Genre Research: Adventure

 Common CAMS are pan and tilt, crane shot, high angles, and hand held shots, which are more popular in todays time.

Common sounds are the sounds made for a fight scene, the intense music for the climax or fight scene, and the dialogue that is in every adventure. 

Common CLAMPS:

Costumes can range from normal hiking attire to a superhero's tights and cape. 

Lighting is usually bright, even at night, to make sure the viewers can see everything, unlike horror, which can get dark to add suspense, 

Acting is usually on completely different ends, like horror, there is a pro and antagonist, both against each other. 

Setting is usually in the big city or a jungle, there is no in between. 

Common edits are characters flashbacks, fades, and shot reverse shot. 

Examples are the Marvel franchise, just, the entire thing. Jumanji is on the opposite side of adventure. 

Elements I like are plot twists. When the bad guy goes to the good side, or the good guys lose. 

Elements I don't like are suspense. If you don't know who is fighting who or when or where it is, I feel like that's a part of adventure movies that can ruin the whole movie. 

Genre Research: Drama

 Common CAMS include zoom, pan and tilt, close up's, and cross shots. 

Common sounds are the music for intense scenes, as well as yelling, and voice overs.

Common CLAMPS:

Costumes can be anything in the setting is placed in. There could be a drama in outer space, in the 1600's or even under water. 

Lighting is usually bright. 

The acting can be fighting, or manipulation, usually one or the other. 

The props can be anything the setting calls for.

The setting can be anywhere. If there are people, people can and will always cause drama. 

Common edits may include flashbacks, cross cutting, and shot reverse shot.

A few films are 'Five Feet Apart' about two people who fall in love but can't be any close than five feet away due to a health condition than can lead to the death of one of them. "Little Women' is another example, it takes place after the civil war and is about women fighting for their rights. 

Elements I like are how wide range drama's are. A drama can come out of any circumstance at any point in time.  

An element I don't like is usually the plot of most dramas. Unless it's a sub genre for a movie, the plot usually turns out to be a sappy love story and chic-flics are so unrealistic it hurts my soul.

Genre Research: Horror

Common CAMS in horror are tracking, low angles, tilts, and close ups.

Common sounds are obviously the eerie music, whispering, and outside sounds to make the main character feel like

they may be going crazy.

Common CLAMPS:

Costumes - the main characters outfit, usually ruined by the end of the movie, and whatever the antagonist likes to

wear, usually dark coloured.

Lighting: Light before the problem is introduced. It get's darker as the movie reaches climax, then get's light again as

the problem is solved.

The acting is usually one person is overpowering the other, to get an end result of terrifying or killing them.

The make up for a horror movie without a supernatural villain will usually include the main character having no

makeup,

or it being completely ruined throughout the movie.

The props can be a weapon for protection or damage, as well as a vehicle that everyone in the movie will ignore or

forget about.

The setting can be anywhere, as horror movies like to remind the viewers that your life can turn into a scary one at

any

time in any place.

Common edits may include flashbacks for the villains back story, voiceovers, cut scenes, split screen, and shot by

shot

scenes.

Examples include '#ALIVE", a zombie movie based in Korea, 'SCREAM' a movie about a serial killer, and

'Halloween', a movie also about a serial killer.

I like the element of suspense in a horror movie. There's always the scene or scenes that put the protagonist in

danger, and leave the viewers wondering what will happen next.

I don't like the element of surprise when it's late in the movie. I feel like the movie is wasted potential.

Three Genres

     Genre research is fairly simple. When thinking of a genre that my movie could fit under, I first start by thinking about the movie itself. I can't work with a plot if I have no idea for any scene. Since I have a specific scene in mind, I want to form my genre based on that scene. Obviously the story isn't a happy one, a girl is moving away from her family to live in an unknown place with unknown people in a time period that is fairly new. It is a big and sudden change for anyone. She lives from one big roller coaster loop to another. 

     One genre that I would like to research would be horror. I feel like horror could be a good fit for the short film because in will be something short of a historical horror. We are currently living through a pandemic and there are plenty of students who are going to college, and for the first time. It has to be a scary thing to up and move during a time where everyone is to be avoided. 

     For genre number two, I would like to research drama. Since she did decided to move away from her family during this time, there has to be a reason. Why not take a gap year or take classes online? What made her move a better choice than staying home with her family? Drama is a big part of any family. Not every family is picture perfect and no family is expected to be. For a person to jump head first into a new  , they would have to have spent a long time convincing themselves it was a good idea. Or not and they had very good reason for doing so. 

     The final genre would be adventure. Being by yourself for the first time is a sort of adventure by itself. Learning the area, the people, the way of life by yourself is quite the journey. Now doing so when you have to avoid everyone and everything as much as possible is even more challenging. Dealing with a new chapter in your life that is crazier than you anticipated is makes the time an even bigger adventure.

Too Long To Ride The Elevator

 Trying to figure out a pitch in just a few weeks was stressful at first. It became even more stressful as the weeks counted down. A month, three weeks, two days. I felt like I was running out of time to come up with an idea. I didn't stress it too much after the beginning because I knew it would take me no time at all to come up with an idea. Since I'm working alone I wanted to run everything by my friend who isn't in the class, that said yes to being an actor. I wanted to make sure that the ideas I came up with, she would be comfortable acting in. 

When I thought of my first idea, I was in bed trying to sleep. Isn't that where you come up with the best ideas though? When you don't have the time or access to get them down. I actually already had scenes in my head but forgot all of them when I woke up. I decided I would run my ideas by my friend the next day, then forgot. As I was laying in bed the next day I realised that I had to turn in work for Media. I was freaking out but also too tired to move my body. Then I realised I forgot to do other homework too, then I forgot about it. 

My pitches, I knew would include my brother. I didn't want to shoot a video with one person in it. I went to Pixie with some idea involving them, she thought it would be a good idea. I thought, since we live in different houses, it would be a good idea to have her move for some reason. I thought that my brother would die or something, and pixie would be the sister, and be so sad that she left. But after thinking it over, I thought it would be a bad idea. 

I figured, why not make a movie about something that's currently happening? I mean, it happens all the time, does it not? I've watched at LEAST six movies about a world pandemic and scientists trying everything to cure the world. But, what about someone who isn't a crazy protagonist who has a side affair going on? What about the little guys dealing with the problem on their own? I felt that the best little guy wasn't a person who has to work during a pandemic. It isn't those staying home with their kids, for the reason that I don't have enough people to work with that. The best little guy, is who better than an older version of us, the students. Yes, it was simple, and probably overused by the end of the year, but since I'm living it now, why not take my own personal experiences and put them behind a screen? 

My pitch is: a girl has to cope with sudden changes. She decides to move to college during a world crisis. 

How Many Make A Team?

     Having I decide who to work with is a hard thing to do. Obviously I would want someone who would be good. I wouldn't want someone who looked to me for all the work. I also wouldn't want someone who I looked to them for all the work, not that I would. I looked through the list of kids in A level Media and none of the names I read didn't seem like any names that I recognized. I didn't want to work with people that I didn't know in case I didn't like the way they did stuff. I also didn't want to work with anyone during this time of crazy covid. I didn't want to risk getting sick for a project or two. 

     I decided to work alone because in the end, it would be easier. I wouldn't have to worry about someone else holding the equipment. I wouldn't have to worry about someone else getting their half of the work done. It'll be easier for me to get my work done without checking on the other person to see if they got their's done. Having to work with someone and not being able to be around them will make it hard for me. I know that it's been done before, but I don't think I would be able to figure it out well enough. 

     I'm also choosing to work alone because it'll take less time to figure it out what to do. Last year, working with Camila, it took us forever to figure out what to do for the plot. It also took forever to figure out what to do for every scene. Everything had to be ran by us a few times before we came to middle ground and agreed on something. Working alone will be also be easier when we have to plan days for shooting. I'm working with a friend who isn't in AICE, and she had a pretty flexible schedule. It's going to be easier for me to plan a day of filming around one person rather than two or three more. 

     Working alone could be hard this year. I won't have anyone to split to work with. As well as bounce ideas off of. But working alone could also be easy this year. I'm hoping for the latter so I don't stress myself out. The answer to the question is, one. One person can make a team, as long as that person knows what she's doing. I would like to think I know what I'm doing, for the most part. 

We're Back Baby

      Finally back to blogging, it's been awhile. New pandemic, new classroom, new me. I've been excited for A level since I started AS level. I couldn't have been happier to learn that the school counselors actually put me in this class. I've waited all summer and a month for this class to finally take off and here we are! I don't have partners this year, as far as I know. Camila, my partner from last year decided she didn't want A level this year. Being alone this year could be hard for me. Although, I have seen, many times on my Instagram feed, if you want to think "what ifs", don't keep them negative, make them positive. So, this year could be hard for me, or, I can learn how much I can do on my own. 

     Although, no offense to Camila, but to say I didn't do most of the work last year would be an understatement. Being able to blog, storyboard, write, plan, shoot, edit, etc. on my own will be amazing. But I won't have anybody to bounce ideas off of, and it could suck. Now, I've thought about being a director as a career, a few times last year, when I was really getting into Media Studies. I thought about me just starting off in hollywood, getting bogus films to start. I also thought about being famous, with every actor knowing my name and wanting to start in my movies. I thought about standing next to the directors of Harry Potter, every Marvel movie, all of the directors from my favourite films. To take A level Media Studies would not only benefit me if I did choose to study movie making in college, but it will also give me the exposure I need to see if this is something I like. 

     In fact, I was just texting my friend about how much I was excited to be in this class a month ago. Earlier today I texted her about how excited I was that we were finally diving into the work and process. I know it's not hard when it's broken down as it is, but I know it will be work. Movie making takes more than people moving stick figures around. More than being shot on a flip phone camera with some kid giving hem voices and call it a day. To feel the excitement of planning, shooting, and editing, repeatedly, is really amazing. Not just the excitement though. It's anxiety, but the good kind, like the kind you get from swimming in the deep ocean or climbing a mountain. It's the happy brain chemicals going off when the pencil and storyboard planning sheets meet. It's the way you watch a story from your head come to life, and not just in a book. 

       My friends always try to text me during Media, and it's not like I won't respond any other time, but I hate when my phone goes off when I'm in this class. But I don't want to put it on mute because there could be an emergency I need to have my phone on me for. 

     I've said it once and I'll say it a million more, shut up, don't disturb me, I'm in my favourite class, it doesn't get better than this for the next few years