GD - Analysing and Opening Sequrnce - Die Hard (Tiernan, 1988)

Genre:

• This genre of film is an Action-Thriller and is about a New York cop facing terrorists in a hostage situation on his own whilst off duty.



• I think that the expectations of the audience for this film are fullfilled as the character comes across as a typical 'cocky' man who's a bit rugged but obviously knows what he is doing as he has done it for a long time yet will come across as heroic within the story as he goes beyond what his duties are and what hes been trained in showing great courage. Furthermore the setting is a typical urban area which is common for a thriller.



• I think that this film follows the characteristics of its genre exactly through things such as the characters and the normal settings which can help create tension as it makes the audience relate to where they are maybe. However picturing the her with a large teddy bear at the beggining could be treating it playfully as it goes against the typical hard image he has, yet also shows a possible weakness for the 'bad guys' to exploit which is always needed in a thriller or 'good guy' vs 'bad guy' film.

Film Language:

• The costume in this sequence i think conveys meaning as he is dressed very casually and would not be recognised as a hero which i think is good as the audience can then maybe aspire to be like him or show the that people like themselves can be a hero which will make them enjoy the film more and root for the hero. Moreover the gun which pokes out of his shirt which the man sees gives power to the hero placing him above the other characters and asserts him as someone who could help with the hostage situation later in the film. Furthermore as mentioned the character of the hero is very slick and witty but also hard boiled.



• The close up of the gun shows once again how Willis is the hero and the one in power over the ordinary citizens of the plane. However the long shot of hit waiting at the airport shows the audience how normal he looks and how similar he is to them which once again side him with them.


• The dialogue "Don't worry im a cop" after the man sees hes got a gun not only creates a character for Willis but also gives us as the audience comfort within Willis' character and the fact that hes done it for so many years shows us hes a proffesional which people will admire. The hustle and bustle of the airport shows what a busy place that city is and can help to raise tension with the audience knowing something bad is going to happen which may harm a lot of people and only the hero can stop it. The music which is jingling bells and drums is quite contrasting and creates a serious and harsh attitude.


• For Willis' character we learn immediately he is witty by outdoing his flying companion on years in his profession "trust me, ive been doing it for eleven years" copying what the man has just said. Whilst standing at the airport he lights up a ciggarette and from this you can see he is a very serious character and the smoking conforms to the part of a typical hard boiled cop. The way Willis looks at the cabin girl also gives us an idea of his character as a very heterosexual tough guy whos interested in all the things he should be which people will like about him.

Narrative:

• In this begginig sequence the narrative, like many action-thrillers, starts off as a normal day for the person/ hero involved which then suddenly will change later on in the story as they get more and more tangled up. This helps create a relaxed feeling for the audience so the drama intensifies later and also helps the audience to build a chracter idea of the main ones involved.


• The audience on this is very much placed with Willis as it follows him and shows how his day just gets worse and worse and is severely outnumbered, which in turn keeps us on his side. Yet the audience at points is also placed with the terrorists so as to understand what there plot is and what they are doing.


• As mentioned the audience can identify with Willis as he dresses very normally and has a typically normal job which people can understand and empathise with. However with people like the terrorists they are involved with crime and may very rich and of different nationality which the majorty of the audience would not relate to.


• The major themes within the narrative in this sequence is to establish the character of Willis and what he is and what hes like, furthermore it helps set the scene and why and how he gets tangled up in this mess.


• The tension in this sequence is made through the normality of his day yet all the while the audience know something bad is going to happen and the music helps to build up to this.

Representaion & Ideology:

• n this sequence i think that two social groups are represented here and both on the plane. The first is the more wealthy businessman type who ikes to brag about his success to Willis, he would not be so popular with the audience as Willis the normal, witty, heroic polis officer shows little interest in him and as we are sided with him brings the representation of the other man down. Especially when he outdoes the businessman.


• I think that the vallues of Willis' chracter are evident here as he has worked for the police force for so long it shows that he is committed and is proud of that which some people may aspire to do like him which is why he is the hero. Furthermore the fact he is holding a huge cuddly toy shows how he has an affectionate side for someone and that that is important to maintain which the audience will respect as well.


• The semiotics of this sequence show Willis in very dark or blue toned clothes which represent masculinity along with his rugged hairstyle and look which wil side the male audience with him. Whereas with the businessman his hair is neatley in place and is wearing glasses which isnt seen to be as masculine so may give a negative representation. Furthermore the attractive cabin crew memeber is wearing make up and smartly dressed with neat hair also so looking very femeine so creates that set structure of the feminine women being attracted to the masculine man which the audience will recognise and mostly like.

Media Audiences:

• The target audience for this film i think is the young adult male as it involves a lot of action and very heroic masculine male people can idolise and also very typical stereotypes they can recognise and relate to.


• The likely reading for this text is that Willis' character is a bit of a wild card yet sticks to his duty and that they will be very much sided with him and also try and to relate with him by agreeing with his 'shrugging off' ogf the business man and intimate look with the stewardess. However some people may see him in a negative light as a bit of a 'player' who fools around with girls and doesnt care for anybody and is quite inconsiderate.


• As a British Teenager i evaluate the text in a very positive way as like many other teenage boys would agree enjoy the 'die hard' films because of the action and tenacity of Willis' character so therefore can pick out and relate with some of the points mentioned. Furthermore as i am a male this film appeals to me even more as it shows high levels of masculinity that i can agree with and aspire to. However as im British and this being an American film having never been to america films like this can be a basis for peoples understanding of what America is like and the only thing theyve seen for the policeman chracter therefore possibly giving a distorted view of stereotypes.

Institutional Context:

• The star in this film is 'Bruce Willis', at this point in his career had only been in a few films so could have a fan base which help to bring in ore of an audience. However for Willis the 'Die Hard' series is one he is remembered for and people like him for.


• This film is an industrial film and was produced by 20th Century Fox so has a good company backing it which may be one reason why it was so successful.


• To market the film as it is Fox will have the benefit of syergistic marketing so would include things like tv adverts, posters, column inches with 94% of reviews at first giving a positive view on the film.


• I think that the institutional context is evident due to things like the titles, the large scale of the sets and reality of the whole situation creates avery proffesional look to the film which is a big clue to showing that its an industrial film.