Drama:
The drama genre is a staple in the film industry that has produced the most iconic films in history, drama stories focus on the social interactions between characters and the way the actors portray the emotions and personalities of their respective characters and how they interact with the circumstances they are put in.
An important feature of the genre is to be able to move the audience emotionally and connect with them in some way. This is one of the most distinctive and renowned features of drama films. Drama is known for being more "serious", meaning it takes on more mature topics and usually includes little to no comedy. Although mixed with other subgenres can create comedic situations.
Drama heavily relies on actors being able to accurately portray emotions and more than other genres because drama cannot rely on other aspects such as action scenes or comedic relief to further appeal to audiences.
Horror:
The horror genre is my personal favorite but can be hit or miss with some audiences due to its strong themes. The first horror film was published in 1896; named "Le Manoir du Diable" it was not intended to be scary, but it pioneered the genre and introduced special effects which later evolved into the make-up and effects used in modern day horror films. Horror films utilize tension created by the mise-en-scene to make the audience feel uneasy and anxious and connect with the characters in the film by triggering a sense of fear.
Tension is crucial to the horror genre as it builds up to a scare in the form of a jump scare, a quick visual followed by a sudden harsh sound effect to use the tension that has been built up to frighten the audience, or alternatively can be maintained to keep the audience in a constant state of anticipation and anxiety. This genre can be controversial at times as it is known to include occultism. Additionally, horror is known for its "shock value" utilizing obscene and explicit visuals to provoke a reaction from audiences. An example of this would be showing an extreme amount of blood, or fake gore to make the audience feel disgust.
Thriller:
The thriller genre is like the horror genre but has some clear differences that distinguish the genres. Thriller often includes action scenes mixed with extreme suspense to keep its audience on edge and anxious throughout the run time of the film. One aspect that is a keystone of this genre is its pacing; thriller films are known for their rapid pacing and quick scenes, usually through multiple characters' points of view.
Additionally characters are often put in high stakes situations, for example, "The Long Walk" a film from 2025 based on the Stephen King novel by the same name, the characters are not allowed to walk slower than 4 miles per hour and if they slow down they are killed. This film serves as a notable example for multiple aspects of a thriller film apart from placing its characters in a high stakes situation but also by showing a menacing atmosphere with its mise-en-scene.
Thriller uses tension but unlike the horror genre, in thriller films the tension is manipulated to create a sense of dread and stress, thriller is not known to have many jump scares, so tension is usually maintained the prolong the anxiety felt by viewers.
Reflection:
After researching these three genres that interested me the most, I will take into consideration which will be best suited for my portfolio. Drama is least likely to be chosen due to the fact that to accurately make a good film opening being able to act out emotions is extremely crucial and honestly that would make the casting process tedious and I would like to avoid the hassle, although drama would require the least mise-en-scene and editing as it does not require tension in the same way as horror and thriller require.
currently I am leaning more towards thriller as I feel it will be the most interesting to film with my current experience and I will still be able to still make a good film opening that accurately uses all aspects to convey the plot to an audience efficiently.
Additionally, this began my research stage which will be important to prepare for filming and processing and will allow me to stay on task and not run into informational issues to where I am not informed of an aspect of the genre, editing, or filming techniques.
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