Genre Research 2.0

 Since I posted my last post, I have added one new genre to the list: drama. A lot of amazing movies come from this genre, I've come to realize through some research. Seeing movies like Top Gun: Maverick, which I recently watched with my cousins, and any coming-of-age film showed me how diverse drama can be and how many different routes you could go with it. Now my three options for the 2-minute movie intro genre are horror, musical, and drama. I am going to do research on all three and see which seems like the best fit for me.

Horror 

Boo! Did I get you? Probably not...but it's ok. That's as much knowledge I have of creating fear. Yes, I did some research, but realized as much as I love to scare people, the horror genre is not my thing. 

  

The two videos above are the opening scenes to two famous horror movies: Scream (1996) and The Conjuring (2013). If, and when, you click on them you'll come to realize they are both over 10 minutes long. This is done so that the suspense is able to build up and a clear introduction of the issue at hand is possible. The portfolio project, on the other hand, can only be 2-minutes long. I would be able to compress the suspense aspect into 2 minutes, but it wouldn't build up the way it should. It would not amount to be scary in the audiences' eye, until possibly later in the film. I like how both openings confuse you until, little by little, context is given. I could incorporate that in my intro somehow (and in a not so dark tone), whatever genre I choose, to keep audiences on their toes. 

Musical

I have previously done a post regarding the musical genre, because I just love to sing my heart out! Some key points to include in a musical film intro: a musical number, colorful visuals, colorful costumes, and a foreshadowing of a romance (in most cases). 

This opening scene is from the movie La La Land. It uses, for the most part, a really long take to show how everything is connected; the emotions of the people on that highway and eventually the two main characters. Most people are also wearing a colorful and bright color palette to categorize, if you couldn't already tell, the movie as a musical and imply that everything is working fine, except for what is going on with the two main characters who aren't wearing bright colors. I have seen similar openings like that of West Side Story (West Side Story (2021) - Opening Scene - YouTube) and The Greatest Showman (The Greatest Showman - The Greatest Show : Opening scene (Official Video) - YouTube) which vary on how they approach the opening, but they all include a choreographed sequence to an original song. I don't have the ability to make my own music, and asking for permission from another composer or artist might not work out if they don't answer in time. So, I don't think going with the musical option is the best course of action. However, I do like the idea of foreshadowing the plot of the story, which I might incorporate into my intro, like in the La La Land and West Side Stroy examples. I also like how in the Greatest Showman, they start off all cheerful and it looks like the main character achieved a dream of there's yet everything seems to fade away towards the end, revealing it wasn't real. I feel like this idea in particular could be a cool idea if I wanted to stick with an intro involving dance and a dream about being the best, or something like that.

Drama (We Have A Winner!)

This genre, I feel like, has the most potential for a two-minute film opening. Not only is it a genre I that I thoroughly enjoy, it also has many sub genres one can enjoy ranging from coming of age to tragedy. 

It is pretty easy to do only two minutes' worth of content and I'd have more liberty with what I want to do. I can talk about real world issues, issues important to me, or even just make a lighthearted piece.  I can start off with a song, like a musical, if I wanted to, or even build suspense. For example in Vertigo, (Vertigo Opening Scene - Rooftop Chase - YouTube) they build tension, without outright spoiling the movie or telling you the plot. It is a chase scene, without the movie being considered action. That is what I mean when I say that with this genre, I have creative liberty. 

The following include drama movies I enjoyed:

  (Little Women 2019)                      (Elvis 2022)