Short Film vs. Feature Length Film

 I watched both the short and feature film of 9. I liked both of them a lot. They were very different but so alike at the same time. I watched the short film first and was confused at times because there was no dialogue. In the feature film, however, there was a dialogue that made everything a lot easier to understand. There were also more characters in the feature film. It made the plot and the whole story more eventful. In the short film, in the end, there was only 9 left, however, in the feature film, it was him and a few other characters. In the short film, there was also only the soul of 5 that was showed released while in the full-length film there were the souls of the others who died throughout the movie as well. I liked this part because it made me see the different types of characters that were involved in the entire plot making the story what it was.

In the short film, there was also only one monster while in the longer film there were multiple. This made more sense to the storyline though since there were even more characters. The fact that there were more characters and monsters made the film better in my opinion. There were certain parts in the feature film that I recognized from the short film. There were obvious similarities like the names and the broad plot of the monster and it ends up being defeated. However, even though there were certain scenes that were similar they were used differently in the feature film. Like the way a monster was killed was very similar but there were parts added and parts that were different. Overall I think I liked the feature film better than the short film. It had more detail and because of the dialogue, it made it better and easier to understand. They were both very well done.

The feature film

 Last night I watched 9, the feature film. The movie was very intense from start to finish. When the movie first started I was pretty confused because there was not much context. When it continued on, however, I started to understand the storyline. I started to understand things once there was dialogue. The movie was very emotional and I was close to crying multiple times. There were many plot twists that really surprised me. The plot only got more and more interesting throughout the movie. It definitely kept my attention because there was not a dull moment. Every time I got calm something dramatic happened.

I loved the way each character was unique. They all had their own personalities and skills. They were all able to contribute their knowledge when they needed to get past an obstacle. I was also fascinated by how 9 was able to be so smart and know a lot when he was the newest one. Since they get past so many obstacles it's very motivating and is clear in its message. It is inspiring people to never give up and always keep working. I was able to create an emotional connection as well as learn from the movie. Throughout the film, they used many different angles, movement, and sound. It was interesting to see how they made it since it was animated. It was overall a really good movie.

Research 9, the short

 The short film was at first a little confusing to me since there was no real background information or talking. As 9 continued around the place by himself and eventually having a flashback more things made sense. I almost immediately got a sad feeling because in the flashback 9 was seen with another character, however now he was all alone. It was very heartwarming when the two characters shared their belongings and seemed to deeply care about each other. The flashback became at first intense when the monster showed up and the other character had to fight him. From context clues, I could already tell that it would not end well and it made me sad once again. My intuition was correct and the monster used a device and took the soul of 9's friend. It was amazing the way Shane Acker was able to create a sad scene and be able to show the heartbreak that 9 was going through even though he is an animated character. I was not expecting to feel an emotional connection since it was animated but Acker did a great job conveying his emotions onto the audience. As the movie continued the plot only thickened. 

Once the flashback was over the plot only got better and better. I was caught off guard when the monster showed up but this time in the present day. Based on what I had seen last time the monster showed up, this would be a difficult fight. 9 led the monster into a cave and was able to trick him! When I saw this I first thought that he died too easily and I thought it was odd. But then I saw that 9 was above the roster ready to attack and I gained hope again. When 9 was standing on the edge after running from the monster I almost lost all faith again, I believed there was no way he could escape that many times. But once again I was proven wrong when 9 outsmarted the monster and was able to kill him. I was so happy and sad at the same time, I was happy that 9 won, however somehow I felt bad for the monster's death. When it cut to the next scene where 9 was standing by the graves looking at his friend's "skin" sadness struck me even harder. I could relate to the feeling of mourning and missing a loved one that was taken too soon. When the device the monster used to have started vibrating I was confused but I could kind of tell what was happening. The souls were finally released and able to go to their graves and rest in peace. When his old friend, 5, looked back at him it filled my heart with sadness that they had to once again go a different way but also so happy the got to see each other once again and that he was able to be at peace.

Choosing a Genre

  My group and I finally chose a genre. We felt that thriller best fit our pitch. Our pitch is, "Bella is your average teenager. Nothing abnormal has ever happened in her life, not yet at least." This pitch is eerie and suspenseful and therefore fits the thriller genre. 

We decided not to choose horror because we feel that many other groups will be choosing it. In addition to this, horror films can be slow-moving until there is a jump scare. We feel like we cannot complete an entire short film about horror in 5 minutes. 

In addition to horror films, my group and I also researched mystery films. We felt that that mystery would be interesting. However, we didn't know how we would fit it into our plot. This genre is difficult to conduct because these films are typically intense. We didn't want to confuse our audience by squeezing in too much information into a 5-minute film. 

Ultimately, we decided to do a thriller movie. Our plot fits the genre of thriller the best. All of the aspects that we wanted to include were fit for a thriller film. In addition to this, thrillers are easier to film than mystery and horror. This is because our time limit is 5 minutes and we don't want to overload ourselves. We also liked all of the aspects of this genre. Overall, we thought that a thriller film would be the best fit for us. 

Thriller Genre Research

  My group and I researched Thriller movies. 

Common angles found in thriller movies include close-ups and aerial views. These give the film more of a suspenseful and eerie feel. A popular moving is a tracking shot. The camera follows the character to give the audience a rush. The audience doesn't know what to expect, and therefore engages them to keep watching. Common sounds of thriller movies include car engines, police sirens, screams, as well as diegetic and nondiegetic sounds. These include music and monologues. 

The costumes are typically normal everyday clothing. The lighting can be dark or light depending on the location. In addition to this, the location can be anywhere: it depends on the storyline of the film. The makeup would normally be natural unless someone is injured or died. In this circumstance, the actor would have bloody and bruised makeup. The props can range from a chair to a car, to anything imaginable. The props solely depend on the plot of the film.

Common editing in thriller movies is zooming in. This allows the audience to be curious as to what is going to happen next. An example of a thriller film would be "Homecoming". Overall, my group likes the suspensefulness of thriller movies. We never know what to expect so we are always at the edge of our seats. We like everything about thriller movies.

Mystery Genre Research

 My group and I researched the different aspects of mystery films.

In our research, we found that some common angles are close-ups. These are used to make the audience curious, and it is typically zoomed in a clue. Some popular movements include zooming in or out. This allows the audience to understand what is trying to be shown, so they can interpret the scene. Some sounds include screaming, creaking floorboards, and diegetic sounds such as music or a monologue. Sounds heavily impact the film, and can help the audience understand what is going on. Costumes typically include normal clothing. Lighting can be dark at times, and light at others. The makeup is typically normal unless there is a character that got injured or died. If this happens, then the makeup is bloodied and bruised on the actor. Props can range from weapons to furniture depending on the plot of the film. In addition to this, the location can be anywhere: it depends on the plot of the movie.

 Common editing includes jump cuts and flashbacks. At the end of mystery movies, sometimes there is a flashback to show what and how everything happened. There is normally a diegetic monologue over the flashback. Some mystery films include "Murder Mystery". My group and I like how the plot ties together at the end. In addition to this, we enjoy how the flashbacks give a recap so all of the audience's questions are answered. However, we don't like how the plot can be difficult to follow. Sometimes we are completely lost and want to stop watching the movie because of this. 

Horror Genre Research

 My group and I have thoroughly researched the genre horror. 

In horror, common angles include close-ups. Close-ups are normally used to show the fear in the character's face which causes the audience to feel scared. This normally happens as soon as something bad is going to happen. Another commonly used angle is an over the shoulder shot. This is normally the antagonist looking down upon his victim. This belittles the protagonist and gives the audience a sense of fear for the main character. Panning and tracking shots are both popular aspects of horror films. Tracking shots are typically used to show an individual running away from something/ trying to escape. Panning shots are normally used to increase suspense.

Common sounds in horror include suspenseful music that is added to the movie, doors creaking, and people screaming. All of these sounds (whether they are diegetic or non-diegetic) are used to increase suspense within the film. Common costumes can range from typical everyday clothes to an intense scary-looking costume. It depends on what the particular movie revolves around and what the antagonist looks like. Common lighting is typically dark and eerie to create an eerie feeling. The makeup can be natural-looking, or it could be intense with a lot of gory aspects. For example, if one of the characters died, there would most likely be bloodied and bruised: this is done by makeup. Some props include weapons, and stairs. The antagonist is probably using a weapon to kill their victim, and a stereotypical scene is the main character falling downstairs. Most of the time, the location is in a house in which the main character is trying to escape.

When editing a horror film, timing is key. The editor might do split screens, jumpcuts, or anything to add suspense. In addition to this, they might add diegetic and nondiegetic sounds to ensure suspense. An example of a horror film would be "Bye-bye Man". My group and I enjoy the suspensefulness of horror films as well as sound and editing. The aspects that we don't like include the angles. Some of the angles make it difficult to understand what is going on during the film.

Genres I Would Like to Research

  My group and I have recently finalized our pitch. Our pitch is, "Bella is your average teenager. Nothing abnormal has ever happened in her life, not yet at least." The next step is to research multiple genres that our short film could be. A genre is a style of an artistic piece. There are many different genres that would fit our short film. 

As a group, we decided that our short film should gear towards the eerie side. We decided to research the genres of thriller, horror, and mystery. We feel that our film may include aspects of all of these genres. However, we have to research and decide from there. These genres have similarities and differences. Because of this, it will take intense research to decide which genre our short film should be under. In addition to this, we are still brainstorming the plot. 

We will need to have a basic idea of the storyline. This is so we can ensure that the genre will fit the short film. We are excited to begin researching. This will allow us to be confident in the genre that we choose. We will all research each genre, and compare notes and talk about what we learned. From there, the three of us will all work on our blogs. Overall, we are excited to begin researching.

Below are films from the genres thriller, horror, and mystery.