Genre

In the official trailer for the film die hard; an action genre is communicated in a wealth of
ways.
Firstly, when examining this films genre using Altmans theory there are a number of
semantic elements which fit into the conventions of an action genre. Such as the use of guns
by the characters (in most scenes), technologies (although not considered new- e.g.
helicopters, computer systems and walkie- talkies), non diegetic sound of fast paced thrilling
music, exciting locations (like the top of a building and an abandoned warehouse /lab),
fighting, explosions, fast paced editing and close ups of the main protagonist.
There are also syntactic elements present; there is a definite theme of love as in the opening
scene of the trailer for die hard, reveals a close up of the protagonists wife and the
voiceover declaring the protagonists main quest (which is to save his wife). This funnily
enough hybridises with the conventions of an adventure genre (hence main character has a
quest). Moreover there is a theme of masculinity and this comes under the conventions of
an action genre as there is usually dominant representation of gender.
The narrative structure of this film fits well into the action genre because it is clear this film
consists of typical chase sequences in helicopters and stunts (like smashing through glass,
jumping off a high building etc; protagonist fighting against the antagonists (showing a clear
binary opposition. All though this film also has a quest element (as mentioned earlier),
revealed at the beginning of the trailer, where the main character/protagonist has to save
his wife; not only is that a convention of an adventure genre but this also portrays his wife
as a damsel in distress which is another classic convention in the adventure genre. This
suggests this film is an action/adventure hybrid.
This may be the case because many films of today are often hybrids- due to trying to
prevent audiences from getting bored after countless witnessing of the same conventions of
a genre every time. According to Steve Neales theory audiences gain pleasures from
experiencing differences in film genres. Moreover, the point behind this film being a hybrid
could be to widen its target audience. Perhaps rather than die hard being purely an action
film, appealing to males; its adventure element/romantic sub-plot might make the film
appeal to a female audience also.
Steve Neale might support the idea that this film distributes elements of being
classic/pushing the boundaries (according to his theoretical cycle) because die hard
shows, clearly, many well established conventions within an action genre (as mentioned
before. This supports the idea that audiences also gain pleasure in the repetition of genre
conventions as this way they are assured- they wont be disappointed by a film; they know
what to expect and obviously enjoy seeing those conventions. More to the point, not only
does this film signify a hybrid nature, this film has conventions of various sub-genres too

(showing its pushing the boundaries nature). Such as: disaster, as there are countless scenes
of explosions, gun usage and encounters with antagonists. Also, Comedy as the main
character/protagonist is shown to have a sense of humour, notably the voiceover has a
cheesy appeal and even the main antagonist portrays a persona not to be taken seriously.
These present subgenres support Robert stams theory that set genres do not really exist as
it is clear that this film (die hard) does not just stick to the boundaries of action genre
conventions alone but in actual fact is a hybrid film because it does indeed consist of other
genres/subgenres.

In the official trailer for the film: hot fuzz, an action/comedy hybrid is communicated
primarily through the use of fast pace editing- paired with fast pace music and a cheesy
voiceover/non-diegetic sound, explosions, stunts, helicopters and car chases (as announced
by the voiceover). As Altman believes, these conventions would all be classed as semantic
elements. As well as a theme of excitement, this is a syntactic element. However there is
also a theme of humour within this film which indicates the comedy element within this
hybrid.
The use of many of these action conventions are performed in a humorous manner. The
main characters are police men (who portray an amateur nature in their jobs), identifiable
within their police uniforms another semantic element. They are shown performing
pathetic attempts of stunts and using guns, cracking jokes and using humorous language to
one another. They are assigned to a search for a reported missing swan-which results in an
amusing scene of one police man making a swan call in a nearby park to the missing goose.
When examining hot fuzz using Neales theory of a theoretical cycle, the film
demonstrates the homage stage (in the cycle), as there is reference to the classic action
film: die hard- relevant in the trailer. For example-the use of a cheesy non-diegetic
voiceover which narrates the story-line up until a final cheesy enigma code. There is also
reference to the film: scary movie with scenes of screaming and the infamous black caped
serial killer as seen in: scary movie, recreated in trailer.
However, when examining hot fuzz using stams theory that genre does not really exist; it
is noticeable that the film doesnt just communicate an action/comedy hybrid but also an
element of crime and gangster. This is exhibited as the protagonists (being police) are
shown to be investigating multiple murder cases accumulating in their area of patrol. The
actions of criminals (e.g. murdering) are a key element in the conventions of crime and
gangster genre. From this, it is even understood-there is also an element of adventure in the
film too as it is mainly based on the protagonists- being on a (humorous) quest to (as
mentioned before) reveal the truth behind the towns murder mystery cases.

This, as mentioned before, reveals how genres are part of a cycle as this film demonstrates
homage and pushing the boundaries (via elements of adventure/crime and gangster).
Generally speaking, I believe this action/comedy hybrid genre remains to be popular
amongst audiences because with the added comedy element the popularity of the film
increases as comedy can mostly be enjoyed by everyone (friends and families etc). Whereas
action genre alone has long been associated with having a male dominated target audience;
by introducing familiar conventions of another genre into a film you are merging different
target audiences together, overall creating a larger target market (equalling bigger box
office profit)-a film more kinds of people can enjoy.