Research - Conventions Of My Film - Shots And Editing Techniques

 Introduction

Hello and Welcome back! This time we will be continuing our conventions research. In my last blog I started researching light, sound, and ambience conventions, this time I plan on researching different types of shots and editing techniques.  I will specially explore these conventions with my films genre in mind, for example how me and my partner would use a specific camera angle for an intense gymnastics scene.

 

Shots

All camera shots can be grouped into two categories, static or dynamic. In static shots the camera does not move, it stays in a fixed position to draw emphasis to the dialogue or a certain thing in the scene. Dynamic shots include movement that add energy to scenes.

Shots in sport dramas commonly show emotion, intensity, and movement. Some examples of this that I will likely use in my filming to portray emotion are close up shots and medium shots because both show the protagonist body language and both show emotion but the close up can better portray emotion since it can show small details that might otherwise be overlooked like sweat dripping down their forehead showing stress, nervousness, or determination. A close up can also show the characters face relaxing during triumph. Here I have two example pictures bellow one where a close up shot shows a determined girl and a medium or mid shot that shows a runners reaction to crossing the finish line.

 

Wide or long shots are also popularly used to create emphasis on the event in the characters life, by this I mean that when setting a scene or maybe after a close up, a wide shot could be used to show how serious the setting is or the stakes of the game or example a wide shot showing a large game arena would be taken more seriously then a shot showing a small game but both would set the setting for the game. On the other hand, a tracking shot during a sports event would make the audience feel more involved since the shot would cause the audience to focus on the movement or progression of the charter if they are moving forward.

 

 

Some more dramatic shots used in sport dramas are slow motion shots and low angle shots. Slow motion shots add suspense while heightening drama, while low angle shots are often used during the characters comeback or win where the shot creates dominance or shows their heroism. The last two shots id like to look into are the over should shot and reaction shot. The over the shoulder shot is usually used during a conversation scene of two characters and to build a relationship between two characters. I can use this scene in a coach and athlete conversation or a confrontation between two rivals, the shot in that scenario can also show tension. Lastly, the reaction shots or cutaways can help build suspense, emotion, and show the impact of an action. An example of this scene being used is to show the coaches reaction to a flip of the protagonist succeeding.

 

Editing Techniques

Editing in sports drama needs to create emotional investment, intensify action, and use strategic slow motion scenes with correlating music to go with the scene but most importantly, editing helps to properly pace the scenes without the film feeling too fast and rushed or too slow and boring, like when a show lingers on scenes for too long making the film boring due to lack of action, but when a film is too fast paced it feels rushed and too stimulating.

The first two editing techniques I’d like to draw attention to are continuity shots and fast cutting/ straight cuts. These two techniques are in a way contrasting because continuity shots keep the action smooth and easy to follow; the shots follow seamlessly into one another, it appears smooth and visually appealing because the cuts aren’t supposed to be noticed. The difference between the two techniques is that straight cuts are much more noticeable because one shot replaces the next to give linear narrative, that last part they do have in common but faster paced straight cuts are more popular in sports dramas because they build tension and adrenaline, an example of this could be a scene where the camera quickly switches from the athletes face, to their feet and the vault whereas an example of continuity would be a mid shot of the athlete taking a deep breath and then running, another shot of the athlete’s feet as she runs towards and then another shot of the athlete jumping and sticking the landing, this show the two techniques are similar but create different moods.

This video bellow explains the continuity system using the hangover movie as an example.

https://youtu.be/7yR-i82mb_o

Some more editing techniques common used in this genre is reaction shots and slow motions which I wont go much into because I’ve already discussed both but slow motion helps emphasize key moments while reactions help add emotional context.

 An editing technique I am yet to discuss is montages and action matches. Montages are commonly used in training sequence across many genres because they show the passing of time and the character improving. An example of this can be a montage sequence that starts with a gymnast trying to land a flip so we see multiple failed attempts and improving over time where then the gymnast is able to perform the flip with assistance and later can do it by themselves. Here is video displaying young gymnast training and practicing.

https://youtu.be/vftEUHwAVRw?si=3kxEgu7RfMwzC50A

The action match technique on the other hand is a transition between two shots by cutting from one shot to another while an action is in progress. This type of transition helps create continuity and makes editing feel natural to the audience.

 

Conclusion

This conventions research on popular shots and editing techniques in sports dramas has helped me picture what type of scenes me and my partner might use for our film opening. I feel the deeper and deeper we get into our research the more the idea in our heads become clearer, with that said we definitely still have more research to go but my next blog will be my last conventions blog so I better understand the conventions that make up sport dramas. Next blog will be on mies-en-scene because I did originally plan on researching that convention in this post but each convention has so much to it that this blog is significantly song and id rather creat mies-en-scene as its own post since there is so much that goes into that convention and I will include many pictures. Thank you for reading and till next time!

 

  https://ltx.studio/glossary/static-shot#:~:text=Characters%20in%20conversation%20don't,Require%20precise%20framing.

https://sportandmotion.com/7-techniques-to-use-in-your-sports-production/

https://www.polarpro.com/blogs/polarpro/filmmaking-101-types-of-camera-shots-and-angles?srsltid=AfmBOoqntJuQ1G_VX9HxMGxBW3rLayboTh-kNzLaVAeT7EgvXsyDiHZ-

https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-film-editing-

Research - Conventions Of My Film - Lighting, Sound, And Ambience

Introduction

Hello and welcome back, now that me and my partner have chosen the genre and sub genre for our film opening, we begin looking closer into what goes into the genre, more specifically the conventions used for sports drama coming of age films. These conventions help shape the film to fit into the genre portray the vision created by the author so our film will need to be dramatic and personal. In this blog I will be looking into lighting, sound, and ambience.

 

Lighting

Through my research on lighting I’ve learned that a lot more goes into this convention then I thought, lighting shapes the film to portray the vision of the director and create emphasis on different aspects of the shot for example if in our gymnastics film there was a shot where the main character felt overwhelmed by her surroundings, we may make the shot brighter with harsher lighting to overstimulate the audience so they may feel the way the protagonist, this along with different shots used and sounds to heighten the dramatics of the film. Lighting could also be used to isolate the character or in other words separating them from out characters during their time to shine.

Many things go into portraying the lighting desired because there’s different types of light, for example natural vs artificial, natural lighting is exactly what it sounds like its light from nature, whereas artificial Is made by producers through tools like tungsten lights or LEDS. My film is likely to contain mostly artificial lighting because most of it should take place in a gymnastics studio or better said it will include ambient lighting as well because ambient lighting is any light that the crew did not bring on set, so the gymnastics studio lights and natural lighting from the studious windows will also be in included.

There are also different aspects of lighting like strength and temperature that regulate energy and create ambience. But focusing on sports drama, usual films of this genre contain high-intensity LED flood lighting to create contrast and suspense in intense scenes. These intense scenes must be evened out with less high stakes moments to create sort of breaks between action packed scenes, these scenes may include a different setting and different lighting along with it to separate the moments and that way when the film intensifies again it creates a contrast between scenes.

Lighter lighting or warmer lighting will likely be used by me and my partner as well during more personal moments where we need to portray the coming of age genre/ inspirational since this type of lighting can help create a sense of nostalgia and enlightenment or growth.

 

Sound

Sound in films is either diegetic or non diegetic meaning its either sounds that the characters can hear along with the audience or its sounds that only the audience can hear for example the radio in a science vs a narrator speaking. Sound also includes dialogue, sound effects, foley, music, and ambient noises. These different types of sound enhance realism, emotion, and narrative immersion.

Sounds in my chosen genre can help portray different things like rivalry, when an open is shown a different music or more intense sounds and lighting is used to show the audience that this new character is a threat or challenge for the protagonist. In a moment of triumph for example an uplifting tune may play with warmer lighting or in a moment where the character sees how far they’ve come a nostalgic melody may play with dream like lighting, below is an example of a nostalgic melody.

https://youtu.be/JFGIqAg9OX8?si=4PvKpL-fzV3NlpDx

There are also different types of sound used in film like sound bridges that help smoothly switch scenes and discordant sound that is harsh and unpleasant to listen to for example nails on a chalk board, this type of sound has negative connotations. Another type of sound is contrapuntal sound, this means that the sound showed on screen doesn’t match what your listening to for example two characters robing a gas station but happy music plays during the scene. This shows a common use of music that is to indicate the characters state of mind.

Ambience

Lastly in the blog I wanted to research ambience, sound and lighting together because in class I learned how closely related they are; lighting is a key component of ambience along with sound and background as well, ambience is the atmosphere created by these aspects put together. Ambience adds a depth to the scene and can help reflect the emotions of the protagonist or the mood the scene is striving to create. Therefore the ambience in certain scenes will be more intense in some then others.

 

Conclusion

To conclude this post, lighting, sound, and ambience are all crucial for a film to express emotion and depth, I will be using this research and the convention research to come in my film since all the different conventions come together for a successful film. I can’t wait to turn what I’ve learned into something physical (my film) and I am excited to see how it all ties together in the end. Below I have some very useful sites that helped me research these conventions and in my next post I plan on further researching some different but important conventions that I will use in my film. Thank you reading! See you next time.

 

https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/film-lighting/

https://apac.edu.au/blog/elements-of-sound-design-in-a-film/

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/diegetic-sound-and-non-diegetic-sound-whats-the-difference                                                                                                                                                                                                     

 

Research - Coming Of Age Genre And Decision

 Introduction

Hello and welcome back, this time I would like to explore sub-genres, specifically coming of age. In my research on sub genres I found a very useful cite that I have linked bellow, it explains the most popular 13 sub genres and the conventions they usually display, for example how drama usually has high conflict and high stakes. Something found commonly in genres is overlapping features which is what allows for genres to have a sub genre or sub category where different genres are combined for entertainment.

Coming Of Age Sub-Genre Research

The coming of age genre shows story’s where a young characters deal with unfamiliar experiences and emotions, viewers watch as the character matures through the story learning, adjusting, and overcoming obstacles. Some good examples of this genre are the popular movies Bring It On (2000) and The Karate Kid (2010).

Coming Of Age Genre Movie Examples

Bring It On is a teen coming of age, sports comedy that follows a girl named Torrance Shipman, she is the cheer captain at her majority white school until she is forced to move so she attempts to join her new schools Cheer team but her new school Is a majority Hispanic and black school who see her as a snotty privileged white girl, nevertheless, she overcomes racial stereotypes, backstabbing friends and partners, and adapts to her new environment/team, ultimately leading her team to victory.

The film shows coming of age conventions through the protagonist adapting to this new life and maturing as a person, by the end of the film her way of thinking has changed for the better and she is therefore a better person then she was in the beginning of the film. This sub genre also matches well with the inspirational sub genre because the story of her overcoming these challenges in high school can be very inspiring to students who maybe in a similar setting like at schools where cliques are evident or like the movie shows, friends who break your trust or people doubting you. This movie shows that through the path of improving in a sport, there will not only be physical challenges, there will also be emotional challenges but overcoming these struggles is possible and can be an important lesson, shaping you along the way.

My second movie example is The Karate Kid (2010) a karate(sports) drama, coming of age. The movie follows a young boy armed Dre Parker who moves to china with his mom not knowing any Chinese, he struggles to fit in and gets bullied until he meets a janitor who is also a master in atrial arts, under her mentorship he learns discipline, resilience, and maturity, helping him find his first love, stop the bullying, and win karate competitions. This helps him fit in and mature by the end of the film.

The film shows coming of age conventions like the mentor in the story, mentorship is popular in this genre since a mentor can help a person overcome and guide them through their struggles in life. The film also show maturity through his change in goals and personality, in the beginning of the film he is quick to anger and begins his karate career because he wanted to fight back bullies, by the end of the film he is more silent and precise with his word and moves, he learns to be patient and strives to do win gold at competitions for his mentor so that he may pursue his dream of opening a dojo.

Film Genre/ Sub Genre Decision

I have found that sport and drama mix together quite well since films in the sport genre usually have a sub genre more involved with characters feelings. These feelings can feel intense if portrayed right to the viewers and improve the viewing experience. Another common sub genre for sports is inspirational or coming of age since the viewers watch’s as the protagonist overcomes challenges and triumphs over competition similar to drama, therefore, id like to combine the three into a dramatic, coming of age, inspirational sport film following a girl overcoming the pressure of being a young and talented athlete in gymnastics.

Now that me and my partner have an overall vision for what we would like this film opening to become, we are excited to dig deeper into this project! Thank you for reading!

https://www.filmd.co.uk/articles/13-quintessential-movie-genres/#:~:text=Drama%2C%20thriller%2C%20comedy%2C%20fantasy,movies%20include%20war%20and%20zombies.

https://www.kidspiritonline.com/magazine/who-am-i/hey-siri-whats-the-coming-of-age-genre/

https://dalgazette.com/arts-culture/re-watching-bring-it-on-20-years-after-its-release/#:~:text=The%20energy%20is%20fast%2Dpaced,any%2020%2Dyear%2Dold.

https://thekaratekid.fandom.com/wiki/The_Karate_Kid_(2010)

 

 

Research - Action And Inspirational Genre

Introduction

 Hello and welcome back! This time I would like to jump straight into the research, last time I explored the sport genre and I enjoyed how it fit with other genres like inspirational and drama so I would like to use the sport genre but I would also like to look into the action genre and dig a bit deeper into inspirational, not just in its relation to sports but by itself.

Action Genre

In my research I have found that the action genre is fast-paced, thrilling, and keeps viewers on the edge of their seats with fight scenes, chase sequences, explosions, and other loud noises. Action is also used in movies that aren’t primally action movies but have action scenes to build the movies climax and intensity. For example how Fight Club is a Psychological Drama/thriller but as the name suggests it contains intense fight scenes. That movie is one of my favorites but I feel that creating a psychological thriller film can be exceedingly difficult to execute, either way I am always up for a challenge so I may dig further into that in the future.

 Moving away from action thriller, action movies in general can be very stimulating as in something you can’t take your eyes off of in fear you may miss something. They also tend to have comedic release characters to take some tension off of the audience since repeated intense action can be overwhelming and overstimulating making the film not as enjoyable for the viewers. Another usual convention of action films is that they commonly have a protagonist who overcomes a series of challenges, this is something I would like to include but I am not sure I want this to be such an explosive film.

Inspirational Genre

Another genre I am currently considering is inspirational, where like action, the story usually follows one protagonist on their journey where they over come challenges but also learn and grow from there experiences or become better at what they’re aiming to achieve. This genre is ment to uplift and inspire viewers, if I decide to go the sport route this genre may tie nicely with it since the viewers would root for the protagonist and become inspired by her overcoming the challenges presented by her sport.

Conclusion

This research has helped me and my partner feel out the genres get a sense of direction for what we want this film to be but next time ill explore a sub genre id like to include and figure out what genres we are going to mix together for our film opening. Below are the cites I used for this research along with a picture of the popular movie and one of me personal favorites, fight club. 

 https://www.tasteray.com/articles/movie-comic-relief-movies 

 https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/genre-conventions-definition/

https://nofilmschool.com/action-genre

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fight_club

Research - Sports Genre

Introduction 

 Hello and Happy New Year! We are starting this year by diving into our Media Studies portfolio, before Christmas break my class picked partners and briefs. I picked to work with my new friend Noemy Buenaventura on a film. After discussing topics we would like to film she shared with me how gymnastics has inspired her and her coach would surly let us use the gym she attends for filming so we know we would like to do something relating her gym.

Though we have that idea, we are still early in the development of our film and research so there’s a vision but we are still in the brainstorming process. That is why this week we are researching potential genres and sub genres for our film.

Sports Research 

The first genre I will exploring will be sports because I feel that genre ties the best with the overall idea that we have so far. Through my research I am seeing and learning how this genre tends to be action packed, dramatic, and sometimes based on either real or fictional stories for example in my research I came across Air Bud. It is a fictional movie on a dog who becomes a basketball star, therefore the movie is targeted towards a younger audience and it reflects an inspirational tone with the usual  “underdog’’ story that is very common in many sport film since rising up with passion and dedication to a sport is a beautiful story easily sold to the audience.

The opposite of this is sport movies that are dark and emotional, more focused on the mental toll of the sport then the inspirational journey. A good example of this is I, Tonya, a dark humored mockumentary staring Margot Robbie. The movie is based on the life of Tonya Harding and reveals her traumatic past and stressful relationship with the sport. This shows a different side of the sport genre since the main character isn’t in love with the sport, Tonya is pressured and pushed past her limits making her a vulnerable character with raw scenes of her breaking down due to her sport ( Figure Skating). I enjoy the raw feelings in this film because it feels like witnessing a hard truth, the real pressure not just the happy story like Air Bud, though both movies are great they generate different emotions from their audiences.

Conclusion

I feel this research on the sport genre has continued to push me in the right direction, I plan on using this genre in some way because I find it very interesting in how it ties together with other genres. The sport genre creates something to root for, whether you like the protagonist or not you end up siding with the determination they excel. My sites for the info I found are below with some pictures that show the contrast in the movies vibes, I can’t wait to continue my research next time. I’m glad I started off my research with this genre it feels like a good way to get the ball rolling!

https://www.thebogotapost.com/film-review-i-tonya/27465/

https://www.eonline.com/news/870449/air-bud-turns-20-how-buddy-the-wonder-dog-s-legacy-changed-family-movies-forever

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