Genre Research: Fantasy

Fantasy is one of the three genres that appeal to us for a variety of reasons. Not only does it give us a unique perspective of a different world, but the way it can be developed is vastly interesting. 

Common camera angles, movements, and shots that are common in many fantasy movies are wide-angle and crane shots (also known as the bird's-eye-view). Wide shots and bird's-eye-view shots give a clear perspective to the setting being used in the film. Movements such as panning or tracking are also used when giving a sense of perspective of fantasy characters as well.

Common Mis-en-scenes within fantasy movies include various types of lighting. Lighting usually sets the mood of a scene which can be incorporated as such: harsh lighting with a strong contrast gives a clear depiction between good and evil, soft lighting gives a warm and pleasant feeling, and shadows display discomfort or tension-inducing scenes. Colors are also something utilized in this genre. For example, The Lord of the Rings movies uses cool blue and earth tones to give it the feeling that a story from a book had come to life. Other times, very bright colors are also used to give a more surreal look such as in Alice in Wonderland. The use of custom-made costumes is also a common element within fantasy genres. Movies like the Harry Potter series have unique uniforms to represent each school: Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beuxbatons. Utilizing normal props for unusual reasons is also a common factor, like in Harry Potter, people use brooms to travel. 

Editing in fantasy movies is a huge factor compared to other genres. Usually, there are fictional creatures that don't normally exist in our world. There's also the use of supernatural abilities which are done using green/blue screens. For example, in Harry Potter, there are people who have the ability to shapeshift into their respective characters. This would require a lot of editing, especially when done in action scenes. 

Sound and music are also uniquely incorporated in fantasy movies. Usually, there are special instruments used for different movies to fit within the world. The Lord of the Rings uses an Irish flute to provide for a more ethereal feeling and in Harry Potter, the instrument of the celeste provides a sense of wonder. 

Examples of fantasy movies include The Lord of the Rings, the Harry Potter series, and Alice in Wonderland.

Elements of the fantasy genre that we like are the use of editing to display magical scenes and incorporating special props that fit into the world. We definitely enjoy the editing when it comes to fictional creatures but that would be difficult and take a while to learn how to do properly. We would utilize unique props and stick to smaller edits for magical action.

Elements of fantasy that do not appeal to us are the overuse of colors. It may be creative, but it can be too much on the eyes and cause the audience to lose focus on the main plot point. We would stay away from the use of too much color and excessive editing as well since it would take very long to successfully edit a fictional creature into a scene.