Film Studies

1. PR3: How we respond to media products
LEON
Part 1:
Leon is a 1994 thriller film written and directed by Luc Besson, the film’s stars Jean Reno as the
titular mob hit man, Gary Oldman as corrupt and unhinged DEA agent Norman Stansfield. A young
Natalie Portman is featured in this film debut as Matilda a 12-year old girl who is reluctantly taken in
by Leon after her family is murdered. Danny Aiello as Tony the mobster that gives the hit man his
assignments; Leon and Matilda form an unusual relationship as she becomes his protégée and learns
the hit man’s trade.
3 Act Linear Narrative
Act 1: Exposition, Inciting Incidents
The exposition within the film starts off with scene of a major city which looks something like New
York, after this it show a small section of Leon the assassins life. In this scene it shows him at work
doing what he does best by small fragment of him killing people from this we get a basic idea of
what is going on. It now introduces us with Matilda, she is a 12 year old girl with a dysfunctional
family, her father Mr. Lando sports a drug dealer and stashes cocaine in his apartment but the drug
dealer is a DEA agent Norman Stansfield. Maltilda’s family consists of her father, step mother, big
sister and little brother. Norman the DEA agent/drug dealer find out that some of the stash is
missing and demands that Lando find who took it by the next day. The Inciting incident occurs the
next day when Matilda goes to the shop and offers to buy Leon some milk, on her return walking
down the building’s hallway leading to her family’s apartment, Matilda sees her family’s dead
corpses lying in the hallway in her apartment, and therefore stays calm, doesn’t flinch and carry’s on
walking to Leon’s apartment, where starts to cry uncontrollably. At the end of the hallway, Leon
then lets her in and vows to his self to take care of her. From then on, Leon trains Matilda in his
sneaky ways to become a stronger girl than what she already is, and Matilda vows to get her own
revenge on Stansfield.
Act 2: Rising Action, Climax
During the film, as the audience, we get an idea that Matilda sees her relationship with Leon as a
serious, romantic one as she exclaims to a desk clerk at a motel ‘He’s my lover’ when he asks her
about him being her father. We get a sense that Matilda has never really had a functioning
relationship of any type, even within her family. The climax occurs when Stansfield and Leon meet
face to face near the ending of the film, and have their final words between them, Leon’s being, ‘This
is from Matilda’ And then handing him the pin from a grenade which then explodes killing them
both and injuring the people outside the building as this scene took place in the entrance to the
building. Due to Leon handing Stansfield the pin, it allowed Matilda gets her own revenge without
being involved.
Act 3: Falling Action, Dénouement
The falling action within the film continues when Matilda is walking away from the building that
Leon sacrificed his life for her by killing Stansfield. As she is walking away she is crying and this shows
that Maltila the short time she spent with Leon cares about him very much and vice versa for Leon
saving her from Stansfield. She now walks back to Tony ‘s restaurant who is the person that gives

2. PR3: How we respond to media products
Leon his assassin jobs, Leon agreed to give all the money he has made and to pass it onto Matilda so
she can live a better life. Now onto the denouement of the film, this is where Maltilda decides to go
to a boarding school where she can be looked after properly and live a long suitable safe life. She
also decides to plant Leon’s plant that she gave him to look after at the front of the boarding school
where it can live freely and grow its roots.
Part 2:
We as people respond to media products in many ways some people are open minded when it
comes to analysis and some people not so much. When it comes to genre they are tend to be based
on the notion that they constitute particular conventions of content (such as themes and settings)
and/or form (including structure and style) which are shared by the texts which are regarded as
belonging to them. Genre theory is used in the study of films in order to facilitate the categorisation
of films. Genre is dependent on various factors such as story line, which the director is, what are the
audience expectations et cetera. In using genre theory we create a short cut in how we are to
describe films. Genre theory through its use is a method of shortening academic works. In order to
understand Genre we may look at several examples. When we speak of the western we know that
within this collection of films we may expect to find gun fights, horses and Indians, the solitary
cowboy and to some degree the actors and directors of such films. Another example would be when
looking at the horror film where we know everyone will die except one. The audience whom go to
those films expect to see zombie, were wolves, werewolves and more. They also expect certain
content and a certain style of film making. When relating this to ‘Leon’ the storyline is about a
professional assassin so when we think about the genre this film could be I would automatically
think of guns, because of the assassin story line and the relation to gun I would class the genre to be
action/thriller.
Leon has a narrative linear story line that means it goes in a straight line normally in chronological
order so basically the story starts at the beginning, goes on through the middle, and ends at the end,
this is how most films go and if not it’s called non-linear. For example the for non-linear the start of
the film would be the end and the middle be the start and the ending would be the middle, this is all
very confusing but works in films; an example of this would be pulp fiction. Back onto linear, Leon
has the linear story line first of all there is the set up where Leon meets Maltilda, then the conflict
this would be all the action and fighting within the film and then the resolution, this is where
everything is solved and the films ends.
Semiotics is the study of signs; or, how films signify. There are many ways of understanding how
meaning is conveyed through the various methods some being; Body language, gesture, letters,
words, pictures and visual illustrations. Connotation and Denotation also have a similar role to
semiotics; connotation is how a word or image makes you feel and denotations is the literal meaning
of a word. Relating this to the Leon poster there are many semiotics which signify meaning to genre
etc. Some objects in the film could also signify the genre within the film, for example the use of guns
in the film this justifies the act of violence and death therefore making the film genre action/thriller.
When it comes to another semiotics within the film Leon, he the professional assassin wears a long
black trench coat and this to me signifies a very mysterious character that could be hiding
something; within the film he does uncover weapons under his coat when in a fighting scene in the
film. Within the film, Leon looks after and cares for a plant he almost treats it like a son or daughter;
He took it out and put it on the window ledge everyday so that it could get sunlight, then when the
sun went down and started to go dark he took it in; before he put it out in the morning he also
sprays and wipes over the plant leaves to gives the leave moisture which allows the plant to live
longer. From my recent knowledge of semiotics I can identify signs and meanings and how things
look from a different perspective, now moving onto to the Leon and his plant. From what I have
watched and learned I have gathered the basic information that Leon has a devoted love and care
for this plant and this to me signifies that he doesn’t have anyone else important in his life so he

3. PR3: How we respond to media products
decides to care and love for the plant. At the very end of the film after the climax and the falling
action comes the denouement, and this is where Matilda plants Leon’s plant. From my very own
perspective I think the plant signifies life and death for example when Leon is alive the plant is
constantly moving from day to day like I mentioned before outside in the day and back inside at
night and from this when Leon dies Matilda finally plants the plant so it can grow. Now the plant has
been planted it now doesn’t need to be moving around everywhere and can finally stay in one place
and grow into what it’s meant to be. Another semiotic, which I will quickly, mentioned is in a few
scenes when Leon goes to sleep, in these scenes Leon never sleeps in a bed and always sleeps in his
chair with his glasses on. When thinking about these scenes and how it might have a sign behind it
and it came to me, because Leon is an assassin and when at his job his must always be awake and
paying attention when killing people for example and I think that when he is asleep (if he is asleep)
he is always on edge and ready to fight if anything happens and also because Leon is a wanted
assassin, he always has to keep an eye open in case anyone does try and kill him.
The representation of characters in Leon is quite different to other films when comparing them
together, for example when you think of Maltilda a 12-year-old girl you stereotypically think she
would be sweet and innocent for her age but this is not the case. She is tough, undefeatable and
only see’s the evil in the world because of her family’s massacre. Moving onto Leon, stereotypically
when you think of an assassin you think of a strong, tough, cold hearted and emotionless but from
the film and his relationship with Maltilda we see something else. He is actually quite pitiful to
people and not just Maltilda a few scenes in the film it shows Leon saying that he doesn’t kill women
or children, this shows he has quite a soft side when it comes to people and this isn’t normally the
representation of an assassin. Another representation would be Norman Stansfield who is the
antagonist in the film, therefore from media representation he is expected to be tough and hard and
to be unattached from any objects or humans but this is not the case; because when death is
involved he is quite sympathetic and when see this in the film. In the film it also shows Norman
taking drugs and how he is a drug addict and this has effects on his mind meaning his is quite
psychopathic.
Part 3:
In film a number of techniques can establish and develop a number of things. Choices of camera
techniques, acting, mise en scene, editing, lighting and sound all contribute to the representation of
a characters, locations, iconography and much more. Leon i s set in New York City, in films New York
is portrayed to be the crime capital where gun and drug crime are quite common so setting the film
Leon in this location is quite fitting. New York is known to have gangs and mafias and this is suitable
for the film because Leon is there to assassinate mobsters, which is similar to what gangs and mafias
do. Moving onto the characters and how they are represented in the film Leon, like I mentioned
before we have three main characters, Leon who is the protagonist, Norman Stansfield who is the
antagonist and Maltilda. Leon is known as a badass assassin that will kill anyone without any
thought, and when you think of an assassin you think cold hearted and tough but the film shows
different sides of him for example bringing Maltilda into his care and the way he looks after his plant
and much more. Now onto Maltilda I explained above that when you think of 12-year-old girl you
think of her being sweet and innocent but from the film this is clearly not the case, because of her
family’s death she wants revenge on the antagonist (Norman). To do this she asks Leon to train her
to become an assassin, like any other average girl they would just want the police to do their job and
catch them but for Maltilda this is something different. In other scenes it shows us that Maltilda has
love for Leon, in this case very inappropriate. When they booked a hotel room to stay in to hide
from Norman’s gang, Maltilda addresses to the hotel receptionist that Leon is her lover and this
changes the relationship between Maltilda and Leon dramatically. To me this comes off very
inappropriate and isn’t like any other relationship which is common in the real world. Moving onto
iconography with the film Leon and how it relates to genre, in the film we clearly see a use of guns
because Leon the main character is an assassin and this when relating to genre says action/thriller.

4. PR3: How we respond to media products
Explosions are also featured within the film and this also can relate to iconography and how it again
relates to action/thriller. Last but not least now onto the style and examples of this would be mise
en scene/camera/editing. Through out the film there are dark scenes that can relate to the
representation of the characters showing their dark sides e.g. killing people. When it comes to the
editing, lots of fast cuts were used to show the killings and when gun were being fired from that the
camera shots were varied from wide shot to extreme shots to show the emotion within the
characters which can relate to the genre.
All of the above factors help contribute to this film being an action thriller genre, such as the guns,
violence even down to the type of relationships between each character all of the above factors help
contribute to this film being an action thriller genre, such as the guns, violence even down to the
type of relationships between each character.
The Hunger Games
Part 1:
The Hunger Games is a 2012 American science fiction adventure film directed by Gary Ross and
based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. The picture is the first installment in The
Hunger Games film series and was produced by Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik, with a screenplay by
Ross, Collins, and Billy Ray. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam
Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland.
In a dystopian future, the totalitarian nation of Panem is divided between 12 districts and the
Capitol. Each year two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate
in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal retribution for a past rebellion, the televised
games are broadcast throughout Panem. The 24 participants are forced to eliminate their
competitors while the citizens of Panem are required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss's young
sister, Prim, is selected as District 12's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place.
She and her male counterpart, Peeta, are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives, some of
whom have trained for this there whole lives.
3 Act Linear Narrative
Act 1: Exposition, Inciting Incidents
The exposition starts when Prim (Katniss’s sister) gets chosen to participate in The 74th Annual
Hunger Games as a tribute for district 12. At this point emotions are everywhere as Prim is being
taken away by the peacekeepers, facial expressions from Katniss are more or less shocked rather
than sad because her sister name has only been in the ‘reaping bowl’ once. Now it moves on straight
to the inciting incident as Katniss runs through the crowd of people to get her sister, she is then
stopped and restrained by peacekeepers as she tries to get her sister back. Katniss to save her sister
from dying in the arena then volunteer to be in her place. Mrs. Everdeen her mother and Gale
Hawthorne her best friend are shocked to see this happening and as Prim is now let free she runs to
Katniss hugging her with emotion and then the peace keepers taking Katniss away instead to the
main stage. Katniss is the first volunteer in many years and this is a shock to the people of district
and the people of Panem watching on the television. Now that a girl from district 12 has been
chosen it then went onto the boys and this was Peeta Mallark, a boy who used to feed Katniss when
they were both children and Katniss doesn’t realize this until later on in the film.

5. PR3: How we respond to media products
Act 2: Rising Action, Climax
The rising action within this film all starts when Katniss is finally let into the arena, her mentor
Haymitch tells her to run away from the cornucopia because that’s where a blood bath will start
with all the other tributes fighting and killing each other for weapons. Instead she decides to run
towards it and see if she can collect any weapons to protect herself, as she is running for the
cornucopia she sees the blood bath start tributes using swords, daggers and you name it killing each
other. As she grabs a backpack and runs off she see another tribute running after throwing knives
and one hits her backpack and she falls to the floor. Luckily another tribute gets in her way and she
dies instead; she then grabs the knife, which was thrown at her she puts it in her backpack and runs
off into the forest. Throughout Katniss’s time being in the arena the film also shows what the other
tributes are doing, District 1 and 2 are the most trained in fighting and surviving because their
districts are known for training their tributes from a very young age. District 1 and 2 decide that they
will team up and kill Katniss because she got a high score when it came to the training before
entering the arena. Now onto the climax, Katniss is now teamed up with her fellow male tribute
Peeta who are now love interests because of the arena, they showed love and compassion to
entertain the people who are watching it because if they are liked by the audience they will get send
and given supplies to help them and survive. Normally the hunger games only allows one winner but
the game maker wants to spice it up and decides that if two people from the district are both alive
they can both win. Now that there are only a few tributes left they decided to make their way to the
cornucopia where they meet district 1’s Cato. They fight to the death Katniss, Peeta and Cato and it
results in Cato falling off the cornucopia and getting eaten by mutant dogs, this is when Katniss and
Peeta both realize they have won the hunger games.
Act 3: Falling Action, Dénouement
Now that Peeta and Katniss are away from all danger and are ready to have the announcement of
winning they hear something else, they hear that now only one person can win the hunger games.
Katniss quickly thinks on her feet and pulls out poison berries that she found the night before, she
tells Peeta that if they both take them nobody can win the games. Back where the game maker him
and his team are all outraged knowing that their needs to be a winner so they then make another
announcement shouting ‘Stop! You are both winners of The Hunger Games’. What Katniss doesn’t
know is her actions from that act she just pulled causes a revolution that is expressed in the sequel
of the film. Now moving onto the denouement, after fighting through the hunger games and they
now get crowned victors of The 74th Annual Hunger Games and then leave to go back to their home
town where they are applauded and greeted by all their District 12 people. The very last scene
shows President Snow, the creator of the hunger games with a distinct and angry look on his face
and this clearly shows that he is angry that Katniss and Peeta showed him up by tricking him into
them herself and Peeta live.

6. PR3: How we respond to media products
Part 2:
The genre for The Hunger Games is science fiction/adventure; we can relate this genre to the film
because of the settings. For example the location is set in a dystopian type future where the districts
are controlled by the over powering government, I will now show how the film relates to the genre.
First of all we have the whole concept of Katniss trying to survive in the arena and not get killed by
the other tributes, this shows the adventure genre of the film the fight she has to go through to win.
Moving onto the science fiction side, because the film is set in a dystopian future throughout the
movie it features futuristic equipment and spaceships for example this would classify the genre to be
science fiction.
The Hunger Games has a linear narrative this meaning it goes in a straight line normally in
chronological order so basically the story starts at the beginning, goes on through the middle, and
ends at the end; this is how most films are. When relating this to the hunger games the set up of the
film would start when Katniss volunteers instead of her sister, then would be the conflict where she
fights to the death and survives in the arena and finally would be the resolution where she and
Peeta both win and return to their home District 12. When researching narrative theory I found
information about the Todorov narrative theory, he believes that the story starts with an equilibrium
(or normality) then following with the disequilibrium (conflict/disruption of equilibrium by action or
event) then moving onto the recognition of disequilibrium (this being the actual conflict/action).
Next would be the attempt to repair and then to the new equilibrium. When looking at the hunger
boys you can relate this theory to the narrative linear story line.
Semiotics is the study of signs; or, how films signify. There are many ways of understanding how
meaning is conveyed through the various methods some being; Body language, gesture, letters,
words, pictures and visual illustrations. When looking at The Hunger Games and relating it to genre
there are may ways it does so; first of all we have one of the very first scenes where Katniss sneaks
out of her district and collects her bow and arrow hidden in a tree log. She then hunts for food
scanning the forest for birds, deer’s or any animal in sight, this represents that she is disobeying the
rules of the government by sneaking out of her district (climbing threw electrical fences) to hunt for
food for her family to survive, this also says to us that she is preparing for The Hunger Games even
though she doesn’t know it. From just these scenes we can tell that Katniss is quite the adventurous
type and does things to survive when needs be. Looking closely at Katniss Everdeen we can see some
semiotics that you rarely would think of for example her braid shows practicality, her leather jacket
showing functionality. Her brown/grey colours that she wears signifies simplicity and finally her bow
showing power. Based on these reading of the signs alone the watcher can assume that Katniss
practicality over vanity. Also the bow suggests that Katniss is self-sufficient and can protect and
provide for herself. From the film we have panning shots of the capital city Panem, this shows a wide
range of futuristic looking building and vehicles and from this we get that the movie will have some
sort of science fiction genre.
The representations in The Hunger Games are quite different to other films for example normally
the main hero in the film would be male because male stereotypes are seen as strong and tough and
for female characters we would see an attractive defenseless women waiting to be saved by the
male but The Hunger Games is the other way around. Katniss is the protagonist in this story line and
is a strong character throughout the film getting stronger and tougher as the film ends. Apart from

7. PR3: How we respond to media products
Katniss fighting her way through the games and being surround by difficulties, fighting off the last
tribute during the climax and winning the games she also has a soft side. We see from the start of
the film that Katniss’s mother isn’t around and Katniss takes the motherly role and looks after her
sister, she shows this even more by sacrificing herself and volunteering for the games to save her
sister Prim. Now moving onto Peeta, like I explained before because you think he is the male
character he will be able to fight and protect Katniss but this is the other way around. Peeta
although he is strong doesn’t know how to survive and fight like Katniss he relies on her to do all this
for him and comparing this to other films this is the opposite. In the film Peeta always had a crush on
Katniss since they were both children and his love for her flourished when the games began. When
thinking of an antagonist for this film at first I couldn’t quite think of it but after a while I decided
and finally came to a conclusion. The antagonist in The Hunger Games is the totalitarian regime of
the government of Panem. From the very beginning of the film, the watchers of the film are
familiarised with the many cruel and oppressive laws and rules of the ruling government, which has
resulted in deprivation and poverty for the citizens of District 12. The vicious rule of the Capitol has
enacted the Hunger Games, the primary focus of the film, as retribution for a past failed rebellion.
To pin point this on a character I would have to say it would be President Snow, a creator of The
Hunger Games and he does this to show that he has power over the districts.
Part 3:
The film is set in a dystopian future where the government has a controlling power of the districts
(1-12). Districts closer to the capital city (Panem) are a lot wealthier than the districts that are
further away this being where Katniss’s hometown is, District 12. From that we gathered that Katniss
lives in a poorer and poverty filled district and this is where the first location is shown. It shows us a
montage of the district, how barren it looks all the people dressed in grey clothes that in a way
symbolize that they can’t afford coloured clothing. But we also see more of the surround area of
district 12 because Katniss hunts outsides the grounds for food; it shows us a beautiful forest filled
with lots of animals and creatures. A scene is show of Panem the capital city which is a very futuristic
and quite alien modern buildings, this shows us comparing to district 12 that is in comparison quite
science fiction looking. Moving onto the characters, like I explained before Katniss is know to be the
protagonist within the film because of her bravery to enter the games to save her sister and the will
power she has to fight through the games and win. Peeta was the opposite of Katniss he had no
experience with a bow didn’t know how to survive and this is uncommon for the stereotypical male
in films. Now moving onto iconography and how it relates with genre, first of all at the start of the
film we see Katniss using her bow to hunt, this shows us that she has to hunt to eat because that’s
the world she lives in and it’s the only way to survive. In a opening scene to the city of Panem, there
is a very futuristic train that goes into the city and by futuristic I mean hovering above the tracks and
this straightaway gives that the genre will be science fiction. When it comes to the style of the film a
very good example is the fighting scene when the tributes enter the arena, the use of fast cuts from
different angles show the bloodbath that is happening very well. During this the mise en scene isn’t
very clear of what’s in frame and this works really well because the director didn’t want to show too
much of the tributes being killed.
All of the above factors help contribute to this film being a science fiction/adventure genre such as
the concept of the futuristic buildings and vehicles and then we have the adventure side that
features Katniss in the arena fighting for her life passing many obstacles.

8. PR3: How we respond to media products
Pulp Fiction – Jack Rabbit Slims
Pulp Fiction is a 1994, black comedy crime genre film, directed by Quentin Tarantino. Its main cast
has superstar names such as John Travolta (Vincent Vega), Uma Thurman (Mia Wallace), Samuel L
Jackson (Jules Winnfield), Bruce Willis (Butch Coolidge) and Quentin Tarantino himself as Jimmie
Dimmick. Pulp Fiction is of a non-linear narrative due to the way it has been edited, the stories of
each character isn’t in order, they’re mixed together which makes it harder for the audience to loose
focus on the story line. I will now talk about the features of postmodernism and how they are
referenced in this scene of Pulp Fiction. Postmodernists claim that in a media-saturated world,
where we are constantly immersed in media, 24/7, on the move, at work, at home, the distinction
between reality and the media representation of it becomes blurred or even entirely invisible to us.
We have come to the stage where we are copying copies and reality and identity is becoming
blurred. In other words, we no longer have any sense of the difference between real things and
images of them. The theory suggests everything now has been made and all we can now do to find
glimpses of originality is to mix two old things together. I will now relate this to Pulp Fiction, a scene
in the restaurant Jack Rabbit Slims.
During this scene there are a lot of references to 50s stars and movies, Intertextuality means that
there are references to other media texts within the film. Example of this would be where Vincent is
outside the restaurant sitting in his car this is very similar to a scene in Grease where John Travolta is
doing the exact same thing. Another reference is made in Pulp Fiction where the iconic Marilyn
Monroe is serving in the restaurant and when walking under a fan her skirt blows up and this is
making reference to the film 7 year rich who stars Marilyn. Reflexivity is a feature to post modernism
and this is also shown in the film, this is where the filmmaker refers to the film making process
within the mise en scene or narrative, breaking the illusion that the film or TV show is not real. An
example of this would be where Vincent and Mia are both in a car; Mia does this feature by drawing
a box in the air that then appears on the screen. Now moving onto Bricolage that is another feature
of post modernism, this references to a mix of genres/historical eras within one shot or scene. This is
shown within the film when Vincent and Mia are in Jack Rabbit slims and in the background there
are many historical eras for example 1990’s, 1980’s and 1970’s, this meaning the different types of
characters which were in Jack Rabbit Slims at the time for example famous Hollywood stars, such as
Buddy Holly, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Mamie Van Doren. Another scene shows this
example where Mia goes in the bathroom to ‘powder her nose’ this also relates to the historical era
of the 90’s because taking drugs in the toilet was the common thing back in the day. Another feature
is self-referentiality this is where the producer of the media text or actor makes direct reference
their previous work, an example of this would be Mia sat with Vincent at the table explain the pilot
she was featured on called Fox Force Five. A few years after Pulp Fiction was released the director
Quentin Tarantino created a film called Kill Bill, which featured the characters Mia talked about in
her pilot. Quentin instead of referencing his previous work featured his future work instead, which is
a very creative and smart thing to do. Another post-modern feature is parody, where this film copies
another media text in a humorous way, such as Vincent dancing as John Travolta is, again,
referencing his younger self in Grease and Saturday Night Fever. Pastiche is also a post-modern
feature, and is where a media text closely imitates another media text from a distinguished previous
artist, usually celebrates the work rather than mocking, this is also where the Marilyn Monroe dress
moment happens and where Vincent is dancing, both referencing past, but memorable, media
moments.