Genre Research - 2nd Movie

My group members and I have been watching movies within our genre, which is Sci-Fi, so that we can learn from them and use the conventions in the movies in our project. One movie that really caught my group members and my eyes was Ready Player One. This movie is a Sci-Fi thriller that came out in 2018.

In this movie, there were many different types of camera angles and shots. The shots that were commonly used with a purpose were POV shots, Close-Up shots, Wide shots, Two shots, and Long shots. Medium long shots were also used. There were also three-shots. The angles that were commonly used with a purpose were High, Low, and Eye Level angles. I believe that I recall seeing am eyeline shot. I also recall seeing many over the shoulder shots. The movements that were commonly used with a purpose were Tracking and Pan. Other movements that appeared in this movie were flash pan and zoom.

While watching this movie, my group and I analyzed the CLAMPS. The costumes used in this movie were different because the storyline mainly took place in a virtual world more than the real world. This aspect effects each area in CLAMPS. When it would switch to the real world the characters were wearing everyday clothes, but when it was in the virtual world the characters became animated giving a full range of “costumes” because it was any game avatar you could imagine. The lighting in the real world was often natural lighting, dim lighting, and basic 3-point lighting. In the virtual world the lighting was often dim and natural as well, along with colorful animated lighting. It can be said that the lighting played a major role in setting the mood for the event that took place in that scene. The acting in this film was serious yet lighthearted. All the actors had to work together in certain scenes to make the scene effective. The props in this movie consisted of virtual reality sets and equipment. There were also some general objects used as props. Lastly, the setting was mainly in the virtual world called the Oasis. It also switched at some points the real world, the space that people would play virtual reality.

There were common sounds and editing in this movie among everything else. The common sound used in this movie included lots of non-diegetic, dialogue, score, and voice overs. There was also use of ambient sound, as well as some sound motifs. Common editing used in this movie was cross cutting, split screen, reaction, cutaway, and insert. I noticed that there were also fade-ins and fade-outs. Burn-ins and burn-outs were also present in this movie.

Overall, I really enjoyed every aspect of this movie. I really enjoyed all of the CAMS, CLAMPS, and sound/editing used throughout the movie. I feel like watching this movie allowed me to get some ideas for our project as well.

Genre Research - 1st Movie

Having decided to create a film part of the sci-fi genre, my group and I thought it would be best to watch and analyze a few movies part of the genre to get a better understanding of the conventions part of it to create ours. One movie we watched was “What Happened To Monday” released in 2018. We noticed that it had many different camera angles, movements, and shots. Some common angles in it were high-level, over the shoulder, medium shots, medium close-ups, close-ups, and medium long shots. There were also many two-shots and three-shots in this movie. Some camera movements we noticed were pans, flash pans when showing the setting, as well as tilts to show entirety. Tracking shots were used to move along with the action happening. Lastly, some camera shots I noticed in this movie were crane shots and I believe I saw many stock shots.

When watching this movie and the other movies, I do plan I made sure to take note of every aspect of CLAMPS present in the movies. In this particular movie, the costumes we saw were professional clothing worn by professional workers, scrubs worn by doctors and scientists, and every day clothing (such as a t-shirt and jeans) worn by the normal people in the film. The common lighting in this film was basic three-point lighting, hard film lighting, low-key lighting, natural film lighting, and practical set lighting. The actors in this film had to act sympathetic, dramatically, violently, and hopelessly for the many different moods the scenes had. I was impressed with their acting. They were very talented. The make up in this movie compared to other science-fiction movies was not too dramatic. The actors had make up that highlighted certain features of their faces, but not dramatically. The make up seemed to look like every day make up women would wear in the real world. The main props in this movie were technological items such as computers and machines. Some other props included regular items found in the household. There were three main settings in this movie which included the outside world, the inside of the houses, and laboratories. The majority of the movie took place inside the home of the seven girls and their father. It wasn’t until later in the movie when they began to leave the house to the outside world.

The main types of editing we noticed in this movie were cross cutting, cutaway, eye-line match, shot reverse shot, and jump cut. There were also many dissolves, fade ins, and fade outs. As far as the common sound in this movie, they were diegetic sound, dialogue among the actors, and voiceovers. For the soundtrack there was score, incidental music, and ambient sound. The sound enhanced the movie a great deal. It made the scenes more dramatic when they needed to be. As well as sad when something bad happened.

All of these elements in this movie “what happened to Monday“ made the movie very interesting and involving. Watching this gave my group and I ideas of the types of camera angles, shots, and movements to include into our opening scene for our film. It also gave us idea of the sound we should include, as well as the editing. In this movie we enjoyed the suspense and the acting. At some points in the movie some scenes were dragged on and became slow and that is what we would have to say we disliked about this movie. But other than that, it was a very good science-fiction movie. We hope to make our opening scene creative as this movie was. We will include many of the elements from this movie and the other movies we watched.

Genre Research - Making Our Decision!

After researching the aspects of three different film genres, my group and I decided to choose to make our film part of the science fiction genre. First off, we all agreed that it seemed to be the most unique, creative and intriguing genre. The movies that fall under the sci-fi genre are very well constructed and have incredibly unique story lines. Also, we decided to film under this genre because we believe it will be the most feasible. It would not require crazy scenes, such as scenes of extreme violence that a movie in the action genre would. It would also not require too many props. Some science fiction movies do require large pops, such as spaceships and light sabers, but our sci-fi film would not require props such as those. Because of the idea we have for the film, we will be able to use regular daily items as props. My group members and I are very excited to create a storyline and opening scene for a film that has a great conspiracy plot.

Genre Research - Looking Further (2 more genres)

A genre that my group looked at is the Action genre. Action genre is a film genre in which the protagonist or protagonists are thrust into a series of events that typically include violence, extended fighting, physical feats, and frantic chases. Some blockbuster films that fall into this genre includes Avengers End Game, War for the Planet of the Apes, Dead pool 2, Jurassic World, Transformers: The Last Knight, and many more. The Action genre can deal with many different types of films like protagonist vs. antagonist or Action adventure, comedy, crime, drama, horror and thriller. To understand the genre more you could look at the genre's conventions. Camera angles normally found in the action genre are High angles, Low angles, Eye level, and Over the shoulder angles. Camera shots found in the genre are Close up shots, Long shots, Medium shot, Two shots, Three shots, Wide shots, and Point of- view shots. Camera movements in the genre include Pans or Tilts, and Zooms. These conventions are called the CAMS of media and this genre and are used in all types of media. In addition to those conventions here are the CLAMPS of this genre. The typical costumes in the action genre are super hero costumes, spy costumes, casual outfits, and many others. Lighting commonly found in this genre is Hard film lighting, Basic 3-point-lighting, Motivated lighting, and Natural film lighting. Types of acting found in this genre includes Classical acting, Method acting, and many others. Lastly the props found in this genre include swords, jet packs, guns, high tech gear, and many more. The most common sounds in the films of this genre include non-diegetic, diegetic, score, and incidental music. The most common editing types would be cutaway, burn ins, burn outs, and dissolves. Some elements in this genre includes stunts, chases, fights, battles, and races. Some things I like about the action genre are it’s mindless escapism. You don’t need to think about action movies much, you can just sit back, munch popcorn and watch it all unfold. Everyone needs that from time to time. It helps that action, unlike comedy, isn’t really subjective. There is not much I would say I dislike about this genre because overall it is very appealing and intriguing. However, if I had to say something it would be that sometimes the violence can be a bit excessive and become disturbing. 

Another genre my group looked at is the Sci-Fi genre. Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life. Some major films that are in this genre include The Star Was series, Interstellar, Inception, The Martian, and many more. To get a better understanding of the genre you would need to look the conventions of the genre. Camera angles normally found in the Sci-Fi genre are High angles, Low angles, Eye level, and Over the shoulder angles. Camera shots found in the genre are Close up shots, Long shots, Medium shot, Two shots, Three shots, Wide shots, and Point of- view shots. Camera movements in the genre include are Pans or Tilts, and Zooms. These conventions are called the CAMS of media and this genre and are used in all types of media. In addition to those conventions here are the CLAMPS of this genre. The typical costumes in the action genre are super hero costumes, spy costumes, and many others. Lighting commonly found in this genre is Hard film lighting, Basic 3-point-lighting, Motivated lighting, and Natural film lighting. Types of acting found in this genre includes Classical acting, Method acting, and many others. The elements that are in this genre include Interplanetary warfare, Parallel universes, Fictional worlds, Time travel, and Space travel and Exploration. Props used in this genre include Light sabers, Star ships, Alien ships, and many others. The most common sounds in these films are diegetic, incidental, ambient sound, non-diegetic, and score. As far as editing, the main types in sci-fi movies are cutaways, cross cutting, shot reverse shot, and action match. I enjoy the Sci-Fi Genre because it show the audience a new aspect on the world even though it's may not be real, it makes us feel as such. An aspect of this genre that I would say I dislike is the idea that sometimes it can be difficult to understand the scientific concept of the movie. One must use their brain to put the pieces of the movie together to understand.    

Genre Research - Epic Films

Looking back at first semester, my group and I completed a genre project. For this project, we were assigned a specific film genre and instructed to conduct heavy research on it. Being given the "epic" genre, we researched many different aspects of the genre. We researched the common camera angles, movements, and shots. We also researched the types of lighting found in scenes from different epic films, such as natural and dark lighting. Moreover, in our research we found that common elements of epic movies include heroic figures and figures of royalty, vast and extravagant settings, lavish costumes, and specific time periods and eras. The research also gave us insight on the typical sound effects and music in epic films, such as triumphant music and expansive music scores. Three examples of epic films are Les Miserables, Avatar, and The Hobbit. Finally, after this heavy research of the genre we came to conclusion of what elements are appealing and not appealing in epic films. The extravagant settings and time periods in the movies are very appealing, while the makeup of the characters is not so much.

Choosing Our Final Pitch

Having our three total movie pitches, my group members and I had to begin the process of choosing our final pitch. We narrowed our pick down to our two favorite pitches out of the three. Moreover, we eliminated our least favorite out of the three.

Eliminating our third pitch, we kept our first and second pitches. As we read them all out in respect to our project, we concluded that there are a few good reasons why pitch number three should have been eliminated the way it was. While it indeed was a good storyline, it was definitely the least interesting and creative out of the three. It had potential, should all of the other details have been added, but all in all it was a basic idea. Many coming-of-age movies have had similar storylines. It just was not wow enough.

After eliminating, we were left to choose between our first and second pitches. We all agree that pitch number one was very interesting. There are a few, but not many films about simulations. So, we thought it may be interesting to bring the idea to life with the opening scene. Our first pitch is good because it allows for a very interesting development of the plot. Viewers would be on their toes the entire film waiting to see what happens next. For our project, this page would be good because we could have a very effective opening scene. We would be able to introduce the problem, leaving the viewers wanting to watch the entirety of the film by the end of the two minutes. There are people our group have in mind to play some of the rules in the video.

As far as pitch number two, there are pros and cons. The idea of it is interesting because it is unique. The viewers would be interested to watch and see why and how the young girl fell in love with her kidnapper. The downfall of this pitch is the fact that we may not be completely able to make the opening scene understandable. A lot of details would fall into this film. It would be difficult to create an opening scene that would be understandable if so little details would be included.

With these analyzations of our main pitch, we came to a conclusion. The final pitch we chose for our project is our first pitch. From the beginning, that was mine in my group members favorite pitch idea. The idea of portraying an individual stuck in a simulation and having to find them self out somehow, seems so unique and interesting to us. We believe it will make for a very appealing opening scene for our project. It will leave any viewer wanting to watch what happens for the remainder of the film.

Starting the Final Task

     Hello my name is Jahzenyah. So far this year in AICE Media Studies I have completed two projects. This will be my third. My group members for this project will be Jada and Derek. Our task is to come up with an idea for an entire film: beginning, middle, and end. We must brainstorm three different movie ideas, and write pitches for each one. Out of the three, we must decide on one to be our final pick. We will film the opening scene for the movie idea we choose.

     As mentioned previously, I have completed two filming projects this year. Through these projects, I have learned a lot about film production and developed a great deal of skills that I did not have before. These include camera work, such as angles and movement, acting, editing skills, and many more. Of these skills, I have noticed that my acting has become my strongest. It has developed greatly. I have experienced what it is like to play the lead role of a film. Due to being under pressure, my skill to act has enhanced tremendously. First, I acted in a commercial, then a music video, and now I will be acting in an opening scene for a movie. I am very excited to see what challenges I face and have to overcome while being filmed. Aside from acting, I am also very excited to put my editing skills to use once again. With this being my third project, my skills are pretty well developed, but I hope to advance them even further.

     For this project, my group and I will propose three pitch ideas. A pitch is a Hollywood term to describe an idea where a film is encapsulated in 25 words or less. Pitches tend to be one sentence long.

     In total, we have three complete pitch ideas. Our pitches are:

1. Boy wakes up feeling out of place and starts to question his reality. Realizing he’s in a simulation, he works to find his way out.

2. Girl held captive falls in love with her kidnapper. She knows it’s strange, but she can’t help it. Will she choose freedom, or love?

3. Friend group of five finally graduates high school. What’s next? Where will their paths take them? Will they remain the friend group they always been?