Film Study 2 | - Freelance Writer
Jun 14, 2018 | #1
Choose a genre of film that you're interested in exploring or that appeals to you. Film genres are identifiable types, categories, classifications or groups of films that have similar techniques or conventions.
Pick three films that belong to the same genre. Ideally, these should be films by different directors/editors to show how the editing techniques are influenced by the genre, not the editor.
Research the editing techniques and conventions that contribute to that particular genre. Cite your sources.
Part One: Outline of the Analytical Response
Part Two: Presentation, Creative Project
1. Presentation
Presentations may be created in Powerpoint, Keynote or other software. You may also use online presentation software like Prezi, You may also record yourself talking about the genre and its characteristics and include this video in your presentation.
Include the video clips in the order that you want us to view them. Use text and/or audio to establish the points that you want to make. You can record audio with your slides and then export the presentation as a movie file to upload it. In Keynote this is under "Record Slideshow" under the 'Play' tab. In Powerpoint it is under "Record Slideshow" under the "Slide Show" Tab.
2. Edit a scene (creative project)
This project will focus on the horror genre. Very different examples of this genre will be examined. However, every example picked will demonstrate signature editing techniques used in many horror genre films: a particular style of shock or smash cut. This type of cut, combined with quick cutting, is a powerful tool used by films in this genre to convey the fear of a character when confronting a dangerous or terrifying situation.
This project will look at three completely different instances of this within the horror genre: The Birds , directed by Alfred Hitchcock; The Shining , directed by Stanley Kubrick; and Twin Peaks, the recent and latest installment in David Lynch's bizarre genre-bending television series that included ample sequences of traditional horror.
Three specific scenes from these films will be analyzed. All three of them will feature a pattern described by Julian Hanich in horror genre films. This is the shock cut that generally (but doesn't always) involve three elements: the shock shot , the reaction shot , and the revelation shot (2012, p. 133-4). The shock shot shows a scene that shocks the character (p. 133). The reaction shot shows the character's reaction to the shocking scene or situation (p. 133-4). Then the revelation shot shows the
full extent of the shocking scene or situation (p. 134).
All examples picked for this project show elements of this pattern. In addition, all of them use quick cutting back and forth between these various shots (shock, reaction, and revelation).
Genre Movie Essay - PowerPoint Presentation (PDF format)
References
Hanich, Julian. (2012.) Cinematic Emotion in Horror Films and Thrillers: The Aesthetic Paradox of Pleasurable Fear. Oxford: Taylor & Francis.
Hitchcock, A. (1963.) The Birds . United States: Universal.
Kubrick, S. (1980.) The Shining . United States: Warner Bros.
Lynch, D. (2017.) Twin Peaks . Hollywood, CA: Showtime.
Pick three films that belong to the same genre. Ideally, these should be films by different directors/editors to show how the editing techniques are influenced by the genre, not the editor.
Research the editing techniques and conventions that contribute to that particular genre. Cite your sources.Part One: Outline of the Analytical Response
Part Two: Presentation, Creative Project
1. Presentation
Presentations may be created in Powerpoint, Keynote or other software. You may also use online presentation software like Prezi, You may also record yourself talking about the genre and its characteristics and include this video in your presentation.
Include the video clips in the order that you want us to view them. Use text and/or audio to establish the points that you want to make. You can record audio with your slides and then export the presentation as a movie file to upload it. In Keynote this is under "Record Slideshow" under the 'Play' tab. In Powerpoint it is under "Record Slideshow" under the "Slide Show" Tab.
2. Edit a scene (creative project)
Shock Shot, Reaction Shot, Revelation Shot: Breakdown of Typical Horror Movie Editing Moves
This project will focus on the horror genre. Very different examples of this genre will be examined. However, every example picked will demonstrate signature editing techniques used in many horror genre films: a particular style of shock or smash cut. This type of cut, combined with quick cutting, is a powerful tool used by films in this genre to convey the fear of a character when confronting a dangerous or terrifying situation.
This project will look at three completely different instances of this within the horror genre: The Birds , directed by Alfred Hitchcock; The Shining , directed by Stanley Kubrick; and Twin Peaks, the recent and latest installment in David Lynch's bizarre genre-bending television series that included ample sequences of traditional horror.
Three specific scenes from these films will be analyzed. All three of them will feature a pattern described by Julian Hanich in horror genre films. This is the shock cut that generally (but doesn't always) involve three elements: the shock shot , the reaction shot , and the revelation shot (2012, p. 133-4). The shock shot shows a scene that shocks the character (p. 133). The reaction shot shows the character's reaction to the shocking scene or situation (p. 133-4). Then the revelation shot shows the
full extent of the shocking scene or situation (p. 134).
All examples picked for this project show elements of this pattern. In addition, all of them use quick cutting back and forth between these various shots (shock, reaction, and revelation).
Genre Movie Essay - PowerPoint Presentation (PDF format)
References
Hanich, Julian. (2012.) Cinematic Emotion in Horror Films and Thrillers: The Aesthetic Paradox of Pleasurable Fear. Oxford: Taylor & Francis.
Hitchcock, A. (1963.) The Birds . United States: Universal.
Kubrick, S. (1980.) The Shining . United States: Warner Bros.
Lynch, D. (2017.) Twin Peaks . Hollywood, CA: Showtime.