Short Film Research: The Terrible Old Man

 I was excited to review this short film as it is based on an H.P Lovecraft story. Lovecraft is one of my favorite authors, and I was excited to see his writing on the screen. I have never heard of this short story before, however, I was excited to see how it would be. This one was pretty long, but I still liked it overall.

Common Sounds- Lots of wind, sounds for background like chimes to set the mood. There is dialogue also between the robbers and the old man, however, it isn't as important.

Common Mis-en-scene- This includes the scenes with the house decoration, the really good costumes to make it as Lovecraftian as possible, and the props used by the old man and the robbers.

Common Editing- Many backs and forth close shots and dolly shots in this film. Too many zooms, to be honest, it was kind of making me sick.

What did I like about the genre- How well the mystery was paced in this short film was amazing. I was mostly worried about the time when making mine and this helped to see how to properly pace a mystery. I also loved the actors in this they did a really good job.

What did I dislike- I didn't like the background for this. The background for what was happening seemed really sloppy. At least I learned what not to do.

Short Film Research: Damned Peace

 This was a crime mystery which is really interesting as I might do something similar to this short film. The first thing I noticed was how good the marketing was for this short. Since I might major in marketing, I took notice to these details in the poster and how it related to the film. This project was also extremely small as barely anyone worked on it and the budget must of been low It is "A journalist finds a career-defining story. But if written it could cause a gangland war. She must decide truth or peace?"

Common Sounds- Sounds of sirens a lot, not that much talking, good sound effects despite the small budget. There was one song that played in the background that fit very well also. The actor was very good.

Common Mis-en-scene- The mise-en-scene included the main character's outfit, the setting of the places she went such as the outside being sandy and bleak at some point. I really liked how they created a common theme with the colors in this short.

Common Editing- Editing is over-the-shoulder shots, with tons of back and forth between two characters. There also are tilt angles everywhere and shots where they follow an object. I thought that the camera work was really good.

What did I like about the genre- I think the actors carried this short film, the dialogue really made the mystery actually feel like something. I also thought that the scenery helped me feel much more immersed in this project.

What did I not like- I didn't like the low budget they worked with. I think so many things could have been improved with a bit more spending such as the quality of the camera overall.

Short Film Research: Escape the Undertaker

 This is a light-hearted Netflix-made show with WWE superstar the undertaker. While its production isn't perfect it is a good example of a mystery genre for a short film. I also found it interesting to try and solve the mystery at the same time.

Common Sounds- There are hastily thrown together sound effects as well as the dialogue between characters. Busy background sounds if that makes sense.

Common Mis-en-scene- Costumes for all the characters such as the Undertakers descriptive outfit. As well as the mansion/house it takes place in. There are a lot of props as well for the challenges.

Common Editing- So many jump cuts here. Voice overs are also common.

Elements of Genre I like- I like how effective this was with the clearly lower budget and how the mystery was set up so you truly still didn't know at the end.

Elements I didn't like- Although I gave it some praise, the movie truly has a very low production value with cheesy acting and not that great themes. This isn't a good film but I thought I would include it because its a mystery.

Short Film Research: MORE

 I am starting my short film research with one of my favorite short films of all time MORE. Mystery short films are really hard to come by as they usually have a different genre with a mystery sub-tone. This is exactly what MORE does. I would argue that this shows a mystery but the person solving it would be the viewer themselves. They have to fill in the holes left out about the world and the dystopia.

Common Sounds- Sounds are just sound effects and the occasional mumbling that is supposed to be talking.

Common Mis-en-scene- Setting of the outside, the factory, or the room where he's making the goggles. The mis-en scene includes the drab color of grey until you wear the goggles. The characters are unique and fit mis-en scene especially the facial expressions they have to use.

Common Editing- Stop-motion editing as well as the color changes. There also are close-ups and scenery shots and bird-eye views.

Elements I like- I love the themes of this short film and how much more I wanted to know after I watched it. I was questioning so many different things after watching this film.

Elements I dislike- This is my favorite short film, there isn't much I dislike but if I had to critique it I would say the transitions between stories like the outside could have been smoother. Also the mystery of the world could have been gone about more.

Research: How to Make a Short Film

 This video was decently useful for some friendly reminders before I start making my film. He gave me some ideas to improve my storyboarding at the beginning and also how to come up with ideas. I decided to look at his past short films and they all look pretty good. I also was wondering though, how many people he expects to be working on these. With everything he is saying, it seems like this was meant for people with a budget. Because I basically have no budget, I was looking for tips on how to make a good movie without the cost. Also, the materials he shows are very high quality. I maybe wanted to know about lower quality sets as I cannot move a camera on a dolly etc. I like his points at being smart with your decisions, however. Such as that you should be careful with what actors you choose because of time frames and also their abilities. I don't know who I am going to have acted in my movies but I have some ideas. I probably will use little speaking roles in my film to try and make it as high quality as possible. I find that I like short films with little dialogue more anyways. That's why it doesn't matter as much for my actors as they won't need to perform to a high standard.

This also showed me the difficulty in making a short film. I think after reading this, the short film is going to take much longer than I thought. There are so many small things to worry about. I am a bit scared about doing it on my own but am excited about the challenge.

Comparing Le Jetee, the short, and 12 Monkeys, the full-length movie

 I will be comparing a short called Le Jetee and an article that describes 12 Monkeys as a full-length movie. I haven't seen either of these yet and haven't heard of either of them. My original google search gave me a description of Le Jetee and I think I will like it a lot.

Short Film: To be brutally honest, Le Jetee was only "ok". I like the foreign feel of the film and the introduction felt like where I got the bulk of the information. It was hard to process everything after the introduction, to be honest. There was so little and so much going on at the same time if that makes sense. There were images throughout which were kind of confusing but it made a bit of sense after I looked up how old this film was. I really didn't get the plot other than the parts with like time travel and Paris. It may have been a dystopia but I couldn't really tell.

This might help with my mystery genre with the style of Le Jetee. I want to make my film seem older, and I could use this old film as a reference for that goal.

Article on 12 Monkeys: So 12 Monkeys is adapted from Le Jetee, which I think is a good idea, unlike my last blog, because Le Jetee was nowhere near as good as the short film 9 in my opinion. Apparently, the theme of 12 Monkeys is that we cannot change the past and only the future. When I put that into the perspective of Le Jetee things start to make a little bit more sense. We see that. Gilliam expands upon the world of La Jetée by breaking down the realism that was present throughout that film, instead of giving his version of it a more technological bent. Which is a strategy which may be useful for me when I make my genre. I can figure out how to shorten down a full mystery into the time frame. Although 12 Monkeys is not a copy of Le Jetee, it helped me appreciate the original more.

Comparing 9, the short, and 9, the full length movie

 In this blog, I will be comparing the short film "9" as well as the full-length movie "9". I am excited to watch these as I have heard good things when googling both of them. I am interested to see how the intricacies of a short film differ from a long film. I did some background research which made me even more intrigued by the short film, which I have never heard of. On the other hand, I had seen some advertisements beforehand and the trailer for the movie.

Short Film: This short film is amazing, there are so many intricate parts to this piece. The animation is not perfect, but because of the style of animation, it gives it a proper feel for the more solemn mood of the story. The dystopian post-apocalyptic world of the short film holds unique characters like the small characters who have their insides empty and used for storage so maybe robots? There are many questions that probably won't ever be answered such as where are their souls and why is the monster doing what it does. We also don't know what the main character is thinking because we only see facial expressions, despite this I think the sound fits well. The directorial style I think was made for low budget, which is why it uses the stylization of no dialogue and the animation, however, it uses it to its advantage by putting the hidden themes in the short. The ending with the releasing of souls? was also interesting as I think it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. Like, I think this could have just been a small part of a bigger story.

Full-Length Film: The movie starts with a scientist making 9, the main character which already gives us so much more information than the short. We also have an early plot point with the Talisman and 9's meeting of other characters like 2. I think that 9's personality changes too much though. In the movie, 9 is brave and is making the first moves. We also have plot points with the brain that creates monsters which confused me a bit. In this film there is dialogue and honestly, I preferred the animation in the short film to this. While the beginning, end, and characters are MUCH more fleshed out I don't know how much I actually liked this movie.

When comparing the two, it's obvious that I liked the short more. I feel like it was supposed to be open-ended where your mind does half the work. The movie doesn't really let you do that as much and feels more like you are just on a ride. I prefer more introspective works and the mood in the short really encapsulates what I think the post-apocalyptic world should feel like. While the full-length film had better production value. I preferred the short overall. 

Genre Choice for Film

 The genre I have decided to go with..... is Mystery!

After doing research on all three of the genres that interested me I believe mystery is the most ludicrous option and I want to give myself a challenge. Not only will mystery force me to create a much more complicated pitch than what I have right now, but I will also have to gain a large cast. However, I think that it will result in a great film because of this. I will be changing my pitch a lot because of this, however, I already have an overall idea of what new pitch I want to do. I chose mystery overall because of its versatility. I realized how many different approaches you can take with mysteries. I think for mine I want to combine it with some sort of historical lore. For example, connecting it to a fairytale or old century times like the white and red rose conflict that many shows are based on. I was going to choose a thriller but I did that for AS level and I wanted to try something new. While I love thrillers, the mystery will be a more interesting route to take.

For a new pitch, I am thinking of incorporating the same idea of murders in the pitch. I think I could do a mystery with some history relating to the reason for someone's death. You then have to follow the history to figure out the motives. I like anti-heroes so I probably won't go for the same route of hero vs villain. Making the protagonist the main character would be unique for a mystery. I hope to try and do something unique for this short film.

Genre Research (Mystery)

 Mystery Research

Common Lighting: One common progression of light in Mysteries is lots of shadows. I think they do this to try and show that not everything is shown. You have to infer things in mysteries and shadows help a lot with that. 

Common Camera Angles: Close-up shots, zoom shots, Birds-eyes views, anything that shows the emotions of characters.

Common Movement: Camera movement seems more subtle from my experience with mysteries. Maybe some tilt dolly shots but that's about it.

Mis en Scene: Location: This can actually vary greatly in the mystery genre. However, I would like to do an older time possibly.. I find that mysteries are made before they have access to the internet or more captivating and interesting. It also allows for fewer plot holes.

Color Design: Tends to have a tint on darker scenes while possibly having some blur on more important scenes.

Elements of Genre: A hook, suspense all around. red herrings. strong, compelling characters. evidence that makes sense, reader involvement, a satisfying ending.

Common Sound: Tend to be extremely strict and follows pacing a lot in mysteries. There might not be any sound in an important scene where you want to get as many details as possible. On the other hand, a slower conversation might have music in the background.

Examples of Epics: Knives Out, Clue, Citizen Kane, Sherlock Holmes.

Appeal: I have been reading a lot of mystery novels recently so I have tons of ideas on how to integrate my pitch into a mystery film. I also think I can get it done in the time frame.

Dislike: Need many characters usually, which might be hard for me working alone.

Genre Research (Epic)

 Epic Research

Common Lighting: One common progression of light in epics is from dark and brooding at the beginning to happy and bright near the end. Another being the dimming of lights as the movie progresses

Common Camera Angles: Wide shots, Establishing shots,and Bird eye views.

Common Movement: Zooms into wide shots are commonly used, and lots of tracking shots during fights.

Mis en Scene: Location: Somewhere historic or far in the past. Costume: lavish and elaborate costumes. Set Design: Usually high budget and quality.

Color Design: Tends to have a tinted or sun-kissed look

Elements of Genre: Large Scale historical movies that use a lot of costumes and mix in drama.

Common Sound: Tend to be extremely dramatic in order to emphasize intense scenes using loud booming sounds or fast-paced music. When there is a scene where it's supposed to be happy the music lightens up. And in scenes showing villains they use low pitch sounds.

Examples of Epics: Gladiator, Star Wars,  Lord of the Rings, Spartacus.

Appeals: Usually very grand and the ability to bring a viewer into the world is unparalleled. This would be really good if I want to really make a specific setting for a film.

Dislike: This will be hard to pull off because of the nature of Epics. I also dislike how unflexible they are. I feel like many epics are similar because of the rules they follow.

Genre Research (Thriller)

 Thriller research:

Common Lighting: Thrillers are usually pretty dark. The best thrillers make good use of bright scenes to have added effects. 

Common Camera Angles: Thrillers use quick jump cuts to show suspense and wide shots to set scenes. In pulp fiction you see many two person shots and zoom close ups to show personality. 

Common Movements: zooming in on certain objects for symbolism is common in thrillers. 

Mis En Scene: Costumes: Normal clothing can make a thriller look more realistic. This allows people to associate thrillers with real life and make it more personal. Actors: they use people who can really create emotion in people. Makeup: they use fake tears or blood to show physical pain or emotion. Props: They use breakable props in order to not hurt anyone. Setting: Usually dark and changes ending up being light near the end.

Elements of Genre: Tend to have a lot of emotional plot points and try their hardest to evoke emotion by using things like children or characters you can relate to.

Common Sounds: Use songs that create emotion in people with things like violins or pianos. In fight scenes use upbeat fight music. And they sometimes use eerie sounds to create a sense of uneasiness.

Examples: Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, The Usual Suspects

Appeal: I love how thriller makes me sit on the edge of my seat. The suspense you get from thrillers is unparalleled and even beats out horror in my opinion.

Dislikes: One gripe I have is the ratio of time to reward. I think time is extremely important in thrillers. Since I have limited time it will be much harder to create an impact.

Genres I would like to research

 After doing some thinking, I have come to the conclusion of what Genres I might want to do for my project. I am looking for something that will captivate an audience rather than something slow. I think that I need to optimize my time with the 5 minutes I have. The most important thing is efficient time management to get all the points I want across. The first Genre I am thinking about is a thriller. I would do a thriller because thrillers are great for creating an emotional mood and I liked using wide shots in the previous class. I would be the most familiar with this one. Another genre I am thinking about is a mystery. I have been reading a lot of mystery novels recently which has piqued my interest in this genre. The mystery might be a bit harder to fit in the 5-minute timeframe though. I am up for a challenge, so this is probably my top choice right now. The last genre would be more of a serious epic. I have already done plenty of research on epics from the previous year. My favorite movies are epics and I enjoy the genre the most out of any. However, epics are pretty broad which might be off-putting. The high stakes and conflicts of an epic make it extremely exciting though. I will do more research before I decide on a final genre to choose. However, right now I am leaning towards mystery.