Genre Conventions of Fantasy and Action Films

We have watched the opening sequences of Night at the Museum which is a Fantasy genre and Spy Kids which is a Action Genre.
Night of the Museum started off with the film companies name and then begun with magical music in the background to give the feel of magic and fantasy - this helps put across the genre well. The location was then established which is the Museum and a number of characters in the museum are seen but the audience is left to imagine what the role of the characters are. The music did change slightly when some important characters were pictured to give the audiences a slight hint. The main character was not established until after the credits and music had stopped and the narrative had begun. Not giving too much information away creates a sense of uncertainty which suits the fantasy genre as in most fantasy films anything can happen/come alive.

Spy Kids similarly showed the films companies name, however the music was much more fast paced and intense which definitely showed that the films genre was action. There is an establishing shot of where the film is set but differently to the Fantasy genre the main characters we introduced immediately to make the film more realistic. The narrative also begun straight away as the dialogue used introduced the "spy" theme. This fast start helps establish the genre of the film as it introduces characters, setting and narrative all in one and then quickly begins - this is the fast paced convention that all action films have.

The Conventions of A muppet Christmas Carol

The first main convention that we get shown is the opening sequence sound track which is a christmasy tune, jolly, wintery and it's the kind of music that would be played at christmas time. The opening credits are red writing with a white outline to introduce a christmas feel it helps to represent snow and christmas all in one. The credits don't cover the whole screen but they run slowly across the screen to create a slow and relaxed feel without over crowding the screen with too much writing. This helps to attract the younger the audience so because it is easier to watch. The introduction also establishes the location of a busy snowy city set in the past just before Christmas. Just by introducing snow and showing a festive period shows us that it's a family based genre. As the christmas period is the time for families to come together and enjoy christmas as a family. Straight away your introduced to two of the main characters witch are in fact muppets and this also helps to sow that its for children as well as for the old audience.

The costumes that the villages are wearing show that this film was set in past times when things were a lot harder in day to day life. Lighting in this beginning sequence is very dark to show and create the feeling of it's setting and time. There is an establishing shot to show the type of village that its going to be focused on and what type of characters will be the main focus of the film. The props in the background show the time it was set with the carriages and the fires on the street as this wouldn't be the case in our time. The music in the background was non-diagetic so the characters would not be able to hear it so its for the audiences benefit to get into the movie. There is also continuity of the snow which has fell across the city to show that its wintery times and for some hard times with the cold weather. 

Research: Conventions of Harry Potter Opening Sequence

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone opening sequence shows the usual conventions of a children's film opening sequence. The theme tune is introduced before the images are shown on the screen and the location is established immediately as the name of the road is pictured. The first character seen is Dumbledore who is a main character and other characters who become important throughout are seen. When Dumbledore uses his magic this gives us an idea of the genre of the film immediately (Fantasy) and also helps us to establish some of the storyline possibly. More of the narrative is introduced when Harry Potter arrives and is left on the doorstep of the house. Dumbledore discusses what has happened which helps us put together the storyline. After this the Title sequence begins which is in a fantasy/magical theme of font and then the actual narrative begins when Harry is much older.

The micro elements contribute well to the opening sequence and they compliment the usual conventions of the Children's Film. Sound plays an important part as the non-diegtic sound used is the theme tune and  the magical sense created gives a idea of the genre and possibly the narrative. Mise-en-scene is greatly needed as the props, location and costume need to be realistic and appropriate to the genre and narrative. All characters are dressed well and props such as the magic lighter and flying motorbike again show the genre of the film. The lighting is dark and sets the scenes mood and atmosphere. Because it is dark it gives a serious feel and possibly something disastrous has happened and the audience will want to find this out. Special Effects are needed in this to show the magic realistically and to also show the title sequence. The magic once again helps portray the genre and also helps the audience know that the characters that have just been introduced are magical. If this was done unrealistically the audience may feel the film is not that serious or the characters are not that believable.

The camera shots are also important as they help with the establishment of the scene and location. The establishing shots help with this. Close ups help us learn and recognise the main characters and medium shots help us establish their props and costume. The camera shots have to be right to help get across each convention well. With poor camera shots the audience will struggle to understand what is going in the scene.

This research has helped us realise that the micro elements of the film help contribute greatly to the getting across of the narrative, characters, location and genre of the film. Without these micro elements the conventions would be pointless.

Preliminary Evaluation

We feel that we managed to create a fluent video that displayed good continuity and timing throughout. It looked realistic and professional with the editing we used together. As a group we were able to edit our sequence quickly and efficiently and even managed to add music into the background to add effect. We feel that the music added to the background of our sequence portrays the genre of the short clip, and is a good introduction to what follows. We added in a transition to help the flow of the clip and to make the clip look more professional. 

However we do feel that we should have filmed more footage for our clip as we struggled to make a 40 second sequence. If we did film more we would have been able to use a variety of different shots and clips to make the clip better and less rushed. 

Overall we enjoyed the task and feel we did a good job considering the time limit we had and that we didn't have too many skills that were needed before we started. We have learnt a lot of valuable skills needed for the Childrens Film task ahead of us.

Badman Preliminary

This is our Preliminary Task finished video

Filming Day For Preliminary Task

Today we filmed our storyboard we prepared in the previous lesson. The initial storyboard was based on a burglary in the college with a security guard protecting what the robber wanted. We stuck to the basic story line but changed the props, costumes, and camera shots/angles. We did this because we found it easier to capture the full essence of the scene. We feel we have created a successful scene that links in with the task we prepared, we kept continuity throughout the whole short film, this helped the rhythm and the flow of one scene to the other. However trying to link the scenes together and keep everything the same as the previous shot proved fairly difficult but we managed to overcome the problem with some thought and discussion. 

We enjoyed the task we carried out, as it involved imagination and creativity throughout. It was also one of the first practical pieces we have done so far in media, and a change is always nice. We learnt the basic skills we need to construct and develop our children's opening sequence.

Extension - Genre Conventions

Film choice: Shrek
Genre: Fantasy/Comedy

There are many conventions for the fantasy genre in Children's films. Firstly there has to be a main good guy (Shrek) and a main bad guy (King Harold) as well as their accomplices. There also has to be damsel in distress where the good guy is trying to save her from the bad guy. Throughout a fantasy children's film there has to be a unrealistic setting with usually unrealistic characters such as a talking donkey, dragon and cat. There will be action and fighting which is sometimes comical and the loser of the battle will often be punished rather than hurt/injured/killed. Another convention is the good guy winning the fight against the bad guy and saving the damsel in distress. The film will then end happily and the couple will live happily ever after.

Preliminary Task StoryBoard

Our idea for our Preliminary Task is a 40 second - 1minute story of a burglar who is trying to steal from the college. He is then caught by a sleeping security guard who calls up the police to arrest him. Throughout we have kept continuity through keeping the same mise en scene (props, costumes) and also used camera shots that makes the scenes continuous. We have applied with the 180 degree rule and match on action.

how are the conventions constructed differently in the two film opening sequences!

The two opening sequences that we watched were Monsters Inc and Princess Diaries. Monsters Inc opens with a catchy theme tune as background music. The animation introduces the main theme of the film as well as the credits and title. Its engaging with its use of colour and creative monster animation. However these monsters are not the main characters its just to set the genre of the film. It makes the audience question what kind of character will be in the story line.

Although Princess Diaries starts with a soundtrack with the opening credits rolling across the screen, characters are introduced at once, unlike Monsters Inc. The scene is set well with the establishing shots of New York and this helps the audience find out the genre and what era it was set.

In conclusion both opening sequences have similar conventions however the way they differ helps establish the genre and target audience.

By Reece and Sophie