Research into War genre

 

Here is my scene analysis:

Research into a Thriller opening scene

Here's my Scene Analysis:

Research into a Western Opening Scene

 

 Here's my analysis into a Western opening scene:

Research on a Sci-Fi Opening scene

 Here is my scene analysis of a Sci-Fi Opening scene:

Research into Horror opening scene

 

I will be researching the Horror genre. In order to do this I have decided to analyse the opening scene from the horror movie IT (2017), made by Warner Bros. Studios, directed by Andy Muchetti. The main cast includes Bill Skarsgard, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis and Jaeden Martell.

From the narrative given to us, we can expect the genre will be horror, this is because there is a clear representation of genre, we, as the audience, know that the clown in the sewers, Pennywise, is the antagonist and murderous, there is a mention of the older brother, so we understand that the clown may be trying to kill people and the brother will be imperative to the victory against the murderous clown. The target audience for the film is people over 18 year old. Young people, no specification of gender, but since it is horror, would have an already existing audience.

Besides the shot-reverse-shots in dialogue, the shots are long and leave a lot of negative space in frame, which is a classic convention used in horror to create tension. There is also eerie high-pitched non-diabetic music which is in a minor key, and there is use of pathetic fallacy as the weather is pouring rain. Georgie hurts himself midway through the scene which foreshadows his venerability and is further established because he is continuously filmed from a high angle.

 

Pennywise - The use of high camera angles on Pennywise subverts our expectation, which makes it creepier as the audience knows that the clown is the antagonist. The shadows over his face and body hides his identity from the audience which creates distrust in the character, and makes him appear cynical and mysterious. The lack of diabetic circus music as the clown talks about it further creates the spine-chilling idea that the clown isn’t sane, and is putting the young boy, Georgie, in danger.

Brother - The brother is only seen briefly, but as the audience can infer, he will be vital to the plot because he is then mentioned again in dialogue, he is filmed from a higher angle than his brother, showing his protective gaze over him and the change in lighting, from the warm lighting, to the blue, cold lighting of the outside. Were given the idea that he and Georgie are very connected through the use of props, and the walk-in-talkies which allow them to communicate. 

Georgie - Georgie immediately stands out in his surroundings because his bright yellow coat contrasts the blue lighting and setting and the bright red used in Pennywise’s makeup. This makes him vulnerable, because he can’t blend into his surroundings. 

I think this scene does a fantastic job of showcasing a seemingly innocent scene and making it chillingly creepy through non-diegetic music and a complex soundscape. The long shot durations and use of tracking shots and camera angles creates a sense of negative space and subverts out expectations of what horror would do, building suspense within the scene. The shot-reverse shots in dialogue are made creepy through the use of highlights and shadows, hiding things from the views of the audience. The sound effects used to jump scare the audience, which helps create the fear meant to be perpetuated by the genre.

What is Genre?

    Genre is the main category assigned to a given film. It is used to give the audience expectations and help the institution to appeal to certain audiences.

   Sub-Genre further categorizes a film within a genre, due to the wide variety of film made annually. 

    A Hybrid Genre is the mix between two of the 5 genres, these movies often appeal to a wider audience and are therefore beneficial to institutions.

Action:

Things associated with Action:

• Fast-paced chase scenes
• Stunts, and physical activity
• Battles, fight scenes
• Basic Antagonist/Protagonist plotline
• Lots of High Energy
• Incredibly quick Impact scenes
• Overarching objective

Horror:

Things associated with Horror:

• Dark tones and shadows/night
• Tense music
• Fear of the unknown/ death/ monsters
• Suspense

Thriller:

Things associated with Thriller:

• Conspiracy
• Extremely high tension
• Chase/ pursuit scenes
• Fear of the unknown
• Danger

Romance:

Things associated with Romance:

• Two Protagonists
• Stereotypical Cliches
• High emotion and tension
• Romantic journey, Eg: Colleagues to Dating
• Romantic, affectionate involvement of the two protagonists 
• Love at “First sight”

Western:

Things associated with Western:

• Wilderness, and The Barbaric
• Cowboys 
• Native Americans
• Clear Protagonists and Antagonists
• Criminals, Outlaws, vs. The Law
• References to the American Civil War
• Texas, and the American South

SciFi:

Things associated with SciFi:

• Space, Alien worlds
• The Future, time travel
• Strange science creations
• Exploration
• The supernatural
• Off-Planet settings

Film Industry Research

 

Warner Bros.

The company was founded by four Brothers in 1923; Harry Warner, Albert Warner, Samuel Warner, and Jack Warner

They are based in Burbank, California, however, they also have headquarters in Leavesden, Watford, UK.

Warner Bros. Is a subsidiary of the larger conglomerate, Warner Media, which is owned by AT&T, other subsidiaries include, DC comics and HBO. This is beneficial to them because they already own the rights to the music and characters they would like to film, and they can create movies with an already existing fan base. It has been running for 97 years, since 1923.

Biggest box office successes:

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

2. Aquaman 

3. The Dark Knight Rises

4. Joker

5. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The budget of the studios top 3 highest-grossing films last year:

1. Joker - 55 million dollars 

2. IT: Chapter Two - 79 million dollars

3. Pokemon: Detective Pikachu - 150 million dollars 

New films:

Pre-Production: 21

Production: 7

Post-Production: 1

Big institutions have the ability to secure tent pole films and merchandise, they are also able to produce movies that are a part of a pre-existing fan base. They a guaranteed to do well with those films and therefore are able to make more films quickly and with larger budgets, so their locations and special effects will be of top quality.

BELSTONE

The studio was founded by Finn Cardigan Bruce in 2012. They develop, finance, and produce their own international films. 

They are based in London England and have no other studios.

Finn Cardigan Bruce is the CEO of the company and it is not a subsidary or a conglomerate, it is run independently. This means the company has much more control and can be more efficient. It has been running for 8 years, since 2012.

Biggest box office successes:

- Tank 432

The budget of the studios top 3 highest-grossing films last year:

- Tank 432- 1 million

- Tucked - 300,000 thousand - 600,000 thousand

Main actors or directors:

- Finn Cardigan Bruce 

- Nick Gillespie

- Jennifer Handrolf

- Ben Wheatley

New films:

- Pre-Production: 5

- Production: 0

- Post-Production: 2

The advantage of a small institution is that they have more creative freedom to explore interesting topics and risks, without the audience's preconceived expectations from a franchise or branding.