Film Genres Cali gough

Social Realism Social Realism is a film genre which focuses on giving the audience a true indication of what life is like. Filmmakers such as Ken Loach, Shane Meadows and Mike Leigh are well known for their role in directing social realism films and tv series. Social realism films often include gritty scenes that allow the audience to relate to the scene. Social Realism films often include less fortunate, working class characters living in a struggle and often have problems linking to discrimination, money problems and injustice. Examples of Social Realism Films include: 1)Billy Elliot - A talented young boy becomes torn between his unexpected love of dance and the disintegration of his family 2)Fish Tank - Everything changes for 15-year-old Mia when her mum brings home a new boyfriend Technical Codes Include: Location of Shooting – Often a real urban area that isn’t in a studio or a Hollywood set, this helps to create a sense of reality. Unprofessional Actors – You don’t often see many famous of well known actors participating in a social realism film. This may be because having people that are unknown to the audience can create a sense of realism. Regional Identities – In social realism films, a regional identity is often depicted in a certain way and the storyline often includes discrimination. My short film: I think a social realism genre would be a really good genre to choose for my own short film, as the technical codes are easily accessible and actors would be easy to find. It would also be very effective as a short film as I could use a range of editing skills to give the gritty and realistic feeling of a social reality.

Psychological Thriller Psychological thrillers often incorporate elements of or overlap with mystery, drama, action and horror. They often emphasise the unstable psychological states of its characters and can leave audiences on edge. Examples of psychological thrillers include: 1)The Silence of the Lamb - A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims. 2)The Shining - A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future. 3)Cube - Six complete strangers of widely varying personality characteristics are involuntarily placed in an endless maze containing deadly traps. Technical Codes Include: Plot twist – Films including Psycho and The Skeleton Key have advertised the fact that they contain plot twists and therefore audiences have been asked to keep spoiler a secret. Psychological thrillers with poorly received plot twists, such as The Village, have suffered in the box office. Unreliable narrator – the unreliable narrator is a common fictional device used in psychological thrillers My short film: A psychological thriller would be exciting to film and edit and it would be really effective if a good storyline was created. The technical codes are also easily accessible, therefore I think it would be a good option for my own short film.

drama Drama Films have serious storylines with settings or life situations that portray realistic characters in conflict with either themselves, others or situations. A dramatic film shows us human beings at their best, their worst, and everything in-between. Dramatic films are probably the largest film genre because they include a broad spectrum of films such as crime and romances. Examples of Drama Films include: 1)Titanic – A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill- fated R.M.S. Titanic. 2)The Godfather – The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son 3)Rocky - Rocky Balboa, a small-time boxer, gets a supremely rare chance to fight heavy-weight champion Apollo Creed in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect Technical Codes Include: Dull Lighting – portrays a gritty and bleak atmosphere Low and High Angle shots – emphasises the power or status of characters Easily relatable characters – Allows the audience to relate A narrative that includes a journey for a character(s). – Gives the film more of a dramatic storyline. My short film: A drama film may be a good option for my short film as I could create a gritty storyline and use lots of signifiers and representations within, however it may be too closely related to a social realism as ‘drama’ is more of a broad and generic term for a film.