AICE Media Studies

  "What conventions of the genre that you chose to base your final task on that this movie have?"               One thing from Midsommar that I would love to add to my final project is the irony of the whole movie. To be more specific, from the bright colors of nature to the warm, welcoming feeling the people or rural Sweden express, Midsommar is not originally portrayed as a movie that would be as disturbing and gruesome as it is. The acting of the people seem happy, however throughout the film the lighting and acting change to a more distressed expression of the plot.  "What conventions of the genre did the movie have that you liked?"             Part of thriller is using shots to portray the characters' thoughts. In Midsommar, a variety of shots zooming in and out of characters is used. Each shot is used mostly in silence or alongside music. The shots are still, only focusing on the expressions of charact...

 "What conventions of the genre that you chose to base your final task on that this movie have?"               I chose to use the amount of close-ups that're found in this film. Since psychological thrillers are based on the characters and their mental states, emotion is very important. The close-ups that show the character's expression is something I'd love to add as a part of my final project.  "What conventions of the genre did the movie have that you liked?"              I Fractured, some things I love about the movie that can be found in other thriller films is the suspenseful music that happens just before something big or aggressive. Whether it's an eerie background sound or the noise of a scratching violin, the music that happens as tension  builds up makes the audience anticipate what'll happen next. Some other things I liked in the movie was the amount of silence there was. I feel li...

   "What conventions of the genre that you chose to base your final task on that this movie have?"              In lots of thriller movies, the audience is confused about what's happening and is trying to figure out why, except we might not even know what's going on in the mind of our protagonist. Saltburn is full of thrilling twists and unpredictable scenes that shocks the audience and portrays the characters in sick ways. Something I want to add to my project is the shock value that Saltburn has. You may not know what's going on in a lot of thriller movies until information's released at the end, that's what I want to add to my final task.  "What conventions of the genre did the movie have that you liked?"             I loved how the way Saltburn is filmed doesn't make it appear as a thriller when you prepare to watch it, it completely throws off your expectations. With the funny characters, bright li...

      It was difficult to decide which path I wanted to take my pitch, cause the story could be portrayed in so many ways. In the end though, I decided to go with  thriller (specifically psychological). With these genres, I feel I can best make this pitch and create a very interesting and entertaining opening sequence. When thinking about it, horror would be pretty difficult to pull off by myself, and when considering what movies I liked most, I leaned more towards a mix of internal and external conflicts rather than jump scares. With this genre, I'm very excited to creating an opening sequence full of suspense and questions that would make an audience want to see what happens next. 

  CAMS: A variety of camera angles, movements, and shots are used to portray different feelings and actions of characters in drama films. Some of these common CAMS are a variety of close-ups, long-shots, high angles, low angles, and more. There doesn't seem to be a specific type of shot or angle used regularly, it depends on what story you're telling with this genre. EDITING: Just like with CAMS, the editing used is really dependent on the type of story you're telling when writing drama. However, some repeated techniques are used. Zoom-ins/outs are popular, especially with older drama movies. Dramatic jumps and cuts are also pretty popular in the genre to create suspense and drama. SOUND: Dialogue is pretty necessary in drama films, as they give other characters context to situations, even if misunderstood. Since drama films tend to focus on what's happening to/around the characters, diegetic sound is often used for a majority of the time in a drama film. Non-diegetic s...

  CAMS: In thriller films, specifically psychological thriller, close up shots are often used to convey either the emotion, or contrast of emotion to facial expression. Low and high angles are used to portray the levels of power characters portray, as emotional and social aspects are what thriller is all about. Tracking or panning shots are also commonly used in thriller films to follow a character. Dolly zooms are popular to convey feelings of confusion or warped perception with a character EDITING: A style of editing seen in a lot of thriller movies is parallel editing, used to show what two characters are doing in comparison or contrast to one another. Another common style of editing is fast cutting. SOUND: Seeing as thriller focuses on the characters' emotions, thoughts, and actions, dialogue is almost essential for most horror films.  EXAMPLES: Some examples of movies in this genre are: Fractured  (2019) Level 16  (2018) American Psycho  (2000) FAVORED ELEM...

CAMS: In horror films, common camera angles include POV and Dutch Angles. Depending on the type of horror movie, some handheld shots are also used to build suspense. The movements are usually creeping movements to scare the audience. Low angles are used frequently to make a subject look bigger, and higher shots to make a subject look smaller or weaker. EDITING: To give a mysterious feel, it's very common for horror films to use a fade in/out sequence. To give shock, jump cuts and straight cuts are also frequently used depending on emotion meant to be perceived. When a movie is meant to portray violence but without being too gory, a cutaway is often used. SOUND: Sound-wise, it's common to use ambient sounds in order to give a specific aura to the scene. Creepy-sounding ambience is used to signify isolation, uncertainty, and fear. During jump scares, non-diegetic sound is used, particularly in older horror, to give a sudden jump towards the audience and scare them. EXAMPLES: Some...

 Pitch A:   A   young girl tries to overcome the jealousy towards her best friend.     I love writing about different emotions and dramatizing them, it gives a great visual for certain moods, thoughts, and feelings. Imagining how they may look on a screen is even better. Asking myself how someone could feel something like jealousy and take it to the furthest extent possible is very interesting and fun. My specific opening sequence would be in just one location, but would require lots of props.  Pitch B:   While going shopping with his family, suddenly a man's wife and kids have no idea who he is, neither does anyone else.     There could be so many reasons for this odd phenomenon to happen, where everyone forgets him and he practically loses his whole identity. It could be supernatural, scientific, philosophical, or even just psychological. All these reasons make a pitch like this very fun to think about. I imagine the opening sequence f...

          I decided to undertake this project independently instead of joining a group. Initially, I considered collaborating with others, but most people opted for solo work. Upon reflection, I concluded that planning and executing the project on my own might be more beneficial. This way, I can enjoy greater creative freedom and produce something according to my preferences, avoiding the need to reach a consensus with a team.      Even though I'm working alone, I still need someone to appear on the screen for my opening sequence. Fortunately, Tantou and I, despite working on separate projects, have decided to assist each other in our respective productions. Having a supportive partner will add value to our individual endeavors. The decision to go solo stemmed from a desire for greater control and the ability to make decisions independently. It's advantageous to avoid the compromises that often come with group work, allowing me to shape the p...

    In my last project, I didn't really know what I was doing. It was the first filming project I ever did, and it was harder than I expected. However, this just made me more excited to learn more and get better at this.         When you write, you need to be aware of yourself, others, how people write, their cultures, and why they communicate the way they do. It's all about noticing tiny details, and those details help you understand people better and create your characters. These are some things I want to understand when creating my music video to properly portray the people in it.      Sadly, no one can fully introduce themselves in a blog, or anywhere else for that matter. Understanding someone completely is just impossible, no matter how aware you are.      While I admire positive traits, I also appreciate negative ones like anger and pessimism. These traits shape people and make them unique. Without these not-so-grea...