you would get some deep injury which could be life threatening. 

• Another cliche is the self surgery that the characters almost always has to perform on himself, as he always seems to manage to injure himself by for example, standing on glass. This is effective as the audience want him to be okay, and be able to fix his foot and still go on to fight the bad guy and save the woman. Which is another cliche as the woman is always hopeless and needs rescuing by the big muscular hero.

Horror cliche's

• Horror films have a wide audience, they appeal more to men, but some females enjoy watching them too. They are generally aimed at an older audience compared to romance films, as most romance films are PG, or 12, but horror films are generally 15 & 18+. Generally the higher the age rating, the scarier they will be. Although every horror film is different in scare factor and gore factor, they all have the same kind of cliche's. One famous cliche is the scary location of the house where the character chooses to go stay. They generally go and stay in the scariest, emptiest house they can find, so a house in the woods and middle of nowhere. Or they just end up in the middle of nowhere. The scary locations appear in many horror films. ('The strangers', 'When a stranger calls', 'While she was out') Although the audience of the film knows how predictable it is going to be, they still enjoy watching it as they know that the film will still make them jump out of their seats never the less. 

• Another cliche moment is the hierarchy of the deaths. The main character is a lot of the time, a pretty blonde girl, who does not have a clue what she is doing. The blonde girl always seems to run into the 'baddy' and most of the time ends up dying first. The next person who dies is usually an obnoxious annoying person who the audience wants to see gone anyway, and the person who ends up surviving is the person you doubt from the start. The quiet girl/boy who didn't really get along with the other people is the one who doesn't end up with their guts slashed across the screen. This is effective to the audience as throughout the film you grow to like the quiet person, as they are not obnoxious and silly. They don't generally run into the 'baddy' like everyone else.

• Also during the beginning of the film, we don't really see the baddy much, only glimpses which help to build up the suspense of what he actually looks like. Also it helps build up tension of what he going to do as he sneaks around the characters. There are also the moments where the audience start to think 'did I just see that?!' when the characters almost run into the bad guy but they don't realise. These cliche moments are the ones that have the audience screaming at the TV 'how didn't you see that?!' 

• Another cliche is blood. Lots and lots of blood. When watching a horror film you KNOW you are going to see blood; if you did not, you probably wouldn't want to watch it because it wouldn't seem like a proper horror film to make you scared. The essence of blood attracts the audience to the film as they want to see what the 'baddy' does to the characters to make them bleed.

• A lot of times in horror films, the children are evil. For example in 'The Omen' and 'Orphan.' By having the children as evil it draws the audience in as they want to see how a young child can do something to make them jump, and just how evil they can be. Sometimes this is not an as popular cliche as the bad guy being older, but when it is used, it is a very effective cliche. 

• In the horror film 'Jeepers Creepers' the beginning is different to most. In comparison to 'Nightmare on Elm Street' the beginning is very boring. In Jeepers Creepers it starts off with a brother and sister driving down a road in the countryside in the middle of nowhere. This creates a calm, relaxed, maybe bored feeling for the audience. In a way it is an anti climax as it is just a boring car on the road. As the film progresses you see that they are driving way too fast, so possibly deserve to die as they should be sticking to the speed limit, as if you don't you could die anyway. 

• When the camera is put facing the two people, out of the back windscreen you see a car turning off in the distance. By this you are given something to consider as if it wasn't an important aspect it wouldn't be shown. After you have seen this you see another car start to appear in the distance which is going very fast, and all of a sudden catching up to these two characters incredibly fast. This is effective to the audience as they wonder what is going to happen to the characters or if there is just going to be some road rage. As the other car try's to knock them off the road, a tense jumpy feeling is created as you don't know why this other car is doing it.]

• As it passes the two main characters a sense of relief overcomes you as you think that is just the end of it, and he is not the bad guy. But of course as the characters progress on their journey, they pass an old abandoned house (cliche in the middle of nowhere) and slow down to look at it. Of course this is where the bad guy does his murdering business and sees the two in their car. As he sees them this stops the audience breathing for a while as you wonder if he's going to kill them now, as they have seen what he is doing and could report it to the police. The most cliche moment in horror films is then shown, as when they in fright go to ring the police, their phone has no battery, so they have no contact with the world. This cliche moment is effective, but sometimes annoying as you would think if you were going on a car journey you would charge your phone.

Overall the cliche moments are effective in this horror film as they are not always predictable, and it is not like many horror films due to the different beginning.

Romance cliche's

• Romance films generally appeal to a female audience, this being as females often want their life to be like the chick flicks a lot of women watch. These romance films always have lots of typical cliche's but the fans of this particular genre love these and sometimes is the reason they watch them.

• In the typical romantic comedy, the film is designed to relate to the audience, and make the audience able to understand fully what the character is going through during the film. By doing this the watcher of the film may feel more involved in the film, and sometimes more like it was made for them. One of the first most important cliche in romantic films is the happy ending. In a wide majority of films, there is a happy ending where the male/female gets the person they want and they live happily ever after, even if this in most real life situations, is not the case. 

  

• In nearly every romantic film there is the cliche, 'will they, won't they?' moments. These are effective as they en captivate the audience, and make them want to continue watching the film to find out if they will get together or if they won't live happily ever after. Also it keeps the audience guessing about what is going to happen between the two main characters and if they will meet or not.

• In a lot of ROM coms' there is the faithful 'sidekick' who is mostly the best friend, yet often very hopeless. Having a sidekick is an effective cliche as people want to see the sidekick who always sticks by the girl/boy, and who sometimes turns out to be in love with the other person but won't say anything because they are in that 'best friend/friend' category. They also often make the audience laugh as they are so useless.

• In the majority of films there are love rivals, who interest the audience as they want to see who the girl ends up with in the film, and who is the better choice in the two rivals, and what they are willing to do to end up with the girl. In most cliche moments there is a confrontation, and an unexpected result of who they girl chooses. It is always the unobvious choice.

• Also the majority of the time 'Mr Right' finds the girl initially annoying, and does not want to know. The is effective as the audience encourage her to pursue Mr right, and end up with him as he is the best choice and most of the time very good looking. 

• There is also dramatic irony most of the time. This is effective as us, the audience know he's a wrong 'un, and know something that the characters in the film don't, so we feel more involved in the film and want the character to know what we know before it is too late.

• There is also a subordinate father and pushy mother in most films. The pushy mother is usually the root of the problems caused for the character, yet often doesn't believe she is, but instead believes that she is helping and doing the best for her daughter. For example pushing her daughter to get married or break up with her boyfriend or something.

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   In the film 'The Holiday' many cliche moments are all throughout. The audience of the film watches it for this reason. At the start of the film there is the typical romantic music, and the common beautiful surroundings and couple dancing. Further into the first scene you are introduced to 'Mr wrong' who ends up breaking up with his girlfriend. Party going against the cliche, the best friend is an old man, compared to one the same age. Fitting in with the cliche he is still the girl's best friend, but not the hopeless kind, instead helpful. There is also the woman talking over the scene playing talking about her hopeless love life, with the man that she was once with, but is still madly in love with. This is a cliche moment as most romantic films have a girl who is dreaming about being with a man, even if he is Mr wrong. The other friend that is introduced the mouthy but supportive best friend, who doesn't agree with her love of Mr right.
  
  Going against the romantic cliche's there is the postmodern film 500 days of summer, this goes against the stereotypical conventions of a classic romantic comedy such as Nottinghill.

Analysing the opening two minutes of 'Catch me if you can.'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2MQ26iHyvE&feature=player_embedded#!

• Starting from 03:34 minutes, the first camera shot is a mid shot of one of the contestants of the quiz show. This is effective as you get an insight into who is one of the main characters, and what the story of the film is based on and what the characters facial expressions and looks are. By the main characters being Leonardo Decaprio and Tom Hanks, it gives the film a wide audience base as these actors are very popular among a wide variety of people. You can also tell the quiz show is quite old fashioned by the fake, bright, over exposed colours.

• This shot at 04:00 is a long shot, which is appropriate in the sense that by this point, the characters do need to be introduced, and the long shot then shows the audience them in full, and what they all look like, and the differences between them. By panning from contestant's it repeats what you have seen, this then makes it easier for you to familiarise with them and who they are.

•  At 04:44 the close up shot shows detail of the man's face and means the audience knows who he is. The over the shoulder shot means that you know who he is talking to and you can see his facial expressions and see how what he is saying is coming across throughout the scene.
  
  
  
• At 04:57 there is an 'over the shoulder shot.' What's different is that it is almost doubled as you're looking over two sets of shoulders to get to the subject. The over the shoulder shot creates conflict between the people and by looking over two people it strengthens this and creates even more conflict and questioning to the audience about what is so bad that they have to be disagreeing.
  
  
  
  
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    The location switches from the quiz show to men in a street arguing/disagreeing. As the scene cuts to the rain, the audience are informed that the setting is now in France, so the audience are intrigued as to why they are there. The prison cells then show that they are located at a prison. Looking through the spy hole makes the person look vulnerable and by switching from a quiz show to a rainy prison, it makes the audience wonder what happened and what is going to happen.

Blog Feedback

Well done Lauren - a good piece of posting and lots of technical areas are covered in your write-up. To make your work even better consider exactly how we are being encaptivated in the opening two minutes. In this instance we are being introduced to the protagonist. We are meant to become interested in her and are invited to relate to her - how and why? Well done, a very good start.