Genre Research - Possible genres

Genre Research: Genre related problems and solutions

Genre: Horror

Pros:

Easy to create a distinguished and unique storyline.

Big budget is not needed in order to create a high quality overall product- paranormal activity for example was filmed  with a low budget but has grown into series of successful.

Props are easy to acquire, therefore I won't need expensive equipment, furthermore the simpler a location it is, often is more effective as the audience can relate to the situation/setting.

Cons:

Can be hard to establish a sense of seriousness (may come across as humorous, THE STUFF in 1985 for example was considered funny due to its outrageous storyline)

Could be hard to look realistic

Horrors are often misinterpreted and could be considered as clichéd

It is difficult to produce music that matches both the genre and situation, as copyright free music is often ambiguous and it can be hard to produce original music that is effective in creating fear. 

 Solutions to overcome the genre related problems:

It is vital to consider genre research and therefore utilise/ incorporate their given fears in order to make the audience feel intrigued as well as scared. This will result in them seeking a film that they can relate to; despite this meaning it will scare them. Therefore the success of the film will be based upon the emotional response so it is important to capture the fear factor throughout our film.

When trying to look realistic, it can be easy to look fake, but if we use lighting effectively (to create shadow) then the focus will be taken away from the props, look at Scream for example, the murderer was wearing nothing but a white ghost mask and a black robe, but because they concentrated on fear throughout, the audiences focus was withdrawn from the props and instead (more importantly) was drawn to the attention of the storyline.

Furthermore, in order to avoid common horror clichés it is pivotal to avoid any stereotypical similarities between other films, for example including clichés such as falling over nothing or a consistently stupid female character this as this immediately portrays a lack of creativity and the audience may construe the film as "already seen" and as a result may find it boring.

  Similarly to the problem concerning realism, it is important to use genre related/appropriate music or SFX when editing the production, however it is vital to remember the significance of silence during a horror as it build tension. Also we need to identify SFX that have rarely been used before or perhaps we could create own music.

Genre: Action / Thriller

Pros:

Action is easily achieved through montage and pace editing.

The immediate introduction of action will create an active and intrigued audience instantly.

Can be easy to access a large potential cast.

Requires a simple narrative that does not have to be in depth.

In contrast to the horror music, SFX can be ambiguous and still create affect.

Large and distinguishable target audience.

Cons:

Some storylines are often considered generic and overused by the target audience (chase scenes in particular, such as James bond because it typically opens with a chase scene)

Therefore it can be hard to create individuality.

Also it requires a high budget in addition to expensive props (typically guns and explosions)

The problematic conventions of the genre, especially concerning how to achieve shots such as: establishing, bird's eye.

Despite the SFX easily creating affect, it can be expensive to obtain specific software, also more advanced editing / special effects may be required in order to achieve realism.

Solutions to overcome the genre related problems:

Avoid using storylines that are stereotypical, instead use genre research affectively in order to specify and concentrate the storyline to the target audience's preferences.

When trying to overcome budget related problems, you need to involve minimal special affect related scenes if any at all.

Focus on gaining sufficient and high quality basic shots as these can create similar effectiveness, for example when trying to achieve a tracking shot rather than using a dolly I could use a wheelchair, but this compromise will need to be done effectively in order to look effective.

Lastly in order to overcome budget related problems as such, it may be possible to download basic but free alternative software, but these affects will need to be utilised sufficiently in order create realism, and with regards to sound there is a wide variety of copyright free music that is available for use however it is important to find SFX that are not common / overused. Instead seek unused yet effective sound (free alternative).

Overall I have decided to continue my production with the Horror genre as it is easy to create a high quality overall product, even with the simplicity of props and setting, also it is easy to establish an imaginative location that is also relatable from the viewers point of view. Or we could include a location that is unknown to the audience perhaps to have more fear or to highlight the situation. Furthermore we can obtain a unique and indistinguishable storyline. And assuming that I avoid typical stereotypes / clichés, I believe that in combination with my genre research I can create a scary yet intriguing production. Whereas pursuing an action / thriller genre would need a larger budget and I feel that I it is hard to be unique and un-generic when creating a thriller/action production. And despite the challenges concerning SFX, I consider this an easy problem to overcome compared to software and special effect based problems associated with an action / thriller genre.