Genre Research!

There are so many types of genres and sub-genres and each of them have sub-genres within them. To help me out on what my trailer will be in terms of genre I did research on all the different types genres so I could choose which one I was going to use for my trailer.

The main genres and their definitions are:

• Action - High energy, big-budget stunts and chases, which could include rescues, battles, fights, escapes, destructive crises (floods, explosions, national disaster e.t.c). Often good guys fighting bad guys.
• Adventure - Exciting stories, with new experiences or exotic locales. This could include swashbuckler (pirate), historical, searches or expeditions for lost continents, jungle and desert, treasure hunts, disaster or searches for the unknown.
• Comedies - Light hearted plots usually and deliberately made to amuse and provoke laughter. Often shown through the language, the situation, action, relationship and characters.
• Crime and Gangster - Devloped through the sinster actions of criminals and mobsters, particurally bank robbers, underworld figures or ruthless hoodlums who work outside the law, stealing and murdering their way through life.
• Drama - Serious, plot driven films, portraying realistic characters, settings, life situations, and storys involving tense character development and interaction. Not usually focused on comedy or action.
• Epics/Historical - Includes costume drama, historical drama, war films, medieval romps or period pictures. It often takes on historical or imagined events, mythic, legendary or heroic figures which is added to a extravagant settings and lavish costumes and often with a sweeping musical score.
• Horror - Designed to frighten and invoke peoples hidden worst fears often in a terrrifying and shocking finale while entrancing and entertaining people at the same time. It features a wide range of styles from the classic silent film Nosferatu to the modern CGI monsters and deranged monsters
• Musicals/Dance - Emphasize full scale scores or song and dance routine in a significant way (often a musical or dance number referring to the film's narrative). Often they can be the combination of music, dance, song or choreography.
• Science Fiction - Often semi scientific, visionary and imaginative which includes heros, aliens, distant planets, impossible quests, improbable  settings, fantastic places, dark and shadowy villians, futuristic technology, unknown and unknowable forces and monsters. Often shows the potential of technology to destory mankind or deal with aliens.
• War - Shows the horror and heartbreak of war, letting the actual combat figthing (aganist nations or the human kind) on land, sea or by air which provides a plot or background for the action of the film. It could include POW tales, stories of militiary operations and training.
• Westerns - The defining genre of the American industury, a eulogy to the early days of the expansive American frontier. They have very regonizable plot, elments and characters (six-guns, horses, dusty towns and trails, cowboys and Indians).

However there is also sub genres these are:

• Biopics - It is a sub-genre of drama and epic genres. They depict the life of an important, historical person or group from the past or present era, they often show a western outlaw, a criminal, a musical composer, a religious figure, a wartime hero, an entertainer, an artist, an inventor or doctor, a politician or president, or an adventurer.
• Chick Flicks - It is a sub-genre of romantic comedies, tearjerkers, fantasy-action adventure and gal pal genres. Often includes family crises, traditional 'weepies', foul mouthed and empowered females, female bonding situations involving families, mothers, daughters, childern women and women issues told through the females POV and a female protangist and heroine.
• Detective and Mystery - This is a sub-genre of crime/gangster, film noir, suspense or thriller genre. It focuses on the unsolved crime (usually a murder or disapperance of one or more characters) and also focuses on the main character a hard-boiled detective/hero trying to solve the mystery with challenges along the way.
• Disaster - This is a sub-genre of a action genre. It includes suspensful action and inpending crises (man-made or natural) in locales for example aboard imperiled airliners, trains, sinking or wrecked ocean liners, or in a towering burning skyscraper, staduim, and earthquake zones.
• Fantasy - It is a sub-genre of science fiction and horror. It takes audiences to netherworld places or another dimension where events are unlikely to occur in real life the transcend from human reality and physics law, often having the element of magic, myth, wonder and the extraordinary, a major catergoy of this sub-genre is superhero movies.
• Film Noir - It is a sub-genre of crime/gangster genre. It is known as not being a popular genre bu more as a mood, style or tone, it is usually in black and white with primary moods of melancholy, alienation, bleakness, disillusionment, disenchantment, moral corruption, evil, guilt and paranioa, often includes a loner hero, and a femme fatale in a big city.
• Guy Films - Macho films that is often packed with sophormoric humor, action, cartoon violence, competition  and mean-spritited putdowns.
• Melodrama/Weepers - It is a sub-genre of drama films. It uses the plot to appeal to the emotions of the audience, often it has unrealsistic, pathos-filled tales of romance or domestic situtaions with stererotypical characters appealing to the female audience.
• Road Films - This a sub-genre of westerens, comedies, crime/gangster, drama and action-adventure genre. It is based on a episodic journey on the open road (or undiscovered trail), to search for an escape or to engage in a quest of some kind of goal - either in a distinct location or to attainment of love, freedom, mobility, redemption, the finding or discovering of ones self or coming-of-age.
• Romance - It is a sub-genre of drama and comedy genre. These can be love stories, or affairs of the heart that centre on passion, emotion and the romantic, affectionate invovlement of the main characters (usually a leading man and female) and the journey their love takes.
• Sports - This has a sports setting which includes (football or baseball staduim, arena or Olympics), event (the big game, fight, race or compettion) and or athlete (boxer, racer, surfer e.t.c) making them the central part of the movie. Sports films could be fictional or non fictional.
• Superheros - This is a sub-genre of fantasy-action genre, often based on comics strips or comic book heros (Marvel). It includes fictional superheros with a extraordinary powers, usually a simplistic plot line involves the superheros struggle against an arch-nemesis or super villian (often intrested in world domination, riches or vengenace against someone).
• Supernatural - It is a sub-genre of comedy, sci-fi, fantasy or horror genre. The main themes of this sub-genre are gods or goddesses, ghost, spirits, they were orginally not to frighten the auidence but has changed over the years.
• Thriller/Suspense - This is a sub-genre of action, crime-caper, western, film noir and romantic comedys. They use this to promote intense excitment, suspense, a high level of anticipation, heightended expectation, uncertainty, anxiety and nerve-wrecking tension.

Within each genre there are so many sub-genres within them they are:

• Action and Adventure - Action or adventure comedy, action/adventure drama, alien invasion, animal, biker, blockbusters, buddy, caper, chase films or thrillers, comic book action, cop, costume, crime, disaster, fantasy, martial arts, peroid, quest, road, romantic, spy, superheros, survial and war.
• Comedy - Absurd, action, animal, classic, thrillers, dumb, fairy tale, family, gross-out, horror, musical, parody, pre-teen, road, romantic, spoofs, stand-up, supernatural, teen, westeren and zombie.
• Crime/Gangster - Caper, cops and robbers, comedy, drama, detective/mystery, heits, law and order, prision, private eye, suspense-thrillers and true crime.
• Cult - Any genre or sub-genre is considered a cult film.
• Drama - Adaptions, adventure, childhood, christmas, costume, dance, diary, disaster, docu-dramas, fantasy, high school, holiday, life story, love, medical, melodrama, musicial, period, police, road, romantic, supernatural, teen, tragedy and true crime.
• Epics/Historicals - British, dark ages, historical, medieval and roman empire.
• Horror - B-movie, cannibal, classic, costume, creature, dracula, mad scientest, ghost, gore, gothic, haunted house, halloween, comedy, monsters, physic/physicological, sci-fi, slasher, supernatural, teen, vampires, witches and witchcraft, zombies and werewolves/wolves.
• Musicals/Dance - Animated, ballet, comedy, concert, dance, dramatic, fairy tale, fantasy, romantic and stage musicals.
• Science Fiction - Action or adventure, alien and alien invasions, classic, creature, disasters, end of the world, fairytale, fantasy, futuristic, mad scientist, monsters and mutants, outer space, robots, comedy, horror, thriller, Star Trek, supernatural and time travel.
• War - Action combat, anti-war, civil war, combat, escape, historical, milliatary, comedy, war spy, romance, World War I and World War II.
• Westerns - Animal, cattle drive, calavary, comedy, epic, historical, Indian, mordern, musical, romantic, sci-fi, shot outs, space, spoof and traditional westerns.

Script Research!

For my trailer I have to create a script which would outline my story and what I want be to say and also give  everyone an idea of what I would like the trailer to be like. This is necessary as every film and TV programme has a script which even used could change during filming but helps outline what the scene would be.

The main things needed to write a script is:

• Stage Directions
• Dialogue
• Descriptions of what is happening through out the scenes

In class I looked at the How I Met Your Mother Pilot script and then discussed what is in the script and what had changed as I watched the scene from the pilot:

- The script was different to the episode which meant that it changed during the reading or during the scene they decided to add new things to it but in doing so has made the scene funnier and better than the 2nd draft.

Then I watched the rest of the episode and had to look at what could be changed or if it is alright as it is:

- I think that everything in that episode was fine as it is and that it was funny which meant that everything want as well as they planned.

So after I looked at the How I Met Your Mother script I looked at a  movie script and a TV show script, whilst looking at the scripts I looked at what was important to the script and what it had to look like. The first script I looked at was Ace Ventura Pet Detective, this is part of the script:

INT. 3RD FLOOR - DAY

ELEVATOR DOORS OPEN. The UPS Man throws the package out onto the floor and starts kicking it down the hall like a soccer player. With one last big kick the parcel lands in front of APARTMENT 3B. He picks it up and knocks on the door.

We hear a small dog barking.

GRUFF MAN (O.S.)

Shut the hell up, you stupid mutt!

An angry, burly man pokes his nose hairs out the chained door.

GRUFF MAN

What do you want?

UPS MAN

UPS, sir. And how are you this afternoon? Alrighty then!

The man grumpily unchains the door. He's a big guy - 6'5", 250, and 50 of that is chest hair. A small Shiatsu stands beside him.

UPS MAN

I have a package for you.

The UPS guy thrusts the package toward the man. We can clearly hear broken glass inside. The man takes the package.

GRUFF MAN

It sounds broken.

UPS MAN

Most likely sir! I bet it was something nice though! Now... I haver an insurance form. If you'll just sign here, here, and here, and initial here, and print your name here, we'll get the rest of the forms out to you as soon as we can.

The man begrudgingly begins to fill out the form. The dog wags his tail and whines. We can see that he likes the UPS guy.

UPS MAN

That's a lovely dog you have. Do you mind if I pet him, sir?

GRUFF MAN

(mumbles)

I don't give a rat's ass.

The UPS Man bends down and talks to the dog in a really sucky pet talk.

UPS MAN

Oo ja boo ba da boo boo do booo!

GRUFF MAN

(under breath)

Brother.

Before the Gruff Man can finish, the UPS Man stands back up and takes the form again.

Whilst looking at the script I found out that:

• It gives a simple yet detailed information about the characters in the scene
• They mentions if the scene is in outside (EXT) or inside (INT)
• They describe in detail what is happening in the scene
• The dialogue is written in the exact way the film has been done

Then I looked at a TV show script, whilst looking at the script I thought about the same things as the movie script and if there was anything different. The script I looked at was the pilot episode for the Teen Wolf, this part of the script:

INT. MCCALL HOME/HALLWAY - NIGHT
Scott silently slips into the hallway and peers into another bedroom. His mother, MELISSA McCALL, late thirties, both remarkably strong and remarkably beautiful, sleeps over the covers of the bed, fully clothed as if she’d just passed out after having walked in. Scott eases her door shut as--
EXT. MCCALL HOME - NIGHT
The glass door to the porch slides open. Now armed with a BASEBALL BAT, Scott starts for the yard. Breath held tight, he moves cautiously off the porch steps.
THE SOUND OF MOVEMENT stops him cold.
Holding still, he peers left and right as he white-knuckles the bat, ready to swing. When his eyes wander up to the side of house he sees--
A DARK FIGURE climbing the vine-wrapped TRELLIS. Before Scott even knows what’s happening, the figure BREAKS free and comes HURTLING toward him.
Scott HOLLERS in terror as an upside down face appears in front of him. He almost swings the bat before realizing who it is.
SCOTT
Stiles, what the hell are you
doing?
STILES
You weren’t answering your phone.
Feet caught in the trellis, STILES hangs in front of Scott. A sixteen year-old with boundless energy, he continues talking upside down as if this were a perfectly normal way to have a conversation.
 STILES (CONT'D)

I know it’s late, but you gotta’
hear this. I saw my dad leave twenty minutes ago. Dispatch called. They’re bringing in every officer from the Beacon department and even State Police.
SCOTT For what?

2.

STILES
Two joggers found a body in the
woods.
SCOTT A dead body?
STILES
No, a body of water. Yes, dumbass,
a dead body.
Reaching up to pull himself free of the trellis, he lands on his feet in front of Scott.
SCOTT
You mean like murdered?
STILES
Nobody knows yet. Just that it was
a girl, probably in her twenties.
SCOTT
Hold on. If they found a body, what
are they looking for now?
STILES
That’s the best part. They only

found half.

Whilst looking at the script I found out that:

• It tells me where the scene is set and what time of day
• It gives an in-depth description of what is happening in the scene
• Some of the words are written in capital letters which is to show a dramatic part is going to happen in that scene
• The dialogue was simple and easy to read and suggests a teenage language
• The dialogue mentions if the character is continuing to talk
• The word in italic means that he is been dramatic or being sarcastic 

Storyboarding Defintion!

Before I start doing my trailer I have to come up with a storyboard, this is because it would help set the camera angles I want to use and also help outline how my trailer will play out. To do so I looked at the definition of storyboarding, reasons for storyboarding and the layout of a storyboard.
Storyboarding:
- Are visual organisers, typically a series of illustrations displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualising a video, web-based training, or interactive media sequence.
- Came from Walt Disney in the 1930's, by the late 1930's every major studio was using storyboards.
- Media's use storyboards for:

• Film
• Television
• Animation
• Fiction
• Business
• Interactive media - Web Development, Software Design, Instructional Design and Technology

"There is no right or wrong way to storyboard, developers and instructional designers use a variety of different templates and methods." - Nicole Legault

Reasons for Storyboards:

• Helps a subject matter expert (SME) fill in their expert content - Designer can then rearrange the content into an effective sequence.
• Can be given to a developer who will use it as a blueprint to develop the final product.
• Assists instructional designer in sequencing the instruction

Possible Elements:

• Navigation - GUI (Graphic User Interface), - Includes the buttons needed to navigate the program.
• Course Contents - Must have a frame with a sample of the table of contents, outline and map.
• Quizzes/Testing
• Audio Scripting
• Learning Objectives
• Module Name

Design Guidelines:

• Make sure that the media used supports the learning objectives
• Cognitive load theory - For interactive media, try to minimise text and images occurring at the same time

- Make sure that quizzes and testing are aligned with learning objectives

• Ensure that they will provide valid evidence of understanding

Tool to use:

• Microsoft Word - Widely available and understand software, - Not easy to rearrange content
• Power Point - The most popular, - Widely known and understand, - Widely available, - Slide sorter view makes it easy to rearrange frames

Three Trailer Anaylse!

One of my coursework pieces is to create a movie trailer and to understand what a trailer includes and looks like I had to analyse three different trailers in class these were:

• Donnie Darko
• The Hobbit
• The Heist

I was shown these trailers four times and then after/during the trailer I had to make on notes on the four main areas for a trailer and I had a look at these four areas which were:

• Lighting and Colour
• Sound (Including use of script)
• Use of Camera
• Editing

After looking at all three trailers  and looking at these four keys with notes, I had to then write a paragraph choosing the best technique used on the trailer and why I choose that technique and where I saw it. The first trailer I watched was Donnie Darko

Donnie Darko

Lighting and Colour:

• Natural light from outside
• Dim lighting in rooms
• Light through cinema for portal
• Dark lighting and colour when the beast (rabbit) is shown

Sound (Including use of script):

• Voice over of characters talking
• Music is dark and mysterious
• The dialogue is moody and serious, no happy words
• The music grows fast then stops then starts near the end

Use of Camera:

• Spin of a camera like dizziness
• Panning
• Medium close up of characters
• Zooming in to create tension

Editing:

• Fading out during the beginning
• Quick cuts when the music starts
• Fading out when it was sad
• Cloud movement
• Touching an invisible wall
• Fast cuts during action scenes
• Music stops voice over starts
• Slow fade between actors and names

My Paragraph

Donnie Darko, I thought the most creative technique used was in the lighting and colour. When Donnie kept seeing his imaginary friend (the big bunny) the lighting was dark and dole during the scenes with the big bunny. I felt this made the character look horrifying to the audience also shows that the big bunny is a manipulative character to Donnie as he looks like he has control of Donnie

The Hobbit



Lighting and Colour:

• Bright Colours
• Daylight and Clear Skies most of the time
• Dim light in caves
• Dark light in the woods
• Flashing light for title

Sound (Including use of script):

• Fantasy, slow music
• Voice over of a characters prophecy
• Adventure music during the main adventure
• Repeats words sometimes
• Voice over during most of the trailer
• Sound of a dragon
• Music slows then gets faster near the end

Use of Camera:

• Establishing shot of the places
• Close up of characters
• Panning during the chase scenes
• Zoom in on the castle
• High angle shot and low angle shot
• Panning and zooming out of the dragon at the end

Editing:

• Quick but short black outs
• Text above a map
• Coins clanking
• Monsters are CGI
• Quick cuts during action scenes
• Flash of the title

My Paragraph

The Hobbit, I thought the most creative technique used was in sound. During all the fight and action scenes there was adventure like music in the background, which grew louder as the action grew and then stopped during the non action parts. I felt this made the action stand out more to the audience and signified with the action on the screen which then made the action/adventure music stand out.

The Heist

Lighting and Colour:

• Natural lighting
• Dark lighting in the basement
• Red suits suggest security guard

Sound (Including use of script):

• Heist like music
• The manager is sarcastic to the main characters
• Music grows louder through out
• Voice over of radio communication
• Dramatic, fast music near the end

Use of Camera:

• Establishing shot
• Extreme clos up of painting
• Close up of characters
• Panning down to change to the basement
• Point of view of fallen character

Editing:

• Quick cuts between scenes
• Light flashes every so often
• Noises of gun shots
• Zoom in on a guy shooting
• Black cuts during the beginning
• Red words that are the same colour as the characters security uniforms

My Paragraph

The Heist, I thought the most creative technique used was in editing. During the title sequence some of the words for example 'Heist' were in red and the three main characters were all wearing red suits as they prepare for the heist pretending to be security guards. I felt that it helped the audience to connect to the characters to the heist and what they are wearing, also signifies the characters as being robbers in the movie which then helps with the plot of the film.



Key Terms For The Year!

To film and evaluate my movie trailer, cover and poster I have to know the key terms and then apply them to both my work and my evaluation at the end of the course. The key terms I have to remember for my movie project coursework include:

Camera Shots:

• Establishing Shot - A shot which services to either introduce the audience to a location and context, or remind them of it.
• Master Shot - Film of an entire scene shot with all the characters included in the frame.
• Wide Shot - The subject takes up the entire frame from top to bottom.
• Two Shot - Shot that includes two people (used to establish relationships).
• Aerial Shot - Taken from directly above, often by helicopter.
• Point of View Shot - When the camera takes place of a characters eyes.
• Over the Shoulder Shot - Looking behind a person at the subject, cutting off the frame just behind the ear. The person facing the subject should occupy about 1/3 of the frame.

Don't forget the Extreme Long Distance Shots, Long Shots, Medium Shots, Close Ups and Extreme Close Ups.

Camera Angles:

• High Angle - The camera is set high up and looks down on the subject.
• Low Angle - The camera is set low (knee level) and looks up at the subject.
• Canted Angle - The camera is set at a titled angle often to suggest a point of view.

Camera Movement:

• Pan - A movement which scans a scene horizontally.
• Crane - Using a crane the camera can move up, down, left, right, swooping in on the action or move diagonally.
• Zoom - When the camera moves close to the subject.
• Reverse Zoom - Moving away from the subject.
• Tilt - A movement which scans a scene vertically, otherwise similar to a pan.
• Dolly - The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, generally following a moving figure or object.
• Steadicam - A heavy contraption which is attached to a camera to an operator by a harness. The camera is stabilized so it moves independently.
• Handheld - Often used for documentary.

Composition:

• Framing - The deliberate way subjects are organised so we focus on them.
• Focus Pulls - Whatever the photographer/camera operator wants the audience's focus to be drawn to.
• Deep Focus - When only one small part of the image is in focus.
• Rule of Thirds - Imagine the frame is made up of nine squares (3x3). The eye is always drawn off centre so avoid the centre square.
• Depth of Field - The area of an image that is in focus (sharp).

Cutting:

• Shot Reverse Shot - Where one character is shown looking (often off-screen) at another character and then the other character is shown looking "back" at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing the opposite directions  the viewer unconsciously assumes that they are looking at each other (180 Rule).
• Jump Cut - A transition between two shots which appears to "jump" due to the way the shots are framed in relation to each other.
• Parallel Editing - An editing technique that allows two or move simultaneous sets of action to unfold within a single film sequence.
• Insert - Part of a film that is filmed from another angle.
• Eyeline Match - The first shot shows a person looking towards an off-screen subject. There is a cut to the second shot, which shows the object of the person's gaze and the space surrounding the object.
• Cross Cutting - The editing between two scenes that are happening at the same time manipulating the audience.
• Cutaway - The interruption of continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else.

Transitions:

• Dissolve - To fade out one shot or scene while simultaneously fading in the next, overlapping the two during the process.
• Wipe - A gradual shift from one image to another.
• Superimposition - When one image or video is placed on top of an existing image or video to 'cover' something up.
• Ellipsis - What is left out of a narrative, but remains in the story.
• Post Production - The editing stage, where material is manipulated using software and transformed into a finished media product.
• Fade In/Fade Out - When an image appears from a darkened screen or disappears into the dark.
• Long Take - An interrupted shot which can be used to effect.
• Slow Motion - A sequence where time is slowed down.

Sound:

• Synchronous - Sounds that match with the image on screen.
• Asynchronous - Sounds that are not matched with a visible source on screen.
• Dialogue - What characters say.
• Voice Over - A non-diegetic voice that gives information, character view, E.T.C.
• Mode of Address - How a text, in any medium speaks to it's audience.
• Diegetic Sound - Material that exists in the world of text (ex dialogue).
• Non-Diegetic Sound - Material added for the audience (ex atmosphere music).
• Sound Perspective - The apparent distance of a sound (ex horse hooves coming close matched with the action on screen).

Soundtrack:

• Score - The music arranged for a film/television programme.
• Themes - The main initial piece of music used (often reoccurs through out a film or TV show).
• Ambient Sound - Background noise (sets a scene)l.
• Incidental music - Can add to a scene, perhaps to introduce a dramatic event, create a particular atmosphere between scenes or to enhance story telling sequences.
• Stings - A short sequence of music used in films and TV as a form of punctuation.

Mise-en-scene:
All the elements that the director/photographer choose to make up a media production these include:

• Set Design
• Costume
• Props
• Colour Design
• Location
• Studio
• Make Up
• Lighting

Movie Project Task Outline!

For A2 Media Studies I have to come up with a movie trailer of my choice and then for that trailer I have to come up with a movie poster and a magazine cover to go with the trailer. Through out the year I will be coming up with ideas for my movie trailer, poster and magazine cover. This would then become my coursework portfolio for my A2 course. Here are examples of a trailer, movie poster and magazine cover so I get an idea of what I have to come up with.

Example of a Movie Trailer (Gremlins):

Example of a Movie Poster (Mr Poppers Penguins):

Example of a Movie Magazine Cover (Empire):