Movie Research: Death on the Nile

 Last movie blog!

This movie is called Death on the Nile, let’s get into it.

    Elements that were present in Death on the Nile that we will be using in our film is tension and  suspense. Camera angles such as high angle, low angles, close up, tracking shot and establishing shot were used to develop the storyline.  Jump cuts and montages were some of the editing used. Dialouge that contained information were major clues that pieced the mystery together.

     Elements of the movie I enjoyed was the usual setting of dark secluded areas and environments. Characters with hidden motives so you didn't know who the killer was until it was revealed to you.  Suspenseful music played adding to the atmosphere of the film through both diegetic and non-diegetic sound. Clues placed throughout using costumes and props.

    The elements in the movie that  did not appeal to me was the red herrings. The clues were being produced were at times confusing. The characters also could have been more flushed out so their deaths and secrets would be more drastic.

Movie Research: Knives Out

 

Hello!

     I am back again but this time I will be talking about another movie, this movie is called Knives Out, and this movie came out in 2018.

     Elements that were shown in Knives Out that we will be using in our final task will be the sense of suspense and tension, other elements would be plot twists, red herrings, flashbacks, a whodunit type of structure, and just in general the visual style of the film, like the angles that will be taken, the music we decide to use in the film and also the script that will be set up to create the mood.

    Some convections of mystery that I liked within the movie were the whodunit structure because the movie provides clues, red herrings, and misdirection, making me feel like I was part of the movie too, and I was trying to solve the mystery. Another convection I really enjoy would be the clever plot twist the movie had because even if I thought I knew who did the crime, it took a whole different direction and I was left speechless.

     A convection I did not like within this movie was the tone it gave off, the tone the movie gave off was very sarcastic, and it had witty jokes, which I believe took away from the serious tone of the movie that makes people hooked because they do not know what to expect but with a more jokingly type of tone, it makes the audience feel more relaxed. Which I would not like to do in the film, I want to keep it in a more serious, tone

Movie Research: The Black Phone

 

Hello everyone!  

     It’s me again, today I will be talking about my genre, mystery, and the elements that are in this genre. I will also be talking about my likes and dislikes on these elements. 

    

    In this genre some of the elements are suspense, realistic plot, foreshadowing, a villain who is usually not assumed to be the villain, and a resolution. these conventions really bring out to the audience that this is a mystery movie. First were going to start off with my likes.

 

        In mystery some of my favorite conventions are suspense, and the realistic plot. My all-time favorite is when you don't know who the villain is, and it turns out to be someone who you never suspected. I enjoy these because when they connect it really makes you think throughout the whole movies but not in a bad way. Now that we have discussed my likes with this genre, less talk about my dislikes.

 

    let’s start off with, the foreshadowing. The foreshadowing shows a lot of prediction, although this would be one of my least dislikes because I like the connection it makes with the end and the beginning. Another thing I do not like is when the resolution isn't exactly a resolution, and they end it off with a cliff hanger. 

    

Genre Decision: Mystery

 

Hello there, 

      Now that in the previous blogs, three genres were talked about, these genres were action, thriller, and finally mystery. Although all of the genres are good one stands out the most. 

     The group has decided that the genre for the final task will be mystery. The reason the group chose this genre is that the pitch was two people in a mirror maze facing death, they are being searched by a killer so it is very strange to see that. Not knowing who the killer is makes the audience curious and puzzled about who the killer is and that is why the killer is chasing the two friends.

       It was a close call with mystery and thriller but having curiosity and trying to figure out who the killer is, leans more into the mystery genre so that is what the final decision was. Well, that is it for this blog, Goodbye for now!

Genre Research: Sci-Fi

 The third genre!

The last genre i have researched is Sci-Fi.So let's get into this.

Common camera angles of Sci-fi include extreme long shot, long shot, bird's eye view, medium long shot, medium shot, close up, extreme close up, Dutch angle, tracking shot, over the shoulder, low angle and high angle.   

Mis-En-Scene that are common in Sci-fi include the following. Sets displaying  dystopian future, space and post apocalyptical worlds. Props that are  futuristic and high tech computers, weapons. Makeup that is gory, cybernetic and realistic looking. Costume are  futuristic/ alien tech dystopian usually represent their jobs.

Editing usually brings the movies to life. Major of this being with special visual effects or CGI. The color palette commonly used are cool tone and duller lighting. Jump cuts and cross cutting are used to add suspense.

Common sound used are diegetic sound, voiceovers, ambient sound and sound motif.

This is done to develop the futuristic feel of the movie. 

Examples of Sci-fi movies are The Hunger Games, Star Wars and Avatar.

I like the elements that are futuristic and realistic elements which allows the audience to easily to connect to the story. And element I don't particularly like is also how realistic the movies can be as it can feel to  much like real life. And also the gore as I feel it would be too much for our project.

Genre Research: Thriller

 

Hello again,

       This is the second genre i have picked out, thriller. Enjoy!

In this genre there are a lot of shots and angles, for example, a high angle. A high angle makes the character look more vulnerable, and it conveys danger and shock to the film. There are also Dutch angles, Dutch angles help create suspense and tension to the movie. One of the most important shots and angles are the ones that show emotions of the characters. One of these are close and extreme close-up shots. This helps us see more emotion from the actors’ eyes. Another is a low angle, this one allows the characters, mainly the so and so “evil one” in the film look aggressive and carry power. A wide shot emphasizes space to make someone, or something seem isolated.

                Some mis-en-scenes are the lightings. Some lightings are low level lighting, this helps create shadows to create fear and tension. One of the biggest they use is dark lighting. They use this lighting because the dark is a common fear within everyone in the world. Besides lighting another feature in the thriller genres are make-up. There are different types of make ups in this genre, for example, bruises and cuts which allow the audience to emphasize they were or are in danger. Another makeup is the basic kind of make up which helps others see they’re a normal character and sometimes it can make them look scary, for example in the orphan the little girl wore makeup that made her look scary because she was young and dressed and looked etiquette. One of the most common settings in thriller is isolation because it allows the character to notice danger whenever they hear sounds. Finally, the props used in thriller are mainly weapons because they bring in violence and tension and suspense.

                Editing in this genre are mainly cutting and jumping between different shot in quick succession, this helps us create to sense the urgency and urgent haste. One of the most important sounds is non-diegetic music that can help create a sound bridge in the movie.

                Some movies that are in the thriller genre is

Talk to me

Five nights at Freddy’s

Parasite

Saw x.

Insidious the red door

The black swan

Bones and all

                In this genre, things I like are how the genre making you curious on what is going to happen next and how it gives you a tension but not in a bad way, but in a way that makes you want to continue watching.

                Some things that I do not enjoy very much would be the prediction it gives sometimes when the foreshadow is too obvious

Genre Research: Action

 

Hello everyone!

    Welcome back, it's so nice to see all of you again. Today, we will be researching genres for our final project. The first genre that will be researched is action.

    There are a few common camera angles and shots that are used for action movies. These include: POV shot, tracking shots, eye level shots, over the shoulder shots, long shot, two shot, etc. 

    Common Mis-En-Scenes of this genre include: dramatic costumes, lots of props, special effects makeup, and prosthetics.

    The editing for this genre is dramatized, through the use of crosscutting, cutaway, and shot-reverse-shots. The sound of action movies are intense. There is a lot of diegetic sound, ambient sound, and using sound motif to create an intense atmosphere.

    Some examples of action movies include: Marvel, Mad Max, Gladiator, John Wick, Star Wars, etc. The elements that I particularly like is the fast pacing, and intense atmosphere. If we were to do this for our genre, I would want to capitalize on those aspects of the genre. 

    Something that I don't really like about the genre is the gore that's involved sometimes, and I wouldn't want to have that in our project. 

Our Pitch

Pitch A: Two friends get lost in a mirror maze at the fair but see death in their reflection
    We will film this at a carnival, festival, or fair. We specifically liked this idea because we felt that it            was unique, or at least one of the more unique ideas that we had.

Pitch B: Three friends get a ride home, one still waits. Who is the man that picks her up?
    For this idea, a friend group of 4 is about to leave from somewhere, but there arent enough spaces in 
    the car, so the last girl gets a ride. However, a strange man drives up to the curbside and pretends to be
    an uber driver. The last shot would be him giving a sinister smile.

My final decision: Since we felt that the first idea was more unique, we decided to go with Pitch A: Two friends get lost in a mirror maze at the fair but see death in their reflection

Group Blog

 

Hello everyone!

    This is the very beginning of my final project for this AICE Media class. I am working in a group of four. My group mates are Makenna Ricks, Karina Sanchez, and Jennifer Hernandez. I wanted to choose to work with Karina for a few reasons. The first, is because I have already worked with her before, so I am familiar with her work ethics. The other reason I chose to work with her is because I've known her for a very long time outside of school, and I know she's a good student. I think we'll have fun, which is important, and we also know how to communicate with each other. 

    I asked Makenna to be in our group for similar reasons. I've known her for a very long time because of school. So, I worked with her before quite a few times. I also have worked with her on other projects for this class, and her ideas and thoughts have been very beneficial. Overall, I think she's a great asset.

    The last person in our group is Jennifer. I haven't worked with her before, and I also don't know her outside of school. However, both my other group mates ae fiends with her, so I trust their judgement. She seems nice, and from my understanding is a good student. 

    Overall, I am very excited for this new project and can't wait to get started. I think that our group is very good, and we'll have a lot of  fun with this project. I also hope to learn new thigs from it.

Intro Blog

 

Hello everyone!

    I'm back and ready to go for my next assignment. What is the next assignment you ask? It's... our "final project"! We'll see how it goes I guess. 

    For the newcomers, My name is Madeleine Merrick. I have a few hobbies, which include sailing, drawing, and soccer. I am somewhat serious about soccer, and I've been playing it ever since I can remember. I have been playing for the same club for about 7 years now. I only really sail over summer break, and I volunteer at a sailing camp in Martin County, getting about 200 hours' worth of service hours every summer. I've been going there for a few years, and it's one of the many things I look forward to when summer comes around. 

    I was born in Florida and have lived there all my life. I've never left the United States, but I really want to travel around Europe and visit Lithuania, because that is where my dad's side is from. My dad owns a business, and my mother works for outdoor education around the world, specifically for preschoolers. I don't know what I want to do when I'm older, but I've always loved science, math, and space.

    I don't draw anymore, but I miss when that was practically all I would do. In 8th grade, I participated in a statewide holocaust reflection contest and won 1st place, along with a $1,000 reward. It was such a great experience, and all the winners from every category were able to meet a holocaust survivor, and that was one of my favorite parts of the whole experience. I'm so excited for all  the newcomers that you are now with us!