Title Website Research: A Deeper Dive

     Hey! Since we've concluded the baseline research for our genre, it is finally time for us to look into ideas for what our actual opening could look like. The whole point behind even researching title sequences is to get an idea of how to establish the mood of the film from the very beginning, thereby eliciting an emotional response from the audience, whilst also properly crediting the film's creators and crew. To do so, we located and began looking at two very interesting websites, "Watch the Titles!" and "Art of the Title." 

    When it came to "Watch the Titles!," we did like how user-friendly the interface was with the "Feature film" section being pictured right on the home page for easy access. Upon clicking to access that part of the website, a number of different title sequences were presented to us, both live-action and animated alike. My groupmates and I were very fond of the fact that a snapshot of the title sequence had been provided, which allowed us to tell gauge whether or not a film would even have the possibility of fitting into the science fiction thriller genre. Now, when you actually click on one of the movie thumbnails, you are directed to a page with an enlarged image of the snapshot under which the designer of the title sequence's name is listed. On that same page, a brief synopsis of the general creative choices made in the title sequence is available, followed by a description of the techniques used in filming the title sequence, insight as to where the inspiration for the opening came from, and occasionally a transcript of an interview with the designer of said sequence. 

    Another convenient aspect of the website was the drop-down menus it had located at the top of the page, the "Studios" and "Designers" segments to be specific. Under the "Studios" tab, we found a list of various film content studios and a list of movies for which they had produced title sequences. We uncovered something similar under the "Designers" tab, except, this time, the films and their respective title sequences were shown listed alongside the names of their creators. The search feature on this website allows us to easily locate designers, title sequences, and even related articles and posts. Overall, after performing a relatively quick look over the entirety of the website, I do believe it will be a valuable asset in providing us with the concrete basis we need to generate inspiration for our upcoming project.

An image of the website's home page can be found below:

    As for "Art of the Title," I will say that the homepage did look like it would be a bit difficult to navigate at first, at least until my group mates and I noticed the drop-down menus at the top of the page that prompt users to view numerous title sequences. Upon selecting the "View All Titles" tab, users are directed to a page comprised of various thumbnails which capture the title of the film itself during the opening sequence, much like what we saw on "Watch the Titles!". We sorted through the titles by filtering through the "Released" option, which organized each opening by its release date from more recent to older titles, the "Published" option, which showed when the title sequences were added to the website itself, and finally the "Name" option, which categorizes the films by the names of their production companies. In addition, when clicking on the aforementioned thumbnails on the website, we were shown a nine-panel set of images taken from the film's opening sequence, followed by movie credits, and sometimes an extract from an interview, or information about the title sequence's use of color and typography to convey a specific mood related to its genre. Film openings that are similar to the one shown will also be displayed at the bottom of the page under the "Related" section. 

    If we were to go back to the home page and select the "Designers + Studios" button at the top, we'd be shown an extensive list of just that, which we could change to a grid format to make it more digestible. Back on the home page are also a few articles that provide more in-depth information regarding certain titles sequences. The website's search feature is much more comprehensive than that of "Watch the Titles!" as it displays results for specific genres in the form of title sequences, designers, and studios. Moreover, I found that this website had a wider variety of movie openings than "Watch the Titles!," so it may be more useful to us than the aforementioned site.

I've included a screenshot of the website's home page below:

    I definitely believe that these two websites are very promising in the sense that they both have so many amazing references that we can touch base with when looking to come up with our own ideas. 

With this blog, it's safe to say that we're entering new terrority, so I think Judy Garland's iconic line, "I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore..." (The Wizard of Oz 1939) is a perfect way to end off this blog. 

Movie Conventions Blog: I Am Mother- Today’s Terminator

 Greetings and welcome to our third, and final, blog on films in the science-fiction thriller genre. We'll now be examining director Grant Sputore's 2019 Netflix hit, "I Am Mother."

Let's break down this film into its key components and see how it fits into the genre.

Camera Angles, Movement, and Shots:

    Beginning with this film's use of camera angles, movements, and shots it is apparent that it instills unease in its viewers. The main camera angle used in the movie was the eye-level angle, which was often paired with close-up shots to show the variety of emotions the subject experienced throughout the film, including how she looked betrayed, afraid, determined, and happy, like when she was growing up before her innocence was shattered and the truth behind her life was revealed. Close-up shots were also used when the subject opened the airlock and seemed hesitant to act until she heard pained shouts for help outside, thereby revealing her personality to the audience and making her out to be a very caring and sympathetic individual. With that being said, the film remained consistent with its use of medium shots which were able to simultaneously focus on the setting as well as the subject themselves. Over-the-shoulder shots and two shots were used during conversations between subjects. In the film itself, one two-shot did hold emotional merit as it served to show the connection between the subject and the woman in the facility as they finally learned to trust one another.

    The film used long shots when the subject and the woman were walking through the wasteland outside upon their escape from the facility to show how barren and lifeless the land was. Establishing long shots were reserved for locations outside of the bunker, being used to show a cornfield, an abandoned oil rig, and a beach covered in washed-up containers to illustrate how dismal and dingy everything was. Wide shots were used for the same effect, capturing general locations, both within the bunker and outside of it. Point of view shots were also used when the subject looked through the airlock out of pure curiosity, which was done to pique the audience's interest in what might lie beyond the confines of the bunker. Another instance of this was when the subject looked into the woman's sketchbook and took in all of the drawings of people she had in there. 

    When it came to camera movements, panning would happen occasionally with the introduction of new locations to establish the setting. Tracking shots on the other hand are much more common, like when the subject rushed through the corridors of the facility when trying to sneak the woman in, showing how afraid she was, and when she had the intention to kill Mother, showing her walking on alert. Essentially, tracking shots were used when the subject was attempting to hide from threats. Zooming in was also not very common, but during a dinner with Mother, the table was zoomed into as each character sat on opposite ends of the table, showing how despite the camera approaching them, they still remained distant and detached from one another as the subject developed a new perspective of Mother that was not in the same high regard as before. 

Sound:

    The use of sound added to the dramatics of certain scenes. One of the most notable uses of sound within the film was when the subject and the woman began to trek through the wasteland outside accompanied by an eerie, loud non-diegetic drumming that seemed indicative of inevitable doom. This was likely done in an effort to fill the silence of the desolate dustbowl. The rest of the time, the film had low, quiet music that would only get slightly louder when there was a tense moment. Ambient noise was also present, like when the subject first stepped outside, at which point in time the wind and the sand could be heard, or when she walked around inside the bunker, where the low hum of machinery and a quiet whirring noise could be heard when Mother moved. Additionally, since the bunker was made of metal, the sound of footsteps was quite pronounced, making for suspenseful moments when they would quicken as mother approached.

    The dialogue was also another key diegetic sound as it revealed how Mother had kept things hidden from the subject her entire life and how she had only come to realize the truth when she was given the opportunity to speak to a fellow human being. Moreover, dialogue helped to reinforce each of the character's personalities being that they were able to vocalize their concerns and opinions, such as when Mother posed the hypothetical scenario to the subject and asked her which option she'd choose. Another interesting aspect of sound was Mother's voice, one that, despite being synthetic, still possessed human-like qualities, making it quite comforting and allowing it to maintain a sweet tone despite saying some unnerving things at times. 

Editing: 

    Editing was helpful in keeping transitions between scenes smooth. One instance of this occurred when the subject was approaching the furnace and looking through old files of other children like her, which was achieved with crosscutting and allowed for tensions to be built during the ominous scene, until a final release in pressure occurs when she finally sees the bone. Shot-reverse-shots were also used during conversations between the subject and both the woman and Mother. Eye-line matches were also incorporated during a scuffle between the woman and Mother. A jump-cutting montage was used when the subject and the woman escaped from the bunker and traveled to different locations within the vast badlands in which everything looked dead. Aside from general editing, it is safe to assume that virtual effects were potentially used when it came to Mother's costume, which I will discuss in just a moment.

Mis-Én-Scene: 

    The first part of mis-én-scene is costumes. In this film, Mother was a futuristic robot, an effect achieved by modeling the specialty suit after a real machine known as the Atlas robot, which was created by Boston Dynamics. The subject was seen wearing a red jumpsuit for the majority of the film and when she wasn't wearing that, it'd always been something red in color. The purpose of this was to have the subject pop out against the dull background of the bunker. As for the woman, she wore torn, raggedy clothing, a clear indication of her struggle for survival outside of the bunker. This movie wasn't really gory, however, when conducting surgery to extract the bullet from the woman's leg, prosthetics and fake blood were used as part of the movie's make-up aspect. Additionally, make-up was used to create a contrast between the way the woman was portrayed, looking dirty and disheveled, as opposed to the subject who was clean-cut and tidy.

    The lighting in the film at least inside of the bunker was a cool-toned, artificial bright white that made it seem like a very sanitized and sterile environment. This while the lighting outside of the facility was quite dull and much of the natural lighting was obscured by thick fog. 

    Since this film only had four actors in total, one of which was the baby, it was important that the acting was emotionally evocative. At the beginning of the movie, a flashback was used to show the subject as they had grown up with mother of the years, portraying how they'd forged a strong bond with each other from very early on. Once the subject figured out the truth, she seemed to have lost respect for her mother, her illusion of Mother having been shattered, making her take pride in being human and allowing her to adopt a brave demeanor. When it came to the woman, she was quite snappy, having quick responses, accompanied by weary and alert actions, which is to be expected because she was forced into an unfamiliar environment. 

    This film used numerous props, which all seemed to be very high-tech and technologically advanced, such as the subject's futuristic tablet and a large embryo container. The woman originally carried a gun on her when she first entered the bunker, before it had been confiscated. She also carries a sketchbook on her with various draining she's made over the years, but she does hold one page in higher regard than the others; that page being the one containing a drawing of her companion from long ago in the mines. The subject also used a flashlight when she explored the facility after dark and tried to uncover clues about Mother's true nature. 

    This film was set primarily in the bunker, but it did rotate between different areas of it. It explored the living quarters, the medical area, the airlock, and the nursery to name a few. The bunker looked modern and sleek, having been a very spacious location that was fit for hundreds of thousands of individuals despite only containing the subject at the time. Outside of the bunker, the subject encountered a vast wasteland in which she saw a beach, a cornfield, and other locations, all of which were dry and gray, making it look depressing and completely devoid of life.

Takeaways:

    This was a very interesting film that my group mates and I really enjoyed. One aspect I didn't get to touch on above was the director's choice to refrain from giving any of the subjects actual names and only referring to them as Daughter, Mother, Woman, and Brother, which I would argue is done to place humans and robots at the same level, stripping them of a name and using generic titles to refer to them. There were certain aspects of it that we did not like, such as the confusion regarding the layout of the bunker, which made it difficult for certain scenes to make sense, and also things that we cannot execute, like obtaining a location similar to that of the bunker and acquiring futuristic technologies. Outside of that, we had very few complaints about the film and do believe we can stand to learn more from it to better, specifically when it comes to acting, the use of jump cuts, and the incorporation of long shots.

Overall, I'd say that today was a very productive day and that it really seemed like my group members and I had a "hive mind" (They Might Be Giants 2013) since we were on the same page about so many things today.

Movie Conventions Blog: Brightburn- Superman Gone Wrong

    Hello! This marks my group and I's second blog for today, in which we will be discussing yet another film that is part of the science-fiction thriller genre, director David Yarovesky's 2019 film, "Brightburn."

Just like we did in the last blog, let's examine each piece of this film and see how exactly it fits into this specific genre. 

Camera Angles, Movement, and Shots:

    When it comes to the camera angles, movement, and shots, there were quite a few used throughout the movie. One of the most often used shots was the establishing shot which portrayed various locations including the subject's house, a barn, a school, a forest, and even a restaurant. Wide shots were also used in relation to location, specifically when attempting to show the scope of the subject's destruction. A combination of a wide long shot was used when the subject was high up in the air away from the ground to emphasize the vast distance between him both literally and metaphorically from the people on Earth. In addition, since the concept in the film was based around a powerful alien child, it makes sense as to why medium-close-up and full-body shots were used to create a sense of familiarity for the audience with the supporting, human characters of the film. Close-up shots were used when something bad was happening to the subject's victims in an attempt to capture their reactions and allow the audience to at least sympathize with their unfortunate situation. As with any film, two and three shots were used to demonstrate the dynamic between multiple subjects, particularly when 

    Point of view shots were not the most common, but were used when serious injuries occurred to refrain from showing too much gore, a key trait of thrillers, whilst also giving the audience the opportunity to empathize with the subject. Additionally, this type of shot was also used when a character was looking outside of a window, obscuring the audience's view and restricting them to being able to see only what one particular subject does. This, in turn, creates suspense as they are unaware of external threats outside of their field of vision. To take things up a notch and really increase the tension felt in the scene, the director also incorporated a shot of the threat itself's point of view looking in towards its unsuspecting victims. Up until a certain point in the film, the subject was sheltered, like when he was denied being given a gun for his birthday, but once he began to feel superior to others because of his powers, he decided to take control of his own life. This was manifested in the film's climax when the subject is shown from a low angle as he and his mother are suspended in the air. When he finally lets her go and she drops towards the ground, a high angle is used to show how little power and control she had over her situation and how her fate ultimately rested in the hands of her son, creating an interesting shift in the power dynamic between the two as he pushes his limits and breaks past them.

    Regarding camera movements, tracking shots were used during the subject's destructive episodes within his home as his mother frantically ran through her house looking for a place to hide. This, in turn, conveys to the audience how terrified she is, whilst also allowing them to show how large the house was as she struggled to find a safe place to hole herself up in, thereby making for quite an effective technique being that it uses up less screen time during the ninety-minute film by killing two birds with one stone. Panning was used to create feelings of apprehension as one of the subject's victims stared at him in fear as she knew she could do nothing to escape her horrid fate. Tilting was used on one occasion, when the subject's mother was dangling from the outside of her window sill, in attempting to show how weak and her efforts were unmatched to her son's power. A handheld camera shot was also used in the very beginning of the film when the subject's spaceship first struck the Earth which was done in an attempt to show the intensity of his impact. Slow zoom-ins were also used to show that the subject was about to strike after having made his presence known.  

Sound:

    Sound was crucial in creating a sense of anxiousness in this film. Throughout its entirety, the film, suspenseful, non-diegetic music was used to keep the audience from getting too comfortable as they wait in anticipation for the next death to occur. The volume of said sounds was heightened during tense moments to show that a character had grown more perceptive to threats posed by the primary subject out of fear they were experiencing. When it came to the silence of said sounds in the movie, it would typically occur when the subject would disappear and both his family and his victims would wait in fear as they grew more concerned for their safety by the second, with dialogue between characters or their ragged breathing being the only things heard.

    With that being said, dialogue was also quite important within the film as it cleared up all doubts the audience had regarding the subject's origins. The big reveal occurred when the subject's mother broke the news that he was from another planet to him. The dialogue also helped bring the relationships between the subject and other characters in the film to life, like when he told his crush that she was the only person who knew how special he was, making it seem as though she should feel honored to know that about him, feeding into his superiority complex. Moreover, the subject was beckoned to the spaceship by an unintelligible sound that eventually became the phrase 'Take the world'. 

Editing: 

    Editing was also a key aspect when it came to making this film as immersive as it was. When the film began, a series of jump cuts were used to create a short montage of the subject growing up normally, with no indication that he would eventually turn evil. The fact that this was staged in the past and functioned as a flashback was evidenced by the fact that the video is given the effect of having come from an old, family home video. Jump cutting was also used for a similar montage at the end of the film, which was comprised of television news reports that highlighted the extensive amount of destruction that the primary subject has caused when he was finally pushed past his breaking point upon killing his mother. With no one left who truly cares for him in the world, why should he care for it? During the film itself, a shot-reverse-shot is used when the subject is speaking to his aunt, a school counselor regarding how he felt about breaking his crush's hand, allowing the audience to see how apathetic he was towards the entire ordeal, an obvious contrast to his aunt's obvious concern about his wellbeing. Later on in the film, crosscutting is used when the subject murders his father, as the scenes jump between that taking place and his mother coming to the horrifying realization that her dear son had been the one behind all of the murders occurring around town. Eye-line matching was used primarily when the subject was killing the people he loved and cared for, like his mom, dad, and uncle to show the contrast between how little remorse and sympathy he felt, when compared to the fear, sadness, and regretfulness that flashed across his family members' faces as they lamented that things had unfolded the way that they did.

    As for the virtual effects, as in those added to the film during the post-production editing process, the subject's eyes turn red when he becomes frustrated as he kills people, inciting fear in both his victims and the audience. Furthermore, to allow the audience to grasp the subject's immense strength and seemingly limitless power, editing was conducted to make it seem as though he had enhanced capabilities which allowed him to fly and do so at very rapid speeds, and even having given him laser eyes.

Mis-Én-Scene: 

    When it comes to the costume aspect of mis-én-scene, when not on a murderous rampage, the subject wears normal, casual clothing, just like the rest of the cast, all of whom were dressed in attire that you might see every day when you're out and about. Unlike some science fiction films that include aliens, there was no use of any special effects to make the primary subject look inhuman; that was achieved by use of editing. As for make-up, it was only really relevant when a character's injuries were shown to show the extent to which they had been hurt. When the subject killed people, he would wear a homemade costume, comprised of a cape and a menacing mask, which was quite ironic because it's something that superheroes (whose powers the subject seems to have) typically wear to conceal their identity when they save innocent people. In a sense, the mask dehumanized him, just like in "Gemini Man.    

    Shifting gears to look at the lighting in this film, one thing that is noticeable right off the bat is the fact that the movie is staged mostly in the daytime, with the subject's killing sprees occurring at night (with the exception of his father). When the subject would near a location with electricity, the lights would begin to flicker, a clear warning that he was nearby. In addition, when anyone approaches the subject's spaceship, red lights begin to pulsate, likely foreshadowing the danger associated with the foreign object and the subject who originated from it. 

    Acting was really what helped make the movie become more impactful. At one point in the film, the subject removed his mask in front of his uncle, who was about to die, serving as a demonstration of the fact that he had no sympathy or mercy left for him and that the prospect of even convincing him to stop his destructive ways was long gone. In addition, acting was also extremely important in conveying the conflicted feelings that the father felt upon making the accusation that his son was the person behind all of the murders in town. 

    The next thing on the mis-én-scene list is props. At the start of the film, there are a number of different books shown that convey the fact that the subject's mother is infertile and has been struggling to have a child for quite a while, making the audience begin to question how she could've possibly had the child shown in the following montage. This creation of questions and intrigue in the audience is something we'd like to achieve with our final task. Another prop used in the film was a lawnmower, which served as the first indication that the subject was inhuman as he remained uninjured after coming in contact with its blades. Moreover, during a nightmare that the subject's dad had, his wife was holding a swaddled baby, which we assume to be a doll, to show how much she loves her alien child despite it not really being hers, proving that the father understands how difficult it will be to break the news to his wife that their son might be evil.

    The last component of mis-én-scene is the set. This film was confined mainly to one location, that being the subject's family's farm, including their house and their barn. This is due to the fact that they are situated in a rural town, so other locations are far apart and difficult to access. Regarding the barn, it contained a locked cellar in which the subject's spaceship was kept. As for places outside of their home, a restaurant and school were also used, serving as the site of the subject's first murder and the location where he first hatched his gruesome plans, broke his crush's hand, and drew weird symbols in his notebook, respectfully. 

Takeaways:

    We definitely enjoyed this film and it was certainly a refreshing take on alien superbeings. It acted as an interesting twist on the superhero trope, having given the subject powers, a mask, and even a cape, before making him out to be an unstoppable murder machine. I will say that I would like to stray away from gore and virtual effects are much as possible since this is a low-budget high school film and there are certain standards we must adhere to. We quite liked the fact that the film used point-of-view shots, included casual and easily-accessible clothing choices, and even managed to make the simple flickering of lights scary.

To close off this blog, I'd like to quote a lyric by the notorious Rick Astley because I promise that we're "Never gonna let you down" (1987). 

Movie Conventions Blog: Gemini Man- Seeing Double

     Hi there and Happy Valentine's Day! As you might have expected, today was time for us to take a more in-depth look into our genre, science-fiction thriller. Being that this genre is so vast and nuanced, my teammates and I have decided to thoroughly examine three films from the grouping of our choice, in order to ensure we would not be overwhelmed by the thousands of movies out there. With that being said, our first film of choice was director Ang Lee's 2019 film, "Gemini Man," starring the well-known Will Smith. 

To break down this film and see how it applies to the aforementioned genre, we'll need to analyze its use of various aspects which I have outlined below:

Camera Angles, Movement, and Shots:

    To begin with, all of the camera shots, angles, and movements used within the film did fall in line with the typical conventions of any given science-fiction thriller. During the film, the location changed multiple times; therefore, in an effort to make things as clear as possible for the audience, the director chose to incorporate establishing long shots which showed areas, such as a field, train station, and a city. These shots were often accompanied by some sort of panning motion that would eventually settle on a wide view of the landscape, alongside on-screen, embedded textual supplements, that were added in during the movie's editing stages, that would give the audience information regarding the name of the location itself, as well as the amount of time that had elapsed, preventing them from becoming confused in the event of a locational change or a flash-forward. In smaller locations, such as the primary subject's clone's bedroom, panning was USD to establish more context about that character specifically, for instance, it revealed that he was still a child, as evidenced by the LEGO sets scattered around his room, one who, due to his unfortunate circumstances, was having his childhood stripped away from him, In addition, the director attempted to create a contrast between the content lives of other characters irrelevant to the plotline in the film and the dire situation faced by the primary subjects by using long shots. When the director employed the use of a normal long shot, they would show a speeding vehicle that sped by the slow-paced pedestrians of a city to show how on-edge the subject was and how despite his troubles, life continued on for others. Extreme long shots were used when the director was trying to show how the location where the action would take place was lively and colorful, a luxury that the subject of the film could not experience. Wide shots were also used, but instead of only functioning to display a particular location, like that of a long establishing shot, they also revealed key information about the primary subject of the film. In multiple instances, wide shots were used to show the isolation of the subject, both literally and figuratively, both on land and in the ocean, a clear reflection of his internal feelings. 

    Throughout the film, I noticed that the use of eye-line matches and close-ups of the subject were typically reserved for moments of vulnerability when speaking to a trusted contemporary of his, especially when the topic at hand was a serious subject matter, almost as though the director wanted to the audience to make an emotional connection to their subject and understand where he was coming from. If that wasn't enough proof of the director's intentions already, close-up shots also showed the subject's reactions towards certain situations, the determination, fear, and pain he experienced. Likewise, the same shot and editing combination was used later on in the film as the antagonist began to rationalize his choices, all the while being shown from an undistorting angle, which then allowed the audience to either choose to sympathize with him or at the very least form their own judgments of him, not swayed by the opinions of the subject. The close-ups did also help to reveal certain physical features of the subject, such as his spade tattoo that other characters shared (which had no direct effect on the plot whatsoever), as well as his phone screen to alert the audience of potential threats from early on. For the better part of the movie, there were multiple subjects who remained from and center of each shot which meant that two and three shots, with medium close-up framing, were used in an attempt to relate the dynamic of each character to one another during a conversation, a normal interaction, or one of their introductions to the main group.

    In this movie, I noticed that there were quite a few subtle hints regarding the power structure of each side of the conflict. When it came time to portray either a threat to their position or a show of their dominance over a fellow character, the subjects would be shown at a low angle. As for when a younger, subordinate character or one who had been beaten up was shown, a high angle was used to show them in a position of powerlessness and defeat. During the fighting scenes within the film, medium shot framing was used to allow for more emphasis to be put on the emotions of the characters, whilst still giving the audience the chance to lose themselves in the action, something that this fill didn't ever seem to run out of. Over the shoulder shots were also very common and were used for a myriad of different purposes, from being used to capture a spy remaining covert and undetectable to showing a cold and calculating gunman whose emotions were obscured from the audience, painting them out to be an unremorseful killer, and even to allowing an intimate moment to be shared on-screen amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life in the background. Outside of such situations, the director stayed relatively consistent with their use of an eye-level angle.

    When looking at camera movements specifically, one will find that throughout the course of the film, zooming in was quickly attributed to a shocking revelation made by a subject, whereas tracking shots were used to capture the raw movement of characters and vehicles. One particular instance being when a tracking show included both the subject and their reflection in a nearby puddle, acting to produce a mirrored effect that played into the very concept of the film, that being that a clone was created of the main subject and was hunting him down. The handheld, shakey effect was also used in conjunction with a point of view shot and panning to simulate the unease the subject experienced as they looked around and when running away from a threat, essentially aiming to have the audience empathize with the subject as they navigated their way through tense moments with uncertain outcomes, something that is quite characteristic of any given science-fiction thriller. By using this effect, the director was also able to make it seem like the subject was hesitating to take action when a shot was settled on one area for an extended period of time.

Sound:

    In the movie, non-diegetic ominous music, whose pace would quicken as a threat approached, was used alongside ambient sounds, such as the chirping of crickets at night, to ensure that there was never an unintentional silence. Now, I say intentional silence because there were quite a few moments during the film that the director chose to make nearly devoid of sound entirely. Right before something bad happened in the film, the audience would be subtly keyed into it as silence would loom over the film, the birds would stop chirping, or a character would die, and following this silence, a loud, startling noise that would catch the audience of guard would be heard, such as a gunshot. In underwater scenes, the sound was muted to create a realistic and immersive effect.

    Furthermore, any tense, non-diegetic music accompanying a scene would stop temporarily when multiple characters were conversation as to ensure that the audience was aware of what they were discussing, and if a situation had become hopeful, the audio would change to adopt a more uplifting melody. Having said that, we can now shift gears and go back to things the audience could actually hear in the film, the diegetic sounds if you will, and, as I've just stated, dialogue is one of them. In this movie, the dialogue was arguably the most vital source of information as it revealed things regarding the subject's sarcastic disposition with his repeatedly snarky remarks, his solitary background as he had no wife and no kids. It also provided details about the main threat to the subject, which was a "project" run by "Gemini" (even the name of the initiative itself clued the audience into the fact that there would be some kind of double involved since the zodiac sign is comprised of twins) to create a "new breed of soldiers," which hints at the films science fiction undertones and even explained the subject's inability to face himself in a mirror after all that he's done (which is really ironic since the entire film is based around him literally fighting a clone of himself), thereby establishing both the internal troubles of the subject, who was not desensitized to his killings, and the external conflict of fighting his clone. When it came to the subject's clone, the audience was also able to see that he was conditioned to behave in a certain way, one in which affection was quite limited as despite being called son by his adoptive father figure, he was trained to respond with a terse 'yes sir', almost as if he was a trained soldier. Aside from dialogue, I also liked the use of diegetic music to illustrate the comical personality of a secondary subject, as well as the creation of an echo when another character cried out in desperation, hoping to find some sort of solace and reassurance that she wasn't alone when she heard her voice.

Editing:

    Over the course of watching the film, I began to notice that there were quite a few editing techniques that seemed to be continuously repeated, likely because they effectively fit the director's vision. One of these editing effects was the use of slow-motion visuals when a threat approached to build suspense, or when the subject would narrowly avoid a split-second hit. Blurring was also used when focusing on a specific gadget, the expression of a particular character, as they cried, for example, and even certain aspects of the set, as it removed the focus from a living subject where the audience's attention would normally drift. I also saw that shot-reverse-shots were often used to capture certain reactions, no matter what a subject's affiliation was in the film, having shown the antagonist as he flinched with a twinge of remorse before returning to the high ground, for instance. Being that thrillers intend to build up tension and suspense, it was essential that these feelings were not disrupted by unnecessary transitions, sp when switching between locations, cross dissolving was used to blend scenes together. On one occasion, it was used for a flashback, which was made clear to the audience by the director's choice to use a black and white filter on scenes from that time. Going back to inter-scene transitions, crosscutting was also used as it did not disturb the natural flow of the film and was able to jump between what was happening with members on either side of the conflict at any given time, whilst also switching in between two fights, so that when there was a lull in one, the audience was put right into the middle of the height of another, keeping them engaged and intrigued. 

    Another thriller convention I saw in the movie was its use of cutaways before anything gory happened on-screen, as that is something reserved primarily for the horror genre. Now, when speaking in terms of less general editing, I also thought that the hundreds of virtual effects used on Will Smith to produce a "clone" of himself were not only way out of our budget, but overall quite impressive due to their hyperrealism that made it almost believable. Once the film actually came to a close, a fade-out was used, which to me, signaled the official conclusion to the movie, but not to the happy ending that the film's characters would continue to live out.

Mis-Én-Scene: 

    To me, mis-én-scene is really the make or break of whether or not a movie draws me in and convinces me, at least for a moment that everything I'm seeing on-screen could truly be plausible for all of the events that transpire to not only make sense, but leave a lasting impression on me.

    First on the list of mis-én-scene is costumes. In the movie, the antagonists are seen donning black articles of clothing, an indication of their affiliation with the "dark side" (for lack of a better word). At one point in the movie, the subject's clone wore a dark-colored mask, dehumanizing him and painting him out to be the ultimate threat as he had seemingly foregone any sense of compassion that he may have had. This whilst the primary subjects are outfitted in rather casual wear, with the main subject himself actually wearing things like an old, worn-out baseball cap, plain-looking t-shirts, and an informal jacket for most of the movie, which ties into the fact that he leads a modest life. Make-up didn't really have much of an effect in this film as it did not rely on any sort of prosthetics or extravagant make-up looks to drive a point home.

    Next up for mis-én-scene is lighting. During the movie, dark settings were used, so lighting was limited to that of which was produced by artificial fixtures. In addition, flashing red lights were present to indicate danger. When outside, natural lighting was used to show that the subject could not escape said danger, no matter the time of day.

         After lighting comes acting, which I feel was important in creating both contrasts and parallels between the subject and his clone. From the very beginning of the film, the primary subject was shown to be the type of individual that always counts his blessings and holds deep gratitude for the luck he receives every day. This was indicated by the fact that he lit a candle in memorial for someone who he had assassinated earlier in the day, meaning that despite understanding the need to carry through with the kill, he still holds some sort of respect or remorse for his victims. In addition, the subject is shown speaking comfortably with friends from his past, illustrating that despite feeling alone in terms of the way he feels inside, he is still able to make lasting connections with those around him. Furthermore, since the subject's clone is a younger version of himself, I thought it was interesting that the director chose to make this known by having the older subject be less agile when fighting, whereas his clone was significantly more dextrous and nimble. 

    As for props, it seemed as though modern-day weaponry, specifically guns, was used the most. There were, of course, small details hidden within the use of other props, like mirrors, which are commonly used when a doppelganger is involved, quite fitting since the movie is about the subject's double, beverages, such as the fact that the subject chose to drink a soda, whereas his former assassination companion opted for a beer, a clear nod to the fact that while, as revealed by dialogue, the subject has not yet come to terms with what he has done in the past, he has not resorted to alcoholism to drown out his troubles and regrets, and even boats, being that the subject was shown on a smaller boat and one of his closest friends was shown on a very large one, making it seem as though the subject is not at all jealous of his friend's successes and is instead content with what he has. 

    Finally, as I've previously stated, the film is set in a number of different locations worldwide, including a fake training facility, catacombs, and foreign cities. When it came to those locations, the cities were shown to be bright and colorful, acting as a direct contrast with the film's dark tone and eerie premise. In addition, the use of catacombs, an already morbid place to begin with, conveyed a sense of tension, danger, and imminent doom to the audience as that would be the first enclosed location that the subject and his clone would face off in. On occasion, rain would also be shown in the film, acting to express how hopeless the situation had seemed for the subject until things turned around for him.

Takeaways:

    When watching movie, I certainly felt that there was a lot that my group members and I could learn from to be able to produce our final task. Looking first at the faults that I found in the film, I'd like to begin by stating that this was a very ambitious project, but I am quite disappointed with its execution. One of the main flaws I found with the film was its use of certain shots, particularly close-ups, to highlight details that were meant to be subtle and make them more obvious. While this may not seem like a poor production choice at first glance, consider that the spade tattoo on the subject's wrist was shown and focused on multiple times only to have no relation to the film at the end of the day. Nothing was revealed about the tattoo that contributed to the storyline in any way, so it made those shots seem like filler whose sole purpose was to make the film longer, not that it needed to be since it was less than five minutes away from hitting the two-hour-long mark. With that being said, my group and I all agreed that we'd personally prefer to see meaningful shots that contain discreet clues within them but don't make them the main focus of the shot so that we can still address more important aspects while still giving the scene "easter eggs" for the audience to pick out and use to try to piece together what they believe might be going on. 

    Now, this might be personal preference, but I thought the physical combat was excessive at times and actually took away any real substance from the film, as reached the point where I myself began to question where the "thriller" part of the film was, as there was no longer a doubt in my mind, no sort of suspense being created, as to who would triumph in the end because of the movie's predictable and repetitive plot. Moreover, the fact that the film included a flashback is not something that I found bad with it per se, but it is definitely not something that we can include in our video being that we won't have enough time to establish that it is a flashback since we're making the opening to a film. In an effort to not be a complete cynic (today's Wordle word of the day which we got in three tries), I will highlight some of this film's positive characteristics. I did find the acting in the movie to be pretty good and the chemistry between the subjects was quite apparent. Whilst the cross dissolving wasn't my favorite thing, I will agree that it was well-placed in the movie and was effective in maintaining consistency and continuity with its shots. Furthermore, I was also a fan of the film's use of point-of-view shots. While this may not have been the best film ever released, it is certainly one from which we can learn and improve.

You know, after watching this film, I've started to question whether or not I really am the person that I think I am, which I feel that "Weird Al" Yankovic really captured with the statement "I think I'm a clone now" (1988).

Genre Blog: Final Decision- The Time Has Come

    Hello there! I see you've returned because you're curious on which genre we chose to go with. Well, you'll be happy to hear that we've ultimately decided to merge two of the genres we researched together, those being science fiction and thriller. By making the choice to dapple in two genres at once, we can truly showcase all that we’ve learned over our filming journey by combining elements from either category and then putting our own spin on things to produce a truly comprehensive work. You may be wondering why I have yet to make mention of the comedy genre, well that’s because we chose to discard said genre due to its subjective nature and the obvious difficulty of being able to establish enough context during the opening of the film to have the jokes and one-liners we make really stick. We came to this conclusion by noting the similarities between the two genres, particularly when it came the camera angles and shots that they used. Said likenesses included their respective uses of close-ups, dutch tilts, and tracking shots. We were also very fond of the fact that we could manipulate the conventions of either genre to our liking by combining them into one. For example, by incorporating the thriller genre into our final task, we will be able to fully immerse our audience into the emotionally-charged, suspense-filled piece we will be creating. Moreover, we will also be able to create an unpredictable plotline, in which, as I've mentioned in an earlier blog, we will be able to drop subtle clues at to what is really going on. Unlike other genres, this will encourage our audience to pay more attention to details that are often overlooked and find meaning in the minute. This, in turn, will allow us to dedicate more time during our opening to show more of the film, whilst the actual context is established through the set and props rather than through actual dialogue, leaving the audience wanting more as they question what they've just seen, and making our opening all the more effective. As for our inclusion of the science fiction genre in our final task, we intend to use it as a way to expand the possibilities of our opening past those that can be easily explained, such as the overused home invasion plot, as we can now explore more bizarre scenarios, thereby making it more enthralling. Moreover, we can then use the foley method and create interesting sound effects with items we can easily access at home. This then lets us be more creative and gives us the opportunity to test out new methods and see how well they work for our purposes. 

    Overall, we have found that combining science fiction and thriller into a singular genre would be the most practical option for our purposes. This comes from the fact that we will be able to save time and money as we do not need to go in search of complicated costumes or hard-to-find locations, as we can instead use casual clothing and the same convenient location we had already intended on using from the very beginning. Furthermore, we will be able to warp expectations and leave much of our film's plot up to the imagination without stripping away its impactfulness. These very elements are what constitute an exceptional movie opening, so our final task sure to be great! 

To end things off for today, I'd like to say that while this genre research has been tiring, it is certainly something we couldn't have done without, it's just one of those "...bare necessities..." (Bruce Reitherman and Phil Harris 1967).

Genre Blog: Comedy- Gags and Gimmicks

    Hi! The final genre we will be exploring is comedy. Comedy is arguably the most difficult genre to get down, because something is either funny or it's not, which is entirely up to the audience to decide. However, there are some tried and true techniques used for directors of the genre that seem to carry across it as a whole because they are so effective. To understand these filming choices, we'll need to examine the basic concepts of filming with regard to this specific genre.

Camera Angles, Movement, and Shots:

        In the comedy genre as a whole, there seems to be this running idea that shots should be more close-up and in your face, so to speak, in order to direct the scene’s focus onto a specific subject. This is why close-ups and extreme close-ups are commonly seen as part of the genre, approaching uncomfortably close distances with the subjects and essentially invading their space. This is taken to an extreme in a number of different films, where fourth wall breaks occur as the camera and the subjects influence one another, a refreshing decision that differs from other genres which make the audience feel like spectators who, although are immersed occasionally in the action, don't really feel as though they are "part" of the movie. A noteworthy example of this occurs with a zoom-in that takes place during the film Spaceballs (1987) where the Dark Helmet is hit with the camera. Zooming in is also used for comedic effect. For instance, in the 2005 film, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, an exaggerated zoom-out is used to emphasize a point and then take it a bit further until it becomes so absurd that people find it funny. Now, if the film intends to show the awkward or ridiculous interactions between multiple characters, it will use two shots, three shots, and medium shots being that the director wishes to not place the focus on the scenery, but rather on the subjects and the trouble they run into. Having said that, point-of-view shots are also incorporated into comedies as they make it seem as though the viewer is experiencing the event in real-time, almost as if they are a subject in the film themselves; this was seen in the 2009 movie Year One. Establishing shots are often used to create context for the location of the film, such as in the beginning few scenes of Good Burger (1997) where the "fine dining establishment" location and appearance are revealed. This is certainly a shot that my group and I believe to be essential to any film, so it will probably be something we include in our final task. Tracking shots are also used when giving the audience a clear insight into the life of a subject, usually as they prepare themselves for the day. High angles are used to emphasize the power dynamic that one character holds over another, as seen in Matilda with Mrs. Trunchbull’s imposition of power of the children at the school. This while low angles are used to create an ironic effect, like in 21 Jump Street (2012). 

    As for camera movements, whip panning, which is essentially a more rapid version of a pan, is used to create misdirection by disrupting the momentum of a scene, whilst simultaneously adding energy to a shot, as seen in the 2007 movie Hot Fuzz. This is another technique that my group and I thought was very interesting because it is not reserved solely for the comedic genre, but can also be applied to a wide array of other film types. As for tilts, they are typically used for underwhelming reveals, like Top Secret! (1984), which quickly dissipates the sense of tension and urgency a pair of enemy boots created. 

Sound:

    When looking at the sounds used in comedy, one will automatically see that the use of sound effects is more prominent here than it is in any other genre. This is because audio gags are often used in comedic films, such as with the inclusion of bodily humor or exaggerated noises when a subject is injured, for example. Sounds can also be used to create a contrast between the subject's perception of themselves and what others truly see. Moreover, at the very beginning of a comedy, a particular song will often be used which gives the audience an idea of the type of person that the main character will be, as with Legally Blonde (2001).

Editing: 

    In comedy, editing is effective in breaking up pacing as a means of achieving a comedic effect, hence why comedies tend to use more outdated techniques like a dissolve when a subject was daydreaming. By using choppier transitions, the quality of the film is not lowered, but the director is able to use these faults to make the movie funny. In addition, in the opening scenes of some comedies, interesting fonts are used to capture the attention of the audience, like with the movie Little Rascals in 1994. In the movie Mean Girls (2004), a split-screen effect was also used during phone calls. 

Mis-Én-Scene: 

    One of the key components of mis-én-scene is costumes. With comedies, subjects are often seen making laughable clothing choices made depending on the joke being made, perhaps a clown costume will make an appearance depending on how old the piece is, or a subject's clothing will be extremely mismatched, which may or may not lead to the humiliation of said character. Moreover, in films like Edward Scissorhands (1990), the primary has literal scissors for hands, an absurd concept that serves as a visual representation of how different he is from others in society.

    In comedies, scenes have colorful and have lively backgrounds which is achieved by the inclusion of bright, soft, and high-key narrative lighting. This lighting is often maintained throughout the entirety of the film unless a joke about the seriousness of a subject is to be made, in which case directors may opt to using these darker color schemes for only dramatic effect.

    Makeup is often used to make characters look very bizarre and have overexaggerated features. For example, in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) a father dresses as an older woman, adorned with prosthetics and a wig, so that he can visit his kids after he has a feud with his wife and can no longer see them as himself. 

    The props used in comedies vary widely, but over the years, things like weapons, puppets, and breakable furniture have all been used, so the possibilities are virtually endless. 

    Comedies cannot be confined to one location as humor can flourish anywhere; however, most comedies are set in schools, like School of Rock (2003), office spaces, and even the outdoors.

Takeaways:

    The comedy genre is definitely interesting. There are so many different avenues that someone can choose to take when exploring the comedy genre, which makes it all the more entertaining. I feel like my group and I were all very captivated by the genre's use of zoom-in's, close-ups, high angles, establishing shots, and whip panning. This is because of the fact that these shots are not only easy to execute, but also make for a very animated and dynamic film.

    If we choose to go with a comedic genre, we'll be sure that when it comes to your laughter, you won't be able to "...hold it back anymore..." (Idina Menzel 2013). 

Genre Blog: Thriller- Scaring Your Socks Off

     Welcome back! The next genre we decided to work on was thrillers. The thriller genre is one of gripping suspense, unpredictability, and uncertainty, which, unlike horror, focuses on the less gory aspects of scaring an audience. Using the same method as before, we'll take a look into what makes up a thriller and determine whether or not we can use its conventions in a work of our own.

Camera Angles, Movement, and Shots:

    In the thriller genre, the director's primary intent is to unnerve the audience without resorting to gore to do so, granted, while this may mean that they sometimes resort to cheap jump scares to creep out the audience, I would say that their use of camera angles and shots is also quite effective in getting the audience on edge.

    Eye-level shots are the most used within the thriller genre and can be seen during normal conversations or when a subject looks off-screen in fear of an unspecified threat. I believe that the latter of the two could potentially be something that we use in our final task that may not be as scary as completely leaving the audience in the dark. Moreover, it also keeps us from wasting time and money in designing some sort of menacing figure, as opposed to simply leaving our audience questioning the truth behind it all, which is more effective being that we are producing an opening scene that we wish to use to draw the attention of our audience in. High angles are typically used to make a subject seem impotent in the face of something much greater than them, creating a sense of impending doom. One specific example was in 2010, with the movie Shutter Island, where a doctor is pushed into a desk by Leonardo Decaprio's character and then quickly begins to scramble for incriminating documents to present to him. 

    In addition, dutch tilts can be used for a multitude of reasons, either to make it seem as though a subject has gone insane, to generate unfamiliarity in the sense, or even to create tension as seen in Law Abiding Citizen (2009) where a character is strapped into a bed as they await a lethal injection. This sort of shot was something my group and I particularly liked due to its simplicity in filming and its versatility. When it comes to camera movements, both tilts and pans are used for dramatic reveals as they effectively obscure the entirety of the scene and build up to a release in tension. Close-ups and extreme close-up shots are used to give the audience an authentic view of the character's feelings, which are usually ones of sorrow, hence why the backgrounds of said shots are often blurred as to not remove the focus from the emotion that is building up during the scene. Over-the-shoulder shots are used in thrillers to make conversations seem more impersonal and cold, like in Parasite (2019), where a mother and the CEO of a pizza company engaged in a tense discussion. Tracking shots are used in thrillers to simulate the effect of a character being stalked or watch, whereas point-of-view shots are used to give the audience an understanding of how helpless a subject feels, giving them the opportunity to empathize with them. Even zooming in can be used in the thriller genre as it works to convey a moment of realization for a subject, a turning point that they can no longer return from.

Sound:

    When it comes to sound, diegetic noises that are commonly attributed to thrillers, such as sobbing, screaming, footsteps, whispering, and banging are all good ways to keep the audience, like the subject, always on guard, especially when the sounds occur unexpectedly and are able to frighten viewers. As for non-diegetic sounds, stings are used to add suspense as they used high-pitched string instruments and piano keys to make unsettling sounds. When something bad is about to happen in a thriller, the background music, if any, will begin to adopt a quickened pace, which can either mislead the audience by building up to nothing, or by creating a sense of heightened tension that is eventually released with a well-planned scare.

Editing:

    Despite editing techniques often being used to make transitions between scenes smoother, in the thriller genre, they seem out of place. This is because they break up the build-up in tension in the film. Now, while you might see an occasional shot-reverse-shot when the situation warrants it, during a conversation for instance, or a cutaway when the need to shift focus between two points overshadows an action sequence, that's about it in the editing department.

Mis-Én-Scene:

    Costumes and makeup in thrillers often consist of more casual, everyday wear as they discuss events that can occur to real people. Oftentimes, one might see someone wearing a typical psychiatrist outfit consisting of a pair of glasses and neat clothing, as in the case of a psychological thriller for example. 

    With lighting, thrillers are often dark, which is done purposefully with the intent to limit the audience's view of the entire scene, as to build suspense.

    As for acting, subjects in thrillers are often shown going crazy and losing sight of themselves, so out of place laughter and smiling are common, along with more serious interactions between characters. Now, while the dialogue can reveal important aspects regarding the context of the film, it should not be heavily relied on, being that said elements should instead be incorporated into the set itself, as a way to optimize screen time and provide small hints to the audience. Therefore, while the twist in a thriller is unexpected, it still makes sense.

    In thrillers, props including knives, masks, and even cellular devices are relied upon to drive the story along and make it more relatable to the audience, as they might've chosen to use the same everyday items as the subject in the film to protect themselves for example, and have faced a similar somber fate.

    Finally, the set of thrillers varies widely being that the genre can be subdivided into a myriad of different categories, but thrillers are frequently shown to take place in locations that are familiar to both the subject and viewer, for example within a household. This is done to remove any sense of comfort or solace that the subject and audience could've found, by stripping away their feelings of safety in what was once a sanctuary, something that we could also do in our final task.

Takeaways:

   The thriller genre is quite nuanced in the sense that it has very particular aspects that set it apart from the rest of the genre line-up. Therefore, we were able to pick out certain conventions that we would like to include in our final task, such as eye-level and close-up shots, tilting, panning, dark lighting, and perhaps an occasional cutaway.

Since we're posting so late, I feel as though the King of Pop himself would've said, "...this is thriller, thriller night" (Michael Jackson 1982).

Genre Blog: Science Fiction- Shooting For The Stars

     Greetings Earthling, we come in peace! Today we worked on conducting research regarding what the genre of our final task would be. The first stop on our list was to examine the science-fiction genre and its conventions. Before I delve into that though, I would like to state how interesting I find science fiction to be as it is such a versatile genre, with the films nestled within the category ranging from being about gritty post-apocalyptic scenarios, to futuristic interstellar escapades, to nail-biting alien invasions, and even to mind-warping time travel-twisted plots. All of the aforementioned concepts each fit into science fiction's standard, yet vague definition of being a genre in which a fictional story concerning futuristic or imagined hypotheticals and their effect on society is created. With that being said, it should make sense as to why every science fiction film has a few underlying similarities with its counterparts, which make the genre instantly recognizable. To understand these commonalities, we'll need to look at the fundamental components of any film, which I've outlined below. 

Camera Angles, Movement, and Shots:

    The science fiction genre is riddled with a variety of different camera angles and shots being that it is so diverse. We were able to locate some shared similarities within the realm of science fiction, one of which was the use of wide shots. Said shots are typically used for capturing exoplanetary settings and often showcase a singular planet from a distance that also reveals the surrounding space, with one notable example was when Earth was shown in the 2013 hit, Gravity, or when providing the audience with a larger view of the setting when faced with unfamiliar, strange terrains, like with The Martian in 2015. A similar effect is achieved by the use of long shots in movies like Risen (2021). While these shots are impressive, the first of the two might be difficult to achieve unless we drive up to Cape Canaveral one of these weekends and hitch a ride on one of Space X's Dragon shuttles. Moving on, we also noticed that close-up shots are used when it comes to capturing the awe that subjects find themselves in when exploring the unknown, like in the movie Avatar (2009), or when conveying a sense of tension when, such as in the movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Being that such a simple shot is so effective, it is something that we would like to include in our final task. Eye-line matches, which are part of editing, are also used in conjunction with close-up shots as they are able to convey a shared, sometimes intense emotion between multiple subjects. Furthermore, extreme close-ups are often used to showcase a change in a subject, perhaps one in which a physical transformation occurs, or in the case of the 2005 film, The Jacket, the audience is clued into the fact that the subject is time traveling, shifting from one place to another. In terms of when characters are speaking to one another, two shots, tracking shots, over-the-shoulder shots, shot reverse shots, and each type of medium shot can be seen depending on the situation and the way in which the characters are conversing. 

    The use of eye-level angles is something that all science fiction films share as they work to make the audience feel comfortable, being that they can identify themselves in a subject and find a sense of familiarity amongst the foreign lands and creatures that said actor encounters along the way. This undistorted view of the subject is also essential in films because it then allows the audience to form their own opinions regarding said subject, so it is likely that we will also try to include this in our film. As for dutch tilts, we did find them to be quite interesting as it plays off of the audience's unfamiliarity with a situation and then further disorients them, something that was quite effective in movies like Inception in 2010. Regarding low angles, they are often used to put the villains in a position of power, as seen during the agent chase scene in The Matrix (1999). Moreover, they can also be used to capture vast, vertical landscapes in large cities, often becoming paired with the use of a tilt. 

    On the topic of camera movements, panning is sometimes used along with a point of view shot to make it seem like the audience is taking in the scenery or events directly through the eyes of the subject themselves. Additionally, panning can be used when a character is hit or flung, until it ultimately settles on the subject once they've made an impact with an object or the ground, as shown in Love and Monsters (2020). Likewise, during action-packed scenes where running occurs, handheld camera recording is conducted to make the shots look shakey and make it seem as though the viewers are right alongside the subject, a trick used in movies like Jurrasic Park (1993). 

Sound:

    In science fiction films, sound is a crucial element, whether it is employed with the use of clever sound effects or within a carefully-crafted soundtrack, like in Interstellar, where Hans Zimmer incorporated a ticking sound on one planet to represent the time passing by on Earth. What's interesting about the sounds in science fiction films is that because so many of the props and concepts films use are nonexistent today, directors need to rely on alternative methods of producing meaningful sound effects; hence why they turn to foley. Foley is essentially when sound effects are added after the shooting of the actual film, and it opens up the avenue for directors to be more inventive with sounds by the use of readily available, household objects, which means that we can achieve these same effects in our own film. For example, in the 2018 film, A Quiet Place, lettuce was cracked to simulate the sound of the alien creature's ear opening and listening for noise. Foley can be also used to make objects emit sounds louder than they normally do to ensure that they are heard by the audience, such as when the lights in a spaceship, which can be captured by closing a DVD case, or when a distinct metallic clank occurs, which can be simulated by hitting a spoon against a pot, which lie in the background as ambient noise. These sounds which are often overlooked are vital in allowing the film to create an immersive environment for the audience, whether they are produced organically or synthetically. In addition, some sounds such as those emitted from otherworldly creatures can be obtained by pitching up human or animal noises. Within the science fiction genre, one will also encounter the widespread use of leitmotifs, such as with the introduction of subjects like the infamous Darth Vader in the Star Wars saga. Incidental music is also common as helps make a scene more dramatic, as with the reveal of the brachiosaurs in Jurassic Park.

Editing:

    The science fiction genre is one of the newer genres to be introduced to the media industry and for good reason. Looking back to when the science fiction genre had its first official "take-off", one will find that it was only popularized about three centuries ago, which really isn't that far back in the grand scheme of things. One might make the conjecture that this was when people became more interested in the future and the possibilities it held, enthralled by a distant time that they'd never get to experience and seeking comfort in their attempts to capture what might one day be. On the other hand, the science fiction genre may have only begun to gain traction within the past few hundred years because of the technological advancements occurring that enabled the genre to be truly revolutionary. To understand what I mean by that, consider the words "science fiction films," and take note of what first comes to mind. Often times when the phrase is uttered, one's mind will drift to the likes of Avatar, Star Wars, and its derivatives, and the Jurrasic Park media franchise, and it does so rightfully being that those three titles occupy the top three spots on the highest-grossing science fiction films worldwide of all time. 

    As I've stated earlier in this blog, the science fiction genre can manifest itself in many different forms as is evidenced by the fact that each of the aforementioned films have entirely different storylines, and yet all managed to be so successful. At this point, it is clear that they must share some sort of commonality in terms of their conventions, which in this case, just so happens to be with their editing, specifically their use of groundbreaking virtual effects. Now, obviously, being that they were films with such large budgets, this makes sense, so while virtual effects are something we can respect, then we likely not be able to include them into our final task as we need to meet specific deadlines and cannot afford to fall behind schedule when attempting to incorporate elements we are unfamiliar with operating.

    Speaking in terms of more general effects, my group and I did find that techniques like the inclusion of inserts were effective in providing tidbits of information that later prove to be significant, working as a Chekhov's Gun of sorts. In addition, cutaways are also used in action scenes to quickly switch between the conflict and the subjects involved in it, giving the audience the chance to recognize the scope of the issue as well as the individual characters' reactions to it. This was shown in movies like The Tomorrow War, 2012, and even in Avengers: Endgame. Another notable tactic employed by cinematographers is crosscutting, which is used to ramp up tension until two points converge as one. This was utilized in particular in Christopher Nolan's film, Tenet, which was a rather well-selected choice being that the film is based on traveling forward and backward through time until it meets at a singular point. We will likely be unable to use this technique within our own film since we have a time limit of two minutes. 

Mis-Én-Scene: 

    Within the category of mis-én-scene, one of the most recognizable elements is that of costume design. When it comes to costumes in science fiction films, they are often more elaborate than those of other genres as they seek to portray a time or situation that has never, or will likely never actually transpire. This gives directors the creative liberty to do whatever they please in terms of character design and consequently a subject's outward appearance. Oftentimes, science fiction films, particularly those with more dystopian undertones, will use costume design to separate classes or join people as one in an attempt of oppression, either by having those in higher classes wearing more gaudy clothing, like in The Hunger Games (2012) by equalizing everyone and having them all wear the same, dull clothing, as with Equals in 2015. When it comes to films based in post-apocalyptic scenarios, subjects will often wear torn, dirty articles of clothing to emphasize the struggles and strife that had to overcome to survive another day, such as with the Maze Runner in 2014. Along with costumes comes the use of make-up, particularly prosthetics like when bringing an alien species or zombie to life (ironic I know). With the use of said body modifications, film crew members are able to alter the eyes, body shape, and skin color of subjects, like with Gamora in the 2014 Marvel film, Guardians of the Galaxy to make the movie more "realistic."

    The next aspect of mis-én-scene is lighting. In science fiction films, one will see that when taking place in more futuristic scenarios, neon colors are often incorporated to feed into an oversaturated look when depicting a utopian society, whereas blue tones are used along with unnatural lighting to create a clean-cut, sterile, and cold feel, such as in the movie Blade Runner, contributing to this feeling of detachment felt by the audience as they are unable to entirely relate to the situation and the subject. Occasionally, extremely bright lighting will be used, such as when a subject slowly comes to after having been knocked out, or when a subject is being beamed up into a spaceship during an alien abduction, or even to showcase the intensity of the light outside if a subject had been underground or in the dark for an extended period of time. That is not to say that dull and dark lighting isn't used as well, being that it is effective in obscuring certain elements of the scene.

    Shifting gears and focusing on the acting aspect of science fiction films, one will see that aside from a director's proficiency in using camera shots and angles compellingly, the quality of any movie and how interesting it is to an audience also hinges on the subject's performance and whether or not it is convincing enough to evoke an emotional connection or reaction from the audience. This then becomes the reason why close-up shots are so commonly used in this genre as they have the ability to capture more intimate, stirring emotions than one might catch from a more distant shot. Of course with acting comes dialogue, which should be evocative as it will not only provide expository, worldbuilding information, but it will also help to deepen the bond that an audience will inevitably develop with the primary subject over the course of the film. Hence why when it comes to creating the opening of our film, we must use acting in a way that makes an improbable scenario seem possible and really sell it to the audience by ensuring that they are completely immersed in the storyline, dialogue, and action of our video. This will be done by preventing our dialogue from becoming dull and having it drag on with the incorporation of unnecessary information.

    In science films, as previously mentioned, many of the included topics or materials are not real, so props consist of very interesting, technologically advanced gadgets. Said gadgets are typically weapons of some sort, such as futuristic guns or even lightsabers, but they can also include various methods of transport and even communication devices. Some examples of vehicles often seen in the genre include hoverboards like in the ever-iconic 1985 Back to the Future movie, spaceships, and even flying cars. Regarding apparatuses used for transmissions, cutting-edge computers, earpieces, and even holograms, like in Iron Man 2 (2010). Even robots and artificial intelligence are incorporated as props. 

    Science fiction movies are, for the most part, set in the future, so more fantastical locations can be used, such as the interior of a spaceship, as seen in the 2016 movie Passenger, for instance. Other films that take place in barren locations or off of planet Earth entirely will have filming crews resort to traveling to various places across the globe that have scenery that resembles the vision of the director, such as lush rainforests or arid deserts. If they are unable to find a location that meets their filming needs, they may often choose to build the entire set from scratch or use extensive CGI to fill in the gaps, which is something that we won't be able to do on our limited budget, that being the reason why we chose to have our pitch be based around a closet inside of someone's house.

Takeaways:

    The science fiction genre is very complex, offering a wide assortment of different shots, angles, and locations. Being that we are high school students, there are limitations to what we can actually produce, so we'll likely need to stay away from the incorporation of visual effects and we will also need to make do with the locations we have readily available. Since our pitch already laid out the fact that our final task would be set in a house, the latter of the two isn't an issue. With that being said, we can focus on including close-up and eye-level shots, dutch tilts, panning, titling, cutaways, and inserts, so if we do choose to stick with the science fiction genre,  all hope is not lost. 

Other than those inherent limitations, I'd say that the sky is the limit, so in the words of the inspirational, intergalactic hero, Buzz Lightyear, "To infinity and beyond(!)" (Toy Story 1995).

Our Pitch Blog: From Pitch to Premise

    Hey again! Today we worked on narrowing down our ideas for our final task until we were left with two pitches to choose from before making an official decision. In order to even come up with our pitches, we first needed to ensure that we could actually produce the opening to a full-length film from these conceptualizations, hence why we first brainstormed a list of potential plots and eliminated any pitches that we couldn't flesh out, leaving us with the two you see here. We also evaluated the logistics of each of our choices as you will see below because we didn't want to commit to something that we couldn't follow through on, as that would cause us to fall behind schedule and leave us with a seemingly perfunctory piece of work that would not encapsulate how much effort we truly put in. With that out of the way, I can now introduce to you the two pitches in question.

Pitch A:

It was just a normal day at home, but after stepping into their closet, things are about to take an unexpected turn for this teenager.

    My group and I were open to this idea from the very beginning being that it offered up so many different ways of playing out. To us, it was like a rabbit hole that we couldn't help but want to get lost in and explore. As with any concept in its early stages, even though we might favor an idea, it is important to be realistic before making a finalized decision. Having said that, we will need to look at multiple aspects related to filming in general, the first of which is casting. In our prompt, we defined our subject to be a young adult, and being that we are teenagers, it would be quite easy for us to use someone we know is willing to participate as our protagonist. 

    With that out of the way, we would also need to consider the location in which we would be filming. As stated in our pitch, the film would be set in the subject's home; therefore, it is highly likely that all of our filming would be confined to one general location, which may cause the audience to lose interest if the cinematography is not executed correctly. Now, whilst filming in one location may not seem like much of an advantage at first glance, one should also consider the high transport costs that come as a result of gas prices and time lost due to traffic (especially since we live in Florida) that we would have otherwise run into had we chosen to vary our film's locations.  Filming in one location will not only allow us to optimize our time, but it will also give us the opportunity to become familiar with our set, meaning that we may very well discover certain features that will enable us to attain a shot that may not have been otherwise possible. To further drive this point to "home base", one can simply see how successful other producers have been with using this tactic, with M. Night Shyamalan who has created the hit television show "Servant," which is based entirely in one house, and Andrew Meyer having led the production on the blockbuster flick, "The Breakfast Club," which was filmed entirely in one school. 

    Going back to filming considerations, we must also look to perhaps one of the most essential factors, our budget. As briefly mentioned early, using one location gives us a huge advantage in the fact that it lowers travel costs by minimizing mobility, keeping us from spending a substantial amount of money during production, which, seeing as we are relatively broke high schoolers who don't have access to the latest, state of the art film equipment that professional studios and producers do, and we need to operate on limited resources, is something that this pitch allows us to do. In my book, I'd call this pitch a major win, a real "home run" if you will. 

    Likewise, since our subject is a teenager, it won't be difficult for us to obtain casual clothing for them to wear (it is set in their home after all), so we can tick that off of our list of matters that needed to be addressed. Since all of the necessary resources for this filming project can be acquired on short notice it makes this pitch a great candidate for our official premise.

Pitch B: 

A kid finds out that their imaginary friend is not who they seem. 

    This was another pitch that we had come up with. We thought that this would be quite interesting to film because, like Pitch A, it could head in so many different directions, would their imaginary friend turn out to be evil, perhaps they'd be the ghost of their late brother, or maybe their imaginary friend will have been real all along? With that, I think it becomes very clear as to why we found this pitch to be so gripping. To evaluate the practicality of this pitch, we can use the same criteria as we did above, with our first consideration being casting. In this case, the only thing we've set in stone is that the primary subject of our film would be a young child, a preteen at most, whereas we've left the age of their imaginary friend entirely undefined. As such, it might be difficult to obtain a young child who will act in the appropriate manner, and learn and adhere to a script in time for filming, which is worrisome since our entire film would hinge on whether or not that is possible in the first place. 

    Shifting our focus now to the location of the film, which we have left undefined, it is clear that the possibilities are virtually endless. Unlike Pitch A, we are given free-range mobility and can travel to different places to obtain more varied shots that will not only contribute to our plotline, perhaps by revealing why the child has or sees their imaginary friend in the first place, but that will also keep our audience entertained as each different location would serve as a change of pace. On the other hand, however, this does have some inherent drawbacks when it comes to our budget, as more money would be spent on traveling from place to place and it may prove to be difficult to reshoot flawed scenes in locations that are far away or hard to reach.

Our Final Pitch:

    Looking at the two pitches both holistically and comparatively, one will see that with Pitch A there are some concerns regarding the use of a singular location, whereas, with Pitch B, our worries lie more with casting and the like. Likewise, with Pitch B we believe that it may be difficult to establish enough context to constitute a backstory of sorts and do the movie (if we were to create a full-length feature film) any justice when creating its opening, whilst with Pitch A was able to create the right level of mystery and intrigue that we feel is something we can build off of, especially since we have already laid a solid foundation with a statement that is ambiguous enough that will leave our audience wanting more, but still grounded enough where we, as filmmakers, aren't left questioning the general plot last minute. Of course, in the end, it comes down to one simple question, "How doable is it?" To be entirely honest, we were able to come up with more ideas related to our first pitch, Pitch A, as opposed to our second pitch, Pitch B. That being the case, after careful deliberation and consideration, we have ultimately decided to follow through with Pitch A. 

Closing Remarks:

    As is to be expected, we did have our disagreements about what our final pitch would be and it did take quite a while to even get it down to these two, but with a little cooperation and a couple of compromises, we were able to reach a verdict to go with Pitch A. I really think that our final task is sure to be a real "dinger¹," so I have no doubts that we'll "Knock it out of the park" (Sam & Dave 1993).

¹ Dinger is a slang word that is commonly used in baseball and which means "home run."