Genre

Genre is a creative strategy used by film producers to ensure audience identification with a film. Genres are constantly renegotiated between industry and audience. Genre functions like a language in the sense that it has a set of rules and a vocabulary with which to organise meaning.
Film genres are :

Action

Comedy

Horror

Initially we found it hard to categorise our film into a genre, as it has elements of different genres. It has clear elements of romance, with adventure as well as our character Niall Fletcher struggles to stand on his own two feet. The relationships he has with other characters like his girlfriend, his father, and the other characters he meets during the film and goings on between them would put the film in the category of a drama. Combining these areas of the film we have come to the conclusion that our film is a romantic adventure.

Three-point lighting

The Three Point Lighting Technique is a standard method used in visual media such as video, film, still photography and computer-generated imagery. It is a simple but versatile system which forms the basis of most lighting.

Key Light

This is the main light. It is usually the strongest and has the most influence on the look of the scene. It is placed to one side of the camera/subject so that this side is well lit and the other side has some shadow.

Fill Light

This is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side of the key light. It is used to fill the shadows created by the key. The fill will usually be softer and less bright than the key. To acheive this, you could move the light further away or use some spun. You might also want to set the fill light to more of a flood than the key.

Back Light

The back light is placed behind the subject and lights it from the rear. Rather than providing direct lighting (like the key and fill), its purpose is to provide definition and subtle highlights around the subject's outlines. This helps separate the subject from the background and provide a three-dimensional look.

MISE-EN-SCENE, THIS MUCH I KNOW...

Mise-en-scene is a French term meaning what is put into the scene of a frame. For film, it has a broader meaning, and refers to almost everything that goes into the composition of the shot. There are five elements of mise-en-scene, facial expressions and body language, lighting and colour, positioning of characters/objects within a frame, settings and props, and the costume, hair and makeup of characters. Mise-en-scene is a tool used in film making to communicate essential information to the audience.

Settings and Props

Settings and locations play an important part in film making and are not just ‘backgrounds’. Sets are either built from scratch or time is spent to find a setting that already exists. Settings have the ability to manipulate an audience. The setting can be used to amplify character emotion or the dominant mood of a film.

Costume and makeup

Costume refers to the clothes that characters wear. Using certain colors or designs, costumes in film can be used to signify characters or to make clear distinctions between characters. They can also give the audience a better understanding of the character’s personality and what part they have to play in the scene. Makeup can be used to subtly add expression to an actor’s face. For example makeup can be applied under the eyes to add tone and make the actor look tired. Makeup can also be used to hide any wrinkle, blemishes and imperfections that the camera picks up and is not wanted in the film.

Lighting and Colour

Lighting can have a massive affect on how a shot is received by an audience. The direction, intensity, the type (natural or artificial) all contribute to have a scene is received and gives the audience snippets of information about where and when the scene is taking place.

Acting

The facial expressions and the body language an actor/actress uses to in a film can have a major impact on the audience. Different facial expressions at different times within a scene can give the audience information at the character (his personality, how he reacts in different situations, etc). The body language used by an actor is another subtle affect of mise-en-scene. Without closely analysing what the actor is doing, an audience might not realise how his body language is affecting there interpratation of the character.

Positioning of characters/objects within a frame

A director will carefully position objects that may have a significant role in the story in specific positions in a scene. Doing this is just another layer of telling the story. Positioning of the actors and actresses in a scene can add to the tone of the scene, and where they are placed can show who are the main dominant characters.

Remake of the opening two minutes of The Breakfast Club

My Character for Willy Wonka

This character is a fun loving guy, trying to live life to it's fullest. He's an excentric genius that has a love for chocolate and making it. His strange antics depict him to be mad and perculia.