Iconography Of Action/Thriller Films

Iconography is what elements in a film you would expect to find depending on the genre, for example what props, characters, and camera shots what you expect to see.

Props
Props are a key element of action films, guns and weapons are probably the mostly used props, they add a thrill and excitement to the film and is something the audience expect to see. Another common prop are vehicles, these closely link to the chase element as a car chase is quite likely in an action film.

Characters
In most action films the characters tend to follow a trend, which would usually include 2 main male characters, a good guy and a bad guy, who tend to fight something out during the film. Another character that would appear in these films is a woman, who tends to be an object for the protagonist, this adds a sexual tension to the film. A good example of this are Bond girls, who are very objective to James Bond.

A Chase

One thing you would expect to witness is a chase of some sort, this usually involves the main protagonist and either the main antagonist or someone closely linked to that character.

Music
The music used in action films, is usually quite dramatic and tense, during action scenes the tempo and pitch is quite high, and is loud, and this creates an added thrill when viewing the film. During the scenes where there is dialogue however the music is a lot slower and quieter, to dramatise the scene and build up suspense and intrigue the audience into what is being said.



Settings
The settings for this genre of the film can very depending on the storyline, however this usually involves a highly populated or well known city, for example London, as the films progress though the action an move to more sparsely populated cities and locations such as deserts or forests.