Genre Research

Crime drama

Target audience

I believe that our target audience is aimed at teenagers and adults. People who have an interest in watching crime drama films would also be the audience for our film. Stereotypically, this film could be aimed at mainly the male gender but I feel that both genders can have the same interests. I think this film can apply to people of all backgrounds as it is entertainment which is available to everyone. Well known directors of crime drama genre films are another factor which could attract people to watch a particular movie. For example, Martin Scorsese is a very well know director for creating films in the genres of gangster, crime and drama and thrillers. If a newly released film is directed by him, it will attract the director’s fans to watch this movie. Also the actors play an important part in attracting the public to come and watch this particular movie. For example, Robert De Niro stars in the film “Goodfellas” which would attract his fans to watch this movie.

Codes and conventions:

Crime and drama genre films have serious narratives and often involve crime, the law and death. The characters this genre involves are criminals, police/C.I.D, teenagers, minorities, detectives etc. The setting of this genre is usually set in small towns, or large cities. The cinematography may be shown through low key lighting to suggest the “dark” side of reality of the serious crime situations. The make up and costume would be associated to the characters. For example, a teenage gangster would wear a hoody, low batty jeans and probably some jewellery as well. The dialogue would also be quite harsh, like street slang. This is because the dialogue would make it more realistic to the setting and the gangster character. The opening sequences to crime drama movies are also quite serious and full of suspense. This keeps the audience engaged and curious to know what will happen next.

Key directors and actors:

American Gangster - Ridley Scott - starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe

Goodfellas – Martin Scorsese – starring Robert De Niro , Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci

Scarface – Brian De Palma - Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer

Analysis of Opening Sequences in the genre of Crime and drama:

Goodfellas

Personally the opening of Goodfellas is quite shocking. Creating a shock in the beginning of a film is an excellent way to start off as it keeps the audience engaged and this way the audience do not know what to expect. The opening establishes key generic codes and conventions such as dialogue, props and costume. For example, the dialogue used is American slang and has a certain dialect which shows what part of America they are from. It may suggest these people are from a small part of America with a high gang and crime rate. This also adds to their “gangster” characters and as gangsters are shown committing a murder in the opening, the genre is established that it is of gangster crime genre. The props used such as the gun used to kill the person in the boot of the car also suggests this and the way the gangster’s costume looks quite smart as gangsters would. All these codes and conventions link back to the genre of the movie which meet my expectations of a typical opening sequence from this genre. It is important to show this as the audience have an idea of what to expect to see.

The clues the opening gives about the narrative are things such as the main character’s personality. We see that the main character is the taxi driver and later on is shown as a gangster after his dialogue that suggests being involved with a gang. There is mostly diegetic sound used in the credits and opening scene, but towards the end of the opening a soundtrack is played and the title is introduced. This reflects the genre in an effective way as the soundtrack took the seriousness away from the incident which shows the audience that this is how light-heartedly gangsters take murders and robberies. The title is used at the end of the opening with the same transitions as the credits but in red letters. This reflects the genre as the colour red can be associated with blood shed which is shown in the beginning of the film.

Casino: Martin Scorsese

The opening sequence establishes the key generic codes and conventions by:

Camera:

• Starts off with the production company “Universal” title.
• Credits introduced in white letters and black background. This could suggest the serious theme of the genre (crime drama)
• Information is given such as the year it is set in which was 1983.
• Advanced technology has been used and by this we can tell this is a mainstream film.

Sound:

• Credits are introduced with no sound. Keeps the audience watching as they are curious to know why it is so quiet and there is no sound.
• Then later we hear diegetic sound of the man walking out of a building.
• The character we see is narrating his story. The dialogue he uses suggests that this film is about betrayal as he mentions trust being broken by someone dear to you.
• As soon as the car explodes a non – diegetic soundtrack is used to add to effect of the explosion. For example, the soundtrack, which is opera music, suits the scene as the music is just as dramatic as what we are seeing on screen. This reflects this genre as we know as an audience to expect dramatic tension and suspense in a film of the crime and drama genre.

Editing:

• We see a long shot of the main character coming out of a building. When he sits in his car and there is a blast, it shocks the audience. This creates an enigmatic feel to the audience and they would be interested to watch more.
• Animation of different lights is shown in the background as the main character’s body is flying across the frame.
• Credits continue mentioning all the characters while introducing the main character, “Rob De Niro” first, after the director Martin Scorsese. The title is introduced in front of a red and orange background showing lights which could represent a Casino. The title is introduced slowly across the frame which suits the seriousness of the incident that has just happened and also links to the genre of crime and drama. This is because you wouldn’t expect to see a large bubbly title for a serious genre like this film.
• Scene is shown in one camera movement – tracking shot. For example, the scene starts as a tracking shot from when the character walks out of the building and to his car.

Mise – en – scene:

• Set in a rich hotel - as we see the setting of the hotel.
• The character looks wealthy as he is in smart attire and owns a car.
• His wealth also can relate to how rich gangsters are, which reflects the genre of crime and drama and follows typical features of characters from this genre.

The effect the explosion had on the audience is very shocking. I have not seen “Casino” and from the audience’s point of view watching this film for the first time is very impressive. This is because the explosion is very unpredictable and shock has been used again to create an enigmatic feel for the audience. This sequence meets my expectations of a typical opening of a crime and drama film as all of the codes and conventions relate to this genre. For example, in a film of this genre you would expect to see some kind of shocking incident occurring as that is what the film is usually based on. Clues I have gathered about the narrative (from the dialogue spoken by the narrator) is that this film may be about betrayal as he mentions his trust being broken by someone dear to him.

Scarface - Brian De Palma

The opening sequence establishes the key generic codes and conventions by:

Camera:

• Starts off with the production company “Universal” title.
• Information about a historical event is given which could be useful to know before watching the film.
• Many establishing shots are used for example to show the docks, people and the ships.
• Close up of Al Pacino to show that he is the main character and the main focus is on him. This is because he is the main face we see in the frame.

Sound:

• Non – diegetic soundtrack is played while information is shown which brings a very serious mood to the first thing the audience can see.
• Then we here diegetic sound from the actual video footage from the historical event. This gives the film a historical mood.
• After that the sound changes to a soundtrack which diegetic music playing. For example, while the soundtrack is playing we also hear the helicopter. This does not reflect the genre of a crime and drama film.
• Soundtrack fades out as Al Pacino is introduced as the main character.

Editing:

• Producer is introduced after the footage is shown.
• Credits are shown in between the historical footage that we see. For example we see Al Pacino introduced the film title and the rest of the cast.
• The title is shown in the middle of the opening. There is not much focus on the title as the title and credits go back and forth to the footage.

Mise-en-scene:

• South American people from all class being shipped to a new country.
• Adults, elderly, young teenagers, children, families are all shown ready to start a new life.
• We see the American flag which shows that these people are immigrating to America.
• Al Pacino is introduced as an immigrant and police are asking him questions regarding his arrival to America.

This opening sequence does not really establish the key generic codes and conventions to a crime and drama genre. This is because the atmosphere and mood shown in the beginning seems quite exciting, busy and mainly focused on the historical content. In a typical film from this genre you would not expect that. But after the opening we see Al Pacino being questioned by the police, regarding his stay in America. This is what you would expect to see in a crime and drama film as the law is playing a part in the movie as well. I think that the clues given about the narrative may be that Al Pacino will start a life of crime in America as he is new to the country and may be desperate for money. This is because for example ; the way he introduced himself in the opening, his body language shows he is quite cocky willing to take risks. As he is the main character, he may not look like a criminal in the beginning but his personality gives it away that he may be a potential criminal in the future. Once again we see this through his body language and the way he speaks. I think this opening was not typical of the crime and drama genre; however Brian de Palma has created quite an enigmatic feel to the audience. This is because it makes them wonder why historical footage has been shown in such detail. Brian de Palma has done this so the audience is prepared for certain events and incidents in the rest of the film, which must relate back to the historical content. It is done for the audience’s knowledge. On the other hand, personally I don’t find the opening of this film interesting until Al Pacino is introduced because I feel the historical footage is shown in too much detail.