Genre Research Activity

The objective of this activity was to choose and genre and analyze its characteristics and how it engages the target audience.

I have chosen to analyze the horror genre.

    Horror films usually have huge themes based upon fear and survival. Most films use death, supernatural beings, or the unknown to make the audience feel uneasy or disturbed. The antagonist for most horror films is often some type of monster or a psychologically unstable person. The protagonists are usually regular people who find themselves in terrifying situations. To help the audience better relate to the protagonist, they are often portrayed as vulnerable or relatable. The protagonist many times is a girl who is left as the last alive and is usually more resourceful and cautions than all the other characters in the movie. To help the story develop, supporting characters are often added to the film but unfortunately more often then not, die.

    To help develop the tone of the movie, horror films commonly occur in isolated, eerie, or enclosed locations. For example, abandoned houses, remote cabins in the woods, and dark abandoned hospitals is the setting for many horror films. The lighting is usually poor to make the set more dark, enforcing the feeling of unease. The color schemes usually contains dark and muted colors, creating a gloom atmosphere.

    The structure of horror films is a three-act structure. First, the protagonist meets the threat. Then, they try to escape or defeat it. Finally, the protagonist and antagonist have a climatic showdown where the antagonist is usually defeated. Commonly the threat is revealed slowly to build suspense throughout the film. Horror movies also use many plot twists and misdirection so that the audience is kept guessing and the movie doesn't become predictable

    Horror films heavily rely on fear triggers such as survival vs. death, psychologic horror, and jump scares and tension. Survival vs. death refers to when the characters are in a high stakes encounter where their lives are on the line. Psychological horror from the potential for violence instead of physical threats. And lastly, jump scares and tension is caused by sudden, unexpected shocks that keep the audience in a constant state of alert. Some samples of films that fall under the genre of horror are, JAWS, Let the Right One In, and Alien.

Representation

In this blog, I have chosen to analyze the video game, Life is strange, for the representation within it.

Life is Strange is a game that tells a powerful story about two high school girls, Max Caulfield and Chloe Price, and the challenges they face. The game is really good at showing how different people can be, and how our identities are shaped by our experiences. It does this by focusing on how Max and Chloe are represented, meaning how they’re shown to us as characters, and whether they fit into certain types of characters, called stereotypes. By looking closely at Max and Chloe, we can see how the game challenges some of these stereotypes but also sometimes reinforces them.

Max Caulfield is the main character in the game, and she’s represented as a quiet, thoughtful girl who doesn’t really fit into the typical high school crowd. She’s an artsy photography student who likes to stay out of the spotlight. But what makes Max really interesting is her ability to rewind time, which gives her a lot of power over what happens. This is a cool way for the game to show that even though Max might seem shy and unsure, she’s actually capable of making really important choices. Max’s character is a good example of how Life is Strange avoids making her just another "quiet girl" stereotype. The game takes time to show her emotions and struggles, which makes her feel like a real person who’s figuring out who she is.

Chloe Price, Max’s best friend, is a very different character. She’s loud, rebellious, and has a punk style with blue hair, tattoos, and piercings. At first, it might seem like Chloe fits the stereotype of the "bad girl," but as the game goes on, we learn there’s more to her. Chloe’s behavior is influenced by the fact that she’s gone through a lot of hard things, like her father dying and feeling like she’s been left behind by Max. The game shows Chloe’s pain and vulnerability in moments where she opens up, showing that she’s not just wild for the sake of being wild—she’s acting out because of the hurt she’s gone through. This makes Chloe’s character deeper than just a stereotype, helping players understand that there’s always more to someone than meets the eye.

Even though the game does a great job representing Max and Chloe, there are some issues with how other characters are shown. Most of the important characters, like Max and Chloe, are white, and while there are a few characters from different backgrounds, they don’t get as much attention. Characters like Warren and Kate, who come from more diverse backgrounds, don’t have their stories explored as much, and they mostly just help out Max and Chloe. This is an example of something called othering, where people who are different don’t get as much focus in the story. The game could have done a better job at including more diverse characters and giving them important roles, but it still does a good job showing the complexities of Max and Chloe’s lives.

In conclusion, Life is Strange represents its characters in interesting ways, showing how people aren’t just their stereotypes. Max’s quiet nature and Chloe’s rebellious attitude are both explored deeply, giving players a chance to understand what makes them who they are. While the game could have done more to focus on different backgrounds and experiences, it still creates a touching story about identity, friendship, and tough choices.

Multimedia Representation:

This picture shows a peaceful moment between Max and Chloe, highlighting how different they are. Max looks calm and thoughtful, while Chloe looks more edgy and rebellious, showing their different personalities.

Sound Project

 Overview: In this project we were instructed to recreate the sounds that would be present in a scene spanning 1-2 minutes long. This project was to have no video and 4 of the sounds must be created using foley techniques.

During this project we learned what processes are involved in adding sounds to a film are. This includes the creating and editing of each sound and making sure they come in at the correct time to create a realist soundscape.

The approach we took to complete this project was to first brainstorm varying ideas of scene and remove the ones that wouldn't work for us. Once we decided on a scene we thought of the many different sounds that scene would contain. We then record the sounds we needed or found them in a sound database. Once all the sound was obtained, we used Premiere Pro to edit the sounds together.

Something that I felt we had done well was the editing of the sounds together. One thins that I felt that could have done better was the filming of the foley sounds. The sounds we created needed to be longer because when editing we had to copy the same sound over and over again and it sounded a little repetitive.

Below is the link to our completed sound project:

WongAwadalla_soundscape_per1.mp4