Genre Research: Sicario

Sicario is a movie I really enjoyed watching. There are many examples of CLAMPS in this film. Costumes in this film range from normal everyday clothes, to tactical outfits for FBI agents with bulletproof vests. Lighting in this film is key for the emotion in this movie, there is a scene where a strike team of FBI agents are making their way through a dark field where you can only see their silhouettes against the dark sky, and then we cut to the perspective of them with their night vision goggles. As for actors this movie has Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benicio del Toro who all bring great performances to their roles. As for makeup, this movie barely uses makeup, the skin tone of the actors is very natural, but when it’s not, it’s because there are in the midst of an intense gunfight with members of the cartel. As for props, the movie has a lot of guns and things of the sort. The setting is very important to the story, the movie takes place in New Mexico and Mexico, the ladder being an extremely hostile environment to our main characters.

The editing of Sicario keeps the movie going at a slow but steady pace that always keeps you heart pumping. The elements that this movie uses are suspense and tension. The movie has uncertainty as a big factor in the characters attitudes which is one of my favorite parts of the film. While there is suspense, the film lacks anticipation which is one of my very few criticisms of the film.

Genre Research: Good Time

When watching Good Time, the common C.L.A.M.P.S. I saw were most prominent in the costumes, lighting, actors, and setting department. The costumes I noticed were with the main actors, they wore outfits that were realistic to what a lower middle class person would wear. The light was beautiful, with lots of neon colors, mainly hot pink/ purple and naturally lit environments like being in a pitch black room with the only light source being the television. The Actors gave some of their best performances in their career, Robert Pattinson and Benny Safdie gave excellent, emotional performances. With Robert Pattinson, he gave a raw and riveting performance to make you believe that his character was stressed and cracking under pressure, and Benny Safdie giving a very believable performance of a mentally disabled individual. The makeup was focused on the characters sweating and and almost never have time to catch their breath and take a load off. There were a couple props that served a purpose to moving the story forward. Money was a big prop in this film, as it is what is driving the main characters. There were rubber masks the characters used in a bank robbery scene along with many other props lol construction helmets etc. Setting was a very important part of the film as it takes place on the mean streets and criminal underworld of New York City.

The editing had many quick cuts, keeping things going at a break-neck pace for most of the film. The elements of this genre the movie uses are suspense, tension and excitement as its main elements. The film heavily stimulate the viewer's moods giving them a high level of anticipation, ultra- heightened expectation, uncertainty, surprise, and anxiety. I especially liked the anxiety that this movie uses as an element. I wish the anticipation factor was more prominent in the film but that’s all the negative criticism I have, this is a near perfect film.

Genre we chose

The Genre we decided to go with was a thriller. We came to this decision because it had the most potential to leave the audience wanting more. That’s exactly what the prologue of a movie should do. We want to instill a feeling of stress and intensity within the audience to immerse them in the world we are creating. This needs to be done to establish a connection between the audience and the main characters. We hope to accomplish the goals we are setting out to do with this project. We hope that we come out of this with a piece of work we are proud of.

Action and Drama Genre

Genre: Action

Common Camera angles:

Aerial Shot-An exterior shot filmed from above, this is often used to establish a location.

Establishing Shot-A shot normally at the beginning of a scene establishing were the setting is.

POV shot-A shot that show exactly what the main character sees.

Crane Shot-A shot where the camera is placed on a crane.

Common mis en scene: low key lighting for dramatic effect, Props for fighting and durable for fast paced action scenes, costumes with flexible material for action.

Common editing: Cut away, fade in, fade out, cross cut, shot reverse shot.

Elements of genre: This major genre type includes films that have tremendous impact, continuous high energy, lots of physical stunts and activity, possibly extended chase scenes, races, rescues, battles, martial arts, and destructive disasters

Examples of genre: Avengers, Fast and Furious, MIssion impossible. 

Genre: Drama

Common camera angles: 

Long Shot-A full body shot.

Medium Shot-A body shot from the waist up.

Two/Three shot-A medium shot that depicts two or three people in the frame.

Over-The-Shoulder Shot-A shot where the camera is positioned behind a characters shoulder, usually during a conversation.

Common mis en scene: Gray, dreary backgrounds and lighting in The Shawshank Redemption show the unhappy and boring life in prison

The clothing in Titanic shows the class system aboard the ship and the costumes make it easy to see who is rich and respected and who is not.

Common editing: Jump cut, cut away, cross cut, montage, match cuts, cross dissolve, fade in, fade out, invisible cut.

Elements of genre: Internal conflicts worry the main character and show the viewer their mental state that might not be shown to others in the film

External conflicts between the main character and other characters or things are in almost every drama film

Heavy emotions to make the viewer feel for the characters

Tension and anxiety created by intense situations

Examples of genre: The Godfather, Pulp Fiction, Titanic, Saving Private Ryan, 1917.

Genre project

This was our genre project that we did in the beginning of the year. My group was given the musical topic. We didn't have any difficulty finding information on the musical aspect of movies. This was because most of the movies we watched on TV as children were musicals. Musicals are a very common choice for movie. This is due to the fact that the story/plot isn't to complicated. The song lyrics are the most difficult part.

Start of Final Task

My group consists of two people, Andrew and myself. I am sixteen and I attend Fort lauderdale high. I took AICE Media Studies to improve my movie/TV Show knowledge. I have always been fascinated by movies, my favorite at the moment is the genre of psychological thrillers. but specifically The Lighthouse. As well as the cinematography, it's extremely nice to look at.

In media class this year i have learned a lot of information that I believe will be useful for my future. I have learned a lot about camera angles and shots.That has changed the ways I watch movies. When I am watching movies I have started to notice the different type of shots used. For example when I was watching the new movie joker which just came out and there was a scene were he was dancing on the stairs and had fantastic cinematography. There was a mix of low shots and tracking shots as he danced down the stairs. during his dance they also used over the shoulder shots to show the reactions of passing traffic.  another type of shot used were close up shots specifically on his feet to show the choreographing of his dance.

A pitch is the idea of what could be used next. Examples of possible production projects.

we have three pitch ideas: The first one is the idea of a horror movie. The plot was that there would be a virus that comes out of people phones based on all the information kept by the internet. And once you disobey the "terms and service" conditioning that was agreed to when signing up with the phone, a person would appear and start spreading any and all personal information about you on your social media platforms and start posting in your place "ruining your life." The second idea is an action movie. it would be about a motorcycle camp where young adults learned everything about motorcycles. how to build them ride them their history and some secrets that would get them in trouble if anyone found out. And for our third idea we are doing a apocalypse type movie were the protagonist has to survive in a house as other people and being try to break in only at night. 

Decision Of Pitches

We decided to narrow our ideas down to the idea of a horror movie. Eliminating the motorcycle pitch.  The plot was that there would be a virus that comes out of people phones based on all the information kept by the internet. And once you disobey the "terms and service" conditioning that was agreed to when signing up with the phone, a person would appear and start spreading any and all personal information about you on your social media platforms and start posting in your place "ruining your life." The second pitch we decided to keep was the idea where we are doing a apocalypse type movie were the protagonist has to survive in a house as other people being try to break in.

We believe the first pitch is a good idea because it's an original plot that can be simple, yet effective. It would provide commentary on the idea of giving big corporations our private information, and how easy it could be for all of it to be released. It's a relevant topic of discussion, especially after the Facebook leaks. The video wouldn't be the typical horror movie, it would be more along the lines of a psychological horror/ thriller. it would be set through the eyes of a young adult/ teenager. 

The second idea is also a good pitch. While it's not completely original, we have some good concepts that can prove effective when viewing it. The video would dive into the effects of isolation on the mind. It would also explore the possibilities of what would happen to modern society if it was broken down. There is also some neat aesthetic ideas we've thought of. Most of those ideas were in terms of music and cinematography. along with the emotion given of of the story and plot.

We eventually came to choose the second idea. Its an interesting concept that takes an in depth look at modern society and what would happen if it was destroyed out of nowhere. We had a lot of better ideas and alternative stories we could tell. The first idea is more established than the second which, depending on how you look at it, can restrict anymore creative input than there already is. while on the other hand the second idea is perfect for the location we both live in and is a commonly liked genre between the two of us. this gives a lot of space for our own creative ideas. is.