Genre Research: Comedy

The second genre we researched is comedy. Some examples of comedy films are Ghostbusters and Jumanji. Common shots in comedy are usually close up, mid-shot, long shot, two shot and over the shoulder. There isn't much camera angles used in comedy, they're normally shot at eye level. Common camera movements are pan, track and zoom shots. The sound in comedies are diegetic, non-diegetic, ambient, score, dialogue, sound motif and incidental music. The costumes depends on the plot of the movie and can range from normal clothes, uniform and costumes. Lighting is normally bright or mainly directed towards the speaker(s) in the scene. Actors are normally adults but sometimes there are teens or kids incorporated. Many of these comedians are Caucasian, but there has been more diversity in the recent decades. The makeup also depends on the plot but it's normally natural or something that goes with the costumes. Props can be anything ranging from furniture to food or even stores. Setting can be anywhere like a park or a restaurant. Common editing are shot reverse shot, eye-line match, action match and cross cutting. We like comedy movies because the jokes match our humorous personality. However, some of the jokes can be offensive to minority groups which we don't support because we believe in equality.

Genre Research: Coming-of-age

  Our last genre we researched is coming-of-age. Famous coming-of-age examples are Eighth Grade and Little Women. There are not a lot of angles used, but there are some high angles every now and then in this genre. There's not much camera movements, however, they would mostly be tracking and zooms shots. The different camera shots used are establishing shots, wide shots, two-shots, close-ups, eye-level shots, medium shots and point of view shots. The sound is mainly diegetic, non-diegetic and dialogue. There's also voice-overs, ambient sound, and a soundtrack of happy upbeat songs and slow sad ones. Costumes are normally everyday clothing and something a teen or young adult would usually wear. Lighting is usually natural or bright for the happier scenes while dark and neon for the sadder ones. Actors in this genre are mainly Caucasians. Fortunately, the media is starting to diversify the actors/characters in this genre. There is normally minimal to no makeup used on the characters. Makeup is usually used to show an emotion like crying or injury. Props are mostly personal items like a phone, skateboard, notebook, etc. Settings are predominately high schools or homes. Editing in these movies consists of cutaways, shot reverse shots, eye-line matches, reactions shots, and jump cuts.We liked that coming-of-age movies are ones that everyone especially teens can relate with. We didn't like that some of the characters' problems seemed vain and that these movies are not diverse; usually only having one person of color or one gay person throughout the whole movie.person of color or one gay person throughout the whole movie.

Genre Research: Romance

 One of the genres we are researching is romance. Examples of romance would be the Twilight series or the movie Your Name. Two-shots, over the shoulder shots and mid-shots are the main shots used in romance movies. Tracking shots would also be used when the character walks  to or runs away from their love interest. Pans would also be used during romance movies. The camera is normally angled at the same level as the subject, there isn't really a high or low angle used. Most actors in romance movies would normally wear everyday clothes as costumes, or dress for the occasion they're attending. The lighting depends on the scene. If there's a dance it would have darker lighting than if it was a brunch date. The actors could vary to anyone, but the main actors in most films are Caucasian. Makeup is normally used for special occasions the characters attend. Common props could be anything from keys or a phone to a cake or a car. The setting also depends on the scene, it can be anything from a castle to a sketchy ally way. There are a lot of shot-reverse shots and an eye-line match to capture the characters' dialogue and some cross-cutting to show what events are about to happen. The main sound in romance is the dialogue but there's also ambient sound and score. Elements of the genre we liked were the versatility and the feel good effect. Romance is very versatile in the way love is portrayed whether through tragedy, happiness, etc. There is also a feel good effect that romance has when the couple is together and happy that makes the viewer feel happy. We disliked the lack of diversity in romance movies as many of them are heterosexual with white leads. We also disliked how many romance movies follow the trope of falling in love with someone who bullied you or did bad things to you. We think that arc is somewhat toxic because many of these bullies/ bad people do not have a good redemption arc all that happens is they apologize once if at all and the main character falls for them or stays with them.

Genres I Would Like to Research

 For the movie my group and I will be filming soon, we have to pick a genre. There are three genres we decided to research. The first genre is romance. The second genre is comedy. The third genre is coming-of-age. We felt these genres would be potentially the best fit for our movie. Our movie's main plot revolves around a girl who likes another girl. This is why we chose to research romance. Also, when planning this movie we didn't want the mood to be heavy we wanted it light and comedic. This is where we got the idea to research comedy. Our movie is also set in high school which is where coming-of-age movies are primarily placed. That is why we decided to research coming-of-age. These genres not only go with our pitch but we also have interest in these genres aside from that. Coming-of-age movies especially have an impact on us since we are high school students. There also many romantic and comedic elements in coming-of-age movies. This also influenced our chosen genres to research. We have seen many romance, comedy, and coming-of-age movies that are set in high school. This will give us experience and a feel for what our movie will be like. We are excited to research these genres. Since we have watched so many of these movies casually it is nice to analyze these genres. It's fun to see what makes that genre so nice to watch. 

Throwing the Pitch

A romantic movie with comedic elements that is based in high school and is about popular girl interested in a skater girl who has a boyfriend. 

Finding the Group

For the final task, the class was assigned to do a five minute short film. We were permitted to work in a group up to four people. I have decided to work with the one and only Alicia. We decided to work together because we were previously friends. We already worked together on all of the films we made last year as well. We also didn't know anyone else in A Level Media Studies. We have agreed and been helping each other with the class because we're both on the introverted side. We decided it was better to work in a smaller group as well. When we did work in a big group with others, some people wouldn't do their part of the project. We also wanted to find a way to integrate our friend group into the project. I wanted to make a plan to do something fun that our friends can be a part of. COVID-19 has been affecting our lives for the past few months. At an isolated time right now, I wanted to mentally check up on my friends and do something eventful for them. The main problem we have at the moment is the different periods. I have Media Studies 7th period and Alicia has the class in 8th. Being in different periods is a disadvantage because we are not able to work face to face at the same time. However, it's better we have the class the same day so one of us isn't ahead of the other. I am looking forward to the production of this film. I think our group will be amused and creative in the process. I am excited to see what we create.

Welcome Back to The Series!!

 Hello everyone, it has been a while last time I've talked to you guys. Not much has really happened these past few months. It honestly feels like I've been re-living the same day over and over again. The United States have limited social interactions due to COVID-19. I've tried my best to stay inside. I've explored many different hobbies to take up my free time. I'm currently taking an online class to help me receive my required graduation credits. Art and embroidery has been one of my favorite hobbies so far. I also am trying to be more active so my body doesn't quit on me at 20. I started to swim and do workouts. I've started doing workout and yoga programs to help increase my muscle and flexibility. I've had a few plans to meet with my friends during the summer. We enforced masks and social distancing when we did meet to stay safe. One of the best thing that happened during quarantine is getting a new dog. My mom allowed my and my sister to get a mini Australian Shepard. We decided to name him Grey because of his grey coat. The biggest difficulties is trying to potty train him. I'm glad we're going back to school so I can do something productive. I'm not really sure it's the best idea to open up schools. I think it's safer if we continued to learn online. However, I'm excited to go back into the work ethic.