Genre Conventions and Film Openings

 Genre Conventions

    Week 2 and we are back. After finalizing my genre I have now been focusing on what genre conventions to incorporate into my film opening. But to figure out which ones I want to include, I need to figure out what genre conventions even are, and what they are used for:

Research:

Genre conventions are the specific topics, characters, situations, and plots that are consistent throughout pieces of the same genre. Genre conventions are what assist audiences in identifying specific genres and allow them to choose certain films based on those they want to see. In addition, different approaches on how to develop tone and the type of tone used to create a specific mood is another aspect of genre convention. For example, a horror film will almost always have the use of suspense and violence in its plot. 

Incorporated:

After learning this I went to research genre conventions in my specific genre, murder mystery. Some that I found and have been incorporating into my developing story that have to do with my plot are a crime taking place, a murder on the loose/ murder that has happened, and an investigation. Genre conventions relating to creating specific tones are creating suspense with tension in dialogue and an eerie ambiance with creepy music. There can also be genre conventions within specific characters like the passionate detective and the detective that might be a mole.... KEEP UP WITH MY BLOGS TO FIND OUT!!! 😉😉

         Film Openings  

    With the idea of certain genre conventions in mind, I have also been looking at different films and scenes from murder mysteries or thrillers for inspiration. The first example I have been looking at is the series's first season, True Detective. This is one of my favorite seasons I've ever watched from any show, not just because the acting is phenomenal but because Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. Thats it. I'm going to go as far as saying that those two names even ignite something in YOU Cambridge individuals, proving that Cambridge, is no different than the rest of us 😏😏. Moving on, I really like the series's character dynamics and how they establish their context with mise-en-scene. Aspects like the relationship between the two main characters, Rust and Marty, is something I want to play with and slightly infuse into my own character dynamics. Even though there is always a stereotypical "good cop" and "bad cop" in many detective or investigation movies, I want to branch out into eccentric character types and also play into the conventions, like including a good cop, but with more depth and nuance to his character. In addition, the two main detectives costume design and surrounding set design is another that I want to take inspiration from. Aspects like the detective's badge around his belt and a simple but put together tie with blazer is a simple but effective base to start for the detectives. I would like to build each detective's wardrobe and add something special according to their personality, for example if one of the detectives is very laid back and doesn't care as much as the others, he might come with messier hair and a collared shirt with no tie or blazer.

Picture of Rust Cohle and his costume design:

Pin by m bong on true detective | True detective art, True detective, Detective. (n.d.). Pinterest. Retrieved February 23, 2024, from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/318770479887995842/

The other inspirations I have are from the movies Knives Out and Joker. Both of these films have aspects of developing tone and establishing setting that I might be interested in using. For example, for my film opening creating an eerie and chaotic tone is one I want to accomplish. Using dark lighting and shadowing is something I am taking inspiration from with the opening scene of Knives Out. I want to create a 20 second New York montage to establish setting, so using these aspects to distinguish my film opening from the start is something I am aiming for. 

knives out intro scene - Google Search. (n.d.). Www.google.com. Retrieved February 23, 2024, from https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=4a15a4908bf04efe&sxsrf=ACQVn0_PnyWkGOQwwe6Q8pBOSQpWdPRq6Q:1708666336523&q=knives+out+intro+scene&tbm=i

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From the movie Joker I am aiming to learn more about the way the movie's cinematographer, Larence Sher, composes his shots and uses color to accompany his story. Further throughout this week I also plan to learn more about color grading because I want to play with color in my film opening. Shots like this one below are some that I use for inspiration when envisioning how I want to my film opening to resemble:

 

In addition, some other influences I've been looking at are at The Bear and True Detective for the actual detective scene I want to include. I am thinking about having a detective scene about trying to find a murderer that has been roaming around the streets and I think season one of True Detective has good mise-en-scene elements and screenwriting that create incredible realism with how detectives act and speak to one another. In addition, for the actual pacing of the scene, I think that The Bear is so good at building up a scene's tension until it breaks out into a shitstorm and I want to incorporate timing to create a really anxious mood for the audience. Also, the way the camera usually stays on a close-up of the character's face and moves around the characters organically is something that I will incorporate in some moments. ONE MORE THING (The Bear has endless things to comment on), I noticed this in The Bear and Joker which was multiple focus pulls that help show how the character is feeling or show a shallow focus on something that is important.

Lastly, I really want to take inspiration from the ICONIC 360 camera spin in That 70's Show that goes all around the group while they are.. having fun and eating brownies!... I think it would be a cool shot to try but in my unique situation.

So, from here on I will keep researching on film approaches, but mostly on color grading techniques and how to seamlessly work with color to build a story.