Genre Research: Coming-of-age

        Our last genre we researched is coming-of-age. Famous coming-of-age examples are Eighth Grade and Little Women. There are not a lot of angles used, but there are some high angles every now and then in this genre. There's not much camera movements, however, they would mostly be tracking and zooms shots. The different camera shots used are establishing shots, wide shots, two-shots, close-ups, eye-level shots, medium shots and point of view shots. The sound is mainly diegetic, non-diegetic and dialogue. There's also voice-overs, ambient sound, and a soundtrack of happy upbeat songs and slow sad ones. Costumes are normally everyday clothing and something a teen or young adult would usually wear. Lighting is usually natural or bright for the happier scenes while dark and neon for the sadder ones. Actors in this genre are mainly Caucasians. Fortunately, the media is starting to diversify the actors/characters in this genre. There is normally minimal to no makeup used on the characters. Makeup is usually used to show an emotion like crying or injury. Props are mostly personal items like a phone, skateboard, notebook, etc. Settings are predominately high schools or homes. Editing in these movies consists of cutaways, shot reverse shots, eye-line matches, reactions shots, and jump cuts.We liked that coming-of-age movies are ones that everyone especially teens can relate with. We didn't like that some of the characters' problems seemed vain and that these movies are not diverse; usually only having one person of color or one gay person throughout the whole movie.

Genre Research: Comedy

       The second genre we researched is comedy. Some examples of comedy films are Ghostbusters and Jumanji. Common shots in comedy are usually close up, mid-shot, long shot, two shot and over the shoulder. There isn't much camera angles used in comedy, they're normally shot at eye level. Common camera movements are pan, track and zoom shots. The sound in comedies are diegetic, non-diegetic, ambient, score, dialogue, sound motif and incidental music. The costumes depends on the plot of the movie and can range from normal clothes, uniform and costumes. Lighting is normally bright or mainly directed towards the speaker(s) in the scene. Actors are normally adults but sometimes there are teens or kids incorporated. Many of these comedians are Caucasian, but there has been more diversity in the recent decades. The makeup also depends on the plot but it's normally natural or something that goes with the costumes. Props can be anything ranging from furniture to food or even stores. Setting can be anywhere like a park or a restaurant. Common editing are shot reverse shot, eye-line match, action match and cross cutting. We like comedy movies because the jokes match our humorous personality. However, some of the jokes can be offensive to minority groups which we don't support because we believe in equality.

Genre Research: Romance

          One of the genres we are researching is romance. Examples of romance would be the Twilight series or the movie Your Name. Two-shots, over the shoulder shots and mid-shots are the main shots used in romance movies. Tracking shots would also be used when the character walks  to or runs away from their love interest. Pans would also be used during romance movies. The camera is normally angled at the same level as the subject, there isn't really a high or low angle used. Most actors in romance movies would normally wear everyday clothes as costumes, or dress for the occasion they're attending. The lighting depends on the scene. If there's a dance it would have darker lighting than if it was a brunch date. The actors could vary to anyone, but the main actors in most films are Caucasian. Makeup is normally used for special occasions the characters attend. Common props could be anything from keys or a phone to a cake or a car. The setting also depends on the scene, it can be anything from a castle to a sketchy ally way. There are a lot of shot-reverse shots and an eye-line match to capture the characters' dialogue and some cross-cutting to show what events are about to happen. The main sound in romance is the dialogue but there's also ambient sound and score. Elements of the genre we liked were the versatility and the feel good effect. Romance is very versatile in the way love is portrayed whether through tragedy, happiness, etc. There is also a feel good effect that romance has when the couple is together and happy that makes the viewer feel happy. We disliked the lack of diversity in romance movies as many of them are heterosexual with white leads. We also disliked how many romance movies follow the trope of falling in love with someone who bullied you or did bad things to you. We think that arc is somewhat toxic because many of these bullies/ bad people do not have a good redemption arc all that happens is they apologize once if at all and the main character falls for them or stays with them.

Genres I Would Like to Research

      For the movie my group and I will be filming soon we have to pick a genre. There are three genres we decided to research. The first genre is romance. The second genre is comedy. The third genre is coming-of-age. We felt these genres would be potentially the best fit for our movie. Our movie's main plot revolves around a girl who likes another girl. This is why we chose to research romance. Also, when planning this movie we didn't want the mood to be heavy we wanted it light and comedic. This is where we got the idea to research comedy. Our movie is also set in high school which is where coming-of-age movies are primarily placed. That is why we decided to research coming-of-age. These genres not only go with our pitch but we also have interest in these genres aside from that. Coming-of-age movies especially have an impact on us since we are high school students. There also many romantic and comedic elements in coming-of-age movies. This also influenced our chosen genres to research. We have seen many romance, comedy, and coming-of-age movies that are set in high school. This will give us experience and a feel for what our movie will be like. We are excited to research these genres. Since we have watched so many of these movies casually it is nice to analyze these genres. It's fun to see what makes that genre so nice to watch. 

The Pitch

 A movie that is based in high school and is about a popular girl interested in a skater girl who has a boyfriend.

My Group

      For AICE media a level I have been assigned to create a five minute short film. For this project I am allowed to work with up to four people in a group. Fortunately, I happen to know someone in AICE media a level. She is a close friend of mine. I have even mentioned her on this blog before. Her name is Audrey and we have worked together many times before. Deciding to work together was an easy decision. We decided to have just us two working together for a couple of reasons. We didn't really know anyone else in the class. We also like working with less people in a group. In a bigger group sometimes, work doesn't get divided as evenly or people don't take the project seriously. Since we have worked together in the past and are friends we know how to work well together and get the job done. When we previously worked together we had the same class period. This made group projects and communication much easier. This year we have different periods which means communication during school hours is more limited. There is also the other complication that is COVID- 19. We are currently doing online school so we can't meet up face to face as often. Fortunately, we do have each others numbers so we can communicate through text, email, and phone calls. Also, we have met outside of school many times before so our parents will be more open to letting us meet for the project even with Corona-virus. I am very excited for this project and the ability to work with my friend.

Welcome Back!!

     Welcome back to my blog it's been a while. In case you forgot my name is Alicia and I am an AICE media student. When I last blogged I was in the last quarter of 9th grade. I am now in my first quarter of 10th grade. I have moved up from as media to a level media. When I last blogged I had high hopes that I could come back to school in person. Sadly, we are still in quarantine doing online school. Hopefully we can go back in person soon. It has been a little hard to do school online because working in a classroom motivates me more than working at home. Many of my classes are also easier to work in-person in terms of the subject such as AICE media and sociology. These classes involve a lot of interaction whether it be with peers or the teacher. There are some benefits to online school though. School starts later which is nice since I would usually have to wake up at 5 in the morning and hurry to catch my bus before it leaves. Another benefit is during study hall I can grab a snack and relax if I don't have work instead of sitting in a classroom hungry. Online school also gives me the flexibility to watch my new puppy because she still needs a little more house training before she can be left alone roaming the house. Quarantine in general has also brought some good things. I was able to do more protective styles on my hair such as braids and twists. These styles helped make my hair healthier and grow longer so I am glad I got the time to do this. I also got a new pair of roller skates so I have more time to practice. I can only go forward but I think I am close to mastering the ability to turn around. Even with the hurdles that come with quarantine I have still been able to keep up with my school work and I hope to keep this momentum throughout the rest of the school year. Once again welcome back to my blog and welcome to my journey throughout AICE media a level.