Action Adventure.

    During the half term I decided to watch a few action adventure films just for me to get the hang of the structure and to prepare me for the media exam. The first one I watched was Avatar. This is the summary extracted from the internet: A paraplegic marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

     I wrote a few notes while watching the film trying my best to include all the media terminology I knew of such as denotation, connotation, shot types, Mise en Scene and many more..

•   Narration is in 1st person a soft, gentle, male voice, the opening scene a camera sweeps high across the treeline of a forest. (Equilibrium)
• 'One life ends, another begins' is said by the narrator (non-diagetic) which sends a message to the audience that he is brave and understanding. 
• During the film, a group of marine officials describe the 'Omaticaya's' (also known as Avatars), we learn they are evil, bad and very strong and all they want to do is kill them - the audience immediately believe they are bad without even meeting them first.
• As the movie switches from animated scenes to normal human scenes it gives a sense of a developed reality.
• There are various types of technology used from touchscreens to compacted, tiny gadgets- it makes the movie looks high tech and advanced, it also gives us a feel of a new developed society.
• When Dr. Grace Augustine rejects former marine Jake Sully (also the narrator) to take on the mission, Dr. Graces' scientists says to Jake: 'here tomorrow, 0800 hours and try and use big words' - this is humor in the film trying to make Jake look more sophisticated and up for the job.
• When Jake is finally accepted and lies in the pod, he transcends mentally into the Avatar and heroic music plays as if a miracle and shows power.
• When he is out, there is a feeling of conflict between the Colonel and Jake.
• There are mechanical robots which are property of the 'Avatar Program' which respond to human kinetic movements - I linked this to Transformers as they sort of have a brain of their own and speak.
• When the audience has connected to the Avatar world of beautiful glowing plants and green trees and bright colours which attracts them, the animation gives it a sense of an abnormal lifestyle which connects them to their environment.
• During the night, (low key lighting is used) Jake finds it hard to see and find his way around so he dips his man made spear into a combustible pitch-like liquid and lights it to fight against a pack of wolves. When he is saved by Neytiri, she puts out the light and all of a sudden Jake is able to see as all the plants are lit up - this shows he is able to see like Neytiri and is becoming one of them.
• During Avatar I noticed that they are made to have the features of different nationalities as they are dressed as African tribes/Red indians (Mise en scene) as they have feathers and limited amount of clothing using natural resources around them to make their weapons too. This could create a worldwide audience.
• When Jack is learning to adapt to their lifestyle, at each scene they can cut down the amount of times they show Jack getting into the sleeping pod as the audience has got use to the mission and what the whole movie is about.
• In the beginning it showed a little conflict with the Colonel and now there is alot of conflict with Neytiri's father.
• During the film, it was important that you had bonded with a Declan (flying mountain animal), Neytiri said 'you must pick one, but he must also pick you.' this also links when Neytiri says 'you must now pick a woman' she describes all the woman available but herself. Jake then says 'i have already picked one, but she must also pick me' 
• Jack says: 'It's my final stage of being a man, if I do it, I'm one of them' - this shows determination and also connects to the beginning as he states 'there is no such thing as an ex-marine'
•  To show a sense of belonging, the narrator says: 'You know they say everyone is born twice, second time is when you earn you place among the people, forever'
• In the film there is a special tree known as 'Tree of Souls' and is described as a global network and like the synapses in our body; this makes the audience realise how big the Avatars bond is. It also makes the audience feel special and belonging as they know a lot about their environment.
• As the human military destroy their tree by throwing bombs at it, i noticed how their aircraft's were so very dull and dark which impacts on the atmosphere as the Avatars world is so very bright and colourful and then there's a big, black air craft invading it. (Disequilibrium)
• When Jake finally tells the Avatars who he is; the narrator says: 'Outcast, betrayer, alien, I was in a place the eyes does not see' this now shows him feeling left out which makes the audience feel sympathy.
• When the Avatars speak their own language the subtitles appear when mentioning the whole tribe the subtitle appears as 'The People' they both start with a capital latter which shows a bond of community within the tribes.
• When the Avatars decide to fight back to the human military, all the tribes come together and all agree to save their environment together, they all wanted too and a strong, powerful speech is made to bring them closer together whereas in the human military one person (colonel) tells everyone else what to do whether they like it or not and everyone HAS to agree or will face consequences.
• The human military says 'fight terror with terror' whereas the Avatars are only fighting to save their home and beliefs - this makes the audience like the Avatars more therefore feels sympathy for them
• The Avatars use weapons that are not mad made like guns and air crafts; the Avatars use bows and arrows and things made out of carbon fibres as it is naturally grown there. 
• When Neytiri screams there is an echo which i linked like this: Echo - repeat - never ending - never ending battle.
• When the battle is over and Jake is made into an Avatar permanently, Neytiri says 'Aywar has heard you' which shows that even though their tree has been destroyed, they still have belief. (New Equilibrium)