Charlie
St John
A genre is a variety of categories that organise films, due to the styles, plot, characters, moods, settings, and tones. within these genres, there are sub themes of tropes. An example of this in filmmaking is that when filming a horror movie, you may include tropes, such as jump-scares, gore And lack of music to build tension. We continually use these tropes for horror as we know that it is efficient in scaring the audience and achieving its chilling nature. For a film to fall in a genre, it does not need to follow the set of 'rules' that are tropes as that makes for a boring and generic movie. Directors put their own twist on these genres to keep them interesting and fresh, as well as mixing genres together. Having a secondary. genre is sometimes called a sub-genre.
Genre
Micro Features
Cinematography
The definition of cinematography is the camera work within a film which works as a visual storytelling element of the stories that have been written for the screen. This includes the angles of which we used to tell the story and the composition of which the subject and/or the setting is. it also includes the camera settings lenses and filters used to achieve the image you wish to create. The cinematographer will also move around with the camera, using techniques such as pans and tilts to make the movie more dynamic.
Editing
Editing is the post-productive prosses of making sequences from your different shots as well as adding jump cuts and synchronising and replacing audio using the audio recorded on a boom mic. Editing can be either linear or non-linear in the order scenes are put together. an example of a non-linear editing is Breaking bad when they start the episode with what is supposed to happen at the end. colour-grading and graphics also play a large roll. Adobe premier pro is the indestry standard for filmmakers.
Sound
Sound design is the umbrella term for foley, dialogue and background music that is inserted over our films original audio. Foley is sound affects added after filming in the editing process. This is to emphasize and add depth to sounds on the screen so that the audience feel more immersed in the experience. There are two types of sound, diegetic and non diegetic. A diegetic sound is one that takes place within the context of the story. the characters can hear these noises. Non-diegetic is the opposite.
Mise-en-scène
Mise-en-scene is the design of a scene. this looks in detail at the set and prop design as well as the costumes that the characters wear. Makeup, as well as SFX makeup, is also included in this segment. essentially, it is the design of the visual elements of the scene of which you are filming. Lighting also plays a big part., this sets the mood of your scene with the temperature of the lights and how dramatic or soft the shadows cast are. Some examples of lighting are Key Lighting, Fill Lighting, Back Lighting, Side Lighting Practical Light, Hard Lighting, Soft Lighting, natural lighting and 3-point lighting.
Horror AND ITS TROPES
Tention build-ups
A common theme in horror movies are jump scares. To make these more effective and build tension for the audience, many filmmakers create buildups. These are effective as it makes the viewer expect the inevitable jump scare at any time to keep them constantly on their toes. They achieve this by reducing the noise and music. the music will often be replaced with the breathing of the victim of the jump-scare, or an ominous drone. Instead of usual action scenes where the editing is fast at confrontational moments of these scenes, horror movies use slow editing when a jump scare is coming as to also build tension, and to make it feel more realistic to the audience as they can imagine themselves in the setting.
adverse weather
in a lot of horror movies, the film is set during a storm or unfortunate weather circumstances. This can reflect the coldness, emotionally and psychologically of whoever the antagonist is. This also gives way for cool colour grading. in movies such as the shining, at the end, the antagonist (jack torrence) is depicted freezing to death. This is a reflection of him as a character and his internal quarrel that is shown to the audience for the duration of the film. Storms are also a good transition into the horror segment of story telling as it gives charecters an escuse to hide out in these spooky enviroments as tere is nowhere else they can go.
Religeous themes
when making a horror film, religious imagery and concepts are often used to scare people as people feel terrified at the thought of punishment coming to them because of their sins. the use of religeous themes also connects with deep rooted religious trauma. Religion is supposed to give people hope where is the horror movies twisted to do the exact opposite and then their eyes, the worst case scenario. Another issue is that in horror movies, these bad things also can happen. Whoever you are in the comfort of your own home. You can even be innocent and be punished to since you did not commit for someone of Christian background. This would be a great fear as they work their whole life to be accepted into heaven.
Fantasy and its tropes
Quests
in a majority of fantasy movies, the protagonist is often sent out on a dangerous quest that only they can complete. this quest will usually contain mythical creatures and some kind of treasure. this trope provides room for creativity when thinking up the obstacles that the protagonist may face. as it is a journey, you see how the character develops and grow stronger by overcoming challenges along the way. these quests are also to develop strong bonds and trust throughout the group of characters that have set out on it. Good example of this in use is in JRR Tolkien's Hobbit and Lord of the rings movies which always show a young protagonist setting out on his first ever adventure.
Mythology
The fantasy genre takes inspiration from mythological stories. the appearance of creatures and characters from these myths is a common theme. these creatures include dragons, dwarves,elves ect. these creatures are thought to have come from magical origins which ties in with the theme of magic in fantasy hence their usage. these beasts can often be the end goal to defeat for our hero's of these stories. Fantasy also includes characters from things such as arthurian myths and greek mythology. some examples if this are 'monty python and the holy grail' and 'pans labyrinth'. myths are another word for stories with some mystical element.
The Evil Overlord
A typical villain when it come to fantasy films is an evil overlord who has some kind of mystical powers. These villain's always have a goal they wish to achieve and the hero is the only thing stopping them. they do not believe that they are the evil ones and believe that they are doing some kind of good for the world. The villain is also often acting on an act of trauma from their past and is having a response. an example of this is Voldemort from harry potter being evil due to the circumstances of his birth.
sci-fi AND ITS TROPES
Climate crisis
in sci-fi films, they tackle some of the darkest theorems for what will come of the human race. a common one which pops up is environmental crisis. this is very significant of a topic right now and these movies are to attempt to scare us out of continuing down the path we are on. some movies even go as far as to travel across the universe in search of a new planet to inhabit and destroy. quite often in these sci-fi films, humans are the antagonists and are destructive of anything and everything they see.
Time travel issues
Sci-fi films aren't all about space. As the question of 'is time travel possible? has plagued scientists for eons, it has also captivated the Sci-Fi community. The time-travelling character usually uses some kind of mechanism to travel across ears but as all machines do, they sometimes run into technical difficulties. whether this be breaking down in the wrong year or facing a historical evil. Paradoxes are also frequently explored with peoples different theorems of how it would play out to meet yourself or change the history books.
Everything is a simulation
The trope of 'everything is a simulation' comes from the metaphysical theorem of 'the brain in the jar' which is essentially a theory that we are all just brains in jars within laboratories in a simulated world as part of an experiment. this existentialist theorem causes fear and doubt in some peoples minds and have been adapted into many stories by planting the idea of 'nothing is real'. this also normally includes the plot point of escaping the simulation as an end goal for the protaginist.
Tragedy
The tragic artist
A common theme in tragic films is the tragic artist. this trope is where an artist has a hard life because the most talented of artists have the saddest of lives. an example of this in real life is Van Gogh who was mentally ill and ended up taking his own life. This closely resonates with the scene of which i have linked from dead poets society.
Mental illness
Mental illness is one of the most tragic topics that can be in a film. this is because people whos lives have been effected will always be troubled with these issues. Mental illness is a very flexible trope as there is so much that can be done with it. the backstory behind it, what the character struggles with, etc..