Genre? Again? Yes.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I plan on going with the film promotion package for my portfolio project this year. The second hardest part is now developing the story I want to use. I'm going to stick with my tried and true process from last year: working broad to narrow. Meaning, I will start with choosing the genre (broad) first and working on developing any story ideas I have from there.

This year I want to do something different. The science-fiction idea from last year was a blast, and I was extremely proud of my concept. However, this year I want to challenge myself a little more.

Option 1: Romance

One genre I typically do not seek is the Romance genre. I don't really have a reason for it, I don't hate romance, and I'll definitely sit down to watch a romance film if it's put in front of me. When it comes to romance trailers, I think the tropes are perfectly embodied in the trailer for The Notebook (2004), since it is the most "romance-y" romance film.

Tropes for this genre include: narration, slow "romantic" music, grand gestures, introduction to a plot trope (love triangle in this case), and little to no footage from the conclusion of the film.

I think a significant perk of choosing a romance genre is that the trailers seem almost formula-like, and the conventions are not hard to spot out and differentiate from others. 

Option 2: Fantasy

I loved fantasy films growing up, not as much as science-fiction, but I found that the idea of completely new worlds was so entertaining. I would get entranced in these worlds, like Bridge to Teribithia, and even create playground games based off of these worlds with my friends. Another reason I am gravitating towards this genre is because of how much more creativity I feel like I would be able to have. One of my hobbies is playing around with makeup, and this is something I wasn't able to incorporate in my last project, so being able to work with that in this medium would also be fun.

Tropes for this genre include: voiceover narration, special effects, suspenseful music, a high focus on intriguing color palettes, a magical villain, and text to further the narrative.

My main obstacle and reasoning for not settling with this genre is the use of special effects, which are integral to creating these fantasy worlds to look realistic.

Next class, I will be talking within smaller groups of my peers to get their feedback and hear about their progress; perhaps they will have some insight in to what would be best for me.