This Is My Research: Genre for my Comp 1
Typical conventions from the Crime/Drama genre.
- Films from this genre usually include many different things in terms of mise-en-scene. In the case of clothing, it will probably differ from movie to movie, but characters could often be seen using dark, low-key, and concealing outfits especially if the character is a criminal since it'll help hide thier identity, in the case of my group and the movies we're trying to recreate, characters such as mob family members can often be seen wearing suits and formal clothings. The way characters are protrayed also differ from characters, movies, and motives, criminals would sometimes be portrayed as messy and dirty, though some movies might subvert this convention.
A Bronx Tale (1993)
Produced By: Price Entertainment, TriBeCa Productions.
Distributed By: Savoy Pictures.
Genre/Sub Genre:
- Crime/Thriller, Mafia Movie.
What Conventions Did It Conform To:
- Firstly, the movie still takes place within the usual years that mafia crime movies do, around the ranges of 1940-1960s, A Bronx Tale specifically takes place around the years of 1960s, at least the start of the movie did. Secondly, the movie takes place in New York City or the Bronx specifically, this city is a very common setting for these kinds of movies and infact almost all of the most popular mafia movies do, and apart from the actual setting itself, the character "Callogero" narrates the opening with a sense of affection, almost like the city itself is a character that he loves, this view towards the city is also commonly used, albeit not always in a positive manner. Finally, although very slightly, the opening shows a few memebers of a mafia mob crew, most notably being the character "Sonny", the character was shown using formal clothing, had clean tidy hair and overall appearance, which I think is also a common way to portray members of these crime groups within the movies, aside from that the mob memebers were seen hanging out in their usual place as Callogero says and this is also commonly used, mafia movies often use certain locations like bars as a common place for them to be.
What Conventions Did It Subvert:
- The music used at the start of the movie was very melodic, warm, and comforting, though it fits the fact that the narrator is describing the city in a positive manner, I don't think these kinds of songs are too oftenly found in crime movies in general. Secondly, the opening starts with the narrator describing the city and its life in a very nostalgic way, as if he was retelling it directly to the audience, I also think this isn't too common, instead of starting off with whatever crime activities happen in the city, he just talks about the cars, the people, and where he lives.
What representations are there (places/events/people):
- Italian Mobsters, Normal Civillians, The Bronx (location).
What Technical Elements Are Used To Represent Them:
- The italian mobsters were mostly portrayed to be very tidy and civilized in a way, they were properly dressed with formal suits, and overall also had tidy hair and appearances, I think because of this they were shown to be rich and wealthy too, especially if we ad the fact that they were seen driving an expensive looking car. The few normal civillians weren't really shown in any positive or negative way, they could be seen wearing normal, non-formal clothing such as polo shirts or tank tops, their appearances too weren't anything special and also had clean overall looks, the few women seen in the car though were portrayed to be flamboyant in a sort of way. Finally we were also shown the general location of the movie The Bronx, the place was shown to be very welcoming and comforting, mostly due to the melodic music used, the narrator sounding very calm and nostalgic, and the camera movements, cuts, and establishing shots were all also very smooth, at the end of the opening it also made the city look very lively and active, due to the activities being done such as playing baseball and the musis used, and the fact that it was day made it seem more lively than nostalgic.
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Produced By: Village Roadshow Pictures, NPV Entertainment, Jerry Weintraub Productions, Section Eight Productions.
Distributed By: Warner Bros. Pictures
Genre/Sub-Genre:
- Crime/Comedy, Heist, Thriller, Action.
What Conventions Did It Conform To:
- Firstly, I think the jazz music is very typical and expected of a heist movie, it's sleek and slightly non-chalant, but also up beat and exciting due to it being somewhat fast, apart from the fact that it is typical of the genre, I think it could be said that the music is also reflective of personality owned by the protagonist being introduced. I think the setting included in the opening is also typical of heist movies, it shows the protagonist being in a casino, which could signify where the heist could be taking place in.
What Conventions Did It Subvert:
- Firstly, the way the protagonist is being introduced and portrayed isn't too typical of how they would be in a typical crime family, though we know he might be a criminal since he was just released in prison, he is shown to be intelligent, smooth, and somewhat likeable, isntead of being a typical criminal who might be instead shown as unlikeable, dirty, and slick in a very bad manner. The introduction also pretty much has no action at all, instead it focuses on setting introducing our character, the setting, and some bit of dialogue, I think this is done in order to give the audience a sort of tease of what is to happen, but the movie isn't spoon feeding it to them just yet.
What representations are there (places/events/people):
- Casino and Prison (setting), Casino goers, Danny Ocean (protagonist)
What Technical Elements Are Used To Represent Them:
- I think the way the casino and prison is portrayed is very different, the prison was shown to have a light blue hue, plain concrete walls, metal gates, which symbolizes the fact that its a very lifeless, unhappy, and in a way authoritarian location, The casino however has an entirely different color pallete, being shiny, rich, and vibrant, with many flashing lights and people, which then symbolizes the place to be luxurious, high stake, and also lively, this being a very stark contrast between both locations. We also got multiple glimpses of the casino visitors around the character throughout the opening, a large majorty of them were portrayed with formal clothing, as well as having a neat and clean appearance, this also symbolzies the casino to be a high-class and formal location. Finally, the main protagonist was portrayed with a very positive manner, he had tidy hair, a clean appearance, wore formal clothing, and the way he behaved and talked in general makes it seem like he was very confident with himself, he was very polite, and knew how to carry himself around, which again makes him seem likeable and intelligent, different from the usual criminals portrayed in movies.
Here are some other texts I will look at a little broadly to see how they appeal to audiences and how they can inspire me.
Name: The Godfather
Year: 1972
Target Audience And How Are They Appealed To:
- I think the taraget audience is definitely for the more mature audience, due to the fact the opening involves a lot of dialogue, doesn't have too much action. and doesn't use music, this caters more towards people who focuses and enjoys the story more, whereas people of younger ages might get bored at it.
What Would You Like To Use In Your Opening From This:
- I think my group would definitely want to include the amount of dialogue this movie opening has rather than having too much action. Apart from that we'd also probably want to replicate the lighting of this opening on ours though I doubt we'll want to do it to the same extent, maybe just dark surroundings and focused light somewhere, in order to add a sense of tension or unease and uncertainty. Finally I think my group would probably also include the same clothing that is in this opening, things like suits or at the very least just formal attire in general.
What Would You Like To Avoid In Your Opening From This:
- The setting is something we'd probably want to avoid, rather than being set in a office or formal like place we plan on doing our opening in somewhere more abandoned to make it seem more unsettling and uneasy, we also plan on doing this because despite focusing on dialogue, ours won't only include it. We'd also probably also avoid not having music used in the opening, my group plans on using non-diegetic music, preferrably anything that's discordant so the audience would feel uneasy and show a sense of desperation for the character in our opening scene.
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Name: The Irishman
Year: 2019
Target Audience And How Are They Appealed To:
- Though I can't say for sure what the target audience is due to the fact that not really anything happens in the opening, I do think it might cater towards a more mature audience who prefers strong storytelling from the movies they watch, I say this because it's the overall vibe or feeling I get from watching this opening, slow and calm, which is probably how the movie will play out in terms of pacing at least, though this movie would probably end up like the typical crime/mobster movies we see.
What Would You Like To Use In Your Opening From This:
- I think my group would want to use the calm and melodic song used in the opening, though for the case of our project, we'd probably use it in a contrapuntal manner, this in turn would hopefully create a sense of unease for the audience, though this issue as a whole is still under discussion within my group.
What Would You Like To Avoid In Your Opening From This::
- Probably the setting of the opening, the one in The Irisman uses a singular location and I'm not sure what the place is but I assume it's a sort of retirement house, my group might choose to include multiple settings in our opening which right now is still in discussion, but the locations would most likely not be clean, bright, or welcoming like this since we aim to have a gritty and dark opening. I also think that our opening might not include having one singular shot since it might not fit with what we're aiming to do, and might be hard to replicate if the location we were to shoot in would have many people.
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Name: Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Year: 2024
- I think the target audience for this movie based off the opening are for people who enjoy comedy movies with a lot of action. They are appealed comedy wise by the dialogue offered by the two main characters shown, and I think the contrast between behaviours and personality of the two characters could also add in some comedic value into it. They are also appealed action wise from the fast car driving scene where both characters are in a sports car speeding and drifting through the city, the music used is fast paced and hip, and the final bit of the opening where both of them are being robbed might also hint to the fact that the movie will include more action later on.
What Would You Like To Use In Your Opening From This:
- I think my group would want to include a few aspects from the mise-en-scene, this includes the clothing both characters are using which are formal attire with one of them wearing a full blown suit, I don't think my group has that type of clothing but at the very least formal clothes would do the trick, We'd also probably want to include weapons as well, albeit we'd want to use ones that are smaller.
What Would You Like To Avoid In Your Opening From This:
- My group would probably want to avoid a bunch of things from this opening, we'd avoid including a car scene in a bright and lively city, mostly since it'll go against the overall vibe and audience we're going for and entirely due to the fact that we don't have licenses and would get arrested. We'd also probably avoid having a comedic value into our opening primarily from the dialouge at the very most we'd have it slightly light-hearted and might focus on using a narrator instead of our characters speaking directly. My group would also avoid the music used, I believe it's too upbeat and exciting which again goes against what we want the vibe and mood of our opening to be.
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Name: Hot Fuzz
Year: 2007
Target Audience And How Are They Appealed To:
- The target audience is proabably people who enjoy action movies and maybe those who like comedy movies too. I say action because the fact that the main character is shown to be a Metropolitan police officer and the movie might include his line of work which is already shown in the opening like where he was raiding a house of no-no people and he was wearing swat armor, there was also a scene where there was a group of officers with riot shields and armor walking through fire on the ground. The fast camera movement, close up angles, and quick traisnitions also makes it seem more fast paced.
What Would You Like To Use In Your Opening From This:
- My group would probably want to incude the many transitions changing between scenes that this opening includes because my group is debating whether or not we want our opening to be a compilation of something in some way. We'd probably also want to include having many locations in our opening just like the one in Hot Fuzz, though ours probably won't be as bright or corwded.
What Would You Like To Avoid In Your Opening From This:
- The music used is something we'd want to avoid, it's too upbeat and exciting for the theme and vibe my group is going for. Although the camera trainsitions would probably be something we want to follow, the erratic and fast paced camera movement is something my group would want to avoid. Finally my group would also want to avoid including police officers or any other forms of law enforcements and government institution since we're trying to focus on portraying criminals.
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Name: Reservoir Dogs
Year: 1992
Target Audience And How Are They Appealed To:
- From this scene the movie is definitely for a more mature audience, sppecifically those who enjoy crime movies. The movie is for mature audiences because of the amount of gore used in this scene in particular and the language used as well, seeing this to younger audiences such as children would be downright traumatizing and a bad case of parenting. This movie might also be geared towards people who enjoy crime movies since in this scene, there is a police officer being tortured by who I assume is a criminal with whatever motives, the inclusion of a police officer might signal it being a crime movie, and the torture being done itself is a crime.
What Would You Like To Use In Your Opening From This:
- The setting of the scene is probably something we'd want to include in our opening as well, an abandoned building or warehouse though my group would probably use one that is much farther away or isolated from cars and the public. We'd also want to probably use clothing similar to the one that is being used by the torutrer, I'm not sure if it's formal clothing but it looks like it, so my group would aim to look someting like that, especially if we don't have coats or full blown suits.
What Would You Like To Avoid In Your Opening From This:
- The amount of injuries the person being tortured has and the torture methods is something my group would want to avoid, this is caused by the fact that it might be too extreme to recreate especially considering Cambridge guidelines, and I think recreating wounds like the one in the scene would be too hard or impossible since we're considering just using tomato juice or paste for blood, another factor is the time limit too. The ligthing is something we'd also want to avoid, I believe the lighting in this scene is far too bright than what we're aiming to achieve, we'd preferably want a dark room or overall setting and one focused lighting on whatever subject we have. Finally the type of non-diegetic sound is also something we'd want to avoid, I think my group wouldn't really want to have use a contrapuntal audio and instead use something discordant to fit the mood of our opening, though this issue is still under discussion in my group.
--------------------Name: The Outfit
Year: 2022
Year: 2022
Target Audience And How Are They Appealed To:
- One of the target audiences is probably crime movie fans, the two people entering the building silently, escaping the police shows that these people probably don't have good relations with law enforcement, so this fact is probably what could appeal crime fans. The movie is also geared towards a mature audience due to the language used and the fact that one of the characters has a pretty bad wound, which may be disturbing to see for younger audiences.
What Would You Like To Use In Your Opening From This:
- The clothing is something we'd probably want to include in our opening since we are aiming to portray ourselves as characters who are memebers of a crime family, and they are often portrayed wearing formal outfit like suits, though I doubt my group can entirely don ourselves with suits. I think the lighting is something my group would want to replicate as well to a certain extent, the ligthing used in this scene is concentrated on the centre of the room and dim the further out you get from the centre, my group would want to use this in order to create an uneasy atmosphere.
What Would You Like To Avoid In Your Opening From This:
- The type of non-diegetic sound is something my group would want to avoid, though we do want to include that type of audio, the one in this scene I think is too nerve-wrecking and fast paced, made for the audience to be on the edge of their seats, my group would want to use music that is probably more slow and discordant, or we might go for contrapuntal melodic audio instead.
Here Are Some Other Videos/Texts I Observed That Could Help Me In My Project.
- This video helped me because I was't aware of the fact that there are different ways to open films, I used to think that directors would just do what they felt like was right or what seemed more pleasing to them, but turns out there is in fact actual reasons to start a movie in a certain way that is not just to please the director or producer but to also set up the mood for the audience and maybe guide them into understanding what the film is gonna be about or like.
- I can also see this video helping me and my group in deciding on what we want our opening to be like but instead of fighting on which feels more aesthetically pleasing or something, it'll actually help it make sense in some sort of way.
- Originally my group wanted to make an opening and include characters that are inspired from popular crime mafia movies like Goodfellas or Godfather, however we got hit like a truck after realising we aren't full grown adults with a thick accent and beards but instead we are teenagers we annoying voices, because of this we had a post high (??) clarity and had a tough time deciding what we should replace our ideasw with.
- Eventually I though about our age group and what genre we wanted to use and it reminded me of these few side characters we encounter in the game Red Dead Redemption 2, I believe it fits what we want to go for in our movie opening or at least we could refer to these characters since they relate to our age group, these characters are basically kids who loiter around alleyways, ambush people and rob them, we might want to go for something like this.
Self Reflection: I think I felt much more confident with doing this research as compared to the one I did from the previous project, I felt like I knew how to explain things a little easier and just overall felt much better with my writing, I definitely did much better on this one and I hope I can continute writing well for my research. I think this is due to the fact that I knew much more theories now from media and can spot media thingies much easier or atleast I can get a slight bit of it, and the fact that we're researching movies also felt more fun and comfortable compared to tourism ads.
I also found it easier to research inspirations on things to put in our film opening, mostly because the idea of teenage criminals came to me from a game I once played so I kinda knew what to talk about already.
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