Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Coming-Of-Age Film Conventions


    I've decided to focus on coming-of-age films because this is what I would like my film (opening) to embody. Coming-of-age is defined as a genre of literature or film that focuses on the growth of a protagonist from youth to adulthood. Protagonist must go through some sort of change or personal growth, and display a sense of maturity at the end. 

  • Demonstrates personal growth within a character


  • Mainly targets teem audiences 

  • Depends on emotional responses and dialogue 

  • Protagonists are usually teenagers 

  • Reoccurring themes include: friendships, home life, death, illness, sex, pregnancy, drugs, etc.
 
  • At the end, character learns life lesson and over all improves as an individual

  • Usually take place in high school, small cities/towns, teenage bedrooms (realistic, everyday settings and situations) 

  • Simple plot, simple editing 

  • MUSIC is important! It can establish the tone and mood of the film. 


Some of my favorite coming-of-age film examples: 

Monday, September 28, 2020

Drama Film Conventions

Genre conventions involve themes, setting, plotlines, characters, mood, and also narrative structure. 

  • Displays real life situations

  • Has realistic characters, settings, and stories 

  • Demonstrates the character's journey (character development)

  • Intense social interactions 

  • Purpose is to provoke emotion within the audience

  • Usually includes inner/outer conflicts that portray hardships or affliction 

  • Audience might be able to relate to characters


For example, let's look at the drama film Titanic(1997) dir. by James Cameron.

    A tragic story filled with romance. It incorporates all the typical conventions of a romance. Rose, a girl feeling trapped in her upper-class society, is unhappy with her life. Her mother pressures her to marry a very rich man, to keep their upper-class lifestyle. She falls in love with Jack Dawson, a man who is definitely from the lower class spectrum. A typical convention in a romantic film is that the two love interest are kept apart by something or someone, and in the film Titanic both love interest are kept apart because of their differing social class. The "hero" always tend to be men, here it being Jack, saving the "damsel in distress" (Rose) from something over taking her life. 

    



References 

https://www.slideshare.net/esmeroberts/codes-and-conventions-of-the-drama-genre#:~:text=Drama%20Conventions%20%E2%80%A2%20Exhibits%20real,characters%2C%20setting%2C%20and%20stories.&text=Portrays%20journeys%20of%20character%20development%20%E2%80%A2%20Intense%20social%20interaction.&text=Purpose%20of%20a%20dramatic%20story%20line%20is%20to%20move%20the%20audience%20emotionally.

Titanic Poster: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120338/

Friday, September 25, 2020

More Film Genres

 So here's the deal.


   I actually already have an idea on what I want the genre of my (opening) film to be. I am either thinking about a Coming-of-Age or some sort of Drama. I was initially thinking about doing some sort of sci-fi/fantasy film, like the film Donnie Darko or Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, but then I started thinking about how much lighting I would need, more equipment for sound, microphones, etc. Overall not easy, and this is my first time doing something film related. Don't think science fiction is a good choice for a beginner. As a result, I decided against it. It's either Drama or Coming-of-Age. I'm leaning more towards Coming-of-Age though. I don't know. It just has a special place in my heart and it just has a feel-good tone.  


Coming-Of-Age (film that depicts one or more young protagonists facing a key moment of personal growth from childhood to adulthood)

  • protagonists face a major personal conflict 
  • aimed at teen audiences 
  • demonstrates growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood (personal growth)
Lady Bird(2017) dir. by Greta Gerwig

   Christine "Lady Bird" MacPherson desires to get out of her home city Sacramento, California and experience the world, specifically go study in the east coast. The film depicts the rocky relationship she has with her mother, her experience in Catholic school, and how much she longs to get away from her home. The film demonstrates Lady Bird's journey through her senior year, including various romances and friendships. She ends up learning to appreciate her family and true friends. Not only that, but she realizes that Sacramento will always have a special place in her heart. 

Stand by Me(1986) dir. by Rob Reiner

   Four best friends decide to go see a dead body near their home. Throughout their journey, they encounter a mean junkyard owner, a swamp filled with leeches, and bullies. Along the way, they discover more about themselves and each other, including their home lives. 



Drama (serious presentations or stories with settings or life situations that portray realistic characters in conflict with either themselves, others, or forces of nature): 

  • demonstrates protagonist from their best to their worse
  • dramatic plots 
  • themes can include social issues, injustices, poverty, class divisons, violence, mental illness etc.
Call Me by Your Name(2017) dir. by Luca Guadagnino 
   
During the summer, in Italy, 17-year-old Elio Perlman meets his father's intern Oliver. Elio finds himself attractive to Oliver and experiences first love. Elio and Oliver both fall in love with each other that summer, but they know all good things must come to an end. Oliver eventually leaves back to America, and Elio is left heartbroken. Later, in the winter Elio finds out that Oliver will soon marry a woman. Elio is left even more heartbroken than before knowing that man that he loves, will never belong to him again. 
   This film is a coming-of-age romantic drama film. It counts as a coming-of-age because there is tremendous amount of growth that Elio goes through and it is almost like he is moving on from a certain part of his life. 

Side note: Call me by Your Name truly changed my life. It made me appreciate the beauty of film and made me realize how much I love acting. Luca Guadagnino did a spectacular job directing it, he really did well in displaying the tone and mood of the film. All the actors did a phenomenal job.  Here is a video showing the beauty of Call Me By Your Name

   What I'm thinking right now is that I'll focus on making the film be a drama film but the sub-genre will be coming-of-age. Hopefully that works out. Let's see, I still have research to do. 





References: 

https://www.filmsite.org/dramafilms.html#:~:text=Drama%20Films%20are%20serious%20presentations,%2C%20and%20everything%20in%2Dbetween.

https://www.liveabout.com/coming-of-age-movies-4690625

Lady Bird Poster: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4925292/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Stand by Me Poster: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092005/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Call Me by Your Name Poster: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5726616/

Thursday, September 24, 2020

Film Genres

 Action

  • Continuous high energy 
  • Multiple physical stunts 
  • Fighting Scenes, escapes
  • usually have a hero and villain
   Divergent(2014) dir. by Neil Burger:

  The film is filled with action pack scenes, including chases, fighting scenes, etc. Set in a futuristic world, where people are divided by factions, a girl names Tris (the hero) finds that she can never belong to just one faction and is in fact divergent. She must hide her status and discovers that there is a plot going on to keep this "perfect" society intact. She later figures out, that she must stop this plan and defeat the leader of this society, Jeanine Matthews (villain).  


Comedy 
  • Designed to provoke laughter and amusement 
  • Uses exaggerated language, jokes, characters, situations, etc. 
  The Hangover(2009) dir. by Todd Phillips: 

  Doug and his three best friends, end up going to Las Vegas to celebrate his bachelor party. After a wild night out, they don't seem to remember a thing! They also cannot find Doug, who is getting married in two days! The whole movie is spent watching these three attempt to retrace their steps, find Doug and get him to his wedding before time runs out. Lots of raunchy jokes and wacky situations included.  


Crime & Gangster 
  • Basically about the sinister and cynical actions of criminals
  • Involves gangsters or "mobsters", organized crime
  • Highlight the life of a criminal or a crime's victim 
  • Usually set in large, crowded cities
 Scarface(1983) dir. by Brian De Palma 

   Cuban immigrant, Tony Montana, has big dreams. So, he  begins to take part in the drug trade in Miami. He ends up becoming the biggest drug lord in Florida. Although, everything must come to an end at some point. Tony finds himself paranoid with incoming drug wars and the police hot on his tail, which eventually leads to his downfall.  


Epics & Historical 
  • Deals with history
  • Includes significant events in history that helped shape the world today 
  • May features quests or hunts
  • Tend to have high production value
Lincoln(2012) dir. by Steven Spielberg

   The film takes place during the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln is president and the film depicts Lincoln's journey to pass the 13th Amendment and abolish slavery. It also includes his assassination and when the Union defeated the Confederacy. 


Horror 
  • Designed to provoke fear in audiences
  • Full of suspense/anticipation
  • Includes mystery and surprise 
It(2014) dir. by Andres Muschietti

   There's an evil clown on the loose eating the children of the the small town of Derry. Seven young outcast must come together and face their fears to defeat the terrifying clown, named Pennywise. 




References: 








Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Film Research

      Film, huh? 

   As you can probably tell from my past posts, I am sort of a film fanatic. Although, I've never thought about the history of film. Now film is defined as a thin flexible strip of plastic or other material coated with light-sensitive emulsion for exposure in a camera, used to produce photographs or motion pictures. Film was and is basically known as the illusion of motion. This is because film used to be just a series of of still images viewed rapidly after one after the other. 

   Film also deals with the persistence of vision and the phi phenomenon. According to the article, "History of the motion picture" by Robert Sklar, a professor of Cinema Studies at NYU states that  the persistence of vision "...causes the brain to retain images cast upon the retina of the eye for a fraction of a second beyond their disappearance from the field of sight..." and the phi phenomenon "...creates apparent movement between images when they succeed one another rapidly." That is how film came to be. 

   The first film ever was made back in 1878 by Eadweard Muybridge. It was called The Horse In Motion. Pretty self-explanatory name. He was able to capture 12 still images of a horse in motion. His experiment paved a way for motion studies. Here is the film if you want to see. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEqccPhsqgA#action=share

   In the end film is here today because of many technical innovations, advances in technology, and the taste for something new. Here is another video that helped me further understand the history and general information of film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsnB4iBb78o






References: 

History of the motion picture by Robert Sklar

https://www.britannica.com/art/history-of-the-motion-picture

The Birth of Film: 11 Firsts in Cinema, 2011

http://www.openculture.com/2011/09/the_birth_of_film_11_firsts_in_cinema.html


Friday, September 18, 2020

A little something about me

 I'm not an interesting person. 


    I feel like I've always been sort of an average student. I've gotten good grades, try to make my family proud. Nothing special to be honest. I'm not the best at making friends because I'm an awkward individual.  Ha. As a result, you don't see me in many clubs. It's fine though, there's many people that have entered and left my life that have shaped me into who I am. 

   The truth is, I didn't ask for this class when creating my schedule last year. I didn't even know what this class was about, let alone that it existed. I'm kind of glad they gave it to me though, hopefully it helps me grow as a person. 

   My father was an immigrant and in order to learn English, he began to watch American films. He developed an infatuation towards film and passed it on to me. He took me to cinemas to watch the newest movies and we would talk about them after. I always wondered what it would be like to create films and see my father's bright smile, knowing his daughter directed it. 

   There was a small time where I was always trying to please my parents. It led me to go into this dark, sad hole and I was unwilling to crawl my way out. Then, I found my save haven. Theatre. Theatre truly helped me with my anxiety and helped me come out of my shell. Theatre helped me to be more confident and expressive. I discovered that theatre was what I was meant to do. I adore acting and I learned that acting truly is a craft. Ever since I learned that acting was my calling, I wanted to know everything actor's did to prepare for a role and I wanted to do the same. I would love to go into a performing arts school after I graduate, to study acting and be on the big screen. Hopefully later on, by learning from directors I can perhaps have a career in directing too. 




Photo credits: Canva 

https://www.canva.com/photos/MADGvqjf2D4-man-standing-on-stage/

https://www.canva.com/photos/MADGx5g_UFw-time-lapse-photography-of-car-lights-in-front-of-cinema/

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Introduction Part 2

 When people ask me if I went to film school I tell them, 'no, I went to films.' - Quentin Tarantino 

   Film has always been a big part of my life. My father especially loves film, his face lights up whenever one is on the big screen. When I got older, he was the one who really taught me to appreciate films. Then, my fixation with cinema began. I began to familiarize myself with directors, actors, metaphors and symbols used in film and how they convey the message that wants to be portrayed. I've always wanted to go into filmmaking and I feel this is a good start. 

   Although, the truth is I do not really know what it takes or is required to make a movie. I will have to see what goes into producing a movie. First, I plan to research which is the best camera to use for beginners. As well as, watch videos that demonstrate the proper equipment that is necessary to use to for a good quality film. By equipments, I mean microphones for sound and how to use lighting. I am familiar with the different genres of film, but I plan to delve in deeper and investigate the different features. I will choose a genre that I am most interested in. I will need to watch videos and study the different angles, camera shots, and movement in film. I will ALSO need to to learn how to edit , which will be a trip. I am truly nervous about editing the opening of the film. I admit, I am not the most patient individual, but hopefully I grow to be more tolerant. As a result, I will need to research which is the best editing platform for me that is easy and comfortable to use.  In addition, learn certain techniques and the basics of editing videos. 

   Storyboarding is a huge aspect of filmmaking, which I will also need to study and research. I plan to discover what is in a scene and what makes a a scene good. The part that I am most worried about is the acting, especially during this pandemic. I do take acting classes, so I do  know about performing and how to characterize. I have other people in mind that show talent in acting and I trust, but I have no idea if they would be willing to drop everything and do me this favor. Hoping for the best. I can't wait to analyze film intros and what makes them special. This is all going to be a long process and of course there's going to be many obstacles. I'm anxious and yet excited for this new project. It's almost like a new chapter in my life. 

Monday, September 14, 2020

Introduction

 Hello, my name is Breanna and this is my first blog post. 
   During this AICE Media Studies course, I will get a better understanding on how media forms and media platforms work. Throughout this process, I expect to be challenged creatively and work vigorously on my evaluation/analyzation skills. Although I know there will be many hardships on the way I will remain persistent and determined. I hope to produce a media product successfully, while along the way develop a deeper understanding as to why language, representation, industry and audience are imperative in this field of study. I have chosen to create a fictional film opening. The main tasks are:  
  • Titles and the opening must last a maximum of two minutes.
  • All images and text used must be original and produced by the candidate(s).
  • Sound should also be original, but music can be taken from an acknowledged source. 
   At the end of the tasks, I will have a better grasp on how production and research go hand in hand in making a media product.  I will be able to evaluate my own work and reflect critically. In addition, I will do my best to be informed on the appropriate technology and equipment to use. I will study the technical elements that go into making a film and will try to create a story that sends an important message or has social significance. 

When I finish with all my blog posts and the opening on the film I must answer four critical commentary questions for the reflection. These questions are: 

1. How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues? 

2. How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text? 

3. How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

4. How did you integrate technologies - software, hardware, and online - in this project? 

Farewell...

  My CCR