Genre Research - Ready Player One

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 - Choosing our genre!

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 - Sci-Fi

   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 moments 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. I like the Sci Fi Genre because it show the audience a new aspect on the world even though it's mot real it makes us feel as such. Things I do not like about the genre is that there are not as many good Sci Fi films as other genre's.   

Genre Research - Action

   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 convection's. 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 moments 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. Lastly the props found in this genre include Swords, Jet packs, Guns, High tech gear, and many more. 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 watching it all unfold. Everyone needs that from time to time. It helps that action, unlike comedy, isn’t really subjective.Things I do not really enjoy about the genre is nothing really action is a really popular genre.

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 the right 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.

Final task!

    Hi, I am Jada. I am a creative and outgoing person. One thing about me is that although I can be outgoing I like to stay behind the scenes. As I said in my first introduction I am an overthinker and a perfectionist at times. Due to these traits, I like to have thought out work and perfected work. My role in the group is to film and edit. It is almost like I am the director of our films.  I like to see the finished result and the hard work that I did as a director. Obviously, I receive help from groupmates Derrick and Jahzenyah, but I am the main person to film and edit. Just like Jahzenyah is the main person to act in the film and Derrick helps wherever needed.
 
    One thing about me that has changed over the past 5 months of school is I developed a love for film. I was always into creative arts, but this class helped me to realize I have a passion for it. Now it is time to do our final assignment and I am excited. I think this project is going to be the best one yet. Over the course of this class, I realized the skills I never knew I had when it came to filming and editing. The best part is I have only been growing and becoming better at filming and editing. I take this class and the film projects very seriously. I try to do my best work every time. The best part is that although I work really hard and put so much thought into these projects it doesn't feel like work, it feels fun and worth it. I can possibly see myself pursuing this in college, so this class was one of the best choices I made this junior year.

    A pitch is a Hollywood term to describe an idea where a film is encapsulated in 25 words or less. Usually with one sentence. Our first pitch is a Sci-Fi movie. 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. The second pitch is a Romance movie. 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? The third pitch is a Coming of Age movie. Friend group of five finally graduates highschool, but what's next? Where will their paths take them? Will they remain the friend group they've always been?