Short Film vs. Feature Length Film

     I just want to start off by saying that I totally recommend watching the short film and full length film of 9 because honestly it was really amazing. There were many differences of both films as one was 7 minutes long and had to have all the plot in a short amount of time. Whereas, you had the feature film which was an hour and 13 minutes long and had the same plot from the beginning to end but in depth with the characters in the film. After watching both you can obviously tell that there were improvements in the character development in the film. In the short film you were introduced to two rag-dolls, 5 and 9, but did not get much interaction between them and the fact that they did not talk. However, in the feature film you were introduced to a wide range of rag-doll characters that were able to talk and had different personalities from each other. In both of the films you can see how important the details and surrounding was important to the director and his team because they maintained that idea for both films. The overall mood and feel of the movie remained the same. I also felt like there was a difference in the special effects because in the short film it was very subtle while in the feature film they used as much lighting and sounds to create the special effect and make it more stronger than the short film. The hologram near the ending of the movie for me was the best special effect and helped me understand what was going on through the explanation of the scientist.

    For both of the films the consistent use of diegetic sounds remained which I don't mind. The only difference I felt was that more score music was used in the feature film than in the short film. The biggest difference for me was the endings because in the original short film I felt as if the ending was rushed and lacked emotion. In the feature film the ending was the same except it was extended and there was lots of emotions because there was character development and closeness that made you feel happy but sad when watching the ending. The feature film for me had a more clear and strong opening and ending of the film compared to the short film. Another thing I noticed was that the opening and ending credits of the feature film really set the mood and fit the movie perfectly where in the short film the opening with the director or creator really didn't fit for me. If I had to choose which was my favorite I have to choose the feature film, as I can see myself watching again over the short film. I believe that both of the films were beautifully done and made me curious, but came down to what I would watch again and that is the feature film. I am so happy that my teachers assigned this research assignment I really enjoyed watching the movie and I can't wait to watch it with my friends soon. If you haven't watched it, you should I promise you will love it.

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Research 9, the feature film

     I was super excited to watch the feature film version of the short film 9 that I researched about in the last blog. I used my teachers suggestion and was able to access the film through Netflix. The movie was amazing and I fell in love with the style and concept of the film, it made me crave others similar to this. There was definitely an improvement and you can see that a lot of thought and depth went into the movie. The very first thing that I noticed throughout the movie was that they finally gave us character development and actually introduced to all the rag-dolls that was seen in the ending of the short film. Each character had a unique personality such as one was the inventor among the rag-dolls, one was the stubborn and angry rag-doll,  another was fearful but learned to be brave, and so much more. I loved seeing the characters grow from the beginning of the film to the end, it almost felt as if rag-doll represented a different personality of the same character. This was later proven correct as all the rag-dolls represented different parts or personality of the scientists professor from the beginning of the movie. The little details and setting of the film really popped out to me and made me appreciate all the work that the designers designed in the film. Although there was dialogue in the film it was a right balance and I loved how they kept the silence in the very beginning except for the scientists professor talking a little in the beginning of the film which made me want to watch it more and more. 

    The special effects in the movie such as the lighting and the sounds of the machines clanking and the monsters roaring was phenomenal and adds to a scary yet suspenseful mood. I felt that the dystopia created in the movie of machines and metals versus humans made it feel so real as technology is enhancing at such a accelerated speed in real time. There was a relief in the film as you got to meet new characters and when they had heart to heart conversations with each other that turned the movie form suspenseful to a theme of teamwork and unity of the rag-dolls. The plot of the film was spectacular honestly, where you have a concept that science is evil and turned against the human race as you see flashbacks of the creation of the machine and dead bodies throughout the film. The ending of the film was so sad and beautifully done I started to tear up. As you watch the film you learn to love each character and grow attach to them wanting them to succeed and defeat the machine. The special effects and length of the ending was perfectly done and was a sense of peace to see the rag-dolls souls be free and at peace. The entire movie had a futuristic but past vibe where the audience feels like this could happen one day but not entirely because our society is more advanced. The realism in the film and setting, draws the attention of the audience and opens up our eyes to the creative ideas the director and staff had for this film. You see a lot of creative freedom and factors that really made this film 10 times better than the short film. 

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Research 9, the short

     Today, I watched a short film called 9 as a part of my research for my class. As I was sitting there watching the short film from Shane Acker I jotted down some notes of how I felt throughout the short film and what I thought was really interesting for the director to use. This was definitely a short film style I never watched before, so it was really refreshing and interesting, it also made me really curious of other films and movies like this one. Throughout the short film I loved how there was no dialogue at all, I feel like it makes it even more unique and special as you have to focus on other details and background to understand what's going on. As I was first watching this short film I felt creeped out as if I was there, but the quality was low from my teachers uploading it onto canvas, so I tried to ignore that factor and just watch the short film for itself. On the topic of creepiness, the silence between the two rag-dolls, 5 and 9, in the film added to the creepy effect of the film. The special effects throughout the entire 7 minutes of the film were very subtle and straight to the point. I also felt like the special effects added to the plot of the movie which was a machine versus the rag-dolls. The constant use of diegetic sounds such as the wind, machines clanking, footsteps and the growl of the machine beast was something that I loved throughout the film. In the background you can also hear a low score in the background but overall the diegetic sounds overpowered the instrumental music in the background. 

    The fact that there was no dialogue and an abundant amount of diegetic sounds I truly felt as if the world in the film was wiped out of the human kind and just made it feel surreal. I wished that the short film had more character development of the two main rag-dolls in the film which were 5 and 9. We knew as the audience that they worked together because when rag-doll 5 passed away, rag-doll 9 was upset and shocked at what happened. In the end rag-doll 9 defeated the monster machine and brought justice to all the rag-dolls that were killed. Other than that we truly see the growth and development of the characters in a sense of personality and likeness. The only scene that I felt like truly made me see who they were was when rag-dolls 5 and 9 worked together to build a lightbulb or light source from sources around them. This made me see how resourceful they were of their surroundings. In the ending we are revealed to a whole bunch of rag-dolls other than the main rag-dolls 5 and 9 which the audience were introduced to. As one of the audience, I assumed they were other rag-dolls that were effected by the monster machines. The ending to me felt rushed and didn't really feel like an ending that I would want to re-watch. I wished there was more emotion and detail to make it really stand out from other short films. Overall I loved the short film and super excited to watch the actual movie based off of this short film. I hope everything is explained and in depth from the characters to the plot of the film.

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Genre Choice for Film

     It has finally come, the time after all my research and reflection to decide my genre. I have come to the conclusion that I will be producing a thriller movie. I am super excited and I really did give it a lot of thought, making sure I wasn't making a mistake or before it was too late to change my mind. I chose thriller out my three genres that I narrowed down to, was because it was the best fit for my movie idea and I feel like my movie and pitch will completely portray a thriller style movie. The main character in my movie that will be revealed soon, has that mindset and personality of most characters in a thriller film and also the story is very suspenseful just like a thriller movie would be. I stated in a previous blog post that thriller films are out of my comfort zone and I believe its the perfect time to take risks and explore different genres. Since we are slowly reopening and getting out of quarantine, I wanted my movie to be something that the audience can comfortably enjoy while at home but have that feeling as if they are at a film festival or the movies. I am going to make sure that my movie sticks to the thriller aspect and I will plan out the movie when it comes time to storyboard based off of the anticipation and suspense found in thriller movies. I made sure that when I was thinking about the genre I had my pitch next to me so the decision could come easily for me, so I made no tweaks to my pitch. I also hope you enjoyed the Google Slides of my genre research because I wanted to give you something fun to look and read other than paragraphs. I also included pictures throughout the slides for your entertainment and for the fun of it. 

    I was inspired by my friend to get out of my comfort zone and try new things even in media studies class. My friend is currently and college student in New York and her moving there made me realize to do as much as I can in life and even in school. When I was deciding on my genre that was going through my  mind and also my pitch. I pray that in the end it all works out for me and for you since my movie will be presented to you. Another thought that also inspired me was that this is my last year of high school, so why not do something that in the end might be memorable for me but also for you. My teachers always inspire me especially my media studies teacher because both of them gave me the push that I needed and look now I am taking A- Level Media Studies with the most amazing students and teachers. My movie for sure will surpass and be the most best thriller movie there can be, at least for me it will because I will put my hard work and sweat into this. I will be sure to add a thriller effect to my websites, social media sites, and post cards so that the audience can right away know the type of movie it will be. I will continue researching and discovering new information and I will try to get myself this weekend to watch some thriller movies to get me in the mindset so I can plan my own film. In the end I was swayed away from choosing the mystery genre and now stuck on a thrilling ride.

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Genre Research: Mystery

Genre Research: Thriller

Genre Research- Action

Genres I Would Like to Research

     On October 5, 2020 our very first research assignment to do for our short film was to think about three different genres that would relate to our pitch or idea we wanted to convey through our film. I took the time to look at the pitch I wrote and sat myself down to actually think and write out what I wanted my film to be while being simple and concise. I decided on the genres: action, thriller, and mystery because, I truly felt that those were the only one's that my future short film would fall under if it were released. I wanted my short film to be based on a genre that I myself and others would prefer to watch. I wanted to do a similar genre that I did last year in AICE Media Studies because I want to improve from last time, but the only difference is that its based on my own personal creative idea. I want to show that I have grown and learned from my past filming and editing mistakes, and improve on the film's overall look and sound. I want to make sure that my film is perfect since we will also include social media sites, a website, and a post card. I want to make my short film suspenseful and intriguing to hook the audience and have them wanting more. Honestly the Thriller genre is out of my comfort zone, but I included it because why not give it a try and maybe in the end the short film might end up being on track under that genre. The assignment given to me from my teachers will rely on me to research all three genres and choose the best match for my short film. The best part about it is that, this time we are making a complete film with a beginning, middle, and end and we can choose whatever genre we would like.

    To introduce you to the genres I defined each of them and basically will give you an overview of each of the genre that I chose which is again; action, thriller, and mystery. An action film is a film genre that has a protagonist portrayed and is always placed in situations where violence, fights, chases, and physical abilities or assets are necessary. A thriller film is always fiction, and bases off of the mood of the audience by feeding them suspense, excitement, anticipation, and surprise. A mystery film is fiction and revolves around problem-solving, such as detecting a person's death or a crime to be solved. I will go in depth of each genre from research in my next blogs and I will have a Google slide prepared for each one. I did my best to research and try to look into each genre in the perspective of looking at the genres dynamic and consistent techniques of different movies. I am excited to do my research and discover a gem that will spark an interest in me to pick it. As of today, I am definitely leaning towards the mystery genre, however, I have to go back and really reflect and think over the planning of my film and afterwards make a valid decision. I can't believe that we are entering the planning process of the film making process and I can't wait to continue on my journey. I will return with my final answer and we will see which genre didn't make the cut.

This is Stephanie signing off!