Analysis essay

Here is evidence of my analysis essay, which I made in order to understand film conventions and their role in genre to a deeper level.To do so I had to pick four films I was able to compare and contrast from two different genres.I ended up picking romance and horror then one big budget film and a smaller or independent film.Hopefully this will have a large impact on my film production as it will allow me to have a deeper understanding of genre conventions and how they can be subverted or conformed to when creating my own production film.

 

Fictional films, or often known as narrative films are productions created through the use of imagination. Generally, not based on real events however often portraying a sense of reality. There are many different formats of fictional films, format meaning the size and how a film was produced. For example, ranging from a Hollywood film, which usually has a large-scale budget to an amateur film which is typically on a smaller scale and usually made for enjoyment and less business purposes like making money. Whereas the Hollywood or big budget type aim to make a profit through entertaining as without entertaining they would not succeed to make money.

Within the world of fiction there are more specific categories films fall under referred to as genres. Genres categorise films based on the narrative content and stylistic elements. There are typically a few main genres in film which are horror, thriller, fantasy, comedy, romance, action and mystery. In these genres, there are codes and conventions that define this specific genre, for example in a horror movie there is often a murderer and a final person who survives, this plot is used a lot in horror films and is now seen as a staple. Which links to Steve Neal's Repetition Theory that “genres are instances of repetition and difference, and difference is absolutely essential to the economy of the genre". So though genres may repeat certain aspects, they may aim for an element of uniqueness as this keeps them interesting in an age where hundreds of films are produced each year. 

For the purpose of analysis, I have chosen horror and romance as genres as typically they tend to contrast each other, which will  be helpful when comparing the films. I have chosen. Where typical horror film conventions depend on visual effects such as camera jump scares, low key lighting and dark colour palettes, romance usually opts for more narrative and theme related, where they follow a loose plot line which is found among most romance films. For example, enemies to lovers which is classed as trope, 'trope' being the word used to describe a common or overused specific device/scene which is used in order to portray meaning. Horror films also have these sometimes for example the typical girl alone in the house being stalked by a murderer.

Mise-en-scene

The word mise-en-scene is a French word used to describe “everything placed in a scene". Meaning characters (facial expressions and body language), setting, props, costume, sound and lighting, all used together by directors to create meaning and establish the films genre by subverting or reinforcing certain conventions. By using for example different kinds of costumes or lighting the director can leave messages or visual clues for the audience.

In ‘Moved’ without words, mise-en-scene plays a large role in cementing the film into the romance genre as it has to rely on visual elements as there is no script. In films there are different types or lighting, warm lighting tends to give films a sunny natural feel and can often be abit reddish. Which is typically used in romance films as it is typically associated with intimacy and warmth. ’Moved’ does this using sunlight and warm off camera lighting which combined with the reddish curtains dressing the set gives an amorous feel as the characters embrace each other on screen.

However ‘Twilight’ mise-en-scene is used unconventionally as well as conventionally to show that the production is part of the romance genre, an example of this would be through the use of lighting which subverts from typical romance lighting. In films like I’ve stated above there are different types of lighting, cool and warm. Twilight does the opposite to typical romance opting for a cool lighting, giving the film an all-over blueish tint as well as other editing tricks giving scenes an almost clinical theme. Although not the warmth romance is used to the cool lighting gives a calming nostalgic feel for example when Bella is driving through folks for the first time in years. Another use of the cool lighting is the fact it creates a blue tint also helps Twilight fit into its subgenre being fantasy as it creates another worldly feel.

Although ‘Twilight’ lighting subverts from the typical romance warmth the majority of the time, at points it does switch up. When scenes where intimacy or the romance between the characters is high there is a warm lighting or at least a softer light. When Edward and Bella first go for food, the restaurant uses artificial lighting to create a romantic feel. The outside is covered in warm tone fairy lights while the inside has lamps and candles, emphasising the blush in Bella's cheeks and the reddish tinge of her hair. By only using warm lighting occasionally it really connotes to the audience when important points of the love story narrative are. So, by using aspects of romance conventions sometimes with lighting but for the majority of the film subverting 'Twilight' is a good example of Steve Neale’s repetition and Difference theory.

Similarly, colour is used in ‘Scream’ to create representations, however instead of lighting more through the use of costume. The reoccurring use of light and dark separating the good from the bad characters at points. Although simple and easy ghost face being the only character to wear all black although obvious allows the audience to subconsciously grasp that he is a villainous character when on screen. In the opening scene drew Barrymore's character wears a light cream coloured sweater symbolising her as a pure light innocent character. The contrast between this and the killer's dark cloak visually allows the audience to see that yes Ghostface is a killer but a dark hidden character, which is a good example of the binary opposites theory. with no personality showing, falling into the conventions of anonymous killer often found in horror films.

Returning to lighting short film ‘Whos there?’ strong point in fitting genre conventions was the directors use of shadowed lighting on characters. The villain of the film is kept in the dark through dark lighting and shadows cast across his face while he’s watching the woman in the shower. By doing so creating suspense and keeping the audience on edge as his identity is hidden, therefore when he is eventually revealed it is more intense. By having the “good” characters in the light proving they have nothing to hide and the villain in the dark it cements the characters, supporting Propps theory

To conclude, different directors can decide whether to subvert or conform to genre conventions through using mise-en-scene, in varied ways shown in these three films. Usually Hollywood films like ‘Twilight’can afford to differ the most as they have a larger budget and bigger chances of advertising the film to make a profit. However short films like “where’s you?” have more to lose and typically try to conform. However this isn’t always the case as “moved” has no speech which typically is require for a romance as the characters need to connect on many levels uses body language and music to convey the characters love for each other.

Camerawork

In film production camerawork can sometimes tell a side to the narrative that the script doesn’t do. The position or movement of a camera can make shots or angles which position the gaze of the audience to create meaning for the audience or the film itself. Camerawork is important, as it helps establish genre while representing a film defining look or the narrative it wishes to portray.

In ‘Twilight’ camerawork plays a role in establishing the connection between the two main characters, when Bella first sees Edward and his family in the cafeteria. The technique of a slow push-in is used to draw attention to the two characters staring at each other. A push-in doesn’t reframe or move the shot it just slowly moves in on what the camera wishes to draw attention to, to get the audience to look harder at the focus point more than just a static shot. By using a dual push in shot it makes it clear to the audience that Bella is staring at specifically Edward and that he is equally staring at her just as intently as the shots mirror each other, as the camera pushes in when looking at both of them. Without this for example, the camera only pushes in on Bella, it doesn’t create the same intensity and the camera which is acting as the staring of the other character off-screen is one sided giving the impression this intense staring match isn't mutual and that the characters aren't feeling the same energy. This whole scene being captured the way it has is extremely important as it first establishes the connection between the films two leading love interests, which is a key part in any conventional romance film.

Similar to this ‘Moved’ uses camerawork to capture the connection between the two characters, however more their physical connection. The film really has the focus of love language and physical touch of a traditional romantic film. When the characters are touching and dancing the close up angles from the camera highlights just how connected they are as it fills the screen. And when the girl isn't there anymore the camera being at a long shot shows the distance now between them the lack of closeness the camera has to the male character reflecting the lack of closeness he has to the girl. By only using extreme close ups when she is present it is clear when the intimacy and warmth is.

Contrastingly ‘Scream’ does the exact opposite, in order to keep suspense and mystery the camera avoids lingering for the first part of the film. Cameras movements are really good at hinting or drawing attention to certain objects or people which is exactly what scream wanted to avoid. By keep shots no more than a medium close up when characters were in scenes together, its hard to tell where the main focus should be. For example, in the main how do you gut someone scene when the teens are talking before lesson even when talking about killing there is not a single angle that zooms in on one character, it stays static. This is clever as it gives nothing away to the audience, even though two of the killers are sat right there. This technique of broad angles subverts typical horror genre as usually the camera gives hints to the audience, through zooming in on characters to highlight their body language or lingering just abit too long with no context to make the audience aware of something. By not drawing particular attention to anyone who has  been questioned by the police in 'scream', the film really does give the impression that anyone could be the killer and that there isn't the typical dodgy mysterious suspect.

Editing

An essential element to the making of a film is editing, this can be anything from cutting scenes to adding special effects, or transitions. The use of editing it typically to establish the narrative in which the producers are attempting to achieve, helping to create meaning for the audience watching, whether this is subverting or converting camerawork in regard to conventions.

For example, in ‘Who's there?’ When the girl is texting who she thinks is her boyfriend, through the power of editing the text appears on screen allowing the audience to see what she is typing and the response, by doing so filling gaps in the narrative. Instead of this the camera could just cut to show her phone screen, making the audience become omniscient, however by putting the text over the film it allows the audience to see her reactions at the same time displaying her change in emotions. When she sees her partners keys and wallet, the music shifts to a creepier tone showing she has registered the items are there. Another good use of editing would be the cutting back and forth between the girl and the dark hallway, by cutting between the same shots multiple times as she slowly moves forward this kind of snap cut scenes used in horror builds suspense for the audience. Overall, I'd say Who's there is conventional in its ways of editing for its genre even down to its pacing as it follows the fluctuating in pace that horror films typically use, starting off slow to introduce then speeding up towards the end scenes or when the climax or scariest aspects occur. For example, when she finds her partner or when she comes face to face with the murderer.

‘Twilight’ is also primarily conventional in its editing to conform to its genre of romance. In the prom scene where Edward and Bella are dancing, the pacing of the scenes are slow matching the music which ends up creating a calm feel as the love interests dance, by the pacing not picking up or changing it creates a consistent flow. The shots of them dancing go past the regular length of shot which is typically only a few seconds as to not bore the audience, before cutting to the next scene. One shot of them embracing last around seven seconds, potentially done to create an intimate feel and give the audience a chance to really capture the moment.

Differently I thought it was important to include ‘Scream’ here as it uses editing to subvert genre conventions, in one of the murder scenes the editing is used to emphasise a difference in plot. Typically, in scream the majority of murder was shot with quick cut scenes sequenced together to create a jump scare where the killer just suddenly appears. However, in one murder the film subverts this concept commonly used with the death of Tatum. When the killer appears, the scenes don’t cut quickly between Tatum and the killer they just flip calmly between them to highlight the conversation they are having as Tatum doesn’t yet see Ghostface as an issue. Because she believes its someone playing a joke she is more relaxed which the editing tries to really accentuate to the audience, including the creepy music even as Tatum approaches the killer it gives the impression that this is not a typical murder scene, as unlike the rest of the victims when Tatum sees the Ghostface costume she isn't expecting to be murdered. This whole scene subverts the typical girl alone scared scenario that horror films like to follow and gives a fresher take. Due to this film having a high kill count this mix up keeps it interesting for the audience.

Sound

Sound is an important factor in the making of a film, it can help create emotion and set the tone while helping the visuals on screen tell the story. There are two categories for sound, non-diegetic and diegetic. Non-diegetic meaning the sound added on to a scene, something the characters can't hear but the audience can, the sound doesn’t exist in the world of the actual film itself for example soundtracks or special effects. Whereas diegetic sound does exist in the world of the film and can be heard by characters, this sound is usually audio and dialogue. Sound can be useful at helping to establish a films genre. Sound can be used to conform or subvert from conventions as well as audience expectations within that genre.

In ‘Scream’ sound as been used to create an atmosphere at points customary with horror films, one filled with tension and suspense. The use of diegetic screaming and running which we see in the opening from Drew Barrymore's, character are used many times throughout the film giving an authentic feel to the production. This portrayal of sounds are common horror conventions as they can frighten the audience just by being realistic. In regard to non-diegetic minus Tantums whole scene, ‘Scream’ uses sound conventionally to conform to its genre. It follows the pattern most horror do which usually result in either an increase of volume or speed to the music being played in an intense scene. The change in sound gives clues to the audience for what they can expect to occur next. In the opening scene to scream there is no music while she is just talking on the phone, however when Ghostface begins asking the girl questions a single piano note plays signifying the change in narrative. However even when there is no music or calm music is played to begin with the audience are aware they are watching a horror film and probably know that the calmness is just what comes before the horror. Speaking of dramatic foreshadowing, scream also uses another technique as a smart little way to indicate the chaos to come, going back to diegetic sound all while Casey is talking and moving around the house as the phone call is getting more intense popcorn is cooking on the hob. As an audience knows when popcorn is done it pops, however this popcorn can be heard to eventually set on fire, predicting the mess to come. As the tension increases in the scene so does the sound of the popcorn.

Much like, ‘Moved’ does, using sound conventionally to conform to its genre. This film is a good example of using sound to really tell the story with the visuals. As the couple dance a sound is played throughout, speeding up and slowing down to match what the audience is seeing. At points where the camera zooms on the closeness of the couple the music is louder and faster to emphasise their physical connection, as often done in romance films to showcase the energy between the love interests, as emotions are heightened so is the tempo. At the beginning and end where the man is alone it can be noted sound is diegetic, however when he is with his partner it changes to non-diegetic this could be to symbolise the fact he is remembering something and what the audience is seeing isn't happening in real time shifting from reality to fantasy, giving the romance a dream like feel.

Similar to ‘Moved’, ‘Who's There?’ also  follows typical horror conventions in its audio use. When the climax hits and the girl come face to face with her partners attacker she screams. The use of a diegetic scream the girl is visibly making again creates a realistic tone, giving a satisfying final scare when tensions are high.

Overall, all for sound analysis I have much less to comment on as it is evident from big production to small most don’t differ from using conventional tactics to stay in their genre. However, it is apparent diegetic sound is used more, possibly because this allows for an authentic sound and can potentially fit better with visuals as it is actually occurring at the same time. Sometimes conforming to genre in categories such as horror is helpful as for example horror music is one of the main features used to establish a horror film.

In conclusion its apparent from the films I have chosen that all can conform and subvert conventions, in which their genre uses however the majority it should be noted tend to conform. Whether this is due to fear of the unknow or just for example with big Hollywood films, just sticking to what they know will be recognisable and make money I'm unsure. However, the variation, big or small suggests that most films fall into the theory of ‘Repetition and Difference'. Thus analysing this set of films as been useful as it has shown that the genre of a film is not cemented and is primarily just a broad word used to describe certain features used to create meaning.