Genre Research: Movie Musicals

The first genre Leila and I researched was Movie Musicals. The information listed down below is from a previous assignment where we researched the elements of a movie musical.

Camera Angles, Shots, & Movements:
Angles: Most movie musicals are shot at eye-level but, there are some scenes where they are filmed at a high angle. High-Angel scenes include the actors and the background dancers during the huge musical numbers.

Shots: Camera shots in musicals are usually wide shots and medium shots. Occasionally, there will be close-up shots to emphasized the characters' expressions and emotions. This helps to develop the themes of  the scene taking place.  For instance, camera shots are focused in bright and upbeat musicals. There are a good amount of crane shots which allows the audience to put the main character into perspective with their environment. 

Movements: Most of the camera movements are pan and tracking shots. Since movie musicals are driven by music, cameras are choreographed to the follow the choreography. This creates a fluid nature and enhances the reality of the world musicals create. Camera movements are used to motivate coverage while remaining grounded to the narrative.

Mis-En-Scene:
Costumes, Make-Up, Props & Set Designs: Movie musicals have a variety of different Mis-En- Scene elements since they can take place in different time periods and locations. Usually, the costumes, makeup and props would match the time period the musical take. For instance, in Grease, most of the extras and Sandy would wear ankle-length skirts because that was the fashion in 1950s. Another example is the Greatest Showman.  In the shipping company scenes, the props are not as advance and had an industrial feel because it took place in the 19th century. Typically, the set designs are over-the-top and the color design is colorful and consists of warmer tones. The scenery of the location can transform the realistic picture into a dreamlike state. An example is Mamma Mia. In Mamma Mia, there were scenery shots of Greece to demonstrate the quaintness of the village and how traditional it remains. 

Lighting: In film musicals, high-key lighting is used to make the shot appear brighter and contain few shadows. This allows the scenes to have a bright, optimistic and cheerful tone. Another common lighting used in film musicals is low-key lighting. This lighting produces large, dark shadows within the frame. This creates a more serious and dramatic effect. The last common lighting is three-point lighting. Three-Point Lighting produces faint shadows which creates more depth in the frame. 

Acting: The acting is usually dramatized and amplified. During the climaxes or sad scenes, the acting would be over the top to create an impactful scene. For instance, during "On My Own" in Les Misérables, the voice-breaking and the attempts of the character to stop crying are amplified to impact the audience to have a sympathetic mood. 

Editing:
One of the main editing elements in musicals are parallel editing. This is done to show the main characters' expressions and emotions either in song or in normal dialogue. This is seen in Hairspray where Tracy and Penny are rushing to the auditions. Then, the shot transitions to the contestants getting ready and then back at Tracy running to the auditions. Another example of parallel editing is in Grease. During "Summer Nights", there is parallel editing between the Pink Ladies and the Thunderbirds where Sandy and Danny Zuko are retelling their summer experiences to their respective groups. Other main editing elements are zooms in/outs, jumpcuts and reaction shots. These editing techniques help emphasize the emotions a character is going through or symbolically show how a character is isolated. Jump cuts allow the dancing to be concise and look appealing because no one would want to watch someone dance for ten minutes. Reaction shots help develop the secondary characters' emotions and eyeline- matches help develop a character's experience. For instance,in High School Musical 2 and Hairspray, both the main characters look  up, then it cuts to the clock and then back onto them. This demonstrates the characters' boredom. There a significant amount of action matches because it transitions into a new scene while the dancing stays the same.

Sound:
Most film musicals use diegetic sounds and non-diegetic sound. This includes the singing, dancing, and the regular sounds created by objects. The non-diegetic sounds include the soundtrack and the narration of the film. Sometimes film musicals would use scores and the incidental sounds are used to enhance and dramatized the events. Songs are crucial for movie musicals because it aids in advancing the plot and developing  the characters. 

Elements: 
Musicals are the only genre that violates the classic narrative cinema. The main element is how characters express themselves through songs and dance. The audience can better understand the characters' feelings and personalities. This allows the audience to humanized the fantasized experience. Songs in film musicals help drive the plot and develop film's characters and themes.

Elements We Like: 

•In film musicals, characters must express themselves through song and dance.

•Songs in film musicals help advance the plot and develop film’s characters and themes.

•The film’s usage of Mis-En-Scene makes the audience experience the  musical’s world.

Elements We Do Not Like: 

•The themes of musicals are often optimist, happy , bright and unrealistic.

•Some musicals are overfilled with songs that  distracts the audience from the story.

•Some songs are unnecessary and can move the story through dialogue.

•Sometimes, the songs can be repetitive and sound similar. 

Examples: 

1) The Greatest Showman (2017)

2) Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)

3) Grease (1978)