Genre Research: Bird Box

To get a more in-depth understanding of the genre of my film, I decided to watch some movies that fall under this genre. The first movie is Bird Box.
Throughout the film, the director used a variety of camera angles most common were a high angle, close up and long shot. As far as camera movement the film included an abundance of pans, tracking shots and zooms. The mis en scene in this movie is what really ties it all together.
Costumes - The costumes of this movie start off as normal everyday clothes, however as time goes on in the “post apocalyptic” world their clothing becomes tattered, worn and dirty.
Lighting - The lighting of this film was mostly dim throughout the film, this is partially due to the fact that the plot of the film is not being able to see. However, the dim lighting adds to the eerie feeling the viewer gets throughout the movie.
Actors - The actors were in my opinion the most important part of this movie, because we never directly saw the monster of this movie we had to rely on the emotion displayed by the actors so get a sense of the affect this monster had on people. The feeling the viewer gets from this movie would not be the same if the actors could not portray this emotion efficiently.
Makeup - Similar to the costumes the makeup is very basic and natural, however as the movie goes on and the characters obtain wounds and are deprived of showers the makeup changes from everyday to dirty and special effect wound makeup.
Props - The most recognizable prop from this film is the blindfolds used by the characters to protect them from the monster. In addition to blindfolds the characters utilize basic survival props while occasionally yielding weapons.
Setting - The setting of the movie changed throughout however the characters were always in a dimly lit sheltered areas whether is was the house in the beginning or the shed in the woods towards the end.
The sound of this movie was very similar to what you would find in a horror movie. For example indistinct whispers and eerie music. Additionally, the dialogue is limited and when they do speak it is low to avoid exposure. What I liked about the film is how well the actors could portray the fear and the effect of the monster, without this component I do not think this movie would have been so successful in impacting my emotions. What I disliked about this film is the “incomplete” story line, while I know this is not directly connected to the way the movie was filmed it was something I found unfulfilling. Although the idea of the movie was intriguing the plot holes (for example the outcome of all the other characters) left me unsatisfied. Overall, this movie gave me a good idea of what to expect in this genre.

Final Task Genre

We finally narrowed down our choices to one genre for our film; we chose the thriller genre. We chose this genre for many different reasons. One of them being we think our audience will like it more. When looking at audience sizes from different genres thriller has the biggest. Genres like horror might be much for certain viewers. Genres like animated have younger audiences. The thriller genre however, engages audiences from all ages and keeps the film suspenseful and action filled.

Genre research: thriller and horror

Thrillers are a common used genre in the modern filming industry. That is because of the suspense that they generate grasping the audiences attention. So, this blog will be about what common editing techniques and mis en sene is used to generate a good thriller. First off, thrillers are usually long clips and don’t have many cuts in them. The purpose of that is to captivate the audience’s attention and draw suspense. A prime example of this would be the new thriller “1917”. In this movie there is only one jump cut used. The purpose of this is to bring the audience into the main characters point of view making all of the horrors and heroics that happen in the movie seem more understandable and real-life. Thriller films also have specific mis en sene. In thrillers, most of the props and costumes worn are every day materials. The purpose of that is to make the movie seem more real life. So by using everyday clothing and props the thriller genre becomes more interesting because the audience can relate to the main character. So, that is overall what makes a thriller a good movie Because horror films are very popular amongst our age group, we decided to research this genre first. In literature, horror is one of the many fictitious genres whose purpose is to create feelings of fear, dread, repulsion, and terror in the audience. Horror feeds on the audience’s deepest terrors by putting life’s most frightening and perplexing things (death, evil, supernatural powers or creatures, the afterlife, witchcraft) at the center of attention.
           To go further, there are five key elements in the horror genre. The first is foreshadowing. It is what build up anticipation for the viewer. The second is fear. There is nothing more to say other than it is the driving force behind the story/ purpose of the film. The third is suspense. It builds upon the fear elements with the constant unknowingness of what is going to happen. The fourth is mystery. This is important because it leaves the viewer thinking about what they just saw. The last, but not least important element is imagination. This intensifies the terror associated in horror films by making the audience used their heads.
          To be completely honest, I don’t have a problem with horror movies. The “scary” aspect doesn’t really affect me at all. However, sometimes horror films are a little much. The unrealistically of some horror movies makes them less enjoyable to watch, for me at least. Here are some camera angles, movements, and shots that are typically used in the making of horror films:
High angle: these kinds of shots are used in horror movies to make the figure or object that is being looked down upon seem completely powerless or vulnerable.
Close ups in horror films are mainly used to reveal certain characters emotions in important scenes.
Tracking shot/ pan: used very effectively in horror films to establish a scenario where a character that is being followed or watched.
Titled Angle/ Candid/ Dutch: add dramatic tension to shots as well as signify the presence of a supernatural being.
Long Shots: used in many horror films, typically to establish the movie’s setting (where everything “scary” is going to happen).
Low angle: effective in horror films because they emphasize how intimidating or scary a villain is.
Zoom: adds dramatic effect to horror films by intensifying the genre’s elements of fear and suspense. This is because you don’t know what u might see next.
          Here is mis-en-scene that is usually associated with the horror genre:
Costumes: The costumes associated with a horror film determine it’s style. The also help to  identify the antagonist of the movie.
Lighting: The lighting in horror movies is usually dark and atmospheric. This is used to create an effective setting and surrounding for a common jumping scare. d
Actors: Just like costumes, the actors in horror films helps the audience remember the name of movie by the face of that specific character.
Make-Up: In some cases, the make-up of horror characters help to make them look more scary/intimidating.
Props: These can range in horror films, based on its style. Common props are weapons (like knives, machetes, etc) and spiritual artifacts.
Setting: The setting of a horror film is usually made to be isolated to make for its tense, fearful, and suspenseful atmosphere.
Common editing found in horror films:
Cutaway: shows character’s reactions to the situations they are facing.
Jump cut: allowing the passage of time to show whilst also sometimes using it to scare the audience.
Fade to black: gives off a mysterious and intense feeling.
Elliptical editing: cuts out the unnecessary parts of journeys or actions to keep the audience gripped and on the edge of their seats.
Common sound found in horror films:
Sound effects are used to build tension. Common sound effects used in horror films are footsteps, doors and floorboards creaking, and wind.
Loud, slow building music can help to keep the audience on their seats.
Loud fast music can help to scare the audience.
Lack of sound/ music can help to create an uneasy feeling amongst the audience.

Genre Research: Action genre

        

This was a project we created in the first quarter to expose of to the different genres. The genre we were assigned was action. We researched the elements that make up this genre. For example the common lighting, sounds, camera angles, etc. We did this by exploring a variety of movies labeled under the action genre and found what they all had in common. The importance of this project was to be able to more clearly identify different genres and how we can create a film that fits into it. I found this project beneficial because before this class I had no idea all the components that are needed to create a movie and how different elements can create a different feeling or mood. 

Inside our director brains

Our first pitch is “Finding my biological parents is harder than I thought.”  We chose this idea because it would supply our video with an element of suspense. It will leave the viewer wondering if the main character ever finds his parents and if he does what kinda of people they are. We had the idea of showing the parents and their decision to give up their kid. Then it would go forward in time to show the now grown up child and the challenges they went through to find their parents. The difficulty of choosing this as our final idea is making it clear to the audience the relationship that the characters have. We would need to find actors that would be able to portray this effectively. We lightly discussed using one of our parents but we haven’t planned any further. The positive effect of using our parents is we would not have to search for adults that resemble the actor we chose as the adopted child. However, if we were to use our parents there is the risk of them not taking in the character.

       The second pitch we considered was “I faked my death and I’m ready for revenge”. We decided not to film this pitch for multiple reasons. One of them being that it would be very difficult. The pitch statement, while suspenseful does leave a lot of room for explanation. In order to make a good movie we would need more than a 2 minute opening scene. The storyline would be too full. We would need to explain why they faked their death, why they want revenge, and who they want revenge on. Although this pitch would be a better thriller than the one we chose. While the other one is just part of the mystery genre. This pitch would be thriller/horror/mystery and the audience would enjoy it. But our two minute time limit wouldn’t do the movie justice. 

      So, after debate we narrowed it down to the pitch that we wanted to do. We decided on filming about the child looking for their parents. My group and I chose that pitch because it is unique. We speculate that a lot of people will try doing horror. And my group and I want to add a unique aspect to our film. On top of that, we feel that a mystery theme will add suspense. And we feel that it will be easier to grasp the audience because it is an easy concept to get. With horror we feel that it wouldn’t be that realistic because of the limited resources that we have. We also feel most comfortable acting with a mysterious theme. Another reason we chose this pitch it that we think we will have the most fun doing this type of theme. So, for those reasons we chose that pitch.

Starting the Final Task

Hey! I’m Maya and I’m a sophomore at Fort Lauderdale Highschool. I’m a competitive swimmer and that takes up a majority of my time. I would describe myself as a perfectionist which gets frustrating at times because I am never completely satisfied with my work. For this project I will be working in a group with Gavin, Thomas, and Amelia. I chose to work with this group because we will be able to merge our separate talents. Amelia is our idea maker. Gavin is pretty goofy which allows him to keep our stress levels low. Thomas is reasonable and will keep us from dreaming up and idea that we can’t achieve.  I work well with this group of people because we are able to act mature in situations when needed and still have fun in the process. This being said I am very excited to be starting a new projections create my own product.
I wanted to take AICE media studies because I like to be creative and make products that reflect me while sharing a story that isn’t mine. So far this class has been very exciting. I have the ability to learn about the film making process and the technology used to make this process easier. We have completed two projects already and with each one I have learned how to successfully portray my creative ideas. One of the most exciting things that I have learned is the editing process. I find it fascinating how producers can take raw footage and transport it into a masterpiece. Although I also enjoyed analyzing movie and TV show extracts. Being able to “look” inside the mind of a movie director is something I never thought I would be able to do.  In this project I will use my new found knowledge of camera angles movement and mis en scene.
Our teachers asked us to come up with three pitches for our project. A pitch is a term used in Hollywood that describes the idea of a film in 25 words or less  Here are our three:
- My biggest regret is befriending my stalker.
- I faked my death and I’m ready for revenge.
- Finding my biological parents is harder than I thought.

Editing-ish

Today I began the filming editing process. This was the most worrisome part of the process for me. I knew that I would not be able to film on the school computers because I do not think I would have been able to edit it in the two days we were given. For this reason I chose to edit the music video on iMovie on my phone. This isn’t the easiest method to to edit however it was my only option. To start I dumped all of the footage on to my laptop to look through the footage and decide which takes I wanted to use. Although I couldn’t edit on my laptop it was a bigger screen to view the footage on. After deciding which takes to use I transported all the footage to google drive. I used google drive because I can access it on all my devices. This is helpful because I can start the editing process in my phone and continue to view the footage on a larger screen. Additionally, google drive have a feature on the phone where you can make the files available offline. Since I have such a busy schedule I am not home often so the ability to edit on the go is essential.
Once I have the footage in google drive I added it into iMovie. I did not add all of the footage because the smaller screen would make it difficult to view it all at once. Even though I did not add all of the footage the duration was almost two minutes. The limit for our music video is 1 minute and 15 seconds so I knew I would have to cut down some of the footage. Furthermore, I didn’t know how to add the music into the video so that is very troubling. The music is basically the entire point of the video and without it I do not have a final product. After practice today I will try to figure out how to add in the sound. I have spoken to some of my classmates and we have concluded that there is not way to directly add the music to the video through iMovie. I have to recorded it from my laptop as a voiceover.