CharacterA character (sometimes known as a fictional character) is a person or other being in a narrative work of art (such as a novel, play, television series, or film). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, in which case the distinction of a "fictional" versus "real" character may be made. Typical characters that might appear within the genre.

Horror = monsters / supernatural beings.

CinematographyThe cinematographer or director of photography (DP) is the person in charge of actually shooting the film. He is the head of the camera and lighting departments, and as such he has a big role in the making of any movie. For example, the first half of the movie takes place before Guido’s family is sent to concentration camps. You can see in the frame below how the look is predominantly bright and colorful during this first half:

In contrast, the look of the film after Guido’s family is sent to concentration camps becomes predominantly darker and more monochromatic as shown in the frame below:

The difference in tone and feel are also rooted in the production design of these two shots. Notice that the first frame is more embellished with colorful and comic elements such as the rain, the red pillow, the car on the steps. Although the director has to approve of all these elements, the cinematographer can always recommend them.

IconographyIconology is used within film studies to describe the visual language of cinema, particularly within the field of genre criticism. Iconography is an important aspect of genre. We expect to see certain objects on screen when we see a particular genre, for example, in a western, dusty lonely roads, saloon bars, cowboy hats and horses, jails, sheriff’s badges, guns and etc. In a modern horror film, we expect young girls, ‘normal’ objects, use of dark and light, etc. these ‘genre indicators’ are called the iconography of the mise-en-scene or genre.

IdeologyIdeology is usually defined as a body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class, or culture which can influence people's beliefs and actions.

Audiences can interpret these ideas differently depending on the individual. Example is in sex in the city, it shows the ideology of women has changed over time as women have become more independent and have no limits on how successful they can be. However they still reinforce the dominant ideology of marriage being the ‘ultimate goal’.

Setting The context and environment in which a situation is set; the background. b. The time, place, and circumstances in which a narrative, drama, or film takes place. This includes the time, location, weather, culture etc. that gives the audience a fell for the film.

Sounds“Sound” refers to everything we hear in a movie — words, sound effects, and music. Sound is used in film to heighten a mood, provide us with information about the location of a scene, advance the plot, and tell us about the characters in the story. There are two categories of sound in film: Diegetic and Non-Diegetic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mjxnA4r_Rs – this sound is usually in a horror movie to show that something is going to happen. For example, when someone is going to die or something bad is going to happen. They usually use it also when something dramatic is going to happen like getting possessed by a demon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KmiQM5_Dj4 – this sound could be used to show that there is someone coming or something is going to happen. For example, the avenger, when they have a mission to solve, that type of sound comes and when they have aliens invading the country, you get that kind of sound.

Special effectsSpecial effects are visual illusions in a film or image, or the art of creating such illusions. An example of special effects is making it seem that a person is falling off a mountain and then making that person seem to scale back up the mountain.

Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, SPFX, or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the film, television, theatre, video game and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual world.

StereotypesA stereotype may be defined as a popular belief about specific social/ethnic groups or types of individuals and it is broadly standardized or simplified conceptions of groups based on some prior assumptions. The stereotypes sometimes can have negative or positive impacts on individuals. Portrayal of particular character with often exaggerated representation; often offensive and distorted. For example- the footballer, would usually bully people and would be the once that the girls are mostly attracted to.

The different types of stereotypes

Class clown

Prom queen and king

The footballer

The alone

Emo kid

Nerd

Book worm

Plastics

ThemesTheme in Film topic. ... S2 W2 AWL noun [countable] 1 subject the main subject or idea in a piece of writing, speech, film etc. The book's theme is the conflict between love and duty. Main/central/major etc. Theme Campbell has made health care a central theme in his campaign. The main subject that is being discussed or described in a piece of writing, a movie, etc. The quest for power is the underlying theme of the film. A constant theme in his novels is religion.

With its definitive themes of female empowerment and cultural appreciation, “Moana” inspires and enlightens audiences. “Moana” is a tale of the young daughter of a Polynesian chief who seeks to explore the world beyond her island in the Pacific and save her people in the process

Visual styleThe visual style of a film is what makes it unique and cinematic. Movie aesthetics can really help convey a story more convincingly to an audience. Directors can tell better stories if the wardrobe, hair, makeup, locations and sets, music, colour palette, lighting, camera movement, props and more are all telling the same story and are designed well.