Genre Research Case Study #3

 Setting provides more depth to the film and its story while also preventing the audience from getting tired or bored from witnessing the same set design being reused

1. What are the elements of the setting?  (See the codes handbook or ppt. lessons.)

Elements	Denote each element noticed in the film opening.	Indicate the signs and connotations that support the genre. How do the elements of setting in the film opening clip indicate or support the genre of the film?
• Time period	20th century	Movies that take place closer in relation to real time can be scary considering that the elements of a scary movie could happen in the real world at any given time.
• Location	secluded upper class home	Events that may occur throughout the movie could be related to the home being secluded and/or near a forest.
• Climate / Season	Late fall/ Early winter	The movie can also synergize with the costumes and set design for the characters since they are all seen wearing long sleeves. This could be intentional from the director to add a more ominous tone to the film for more audience engagement
• Landscape or Outdoors / City / Country / Sea / Land / Desert.	outdoors/ city	The use of different settings causes the film to revolve around both outdoor and indoor scenes adding more variety and set design altogether.
• Culture / People (Moral attitudes/ core beliefs.)	American culture with most main characters being of caucasian descent	Story takes place in Utah in the United States and revolves around a white family.
• Social and Economic status	higher class	makes the film feel more realistic and relates to what the movie is trying to portray entirely.

1. Set Design

1. Define set design in a film.

Elements	Decor	Props
colors, shapes and forms	the decor included a messy room with a doll house the resembled the family	the doll house
How do the set design elements define meaning from the characters, story and connect audiences to the film’s genre? Indicate the signs and connotations that support the genre.  Add an image showcasing décor and describe the décor, such as the floor, walls, ceiling, or objects in the space. Select a prop that is significant in the film opening.
	The colors and shapes of the opening scene tend to catch an audience's attention and the doll house correlates to the story and connected the storylines and made the audience hook in.	the doll house is a fictional thing that cannot be brought to life but the connotation was that it resembled the family
Document and describe the selected elements.	color  shapes	The colors were light but bright. they stood out but were minimal.  the shapes shown to be a mess in the room which showed it the be dysfunctional.
What connotations do you connote from the elements?	the dollhouse	the doll house is a fictional thing that cannot be brought to life but the connotation was that it resembled the family

2. Acting 

1. What is acting in the film?

2. What are the elements of the acting? (Select (1) character and analyze their appearance.) (See ppt. lessons)

Elements	Definitions	How do the acting elements define meaning from the character and support the film’s genre?
		Document the acting elements of the chosen character.	Indicate the signs and connotations that support the genre.
Appearance	How certain character and scenes look like in a film	looks down	Always looks depressed
Facial expression	define/portrays a characters emotions	doesnt change facial expression	Never shows a definite facial expression; Looks unresponsive/dead
Body Language: Gestures, posture, and body contact	Shows how the character is feeling and provides a brief overview on the character	attempts to show discomfort	slouched/ bad posture
Vocal qualities: Tone of voice, accent, the pace of speech	Affects characters personality or confidence	emphasizes a sad or soft tone	Voice is very low/ barely speaks
Personality	distinguishes characters with differing qualities	attempts to convey a sad/depressed feeling to audience	fearful
Role	Position in a film or movie	considered to be one of main characters	daughter of family
Actions	The role of the character determines expected acts.	Source of main problem in the film	Causes main issue

3. Based on your understanding of casting, do you think the actors selected to play the film's characters were good choices? List (2) actors and (2) reasons why? (Support your answers using the appearance, facial expressions, body language, voice quality.)

Alex Wolff	I think he was a great choice. In the beginning of the movie I was a little hesitant since he looked quite different than the rest of the cast. But he proved himself to be an amazing actor, all of the crying and screaming looked amazing and you could tell he was right for the part.
Toni Collete	I think she was also an amazing choice, when it came down to all her melt downs and devastating screams of horror she did an exquisite job communicating that through the audience. Her performance was extraordinary, it felt as if it were all real.

3. Costume, hair, and makeup.

1. What is costume in a film?

Costume in a film is what characters wear to signify the films main genre or focus

2. What is hair and makeup in film?

Hair and makeup in a film also resembles the main focus of the film and can help portray a character and their personality

3. List 3 genre factors that influenced the costume design in the film? 

4. Give a general description of the costumes used in the film.  Select characters.

peter= dark 

charlie= sorta colorful

dad= dressed nice cool tones 

mom= mix of dark and light 

Images	Document visual signs by observing the time period, character’s station (social standing), sense of place, color, tone, style, etc.)	What does the costume indicate about the character, setting, and purpose of the story?
Hair and makeup	Always messy and makeup portraying a natural and dark look.	Indicates a more horrific feeling to the audience
Costume	Characters always wearing long sleeve	Mostly likely resembles the season they are in but can also just provide a more dark tone in the movie.

5. How does the costume(s) support the genre of the film?

The costumes support the genre of the film because the characters all wear dark neutral colors, nothing too flashy basically dark clothes= dark movie= horror 

4. Color

1. What is the definition of color in the film?

Color is one of the most definitive aspects of a piece of media as it helps portray a genre that best fits the film entirely.

2. Indicate how color was used in the opening of the film. E.g., setting, lighting the scene and characters, costumes, etc. (Create a table to organize your information.)

Codes	Meaning
setting	The overall color of the movie had a grey tint to it, leading the audience to feel an ominous presence creeping up as it progressively gets darker.
lighting	Bright lighting- indicates optimism and happiness.
The set design (décor and props)	Dull/ cool tones. Furniture, classrooms, and rooms within the house were all washed out and had no bright pops of color.
Costume, makeup, and hair	Costumes- simple and cool toned, the outfits worn throughout the movie were all different shades of blue, black and white. Although the first main character to die wore predominantly bright colors such as orange and yellow.  Makeup+hair = The makeup was extremely natural and if makeup was seen it was a neutral brown. Hair wasn’t usually kept neatly only during formal events.
Character	Characters were neutral other than Charlie

3. How does color support the film genre? (Look at the tone of the setting, characters, etc.)

The dull and dark colors perfectly resemble the films mysterious and horrific genre as it portrays a dark tone to the audience

5. Composition

1. Define composition in film.

2. Define blocking in film.

3. Select a scene from the film’s opening that showcases your understanding of the genre and document how the actors' positioning and movement create meaning.

Image

Denotation and connotations

composition is how the elements on screen (actors, scenery, props, etc.) appear in respect to each other and within the frame itself.  blocking is working out the details of an actor's moves in relation to the camera. This image shows a ride range to show everything that is happening around them. In this scene the family got into a fight and to  end the scene they zoomed out and got the father and son eating dinner at the table alone. this showed a lot more emotion and held composition and blocking

4. Define framing in film.

the presentation of visual elements in an image

5. Define depth of field.

Depth of field is the range of distance within which all objects will be in acceptable sharp focus.

6. Lighting

1. What is the lighting in the film?

2. Define high-key lighting.

3. Define low-key lighting.

4. Select an image from the film opening to analyze. What type of lighting is used? How is lighting used in the opening of the film, and what tone does it communicate meaning?

Image	Denotation and connotations
	The lighting in the film has an overall dark appearance to it. High key lighting- High key is when the background either matches the foreground in correct exposure, or if the background is overexposed. Low key lighting- Low key is when the background is underexposed or black, regardless of what the subject looks like. The lighting that is used here would be high key lighting. It highlights the crowd rather than the person speaking. The lighting used in the opening can foreshadow later encounters/ experiences that can happen. It communicates a mysterious tone especially throughout the beginning, considering the audience doesn’t know what to expect. And through the lighting you're able to see the direction the movie goes in.

6. Tone 

1. What is the tone in the film?

2. What type of tone was created in the film, and what mise en scene elements were used to make it? (Color, lighting, camera angle, setting, etc.)

  The overall tone of the movie is deep and dark. Throughout the movie there was a constant grey haze, even in the day time it wasn’t always bright and sunny. There was always some type of grey overcast. Deeper within the movie you notice elements like how all the furniture, clothes, bedrooms, and classrooms were all dull and hard harsh to low lighting. This creates an ominous tone that slowly progresses throughout the film. One of the main characters wore bright colors that matched a couple items in her possession that became important later on in the film. With these bright pops of color it creates a connection between one of the main deaths of the film and important objects that reflected her personality to establish a deeper theme throughout the film. Overall the film's dark and deep theme can be seen through the lighting and grey cast on the film.