Sunday, January 26, 2020

Genre Research: Horror & Mystery

For this project, I have decided to research the horror and mystery genre

        Some common camera angles of the horror genre include eye-level angles and high angles, which are frequently used to show the protagonists' faces. Some common camera movements found in horror films include very slow pans and tilts and tracking shots. Typically the pans and tilts will slowly reveal a location or subject. While tracking shots are much faster as they show cars driving or people running from an antagonist villain. Some common shots found in horror movies are extreme close-ups, two-shots, over the shoulder shots, and medium close-ups.
      For horror movies, the costumes vary heavily depending on the character. A villain, for example, may have very baggy and distressed clothes. However, in comparison, the protagonist usually wears normal everyday clothes, which later gets stained and messy as the film progresses. Lighting is normally very dark in horror movie scenes. Most of which feature no natural sunlight at all. Often the only lighting that can be found in horror movies comes from a flashlight. The acting in horror movies is usually very dramatic and intense. Both the villains and the protagonist have to be very serious in order to create tension between each opposing end. The makeup found in horror movies is again also very dramatic and intense. Usually, fake blood and FX prosthetic makeup are applied to the actors in order to give a scarier and convincing feel to the movie. Typically, props can vary depending on each type of horror movie, but mainly any weapon of sorts can be commonly found in horror movies, some of which include knives, baseball bats, hammers, and axes. The setting for horror movies frequently takes place in a house or in a forest. More specially, the basement or back yard of an empty house or a vacant cabin in the woods
     Common editing used in horror films includes shot-reverse-shot, cutaways, eye-line matches, action matches, and reaction shots. Common sounds found in horror movies include non-diegetic sound, diegetic sound, sound bridge, and dialogue. Suspense and intensity is a very common element that can be found in all horror films, it is a key aspect that makes a horror film a horror film. Along with this, typically a lot of gore and blood are featured, along with many killings and dismemberment of the characters or animals involved. Confusion is also an element that is featured mainly through the first half of the movie, which leaves viewers interested until the very end.
     What I like about horror movies is the style of editing that can be found in most of them. Typically, the editing is really fast-paced and exciting which keeps viewers like me interested. Along with the intensity of the movie, I also enjoy the dramatic killings and gore that can be found in horror movies. However, one thing that I do not like about horror movies is the lighting. I prefer movies with bright lighting and vivid colors so horror movies are not my favorite in terms of lighting.
     Some examples of horror films that have been released within the last three years include Us, The Prodigy, Child's Play, and La Llorona.

    Moving along, the next genre that I have decided to research is the mystery genre. Some common camera angles found in mystery films are low angles. Typically, this is to show a character waiting or walking somewhere. Some common camera movements also include slow pans, tilts, and zoom-outs, along with tracking and hand-held shots. Some common shots that are found in mystery movies are medium close-ups, two-shots, wide shots, and long shots.
     The costumes that can be found in mystery movies tend to look more professional than in most movies. Costumes can include suits, business or work clothes, and even everyday clothes are common as well. The lighting in mystery movies can vary heavily depending on the movie or the specific scene. For example, scenes may be very bright as they are outside with natural sunlight. However, some scenes may be filmed in an alleyway for example, which will include very minimal lighting. The acting in mystery movies tends to be a lot more serious than most movies. This is because the subject matters in mystery movies tend to be about murder or crime which is also a very serious subject matter. Makeup found in mystery movies is very minimal usually. This will include everyday, casual makeup for women and occasional blood on the actors depending on the scene. Props for many mystery movies include cellphones, police cars, briefcases, and knives for defense scenes occasionally, just to name a few. The setting for mystery movies can differ, however one thing that I have noticed in many mystery movies is that they usually feature a scene with someone in public transportation, such as a train or subway station.
     Common editing that can be found in mystery movies is cross-cutting, cutaways, shot/reverse shots, and jumpcuts. Common sounds that can be found in mystery movies include diegetic sounds, non-diegetic sounds, dialogue, and sometimes voiceovers as well. Some common elements overall that can be found in mystery movies are the subject matter of crime. Specifically, the crimes can be of a murder involving one's partner. Additionally, the protagonist is also either the one who committed the crime or the person who is trying to solve the crime.
      What I like about mystery movies is the common elements of crime or murder that can be found in many of them. This makes for a much more interesting plot as it leaves the viewer curious to see how it can be solved. One element that I do not like about mystery movies is the costumes. The costumes tend to be quite boring and usually have no interesting aspects to them as they rarely ever change styles throughout the movie.
     Some examples of mystery films that have been released within the last three years include Get Out, Wind River, and Murder on Orient Express.

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