Genre Research 'Bird Box' (2018)

Camera angles:

 At the beginning of the movies there are plenty of aerial or crane shots. It also has high angles and close-ups. In the middle of the movie, there are many eye level and low angles shots. This resembles the beginning of the movie because there are also close-ups and medium close-ups. At the end of the movie, there were extreme close-ups, medium close-ups, and eye-level shots.

Costumes, lighting, actors, makeup, props, setting: 

At the beginning of the movie, the actors are scared and extremely serious. They are dressed in normal outfits suitable for cold weather. They are also wearing little to no makeup. The lighting is a little dim but seems to portray natural lighting.  The main prop is the blindfold. In this movie, they must wear their blindfolds at all times so it could also be considered part of their costumes. The setting is in the woods and a fast-flowing river. In the middle of the movie, The actors are still very frightened and anxious. The costumes are the same as before, and now there is natural lighting. They are wearing little to no makeup, and the props consist of blindfolds and a box filled with birds. The setting seems to be an abandoned medical center filled with empty beds. At the end of the movie, the costumes, props, and makeup all remained the same. The lighting is lighter than average lighting and the props are the box of birds and blindfolds. The setting changed to a blind institute, and that is where the movie ends. The actors are all happy because they have lived through a traumatic event, and are safe.

Sounds:

 At the beginning of the movie, there are voiceovers to bring the audience up to speed with part of the plot. This is an example of a non-diegetic sound. Throughout the movie, the audience can hear the water flowing in the river and the wind blowing in the trees. In the middle of the movie, there is mainly dialogue from the actors. There are also other sounds such as cans falling on the ground, and fishing lines being reeled inwards. The water is in the background, along with the wind. At the end of the movie, the sounds are mainly kids playing and actors talking. This is diegetic sound because they are in a building full of people.

Editing:

 Throughout the movie, cutaways are frequently used. There are also a few points of view scenes where the camera has a blindfold. This gives the audience an idea of how the characters are feeling.

Elements of thriller in the movie:

 The movie had a few plot twists, and kept me on the edge of my seat. It also had some interesting action scenes that were complimented by unique camera movements.

What elements of the genre did the movie have that you liked?

 I enjoyed the flashback scenes. They allowed me to see the main character's reasoning behind her actions. It gave the audience a well-rounded knowledge of the entire scenario.

What elements of the genre did the movie have that did not appeal to you? 

Personally, I didn't like the plot twists. It made the plot more difficult to follow, but overall I enjoyed the movie.

Genre Decision

For the genre of our final task, we decided to go with thriller. We chose this because we feel that it best represents what the task will be about. It’s conventions and elements also go well with the aim of the task. This genre and our task will most-likely use similar things like camera angles, mise-en-scene, and editing. The thriller genre’s elements of plot twists and suspense will almost definitely be used in our final task. We can do a lot of things related to the thriller genre and incorporate them into our final task. I am satisfied with this genre choice for these reasons.

Genre Research Analysis

Our first genre that we are researching is action. One common camera angle is a long shot. this is used to show things like stunts occurring and so the audience can get the big picture. Over the shoulder shots are also used to show another character from one character's perspective. In an action movie, the actors are usually people who are strong, or fit to play the characters. There is also often a "damsel in distress" who may need to be saved in the movie as well as villains. For makeup, there are usually a lot of makeup to depict wounds received during the film. There are many different settings in action movies but they mostly take place in popular urban areas/cities. The costumes depend on the character, but they are usually very noticeable if it is a character such as a superhero or even villain.  During action movies, there are many cuts to things like the actors' faces. There are also other cuts between scenes and things like flashbacks. Elements of the action genre include suspense, action, fighting, and stunts. Some examples of movies in this genre are Terminator Dark Fate and Avengers Endgame. I like the action and suspense that is created from this genre. Something I dislike is the violence.

Our second genre that we are researching is comedy. Some common camera angles used in comedy films are high and low angles. These exaggerate the subject and can make for some good shots. Hip-level shots are also sometimes used. They can show whats going on in the scene well while keeping the subject the focus of the shot. In comedy movies, a lot of the time it showcases everyday life made a little bit crazier. The setting of these movies are usually everyday places like cities or small towns. Characters normally have natural makeup and costumes or a more crazy look depending on the setting or plot of the movie. The lighting of comedy movies is usually natural and fits the setting of the scene. Some examples of comedy movies would be Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Anchorman, and Scary Movie. They often have zooming incorporated into these films. A lot of the time, the soundtracks of these movies will have hit songs of that year playing. Some elements of the genre I like are how lighthearted they can be and how the movies can make you laugh. Some elements I don't like are how the movies can be very subjective and if that style of humor isn't the kind you like, the humor will be lost.

Genre Research Powerpoint

This project was a PowerPoint about a certain genre. We picked out of a hat for what genre we were to do the project on. We had to research common lighting, camera angles and movement, mis-en-scene, elements, example films, sounds, and likes and dislikes about the genre. I worked with one other person and we randomly selected horror. We had to research all of these things on the internet. I learned a lot about the genre from this project. I learned that horror movies use distortion and silhouettes through lighting to create suspense. The things my partner and I enjoyed about this genre are the creative plot and characters, how immersive the genre is, and the suspense that is created. The things my partner and I disliked were how the audience can be scared after the movie, the jump scares, and the unnecessary violence that occurs at times. Overall, I enjoyed this project and think it will help me, especially with the final task.

Genre Research 'I am Mother' (2019)

1. Common CAMS in the movie
-Beginning: Close-ups of the robot's face, medium close-ups, establishing shots.
-Middle: Tracking shots, Over the shoulder shots, Two shots, Three shots.
-End: Two shots, Three shots, Over the shoulder shots, Close ups.

2. Common CLAMPS in the movie
-Beginning: Robot, simple baby clothes and child clothes as the little girl grows up; Dim lighting, no makeup, baby toys as props, stuffed animals. Takes place in what looks like a secure bunker-like area. Little girl and robot only actors.
-Middle: New character, daughter has to operate on her, changes into surgical attire, still dim light but also some artificial white light. New actor, no makeup, surgery tools, book with faces, still in bunker.
-End: New actor as brother, more baby clothes, dim light, no makeup, shotgun and shells and axe as props, still in bunker but also outside of it.

3. Common Sounds in the movie
-Beginning: Diegetic sounds of metal and machines whirring as robot is assembled. Non-Diegetic sounds of the robot playing music for the child.
-Middle: Diegetic sounds of surgical equipment and non-diegetic sounds of talking.
-End: Diegetic sounds of the shotgun, bullet dropping, axe falling with non-diegetic sounds of dialogue.

4. Common Editing in the movie
-Beginning: quite a few Jump cuts.
-Middle: still Jump cuts.
-End: Jump cuts as well as Reverse cuts.

5. Elements of the genre in the movie
-Plot twists
-Action
-Suspense
-Dramatic

6. What elements of the genre did the movie have that you like?
-The plot twist at the end
-The action and suspense

7. What elements of the genre did the movie have that did not appeal to you?
-Very dramatic at times
-Plot a little difficult to follow
-End dialogue was a bit confusing

Final Pitch Ideas Blog

One pitch we decided to go with was the action horror pitch. In this pitch, a girl's father goes missing, and as she's searching for him, strange things start to happen in her small town. The other pitch idea that we decided on was the action pitch. In this pitch, being able to genetically modify humans has emerged and a girl tries to survive in a world where she is not viewed as normal. We decided not to go with the idea of  a movie where a girl goes to meet her online friend, but it turns out her friend isn't who they seem. We narrowed this list down by making a pros and cons list. The second pitch has the most cons and didn't seem specific enough to turn into a two minute movie clip. We found that the idea would involve a lot of texts being shown, causing the viewer to have to read a lot more than should be necessary. Although it would be easy to film, it wouldn't be creative enough. The other two pitches had more we could do with them and gave us more creative freedom.

The first pitch we decided on would be the horror pick. This would be a good idea for multiple reasons. We had a lot of ideas of what to do with the filming of it. We also found that it would be a lot of fun to film because we enjoyed the concept. It also wouldn't be too complicated to film because a lot of the settings we would be use would be accessible and ideal to film in. It would be easy to show the plot through the movie clip unlike the pitch we decided not to do. The ending of the clip would also be definite but could also seem like there is more to it. It would leave the viewers wondering what else could happen after and make them intrigued and want to see more. The only con we had about this pitch would be that it would be a lot to explain in two minutes. This is because there is a lot of plot to explain, though overall it wouldn't be too hard to explain.

The second pitch we decided on was the action pitch. This film, like the first one we decided to go with, would be fun to film. This idea is also unique. This film would also have an easy "ending", or one where it would be able to be added on to. This film would also be easy to understand what's going on. A con of this film would be the amount of special effects. this would be a problem, because we couldn't edit them in, so we would have to make physical ones during the film. There also isn't a lot that would be going on and a hard to understand backstory. Out of all the pitches, we decided to go with the one about the father going missing. This had the least amount of cons and is very developed by my partner and I.

Start of Final Task Blog

Hi, my name is Julia. I am taking AICE Media Studies this year. I am a high school student attempting to complete my AICE degree and get the credits this year. We have to make a 2 minute movie clip for our final task. We're allowed to work in groups of up to four. I am working in a group of two. This includes myself and another girl. We worked on all the other group projects together. I think we work well together. I am excited to be able to be creative with this project.

Throughout this year, I've learned many things in this class. I've learned how to edit on Pinnacle Studios. This will be very helpful because we have to edit this movie clip. I've also learned how to film with a filmmaking camera and technical things such angles and shots. This will help with the filming process. We will be able to easily and smoothly film, hopefully making our movie look fairly professional and good. I have also learned about C.L.A.M.P.S. This stands for costumes, lighting, acting, makeup, props, and setting. This will help us to make the clip more technical and appealing. Overall, I am excited to use these techniques and more during the production process.

A pitch is a Hollywood term used to describe an idea for a film in 25 words or less (usually one sentence). To start off, we had to create at least 3 pitches that we would possibly use. Our first pitch was, "A girl's father goes missing, and as she's trying to find him, strange things start happening in her small town." For the second one, "A girl goes to meet her online friend, but it turns out her friend isn't who they seem." For the third and final one, "In a world where genetically modifying humans has emerged, a girl tries to survive in a world where she is not viewed as normal." I think all of these pitches are solid ideas, and I am excited to choose one and start working on it.