Evaluation - codes and conventions of action/adventure films - technical elements

Sound: 
generally, action adventure films have very dramatic music, which compliments the on screen action. the soundtrack is normally non-diegetic, but some diegetic sounds may be included to emphasise certain elements, for example; the dubbed sound of screeching tyres. In my product two very different pieces of music were chosen and combined to create the soundtrack.


The first song, titled "Beautiful World", is an original track from artist Mark Knight. This piece of music would be encompassed within the genre of 'house' or 'techno'. It is comprised of a steady, fast paced drum beat, probably provided by a drum machine or similar equipment. layered on top of this is a series of electronic sounds. I feel that these produce a very good effect in terms of my coursework, it is not the style of music you can just faintly pay attention to. House music is designed to energise you, to make you want to get up and move. By opening the short film with this style of music, it tells the audience that they're going to need to sit up and pay attention to this. 2 or 3 times within the track, the electronic layers come together into a crescendo, increasing in pitch and volume. Much like a drum roll, this suggests that we could be leading up to something important, whether it be a bass drop or a key change in the song, or some form of onscreen action. Either way, it pulls the audience's attention even further into the product. I have seen similar styles of music used as the soundtracks or title themes to major hollywood productions, and they produce brilliant effects in terms of drawing you in and forcing you to get into the product. below is, in my opinion, one of the most effective uses of techno/electronic style music as a movie soundtrack, taken from the opening credits of the first Saw film.


The second song chosen to make up the soundtrack is from a Ska-punk/punk rock band called Zebrahead. This track was an excellent choice for the second half of the short film. The ridiculously fast runs that can be heard on lead guitar add to the sense of speed and urgency created by the on screen action. The treble and the bass have been amplified and emphasised to create a deep, unnerving effect. Faintly in the background we can hear a variety of additional effects being added to the guitar parts, including pick scrapes and distortion pedals. These give it quite a rough, edgy vibe, along with being just slightly uncomfortable to listen to. Not enough so that it becomes unlistenable, but enough that it grabs your attention and makes you really think about what you're hearing.


Even when this product was nothing more than a concept and a sketchy storyboard, i knew that Zebrahead would need to be part of the soundtrack. they have the musical direction that fits in with action/adventure style products perfectly. In fact, in 2006 they were shortlisted by Sega and asked to record the theme song for the newest Sonic the Hedgehog game. I think that this emphasises just how appropriate this band is as a soundtrack for an action packed product.