Short Film Vs. Feature Length Film

   To begin, the short version of 9 versus the full length version were completely different. The short, as I mentioned in the previous blog, seemed as if it began in the middle of a story that was left out from the audience. While the full length was able to provide a full clear and concise storyline, to contribute to the movie. The full length movie, also embodied different characters such as, others that were just like 9. As well as providing a beginning to end on the creature that roamed post-apocalypse. The quality of dialogue differed, the full had more than the short. But was I furthered watched the full and rewatched the short, I realized the short was actually kind of the same as the ending of the full. They were trying to destroy the monster to get back something that their creator (the scientist) left behind for them. In the short 9 knew he had to retire the device and later on he uses it to see the lost souls if the other numbers. Same as the ending of the full. The short lacked character development and the full was just enriched with all these characters that made it great. All the numbers were so brave and really new they had to work together because they were all they had left. So for that, I enjoyed the full way better. And I say this to say that, in the full I actually was able to see the scientist that was alluded to in the beginning. And was able to listen to the reasons behind creating them, further realizing that they are all different parts of his soul. I think that is a very interesting attribute to the plot and story of the film. Lastly, although both were action packed, the short actually showed a great sense of action for a 7 minute video. It did tell a story just not the entire story, at least not in a way that was understood to by the readers. 

Research 9, the feature film

 Wow! So the film actually caught my attention way more than the short. And yet I said I didn’t really like animation, I liked this one. The feature film starts off with the making of 9. And then the story goes along to a post-apocalyptic scene where clearly a war has taken place. Since it is animated and futuristic the war happened between humans and machines. It wasn’t very clear who won but it does seem no one was left standing. I think making it post-apocalyptic was a smart move because again it gave more life to an animation like an actual science fiction movie with real people. When 9 goes out and cant speak he seems hopeless and scared. He then met 2 and 2 was able to get him his speech and inform him on others that are just like him. Turns out 9 was not alone! The creature that I still can not wrap my head around takes 2 and this is where 9’s character shifts. When 2 is take and 9 is injured, 5 steps in to save him and shows him the others. But because they were now the only family they had, 9’s determination to go and save 2 really outshined. The directorial style is still very prevalent in the feature film because it still shows the directors animation outlook. As well as I feel it taps into his architecture degree in many ways. The film is true to him and his personality, that definitely can make a great film because it was so personal and true to his nature. The development of 5’s character started off very shaky. He was the one that sort of played by the rules of 1 and actually was not up to the idea of going to save 2. 

Research 9, the Short

  So the short film, already fills me with some confusion because the storyline seemed as if it started well,  mid-story. I honestly am not a big fan of animation so I’m not sure how much I actually enjoyed the short. Although it was well written and well thought out. Aside from this, it did begin to make sense and following the hardships that both 9 and 5 were dealing with. They had some sort of beast following them, seemed as if he needed something they knew they had. Once 5 is killed by the creature, it almost seemed as if 9 was trying to his death by taking out the creature and trying to escape his own persecution. This is an obvious computer animated film, and for that I thought the animation would be more like cartoonish. And it wasn’t! It actually gave off a real sense of reality throughout the whole short. When watching an animation I think its important, to forget that you’re actually watching an animation. And thats what the screen writer did well. 

   Researching the screen write and director of 9, Shane Acker, I discovered that he was actually an animation teacher. So the fact his movie was of course animated, his directorial style shines in these ways. Also he went to school for architecture and I feel that reflected in the dolls because they were sort of put together and just very needle and thread like. I didn’t get a huge sense of character development from the short. 5’s life was very short lived and if a development in character did take place it was from 9 because he seemed to have been somewhat scared but then turned brave. Through the entirety of the short, the creature actually wore the number 5 on his back after he killed 5. So it did raise the question to me was the creature actually 5 turned evil? If it were that possibility, the plot of the short would be that much more interesting and engaging. Lastly, my favorite part is when 9 unleashes the ghosts of other dolls and numbers and he sees 5 again. It really made me smile because I felt it gave 9 a different sense of emotion.

Genre Choice for film

Through our little research of genre process, we researched 3 genres such as, thriller, drama, and horror. The actual genre we will be using falls under thriller, and horror and drama happen those of the genres that are related to thriller. The reason we chose to categorize our film into this genre is because you can literally do so much with this. You can have really any storyline to create a great thriller movie I believe out of the three genres thriller jumped out at us more is because one of my favorite movies happens to be “ Taken.” The movie is so suspenseful, so action packed, and the storyline is amazing. Taken also happens to be a trilogy so that’s 3 movies of and related to the same central idea from the first movie. And I think that's what I liked most is how as a filmmaker you are able to tell a story, not only in complete separate movies, but still making it interesting and not losing focus. That to me is what makes a great film. I feel we may need to tweak our pitch just a little. Only because the the storylines seems to be going a little shaky and is not so much thriller. Our pitch is of someone walking to their car more specifically a woman then she gets kidnapped and implement a huge plot twist. I feel as if we need to make sure we add detail before this turn of events happen to capture the true feelings. Once we’ve made that minor adjustment come film day, well actually before then, I believe we will have a really good film.

Genre Research- Horror, Drama, Thriller

 Thriller 

1. Common CAMS 

A thriller is a suspense film that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. Common camera angles and shots in thrillers are high angle shots, low angle shots, canted angles, wide shots, and panning shots.

2. Common Sound 

A lot of non-diegetic sounds are used in psychological thrillers such as: High pitched violins. High pitched string percussion. Lots of screaming, suspenseful sounds.     

     C.Common CLAMPS (Mis-en-scene)

Common Mis En Scene in thriller, entails pretty normal clothing as far as costumes goes. Lighting used in thriller movies are key lighting, under lighting, and filler light. 

The actors in thriller movies are people who have to portray a kind of dark persona and be able to show little emotions. Makeup is not commonly used in thriller.Weapons are the common props in fight scenes, which are commonly used to create tension. Settings always usually entail like dark allies and abandoned type buildings.

      

     D. Common Editing 

Titles, jump cuts, optical editing, shot reverse shots, graphic match, match on action, and parallel editing. 

     E. Example Movies 

F. What elements of the genre that you like? 

What I like about thriller is that it creates so much suspense and that they always seem to have a sense of plot twisting leaving me with the Wong guess of what was to come next. I also like that it is always upbeat and fast paced. 

     G. What elements of the genre do not appeal to you?

The element of the music actually, I do not really enjoy when music is constantly playing in the movie although sometimes it does contribute to the film. It is not always pleasant to me. 

Drama 

1. Common CAMS 

Establishing shot. This is used to introduce a setting, usually an exterior shot of the building where the action takes place.Wide angle, the lens is zoomed out all the way to see the widest view possible. Long shot, medium shot, close-up, extreme close-up, two-shot, and over-the-shoulder.

2. Common sound 

Dialogue. The dialogue is the foremost of the three “ingredients” of a soundtrack, sound Effects, diegetic sound. 

3. Common CLAMPS 

Costumes in drama films include regular outfits, Cinematic lighting is a film lighting technique that goes beyond the standard three-point lighting setup to add drama, depth, and atmosphere to the story. Cinematic lighting utilizes lighting tricks like bouncing light, diffusing light, and adjusting color temperatures. The actors also in these movies create a great sense of emotion and connection to the other characters. Makeup is pretty moderate. Props used in these movies typically are fake houses not much figures. Some theatre sets are very elaborate and detailed. 

D.Common editing 

Jump cuts, flashbacks, shot reverse shots, cross cutting, cutaway, and eyeline match. 

     

      E. Example movies 

      F. What elements of the genre that you like? 

What I love about drama is that the storylines are just so juicy and full of excitement and detail. 

   G. What elements of the genre do not appeal to you? 

Drama happens to be one of my favorite genres, I think it would be wrong to pick out something that doesn’t appeal to me when I love everything about it. 

Horror 

1. Common CAMS 

Hand held camera shot. This is used very often in horror films to add a sense of reality. Low angles. Low angle shots are very powerful in the way they can emphasise just how scary or intimidating a villain is. Tilted angle, close up, tracking or panning shot, reverse, and birds eye/high angle.

2. Common sound

Non-diegetic sounds, high pitched string percussion. Lots of screaming, suspenseful sounds. Dialogue of course and no music soundtracks are really found in horrors. 

3. Common MIs-En-Scene (CLAMPS)

Costumes in a lot of horror movies use regular clothes but a lot of it may be bloody or an imitation of something else. Lighting is always dark, rarely is it bright and upbeat. Actors really have to tap into a different side I feel, to portray horror because its so dark and creepy and the elements are complex. Make up is huge, a lot of special effects makeup and just these non human like features are always prevalent. Props mostly include weapons like knives, etc. and settings seem to usually take place in abandoned houses, the woods, and sometimes even public places. 

4. Common editing 

Flashbacks, jump cuts, optical editing, shot reverse shots, graphic match, match on action, and parallel editing, and eye line match. 

5. Example of Films 

   
   

   
   
   
   

6. What elements of the genre that you like? 

I like that horror is actually scary and it really sends viewers to having nightmares sometimes. But I really do enjoy the sound tracks, the storylines, everything 

7. What elements of the genre do not appeal to you? 

Sometimes it actually can be a little bit too scary. The blood and sometimes the killing. 

Genres I Would Like to Research

 A lot of people tend to say movies are their escape into a fantasy world. There are several different types of movies people like to see. In fact, almost everyone has a certain type of movie they like to watch that will make them happy in some way. Precisely because there have been so many movies made, many different genres of movies exist. However, there are three main categories that people automatically think of: action films, comedy, and love stories. There are also much more genres than the average ones. There is the Westerns, Gangster/Crime, Detective/Film Noir, Science Fiction, Fantasy. The ones that leave viewers on the edge of their seats. Horror, Suspense Thriller, Spy, Heist. These groups are usually used for marketing in stores where films are being sold. The majority of viewers, film critics, and film producers talk about films in relation to the categories.  The three film genre that I will be exploring is Thriller, Action, and Horror. One of the hardest parts about filming a movie is trying to determine which genre to place my film. I feel like picking a genre is one of the most important parts of filming. There are many benefits of Categorizing films by genre makes a movie easier to promote to its target audience .As most people have a particular preference for certain genres this makes it easier for them to distinguish what kind of films they would enjoy. By knowing the genre of a movie it gives the viewer a greater chance of what to expect and whilst watching the movie they unconsciously remembers similar plot lines from past films this give them greater appreciation of the plot and ending. For example I personally do not like watching horror movies so I do not go the movie theater looking to watch a movie that I do not like. Hopefully researching these genres will help solidify my genre.