Genre Identification - Shanghai Noon/Alien Elements

Genre List some of the common elements used in these genres; consider Mise-en-scene, Cinematography, Sound (Effects and Music) and Narrative Conventions (typical scenarios or characters)

Action Films - Lots happening, many fights, medium and close-up shots depending on the type of action eg. swords, guns. Loud, fast music and quick shots and scenes, loud sound effects, slow motion in the middle of big action scenes

Adventure Films - Usually a long quest, lot’s of traveling and different places and people, long distance shots generally, far-off echoic music with little lyrics

Comedy Films - Visual humor, love stories, idiots, desperate situations, medium and close-ups mainly, very into the people side of films, more to do with emotions then scenery, many odd sound effects thrown in, and strange music

Crime and Gangster Films - Tough people, rough neighborhoods, cars, small amount of music, medium shots generally, a few deaths, racism, vandalism, police

Drama Films - Huge, dramatic storylines, strong music, suspense and tension, shots all over the place ranging from close ups to medium long

Epic Historical Films - Historically correct, suspenseful storylines, dependence on a particular person, a big goal, medium ranged shots, music can be very different in different movies because of the range between battles, political things, peaceful times

Horror Films (Alien) - Suspenseful, dark lighting, few sounds, heart-beating rapidly standing out, much death, supernatural, mystery, gore

Musical Dance Films - Great variety of music, many love stories, dramatic, medium-long shots, loud music mainly with lyrics, dances, actors and performers

Science Fiction Films - Aliens, futuristic lifestyles, different worlds, supernatural themes, lots of weapons, space ships, echoic music, many sound effects from shooting and lasers to alien screeches and robotic tones

War (Anti-War) Films - Battles, politics, weapons, sneaks, history, future, whole range of shots, in the middle of fights fast shot but slow motion often, blood, gore, death

Westerns (Shanghai Noon) - Cowboys, horses, guns, boots, country music, long-medium shots, tumbleweeds, dusty towns, bars, stables, particular tough bad guy, joking good guy

Aviator Scene Analysis

The film Aviator is a historical film about breaking an old flying record. During this scene sound and editing were used to great effect to help add suspense and drama. The Aviator is a good example of an historical film because it is based on a true story and most of the elements remain true to factual information which this genre represents.

The sound and editing in this film were used to convey the feelings and emotions of this particular scene and they really added a good deal of suspense. In the beginning it was calm and quiet, there was only a small amount of light music in the background, which conveyed a sense of normality, nothing was happening yet.The shots were just medium length and the dialogue was the loudest sound, which helped make you focus on what they were saying. Then he got in the plane and it showed the switches being flicked, and the loud sound effects to go with them which added to their importance. Then the plane started up and the engines noise was loud but no music added yet, nothing was building up or happening. The shots were continuously of his face, to show the emotions running through him, and of the plane to let you know how important it was, and the dependence this scene had on it. Then the plane is seen further away and it’s quieter now, his face is shown close-up and he seems to get tenser, suddenly the music starts, and it’s soft but building up. Now you know that something is about to happen. As he takes off the music suddenly escalates, exclamations come from the watching crowd as their hats are blown off, it shows surprise, and that makes it a bit more suspenseful in the sense of, is something else unexpected going to happen? Then the engine becomes a bit louder and the plane is brought close up again and rattling sounds are brought in coming from the plane. The music and engine and workings of the plane are the main sounds now, it makes it seem that it’s really hard for this plane to try to go so fast and that with this technology breaking the speed record will really be a great step. As he comes in for the first run he whoops, showing excitement in the atmosphere, but he doesn’t break the record and his time is said unexcitedly to show a bit of disappointment. The clock is ticking loudly, to add dependence on it and importance. As he misses it again a bit of tension builds up because only one more try is left and that’s all he can get. Then he breaks the record and everybody jumps and yells with excitement and relief. But the music is still going tensely, so you know something else is going to happen. He runs out of fuel and the engine dies down and sputters out, leaving the plane falling silently through the air. When it crashes, to show that it was on light there are no great bangs just a rushing sound as the plane scrapes on through the farm. It isn’t shown stopping but instead the cars are parking and that adds a tiny bit more suspense before seeing him casually leaning against the plane, ending the scene with an air of triumph but also the idea that it isn’t over yet.

This explanation shows that the elements of sound and editing were used with good timing in this film, escalating at the right times and showing the things that were most important in order to give you a perfect impression of what was going on and what you needed to understand. It is a perfect example of a film from the history genre.

Comparisons A New Hope & Revenge of the Sith

We just watched the trailers for Star Wars A New Hope and Revenge of the Sith. They had rather great differences in the overall impact of them. New Hope was a bit dull and boring, it had shots of action back there was no music to back them up and make it exciting, the voice over in the background had no relation to the film and it was dull as well. The impact of R.O.T.S was a lot more interesting and exciting, it was fast and the music was loud and full-on and right in front you, it really got you interested and it was narrated by a character from the film which made it more personal. New Hope was much slower, it showed more of the scenes but didn't give away much of the real story, whereas in Revenge of the Sith it continuously cut through the shots and went at a fast pace with quick jumps between action shots and intense moments. The sound was much better in R.O.T.S because it focused more on the music and the voices so you could hear clearly what was going on, whereas in New Hope the voices from shots were almost background noise, they could hardly be made out, but the weapons were really loud and they jumped out but without the use of music or other effects even these intense, action-packed battles seemed boring. The voice narrating was also really full-on and it was the loudest sound but it had no relevance to the story which bored it down a bit and made it seem close to a documentary.

Horror Story Method

The trouble with this is comming up with an ending to the story because i've only ever watched one horror movie and i don't plan on watching one again or remembering anything about that one, but i did my best.

Have the policeman stay late at night to finish some paperwork in his office and have a mysterious man turn up and give him an ominous tip about things that are about to happen then disappear suddenly. For the next two days have people over town disappearing mysteriously, completely random people who have nothing in common. Late on the third night have the policeman return home to find his wife dead. Add a sweet young girl to the police force whose brother has also gone missing. Have all the missing villagers be found dead in a nearby dried out creek or stream. Have the police force begin to doubt the man because his wife died at home and not with the others, make the new girl sympathetic towards him. Have the mysterious man turn up again when the man goes to visit his wife’s grave. Make him walk off through the town all night seeing the man everywhere and scaring people. In the morning make some officials arrest him and take him to a mental home where he is plagued by images of the dead villagers and the mysterious man. Let him escape and run off to ask for help from the police girl who talks about a clue. Make them go to a run down old warehouse and find hundreds of corpses. Have the mysterious man turn up and reveal that it was him and then have them run around trying to hide and find a way out. Let the girl call the police and have them turn up and grab the man just before he finds them. As the girl is being driven away let the policeman find out that her brother had not been found amoung the dead people and the murderor had in fact been him.

Horror Recipe

Characters
• Teenagers (possibly stupid)
• Murderer
• Police
• Victim/s
• Family/relatives
• Weird/spooky kids
• Hero
• Traitor
• Klutz

Desperation

Isolation
• No network
• Going Crazy

Settings/Locations
• Rain
• Night
• Deserted hotel
• Mansion
• Middle of nowhere
• Crop field
• Dark alley way
• Boat
• Secret room
• Graveyard
• Castle

Enemies/Villains/Bad Stuff
• Monster
• Escaped mental person
• Ghost
• Zombies
• Mutant
• Infected animal
• Vampires
• Psycho
• Stalker
• Alien
• Technology

Weapon/Device
• Poison
• Shard of glass
• Crowbar
• Crossbow
• Massive/kitchen knife
• Claws
• Gas
• Fists
• Guns
• Saw
• Axe
• Barbed wire
• Needle and thread
• Torture chamber
• Supernatural powers

I-Robot Scene Analysis

I chose a three minute scene from i-robot, this is the scene where Dr. Calvin has been told to destroy Sonny and Spooner is looking for answers to what Sonny is, and what he is for. Throughout the whole scene is one continuous sound, the music starts of slowly and keeps the same speed throughout the scene but it gets stronger and louder as the scene progresses and reaches a crescendo when Sonny is about to be destroyed, this music adds mood the scene and builds up tension and suspense. The lighting in the Sonny parts is bright, white and clean, it shows that the building is official, no mess, and then it switches to Spooner and the change in lighting is great, it is very dark and dirty outside, it has been deliberately made like this to show what people think of the old robots, as trash, and how wasted and dark the world has become outside technology. With Sonny and Calvin the shots are mostly medium and close-ups, it helps show the conversation they are having and the effects and emotions it causes. There aren’t many rapid cuts because the scene is not moving so fast, this adds to the feeling of Calvin, how reluctant she is and how slow time is moving for her, the shots also don’t show much aside from Sonny and Calvin which helps the viewer focus only on them. There are also no shots that show Sonny talking before he is supposed to get deactivated, this is done so you don’t guess that Sonny has been swapped with a different robot but the look on Calvin’s face and the music make you believe that it was him.