Film Genres

Film Genres

Psychological Thriller

Origins and Influence

• First was ‘The Lodger’ in 1927, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Settings

• Uncomfortable
• Dark mysterious
• Anticipation and suspense • Usually plain colours
• Shadows
• Usually a normal setting
• Urban and modern

Characters

• Convicts
• Assassins
• Innocent victims
• Prison inmates
• Menaced women
• Characters with a dark past • Psychotic individuals
• Terrorists
• Police
• FBI

Camera shots

• The whole frame
• Looking from behind a person or subject
• Extreme close up
• Birdseye view
• Off centre characters makes the audience feels uncomfortable

Technical codes

• Use of mirrors show the reflection of characters • Shadows and key lighting
• Quick cuts, montage
• Flashbacks

• Tension music

Narrative

• The set up - the main problem
• Complication - small problems that become harder to overcome • The climax - usually the victim is caught
• The wrap up
• All questions are answered
Costumes
• The villain is usually dressed in smart clothing • Costumes match the locations
• Dark cloths represent death
• Victim usually wears bright clothing
• Red represents blood

Difference between crime thrillers and psychological thriller

-Similarities
• They usually both involve breaking the law • There is at least one bad character
-Differences
• Based more on the brain
• Crime thrillers based on a few crimes, based around what happened

Rom-Com

Origins and Influence • ‘Girl shy’ - 1924 Settings
• Urban locations - Sex in the City • Weddings - Mamma Mia
• Small town - Bridget Jones
• Work - Friends with Benefits
• School - 17 Again Characters
• Families
• Heartbreakers • Unpopular one • The couple
• Kids

Narrative

• The couple falling apart then getting back together
• People not getting on to begin with but then end up falling in love • One night stands turning into love
• Player ending up finding the love of their life

Camera shots

• An eye level angle • Shot, reverse, shot

Costume

• Stylish
• Relaxed
• Basic
• Side kick has out there clothing

Lighting

• Natural lighting
• High key lighting • Low key lighting

Black Comedy
Origins and Influence
• ‘Dr Strangelove’ - 1964, Stanley Kubrick Settings

Mismatch locations

• Theme parks
• Normal villages • Towns
Characters
• The idiot
• The good guy • The bad guy

• Death
• War
• Destruction
• Begins bad
• Things get more out of hand
• Normal problems become exaggerated to comic and tragic proportions

Camera shots

• Close ups
• Medium close ups • Two shots
• Establishing shots

Costumes

• Stereotypical clothing for the character Lighting

• Very bright almost cartoonish
  
• Cartoonish and surreal to remind the audience it is a movie and that it alright for them to
  laugh
  

Crime Thriller

Crime thriller is a sub genre that includes small aspects of crime films. Plots are based on:
• serial killers
• murderers
• robbery

Setting:

• Often set in the city (means the suspect can hide away) Lighting
• The main lighting used in crime thrillers is ‘low key lighting’

Camera shots

• low/high angles gives a power struggle, this can change to tell the viewer who is in
  power and when the point changes.
  
• close ups reveal the stress of the detective.
  
  

  Spoof Movies

  A type of film which takes the piss out others.
  The setting of this film genre would change on due to the film that is based on, but will exaggerate certain parts of comedy values.
  

  Characters

• The characters in the spoof will be the same as the characters in the original film they are covering.
  
• The characters will slightly step out of the original character and portray a new side to the character.
  
• The characters will exaggerate to make it funny.
  

  Narrative

• The story line follows the same story line as the original film but something traumatic will happen in the story line.
  
• Characters will pick out whats wrong with the original movie and highlight it which automatically makes it funny.
  

  Camera shots

  • the camera shots are usually the same as the orginal film but there are a few different shits to show the characters facial expressions.
  

Mise en Scene

• Make up
• Costumes • Set
• These are all exaggerated which draws attention to each character.

Examples:

• Scary movie
• Disaster movie
• Meet the spartans • Austin powers
First ever spoof
‘Teddy at the throttle’ - 1917

Supernatural Horror

• First ever one was ‘the house of devil’ in 1896 with the director George Melies
Setting
They are often based around something or someone being possessed by a ghost or demon.
• Houses
• Mental hospitals • Boxes
• People

Characters

• A female
• Non believer
• Hero
• Hysterical
• Loved up couple
• Children-its more uncomfortable for the viewers (vulnerable, innocent)

Camera Shots

• Extreme close ups-emphasise something,usually a ghosts face. • Close ups
• Dutch tilt
• Long shots

Mise en scene

• Costumes will give away something about the characters, like their personality Difference
• Its different as it involves a haunting of some kind by a ghost and demon. • supernatural horrors often involve religion.