RESEARCH - Genre's & Sub-Genre's

Genres

The word Genre is french for 'type'.Genres are a great way to put different types of movies into categories .
For example they include  :
- Comedies
- Horrors
- Thrillers
- Romance
- Action
And more ...

For producers , Genres allow them to use a set of generic codes to make the film . Eg what sort of props to use , the type of location and certain actors . They can be reused from film to film and helps tell the producers where to invest money . For example Jim Carey is best known for playing roles in comedies so if a producer wanted to find an actor to star in a comedy , they would probably look into someone like Jim Carey.For marketing purposes , genres help target exact audiences and also helps know how to construct their adds and what sort of generic codes to use . As for audiences the genre would make a clear sense of expectation.

Sub-Genres

Sub-Genres are like classes of the larger category of the main film Genre with thier own style. Sub-Genres types conclude of
- chick flicks
- detective / mystery films
- disaster films
and more ....

RESEARCH-Genres & Sub genres

A Genre is generally a specific style or type of film, different genres include  thrillers, horrors, Sci-fis, Action, comedies etc and can then be classified into an even smaller concept of sub genres, their are many different types of sub genres some of them are crime, mystery, drama, religious, horror etc.

By film having certain genres and sub genres mean the audience and are able to distinguish between various films and identify with them and which ones they would like to watch, also by having them it makes it easier for the film makers as they are able to identify what is needed on set for the location, costumes and props.

Crime thrillers are my favourite sub-genres as i believe out of all sub genres they are most interesting, i think they add an incredible amount of excitement and the mystery, action and suspense created in most are extremely entertaining. All of these things will inspire me for my final thriller opening in February.

one film opening that i thoroughly enjoy and think it involves all aspects a crime thriller should is the dark night, when creating my own i will keep returning to this for inspirations through camera angles suspension and effects used.

Reservoir Dogs shot by shot re-make

I believe our re-make of reservoir dogs was very strong considering our location and props.
- The props included a Cigarette, suits, leather jackets and sunglasses, these were used as we tried to make it as precise to the original as possible.  I feel that each of our shots replicated the original in the best way possible, even though their was a difference in the lighting as ours was filmed in the evening and the original was filmed during daylight. This meant artificial lighting was used which didn't create the same effect that natural lighting would have.
- In the original seven actors were used unlike us who only had four this meant that not all characters were able to be played and resulted in our re-make becoming shorter then the original. In terms of acting I believe I wasn't entirely professionally which let the group down as I didn't keep in character throughout our re-make.
-Despite this overall I think the re-make turned out pretty strong and was a good effort for a first project.

RESEARCH - genres and sub-genres

Genres

A genre is a way in which movies are assorted into groups. The word genre, is French for type. Some genres are:

• Comedy
• Thriller
• Action
• Horror
• Science-fiction
• Fiction
• Etc...

Genres allow producers to use a set of generic codes to make the film. This also allows them to assort the props, locations and actors then they can be reused from film to film. For example, an actor like Matt Damon is more commonly found in thrillers than comedies.

Sub-genres

A sub-genre is a way in which a genre of movies is assorted into groups, for example some thriller sub-genres are:

• Conspiracy
• Crime
• Disaster
• Mystery
• Psychological
• Supernatural

Comparisons of the original and the remake

I think that the re-make we made was great ,we utilised the appropriate props  such as black shades ,suits , leather jackets and a cigarette . We found perfect locations similar to the original and had to ask permission to film in the cafe for the beginning scene. I believe our shots  copied the original in the best way possible.
There were a few differences such as the lighting , our remake was filmed while it was dark whereas the original was filmed in the day so we had to use artificial lights instead of the natural light to enable our facial expressions to be scene.However i did think that the dark lighting made it look cooler than the original . Another key difference was the fact that we had only 4 actors whereas the original had 7 , so we had to make do with just 4 actors which made our whole scene much shorter. Aswell the music we used was a higher than the original

RESEARCH- Genres and Sub-genres

Genre
The genre of a film is the type of film. An example of some different genre's are:

• Thriller
• Action
• Comedy
• Horror
• Science-fiction
• Etc...

Genres allow producers and audiences to distinguish what kind of film it is. For producers, it makes it easier for them to sort out the props, location and actors. For example, if they were to hire an actor like Christian Bale, they would know that he's more suited to thriller films then Rom-Coms. 

Sub-genre

A sub-genre is a way in which a type of genre, such as thriller has other different type of genres within that thriller, for example thriller films have: 

• Conspiracy thrillers
• Mystery thrillers
• Crime thrillers
• Drama thrillers
• Psychological thrillers
• Religious thrillers
• Horror thrillers
• Supernatural thrillers

shot by shot remake

still from original video

still from the original video

still from the original video

screen grab of editing process

screen grab of editing process

screen grab of editing process

Comparison of original sequence and our remake

'Reservoir Dogs' comparison

I think that the remake we made was pretty good considering the circumstances we had. We managed to get hold of some last minute props and find a couple of locations to film in.

However there are a couple key differences between the original opening sequence of 'Reservoir Dogs' and our remake production. First of all, the original was filmed in broad daylight while ours was filmed at night so we had to mostly use artificial lighting instead of natural, secondly we only had 4 actors while the original had 7, so we had to compromise and not include 3 of the actors. Another key difference is that the music in the original was slightly sped up compared to the music we used.

On the other hand i believe that the props we used were really good and we managed to make it look reasonably similar to the original, as you can see in the previous post which contains the original opening sequence and our remake.

Shot by shot remake comparison to original

I think the shot by shot remake of Reservoir Dogs went well as we kept it as similar to the original as possible considering our props and location around us.

There were a few errors within the remake, for example the time of day in which we shot the close-ups could have been earlier as natural light would have compared better to the original. We had to attach a light to the camera in order to establish the scenery and our facial expressions. Another small problem was that we only had 4 characters compare to the originals 7 characters. This was something that we couldn't really do anything about, but it slightly lowered the unprofessionalism of our remake.

Although there were some errors, there are also a lot of positive things about the remake. Like the original, we managed to find a good location for the part where the 4 of us are walking past the wall, as it was similar to in a sense that the original also had a brick wall. Another specific part which I thought was good was the timing of the voice saying 'yeah' in the soundtrack with the credits saying 'A film by Quentin Tarantino' I think it worked very well and makes the clip seem more professional.

Planning remake - Reservoir Dogs

Actors - In the beginning scene , Sophie , Orrie , Luke and Ian will be playing the guys in the cafe.

Michael Madsen- Ian
Steve Buscemi- Orrie
Tim Roth- Luke
Quentin Tarantino- Sophie

Camera- Ian to set camera up for each shot however initially no one will be specifically filming.
Location- Corner cafe to film the first scene with the guys are leaving the table , However we will need to get permission before any filming is done.
Side street to film us all walking down in slow motion , this a is a good place because we are able to walk towards a main road.

Props- Boys : Black Sunglasses, Cigar, Cigarette, toothpick , black suits , drawn on side burns and moustaches
           Girls : black leather jacket, red lipstick , dark eyeliner  .

RESEARCH - Halloween.

The movie opening i have decided to analyse is Halloween. I have chosen this as i believe it uses all the conventions a good horror movie should consist of .

The movie starts off by showing us the titles on a plain black background with the colour orange as its font creating the theme of Halloween . This gives suspense as not to much is been given away , all we get to see are images of the Jack O Lantern with a creepy facial expression which lets us know that there is something scary about this film because it connotes evil and ghostly things. As the titles fade in and out ,the Non-diegetic music ( Theme tune ) played gives of the creepy Ora which allows our minds to wonder and creates the eagerness to want to know what will happen next.

We are being showed the conventions of camera angles in the first scene by a point of view shot which is an unusual way of filming ,it builds anxiety but also it enables us to see through the persons eyes . The main type of shot used it a long shot  , which means the viewer  has much more to focus on making us feel more on edge as something could pop out at any angle .The killer puts on a mask further into the opening  and makes an effective opening as were obtaining a sense of enigma due to the fact we cant see whats happening properly. There is only one close up that is used and that is of the knife , this suggest that the knife has some significance to it .

As the killer snoops around the house , Erie music is played which is nail biting as the high pitched sound makes us think something bad is going to happen. As the killer near ens the girl , the music becomes more loud and vigorous warning us that something WILL happen ... as it does straight after.Towards the end of the scene we hear the killer panting , this illustrates the fact that he is scared and panicky of what he's just done.

The use of Mise-en-scene is shown by the young boy wearing a clown costume which is typical to use in a scary movie as a fear of clowns is popular . The dark lighting throughout creates suspense as we cant see much and also creates a mysterious and uneasy atmosphere while he is looking around the house . However when the killer is revealed ,a young boy ,a much brighter lighting is used creating a sense of exposure and enlightenment to the viewer.

RESEARCH- Amercian Psycho (2000)

I have chosen to do my thriller opening analysis on American Psycho, as I think the opening to this film, similar to most thriller films, is very vague and mysterious and this opening creates slight suspense due to how vague it is. The one thing this opening lacked unlike most other thriller openings, is the opening credits, although I don't think the opening credits would have complimented the mysteriousness of this scene.

The clip starts off with non digetic sound of classical piano music which is very soft and also creates a sad mood, which contrasts with the light scenery in the man's (Patrick Bateman) apartment. This sad tone to the music foreshadows the content of Patrick Bateman's character later on in the film. His voice then comes in over the music, and he is describing his life briefly in a very monotone unenthusiastic voice. The audience instantly gets an idea of his mysterious nature through the use of camera work. There is a close up of his face in the reflection of Les Miserables poster which means 'The Miserable' in French. I thought this was very clever as it again subtly foreshadows his character. The camera also zooms into his face slowly which creates an air of edgyness while he's talking.

I think what also creates the air of mysteriousness in this opening scene is the subtle humour that the film uses. For example his daily routine in the morning appears to be quite comical and weird, but the fact that it is quite weird makes the opening maintain its suspense, like most thriller films do.

The most commonly used shots in this opening scene are close ups and medium shots. I think these are used to help the audience vaguely establish the character through use of body language, facial expressions and scenery. The editing is also very fast and snappy which suits the odd vibe of the scene.

When he starts going into further detail about the confusion of his own character, the classical piano music seems to change to a more scary kind of tone, which shows another side of his character as oppose to his mysterious edgy character shown previously in the clip. This is accompanied by a close up, showing his face to be very straight and emotionless. After this, the music drops even deeper and becomes even more scarier, as he says, "I simply am not there".

RESEARCH -The Dark Knight (2008)

The thriller opening I have chosen to analyse is 'The Dark Knight', this is due to the fact that it contains the essential conventions I believe a opening thriller should include.

The opening scene begins with a high establishing shot of a city in complete silence for a number of seconds, Non-Diegetic ticking then begins while the camera tracks into a glass building which already gives the viewer a sense of suspense and uncertainty as it may be implying time is restricted, the ticking builds up to the shattering of glass which breaks the silence dramatically. The scene is then cut to two men wearing clown masks, firing a zip line to an adjacent building. The music begins to increase in intensity as three other characters who are also wearing clown masks are introduced, the use of the clown masks indicates hidden identity and may foreshadow danger which leaves an unnerving atmosphere.
Throughout the scene Pan camera movements are used when the viewer is shown a close up of one of the characters, this is to show the facial expressions or feelings that may be shown. The use of an over the shoulder shot also gives viewers the point of view from another character.
-The suspense is sustained throughout the opening scene through the use of sound and the constant tension which is being built, the use of props adds to the unnerving atmosphere and entices the audience in. Generally fast transitions are used throughout which also contributes to the build up of the plot.

RESEARCH - The Book of Eli (2009)

The film opening i have chosen to analyse is The Book of Eli. I like it because it has a really surreal opening that gets people thinking of the future for humanity.

It starts off with a black screen and a non-diegetic sound of gunfire to set the impression of chaos and disaster. Then an establishing shot of a forest is used give the viewer a feeling of isolation. It appears that leaves are falling from the trees but when you look carefully you then realise that it is ash falling from the sky and all the trees are dead. This indicates that something bad has happened and makes the viewer wander what has happened. A convention that is used is mise-en-scene, we see a gun slowly rusting away next to a dead man, and then a track shot takes us to a man in a gas mask wielding a cross bow and waiting for his prey to line up for the perfect shot.

Another convention that is used is sound. You hear the diegetic sound of the wind blowing and trees rustling, this emphasises the isolation of the forest. The music in the background gradually becomes lounder and more intense as the camera moves closer to the man with the bow, as he tightens his bow we hear him breathing. It cuts to a P.O.V shot of the cat, who is trying to locate its predator. The non-diegetic music builds until it reaches its climax and then stops, the man takes one last breath and shoots his arrow. A track shot follows the arrow in slow motion until it hits the cat. The man then gets up and picks up his prey, then the screen fades to white and the scene ends.

Introduction to cameras

Tight big close up of Luke's face, this shot also incorporates the rule of thirds, in the sense that his eyes are in the top third of the shot.

The lighting cant be too bright because then we would just get the persons silhouette but here the lighting is captured perfectly

A shot of feet in an interesting way

                                                                                                       

This is a wide shot as it has been taken as far back as possible .

An Over the shoulder shot

RESEARCH - Thriller opening

A thriller pretty much always starts with the production companies showing their logos. The intro should be used to create suspense, this is done mainly through music. The type of music that is played can really give the reader an idea of what sub-genre the film is. The intro of a thriller usually involves creative cuts and camera work, for example in the opening for 'Mesrine', different shots of the same person have been edited in the same frame. The speed of the the cutting also creates suspense in the sense that the faster it is then the more thrilling (lol) it is.Throughout an intro it is very common to see producers, directors and stars' names going through the screen in different ways for example fading or scrolling down.

The man in the picture is Jacques Mesrine. The intro is in the video below. I uploaded this because i like the way it is edited. There are multiple camera shots in the same frame, so there is a sort of template with squares in which the different clips are put in. It shows a character in different time periods but in the space of about 20-30 second. So this compresses the characters actions in the space of half a minute to about 5 second. I like this because it shows all of the suspense in the characters face in several different moments in a short period of time.

RESEARCH-Thriller Openings

In general a thriller opening should contain suspense along with a sense on mystery and uncertainty. The opening should show enough to entice the audience, but have to be careful to not give away the plot. It should introduce the character and theme of the film.

The music should set the mood whether the tempo is fast or slow it contributes to the atmosphere.The lighting can vary due to the fact whether or not they may want to build up the plot or go straight into it. The editing is either quite fast or slow transitions, depending on the approach. 

The titles tend to scroll in either from different angles of the screen, or through fading within transitions. They can either be cut into the film or over the film, with the colouring usually white over a black background. The order the titles appear can also vary, however they usually begin with the production company then continue to director, producers and actors. 

Panic room begins with shots of New York Skyscrapers and has quite a slow build up, the accompaniment is a harsh violin and a constant  ticking, which may give the idea that their is little time. Dialogue only begins when the characters are first introduced, this 

RESEARCH- Conventions of a Thriller Film Opening

A thriller opening should start by introducing the production company. It goes on to including other companies tat are associated with the producing of the film. it then goes on to showing the cast and director of the film, these two vary in order of importance. Both the production companies, cast and directors can be shown in different ways, the most common way in which they are shown is being cut into the film. It should also introduce the key character or theme, even if it does it in a subtle way, which a lot of thrillers do. 

The opening to a thriller should essentially include suspense, mystery and excitement. For example, I uploaded the opening to Donnie Darko conveys mystery very well.  It starts off with very eary music and tracking of the dark scenic nature. The fact that it goes from this to someone lying on the floor (Donnie Darko) seems quite disturbing, and gives us the idea that clearly something weird has happened or going to happen. The music then changes to quite sad violin music with a females voice singing in the background, which makes the scene seem sadder and kind of spooky. The close up of Donnie Darko conveys his mysterious and spooky emotions along with the mise en scene and the fact that he's lying on a road. 

RESEARCH - Good thriller opening.

A thriller opening should generally include a mysterious ora . A good opening would not give away the plot but be enough to engage the viewer to want to proceed in watching . Many contain some sort of music to contribute to the atmosphere , it ranges from a slow violin type to create eerieness which is normally present when its creating contrast , for example in the 'Stepfather' peaceful christmassy music is used which contrasts to the dead bodies found around the house , or a fast scary drumming music which creates suspense in more hectic scenes. 

The titles can be presented in many different ways but should maintain the same order ; 

-The Ident

-who its produced by 

-distribution company 

-director 

-the stars involved 

These can be shown by a simple scrolling but this tends to look more old fashion or a more modern fade in and out way . They can appear by cutting into the film or by going over the top of the film.

I have uploaded the extract of 'The stepfather ' . i chose this because as you watch it you see a man go about his daily routine and all seems normal but the music played in the background which is slow and eary creates suspense and allows us to figure that something is not right. As he goes downstairs into a quite dull looking room , he puts on a radio playing peaceful godly music . However we then see a dead boy at a table , instantly the room gets darker and the camera turns in such as angle as to see his face . The music also becomes more vigorous and throught this scene , whenever we are shown one of the dead bodies the lighting goes dark and louder music overpowers the peaceful music which contrasts whats happened .