Genre Research: Fast & Furious

Common camera angles included establishing shot, high angle, and medium-long shot. Common clamps included: costumes were more modern-like and not exaggerated; lighting was more intense (high-key), actors were more physically built and were smaller protagonists (not like the Avengers.) Makeup was less definitive, more natural; props were mainly vehicles and weapons; the setting was mainly outdoors. With all of these factors mixed together, it creates adrenaline yet the suspenseful type of plot and allows the audience to keep watching by keeping them on their feet. Common sound included dialogue, diegetic/ non-diegetic, and music (added in.) Common editing included shot/reverse shot, fade in/out, and reaction shot. Elements of the genre included were fast movement, bright lighting, and exaggerated fight scenes. What elements I liked included fast movement (because it keeps the watcher's attention and creates suspense) and the fight scenes (because they create an intense feeling of victory.) What elements I didn't like included the bright lighting (it may draw the watcher's attention to another subject.) Overall, this movie is certainly not as energized as Thor: Ragnarok as it is limited to only real-life human fights and has limitations to just how much destruction can be caused; although, this sets up the characters to be more connected to the watchers as both can connect to human struggles and limits. Therefore, makes it more relatable due to the realistic feelings- although, we will always have to follow speed limits.

This movie also gave a good indicator of its genre from the beginning; although, as I mentioned, it's not as thrilling as Thor: Ragnarok, it doesn't mean it cannot get the adrenaline pumping. In this movie, there is a big focus on car races- which mainly conveys the whole context of the action genre in the movie; other factors that develop the action are weapon fights, character conflicts, the growing central problem, and other side influences. Although I do not have a history of watching Fast & Furious, I can definitely say they know how to pull in the audience from the start- with the costumes. It may seem weird, however, the movie is very modernized which draws in younger audiences and makes it more visually appealing to people with a materialized mindset. Especially, when the costumes are very modernized- it gives a realistic vibe with action; which encourages the whole living and danger theme. On top of that, the story is driven (pun intended) by the characters' interactions and conflicts; the growing of the problems and relationships focus the story on the timeline while also diverting to side distractions to create a small break from the tension. Another admiring factor is the scenery. Specifically outside, where the desert is their landscape and highway; using the broadest principle and emptiness of the desert- which could also be symbolized into the characters' lives. An empty and broad platform they try sustaining. 

Genre Research: Thor: Ragnarok

Common camera angles included establishing shot, wide shot, medium close up, and over the shoulder shot. Common clamps included detailed costumes, high-key lighting for actors/ low-key lighting in the setting; male protagonist/ antagonist and supporting actors; makeup for wounds/ to detail a main actor's face; props were mainly weapons/ vehicles; setting was fantasy-like and held decorated architecture. By implementing all of these features together, gives the more powerful view of the genre and presents a thriller sense compared to the others; this type of design usually occurs with superheroes/ fantasy. Common sound included dialogue, non-diegetic sound, and music (added in.)Common editing was shot/ reverse shot, action match, and reaction shot. Elements of the genre included were low-key lighting, exaggerated costumes, very detailed props, and fantasy-like setting.
What elements I liked included the lighting (how it focused on the subject), the props (how they were all set up), and the setting (how realistic and fantasy-like it looked.) What elements I didn't like included the exaggerated costumes (they look nice but I don't think its necessary to point out the protagonist.) The whole movie basically is an action thriller that holds the fantasy undertone; these characteristics sum up alternative universes that hold human traits/ behaviors.

This movie, in particular, enforces the action genre as it heavily focuses on fantasy and physical conflict; especially toward the end where the real fights take place. From the costumes to the props, this film is driven by such action and suspense. It's also very intriguing as human morals and knowledge are merged into an alternative/ fantasy world that is supposedly held in another galaxy. It really influences me to look at all the details hidden in films to see how they all convey into the same general message yet, make it specific to that director's style. In my opinion, the factor that sparked the adrenaline most was setting; considering it was taken place on another planet- it would obviously have different architecture. By this, I mean architecture that is not seen daily; which caught my attention very easily by its details and set up. Although, it wasn't the only factor that highly contributed to the film. I believe lighting and editing are tied at a close second; they both contribute so much to the whole feel of the film and convey the moods of the characters. The lighting expresses the subject/object focus on screen; it's mainly used to guide the watcher's attention between the main focus and the less important subjects/ objects. Editing also focuses on the subject/ object, but in a different way; editing emphasizes the importance (strength, sound, brightness) of events and visually characterize them as good/ evil depending on the edit and the context.

Genre Guess

In the end, the genre I have chosen is action. I realized that horror is a bit out of reach for me as my pitch doesn't exactly line up with the elements horror contains; when I was plotting my pitch, the horror genre strands far from the actual plot I had in mind. Plus, when in comparison with action, it stood out less to me; even though, I am content that I had the experience to research a genre that was out of my comfort zone in the sense of visuals. It seems that the way the action genre is founded, it was very close to the original idea I had in mind; to drive the plot by a sense of suspense with multiple actors. In conclusion, action intrigued me since I was already comfortable with it and it fits in with my pitch.

Genre Guide

Now, I have to research two more genres; which cannot be a repeat of the first used in our project. The two genres I picked were action and horror. My selections are personally just based on what attracts me as I tend to like media that involves a lot of movement and suspenseful plots. For action, it suffices much more than horror as it constantly involves movement, plot suspense, and overwhelming emotions; however, I have an interest in horror too. Although I cannot say gore and blood attract me, I do like how the directors all tend to follow the same template but all use different techniques to convey the same theme; honestly, that itself is a production, the pre-production and figuring out how everything will implement into one another. With these two genres in mind, I will have to research: common angles, mis-en-scene, editing, elements, examples, sound, and elements that I like/ dislike; by doing so, I hope to gain a closer connection to both genres and a clear understanding for which is better to use in my final project.
For action, common angles for action include aerial shot, close up, long shot, and high angle. Common mis-en-scene for action include: the protagonist's costumes tend to follow suits (sometimes include capes) and "regular" clothing they wear when they are just living their normal lives and not fighting crime; while, the damsel in distress tends to wear light and flowy costumes to represent innocence and love. Lighting includes mainly natural as most action will occur outdoors rather than in- there are some special cases, such as when shown the villain's story, where there is low-key lighting used instead; actors are focused around the plot but generally include the male protagonist, male helper/ donor, female accomplice/ lover, evil villain, and supporting characters; makeup tends to be more emphasized on the protagonist/ villain and other makeup tends to include fake bruising/ blood on the other characters; props include vehicles (race cars/ motorcycles), weapons (knives, guns), and high-tech machinery. Lastly, the setting is usually set in a modern big city where there's a focus on businesses and mass technology use. Common editing for action includes fade in/ out to create a dramatic transition to the next scene and to let the scene pop out to the viewers, graphic/ action match to make the film seem more visually appealing and catch the watcher's attention. Common sounds for action includes dialogue, voice-over, and non-diegetic. Elements of action include heavy movements, loud sound/ explosions, over-the-top battle/ fight scenes, and a significant death/ loss. Examples of action include Thor: Ragnarok, Fast & Furious, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Rambo: Last Blood. What elements I like about action is the costumes (the details in the capes/ how it differs between the protagonist and antagonist), the lighting (tends to focus on its subjects and also creates a lighter visual impact when the victory is completed), the setting (usually takes place in modern-day cities but includes something fantasy-like.)What elements I dislike about action are the actors (it always makes the antagonist seem to be the bad one, even when they have reasons for their actions), plot twists (they tend to add one around the end when everything seems fine and it destroys the whole plot.)
For horror, common angles for horror include the birds-eye/ high angle, close-up, tracking/ pan shot, reverse, tilted angle, extreme long/ long shot, low angles, handheld camera shot, point of view shot, zoom, and over the shoulder shot. Common mis-en-scene for horror include: costumes tend to be very dark and overexaggerate loneliness/ imperfection for the antagonist (the one who is creating the horror.) Lighting usually is dark unless when it's focusing on a specific subject/ person (usually low-key lighting.) Actors include the protagonist (usually a shy female) and the antagonist (could be anything/ anyone a doll, a male serial killer, etc.) Makeup is included for bruises/ blood or for dolls/ little girls to represent innocence. Props are regular house furniture, weapons, and outside architecture. Setting usually occurs in a house (tends to be a rundown mansion/ house with a basement.) Common editing for horror includes a reaction shot, eye-line match, and jump cut. Common sounds for horror includes diegetic, (subtle) dialogue, and voice-overs. Elements of horror include low sound/ noises, long wait/ suspense, dark surroundings, and creepy objects (tilted painting, messed up doll, etc.) Examples of horror include A quiet place, Hereditary, The Witch, and The Conjuring. What elements I like about horror the costumes (design of the darkness/ innocence implemented between the characters, the makeup (how realistic the blood/ bruises look), the props (it seems they can use almost anything as a weapon.) What elements I dislike about the horror genre is the lighting (too dark), and the silence/ suspenseful music (it adds up to the horror but makes me very anxious.)

My Generic Genre Research

At the beginning of the year, everyone in the class was told to grab a piece of paper from a bin and then do research about it. The pieces of paper were filled with various genres in which we would group together with people that picked the same genre. Although it was interesting to get a randomly generated genre, I would have appreciated researching my own picked genre (which is happening sooner than later); but just to reinforce the experience- I really liked researching musicals. Of course, the first subject my mind focused on was The High School Musical Movie Series by Disney. Although now, I find it intriguing that there is a TV Show in creation for the movies- but it wasn't the only musical we could research. We needed various examples, different actors, other experiences, and it would've been appreciative to look into different time periods to give a sense of change over time periods and generations. Once we got the instructions, it was time for research.
We were told to research all of the following concepts: lighting, camera angles, movements, mis-en-scene, elements, examples, common sound, and factors that are/ are not appealing. Since there was so much work to be done, we decided to split it between our group (which contained three people, including me.) Personally, the hardest ones to cover were mis-en-scene and the factors that do/ don't appeal; this is because you have to really focus on what the director is trying to accomplish and how they merged all of these elements together in order to make the film they wanted. The parts of the project I completed were: movement, elements, common sound, and non-appealing elements. Looking back at it now, I realize I could have elaborated better on the movements and sounds as it's much more generalized and does not focus on a particular term, just a particular theme. On the other hand, it shows my growth and experience throughout this course and realization of the material that matters; which is one of the greatest parts I like about this course- the realization of exactly how much goes into media production and how directors elaborate their ideas through production. I can confirm, without any hesitation, that this project was the main bulk of our course material; if it was not assigned at the beginning of the year, I would feel that my experience was weaker throughout the course, had it been assigned toward the end of the year. At the end of the project's completion, all the group members showed each other their work and elaborated on the details of their slides; this made it convenient to learn about the material of the genre while completing it on time.
Furthermore, the actual project itself wasn't hard, it was just quite time-consuming; we had to make sure that the details we received were correct and also elaborated on so that it didn't seem confusing. Also, as I mentioned before, we couldn't just focus on one example as that would create too much genre bias from that one example; by using multiple films to examine it proves a variety of lighting, sounds, and movements could be implemented into the film to give across the director's ideas; the genre isn't necessarily specific to one type of each element, however, specific to a set of similar techniques for that given element. It definitely perked my interest in seeing the genre's main concepts change throughout the years, especially in the Silent era where live music was accompanied rather than editing it in the film's post-production. Also, the way the elements changed themselves in the genre was peculiar; as in, how sounds would become louder and more upbeat to support the movement which was fast and flow-like. Overall, the experience enforced the understanding just how much goes into creating a film, what the process is like, what factors are accompanied by a certain genre, and basically all of the in-depth details under the creation; this project aided me in my experience and thought process as a director and what factors I am attracted to.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/120FcK-anrMywLeSykKDuNpem6r_6TuaiBlkFmytXijQ/edit#slide=id.g6036323fc2_3_8

Boss versus Girl

My top two pitches are down to Big Bad Boss and Summer Vacation. I summarized both as I realized these two pitches are perfect when keeping in mind materials, time, actors, and costumes, and more.
Big Bad Boss is better to do for this assignment as it requires more work, concentration, and management as compared to Summer Vacation. This pitch also deals with more emotions, or less depending on the view, either way, it is a much more complex storyline than to that of Summer Vacation. This pitch also deals with a specific situation while the other deals with a regular decision many people make, such as going to college after graduating high school. The boss has to take into consideration the whole corporation as well as their own career while the other considers going to college to further their knowledge. Although both pitches interest me, I understand that this pitch would be specifically harder for me to do as I would have to schedule more extensively and intensely in order to set the scene correctly. The whole view on this assignment is not just to "extend a portfolio"; it is to advance and use new techniques that we've learned throughout the course. Considering this pitch uses much more scenery and props, that would also include the use of new techniques to not only set up properly but make sure the film is clear.
On the other hand, Summer Vacation is still a very good pitch. Yes, it is a very normal view on a teenage girl's life however, this view is specific to this girl and is also trying to show a universal lesson of accepting change and separation. In this current time, there is the greatest population of educated people and the ability to extend one's knowledge by attending an educational institutional after high school. Thus not only is it a relatable moment, however, it is presenting permanent change and growth; additionally, it is also allowing people to understand change is inevitable and the only way to feel truly comfortable is by accepting it rather than ignoring it. For this assignment, I don't believe it is challenging enough; it is understandable that the filming process itself is already long and invigorating although, considering this pitch is set for a more "Home" scene vibe, it will not be as challenging to create a schedule plan for personal households rather than actual establishments. In conclusion, I believe Big Bad Boss will just take more time and effort to create rather than this summer home feel.
In the end, I have decided to pick Summer Vacation; it seems easier although the concept of accepting change and growing through life is something that never gets boring to me. I believe with enough effort, this pitch will show others how to accept change in a dramatic way.

Starting The Final Task

I believe I've progressed a lot through this course and believe I retain more knowledge and terms on film compared to my prior experience. In my previous years to this, I maintained a growing interest in technological development such as coding and software; this core value helped me support the interest I have in developing technology. As I've mentioned before, I've had a peaked interest in filming due to my core interest in technology as both fields are easily related; however, more specifically my interest in visual production. Personally, visual production gives me satisfaction on the effort, time, and willingness put into the actual product, and to see the end piece is truly a remarkable memory because it reflects all the growth we've gone through to get to that point. When I was enrolled in this class and still learning the content, I began to realize that we build our own portfolios based on the projects assigned to us. The greatest contradiction, about the projects, is the amount of fun we have filming versus the amount of stress we have while editing. It's not always that way, however, filming involves constant movement, energy, and attention to the certain project while editing is trying to perfect the film into a product that meets the satisfaction, which takes about the same or more work. Overall, I've finished most of my portfolio and am very excited to start working on the movie opening.
I progressed a lot throughout this course and feel like I've been brought closer to the filming and production/ visual world. While creating the advertisement and music video, I learned: scheduling is very important, time needs to be precise and available, there needs to be a constant check on important details such as location and actors, and there has to be more film for backup. Additionally, I didn't realize mis-en-scene had such a major impact on film; before this, I did retain basic information such as the emotions should reflect the scenery and the scenery should be accurate for the time and location. Although, I did not emphasize how the list of costumes, lighting, actors, makeup, props, and scenery all tie together to create this complex storyline; but now since I've been filming more and having more involvement in production, it's hard to ignore all of those factors as those are the main factors for the entire film. One talent I would like to emphasize is my scheduling; for the most part, scheduling almost always remains consistent and if it changes, I automatically notify the actor(s) and the establishments. Although my other areas of filming have improved, I acknowledge that this skill has improved the most; even though scheduling was a talent I already had.
A pitch is a term from Hollywood to describe an idea where a film is created in 25 words or less; this pitch specifically is mentioned as an "elevator pitch." There are three ideas I have in mind: WWIII (World War III), Big Bad Boss, and Summer Vacation. For WWIII, a newly recruited soldier has to stand up against the war general when they can't get a grip after being newly drafted. In Big Bad Boss, a woman boss is already mean enough but completely throws away her humanity when new competition arises in the business and the workers can't stand it. Lastly, for Summer Vacation a high school graduate has been waiting for college her whole life but finds herself with separation anxiety when she can't deal with the changes.