Genre Research: Jumanji: The Next Level

  For further research on movies under the fantasy genre, one of the three movies we chose was Jumanji: The Next Level. 

Some common camera angles, movements, and shots that were used in this movie were that they started off their sequence by zooming out to display the company name and logo. They also started the film with a wide shot to display where the first setting will take place before zooming out to show a character. this was followed by a series of zoom-ins in different settings in which every other character was introduced before the story progressed. Tracking shots were also used when characters were in a hurry and had to move quickly before anything bad happens and panning was also used for when one of the characters had fallen from a plane and rolled to a stop at a desert. A zoom-out movement was then used to show the setting followed through with a close-up on the people's faces to show their reactions to the unnatural world.

Common lighting, acting, makeup, props, and setting that were used were things such as an inhaler that indicated that the main character had anxiety. Some costumes used were thick clothing to show it was cold at the time of the story. For the fantasy genre specifically, props such as glowing jewels or unknown objects were used that were specifically unique to this movie and were a major factor in terms of the plot. Unnatural scenery that wouldn't normally be found in the modern world were also used such as old villages set on fire that were thriving due to a glowing jewel that was correlated to the sun, helping crops grow.

A lot of unique sounds were used within this movie. To start off, the movie began with dramatic music, and then there was Christmas music in the background. This movie used a lot of suspenseful music to raise tension. There was this very specific sound that was made solely for this film where every time it was played, the feeling of anticipation would rise. Once in the game-world, when the characters fell, a loud echoing stomp was put into place, showing how the character had super-strength compared to when she was her real self before getting sucked into the game. A lot of sudden loud noises were also incorporated for the element of surprise and voiceovers were used to provide exposition to the story.

A bunch of editing was involved in the making of this film. To name a few, the movie used special effects when the characters were sucked into the game. What appeared to be green flames surrounded them and made it seem like the people were disintegrating. This is most likely the use of a green screen. Blue screens were also probably used because an ostrich was also edited into a scene in the desert. One of the characters was also attacked by the ostrich, and the movie edited their death by making it seem like they dissolved before spawning back to life.

One common element seen in this film was the incorporation of the extraordinary and magic. We can see that there was this mystical green flame that absorbed the characters into the game. Then, later the same characters were transported into a game where they had to survive and make it out of the game by accomplishing the objectives. The use of magical objects was also seen, as the main objective of the movie was to retrieve a glowing orange jewel to save a village.

Elements we like and would like to use are the creation of magical objects. Since our film will be able the involvement of magical objects with the characters' names written on them, it would make sense to use this specific element.

Elements we would like to avoid are using difficult editing to add magic to our film. While it is an interesting aspect, it would be quite hard to successfully incorporate it into our film.