Drama Genre Question
Drama films include a lot of realistic themes, some of which prove to be difficult to approach and rely on realistic characters to appropriately act out any particular scenes. Most dramatic themes which are used a lot include sexuality, drug addiction, violence, racial prejudice, alcoholism and many more. These examples work well in drama films in the present day as a lot of these issues are dealt with in real life every single day, especially including children’s well-being, violence against women particularly and drug addiction. These issues are becoming more and more aware in society as we know it and drama plays on this a lot, perhaps trying to make the risks clear to the audience.
The story development of drama films have to be perfected and adequate to be screened, as if some issues are portrayed in the wrong way it could create a lot of negative attention for the writers and directors. When the story development is perfected, as it often is in most dramas nowadays, it creates a lot of interest and perhaps passion from the audience, as they distinctively notice the emotions portrayed and have a positive outlook on the piece of film.
Realistic characters have to be used in dramas as well as they have to somewhat relate to the issue being shown to really act out the different emotions felt with passion and interest, so that the audience can get a clearer/better understanding of the meaning of the film. If an unrealistic character is used in a drama it can really ruin the plot of the film, allowing the audience to become uninterested and have a negative outlook overall, some of the audience which really can relate to the realistic themes could possibly take offence from the film, merely from the bad acting of the controversial issues.
An example of a popular drama is The Shawshank Redemption. A young baker named Andy has his life rapidly change when he is wrongly convicted of the murder of his wife and her lover, and sent to prison. As the story unfolds, Andy shows that he is not a typical prisoner. With the help of his friend, Redd, Andy makes the most of his prison life. Throughout the film the audience become really in touch with Andy’s emotions, really feeling for him as he not only completely adapts his life, but grieves at the same time. Parts of the extremely dramatic film really play on the audience’s emotions, reducing some to tears. This proves how the right character can really change the whole perception of a drama film and have a very positive reaction.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hB3S9bIaco
Horror Genre Question
Horror films are made to receive negative, usually disgusting but overall emotional reactions from viewers by using most well-known fears of many people, in a horrifying way showing explicitly the worst possible outcome of those fears. They use a lot of scenes which startle the audience, making them jump, much like thriller films, however horror films tend to make the audience wish they didn’t watch the film and create a much worse reaction.
Horror films tend to include typical fears of the supernatural, including ghosts, demons, Satanism, torture, murder, zombies, serial killers and many more. A lot of these mainly revolve around the fear of the unknown, and though most used in any typical thriller films, horror films have a much different approach. They show long, impacting shots clearly displaying and emphasising the graphicness of most scenes. A situation in one film could include torture of one person, inflicted by another, with all the different methods shown on camera with the victims face clearly shown along with any particular wounds, displaying the emotions felt by the characters to the audience giving them a horrifying outlook on the film, creating a lot of fear and agitation from the scene.
Thriller films would also create a lot of agitation and possibly fear from the scene but not as strong as horror films, they wouldn’t show such graphic abuse or create much disgust in the plot.
An example of a collection of out-right disgusting, popular horror films made are the Saw films.
In the first film, two men awake in a living nightmare, chained by their ankles to pipes. They listen to a voice recording left in a dead man’s hand strapped to a hand gun. They each have a task, one must kill the other by 06:00, or his wife and daughter will die. The two men are the newest victims of a serial killer by the name of ‘jigsaw’ along with a female, Amanda who awakes to find a mask on her face, hooked to her lower jaw. There is a timer on it, and only one key will unlock it, and that key is in the digestive system of her cell mate who lies paralyzed on the other side of the room. All the characters face their worst fears and have to battle to the height of their capabilities in hope that they will ‘win’ the cruel, gruesome games. Throughout the film the audience will really feel for the characters, clueless as to what they would ever do in that situation, and on the edge of their seat wondering what the out-come will be, much like thriller films. The sad part being, that no-matter the outcome of the Saw films, the audience would always be extremely emotional and have an overall negative reaction.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1lgXhFbXy4&feature=player_detailpage
Thriller Genre Question
The thriller genre is extremely popular for the suspense and wonder in most scenes, thriller films always keep the audience interested and tense as to what will happen next. A large emphasis is put on the risk full, dangerous situations which the protagonists are faced with, allowing the audience to become agitated and interested in the plot of the film.
A lot of tension and suspense in thriller films is created by the intense music which accompanies separate parts of the film. Heavy, mysterious music is used a lot in the build-up to most thrilling scenes, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats eager to discover what the out-come will be.
Different camera shots/angles are also used to create suspension and wonder for the audience, for example, by using a close up of perhaps a victim’s face in the film really allows the audience to understand the different intense emotions which that character is feeling, and what excitement the rest of the film could offer.
A good example of a thriller film which creates untold amounts of tension and suspense throughout is the sixth sense, made by M. Night Shyamalan. The sixth sense made its way to the big screen unspoiled and blew audiences away with its surprise ending which no one saw coming. A young boy, Cole, is being tormented by a number of different ghosts and seeks help from a child psychologist who struggles to conclude his problem, unaware he is also a spirit. The film creates a lot of tension with close-ups of Cole’s face in the middle of the situations then quickly switching to the spirits, keeping the audience completely in touch with his emotions and stressing of the unbelievable jumpiness of the film.
Science Fiction Genre Question
In the science fiction genre, also known as sci-fi, there are two main types of films, earthbound and futuristic.
Earthbound sci-fi is where the story is set on planet earth, in the present day, For example, an alien invasion of earth. A good example of an earthbound science fiction film is Independence Day. The film is about an alien invasion of planet earth, starting on July 2nd when an extremely large alien spaceship enters the earth’s orbit and sends a large number of saucer shaped space ships to attack all the major cities on earth, creating a world-wide disaster. A major battle between the earths’ and aliens forces takes place throughout the American holiday of ‘independence day’, hence the name of the film. This is one of the most famous earthbound science fiction films ever made.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZZvtQtdbzM&feature=player_embedded
Futuristic sci-fi however is when the story is set in the future, and most commonly in space or on alien planets. A good example of a popular futuristic sci-fi movie would be the Star Wars movies. These films are set thousands of years into the future, with a large number of different planets, space ships, and incredibly advanced technology. Humans and aliens are mostly living in peace side-by-side with the occasional opposition with antagonist races and groups. The films include amazing battles in space, with humans, aliens and robots with the extremely famous weapon the light sabre, powerful forms of ‘rays’ which have the capability to cut through almost anything with ease, especially a human. Every single star wars film is set on alien planets and there is absolutely no reference to the planet earth or its existence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbf_wbbjfy4&feature=player_embedded
Western Genre Question
Western films generally tell historical stories, mostly set in the latter half of the 19th century, in the ‘Old West America’. Western films portray how hard and perhaps depressing life really was for isolated families, living in harsh times, with work becoming scarce and threatened by the onset of the industrial revolution, especially for local farmers and cattle ranchers, which were very popular in those times. Not to mention living in fear from the constant rivalry between natives and settlers of the U.S Cavalry. Final duals often occurred, where representatives from different groups of men would risk their lives for the pride and victory of their town, undergoing a counted number of steps and a race to whoever draws their gun and shoots the opponent dead first.
In western films, you really notice the emotion which each character is feeling and can really feel for whomever it is, considering all their problems and how hard it really would have been for them. Western film makers allow this for the audience with point of view shots, showing us exactly what the character would of seen maybe moments before his death, creating suspense and wonder for the audience, of what will happen next. This has a big effect of the audience, as they feel they have related to the film of another level, really understanding the aim, and difficulty of living in a different age.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-ptpERFVeY&feature=player_embedded
Romantic Comedy Genre Question
Romantic comedy films, also known as ‘rom-coms’ generally involve humorous ordeals between two lovers or future lovers which will result in a happy relationship. The couple are generally faced with barriers or problems to overcome in order to be happy together, whether it being changing their approach to each other or proving their dedication to the relationship, mostly in a humorous way.
Romantic comedies are different to other type of comedy films as they are considered to be more ‘serious’ types of comedy, as a wrong choice in the path can prove to be devastating for some characters. In most other comedies, it is humorous mostly because of wrong decisions made or even the misfortune of the characters, especially in traditional silent comedies, where the humour was based around painful or embarrassing actions. (E.g. a pie in the face, getting soaked with water or slipping on a banana skin) Whereas, in romantic comedies, the humour could perhaps involve either a man or woman coming up with funny, romantic gestures in an attempt to win over the love of the other character.
For example, in the film Clueless, upper-class student Cher (Alicia Silverstone), spends her days thinking of a man she believes she hates, oblivious to the fact that she is in love with him, until her friend also admits her love for him. Realising that she cannot allow her friend to take her love from her, she passionately confesses her feelings to Josh (Paul Rudd) and is stunned to hear he feels the same way. They get together and as always, the film ends on a positive note.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHDcD_xhwAo&feature=player_embedded
Comedy Genre Question
In the comedy genre, the protagonists of any particular comedy films are crafted to amuse, entertain and provoke entertainment. They tend to humorously exaggerate situations ensuring all of the audience’s attention is on them throughout the duration.
Most protagonists in this genre are initially portrayed as quite out-going, somewhat strange people, always surprising the audience and other characters with their actions. In some cases the audience might suggest that the protagonist is only so humorous and eager of the entertainment for other characters to hide the flaws of their own lives, and the reveal of their unhappiness or perhaps misfortune.
The protagonists of this genre do however commonly have charming and successful aspects within their humour, as they usually result with a happy ending and all of their problems resolved.
For example, in almost every American Pie film, Jim Levenstein faces a number of social and personal challenges which he resolves in an overly humorous way, always keeping the audience wondering what he will do next, resulting in everything working out well for him and the humour continuing with the restoration of his happiness and perhaps pride.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLx7cnzFTDE&feature=player_embedded
Action Genre Question
The action genre carries with it main character roles included in all action films. The two main character roles in the action genre which are well-known and always in a rivalry are the hero and villain.
The heroes in action films are portrayed as attractive, confident, fearless and somewhat charming. They tend to feature the heroes struggling in unimaginable situations, which often involve many life-threatening pursuits, ultimately ending in victory with punishment against the enemy still on-coming with the law.
The villain however is portrayed and dark, mysterious and evil. The character tends to have a negative outlook of life and ultimately a negative effect on other characters. Again, the villain tests the hero in unimaginable situations, always trying to ‘come out on top’ over the hero, commonly using malicious twists in an attempt to beat them. The villain does however almost always become over-whelmed by the hero and is forced to admit defeat, not from choice.
For example, in the film ‘Die Hard’ Officer John McClane (Bruce Willis), the hero, battles against a group of terrorists, led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), the villain, in an attempt to free his girlfriend and the rest of the hostages from their work building which has been hi-jacked. Ultimately, working with his side-kick, McClane overcomes the terrorists and specifically Gruber and is re-united with his girlfriend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qxBXm7ZUTM&feature=player_embedded
College Work #Scandalous 