Genre Analysis

Hi guys,
Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I have been mega busy!
Clare and I have finally come up with a name for our film. It's called Open World.
We thought it is a appropriate title because it suggests that the world is falling apart.
We started filming our opening today (yay!) so hopefully I can post the film up on here soon.

Anyway, I had to analyse our film in terms of genre.
I hope it will be some use to you.

Open world-Film Language

In terms of genre, Open World is identified to be a post apocalyptic/mockumentary film. This is signified by the fact that the world is exposed to terrible things (e.g. global warming, carbon monoxide in the atmosphere), thus calling the film Open World. Mockumentary is present in this film by interviewing characters to give the audience an idea what has actually happened. There are many theories to how the apocalypse came to be. However, we do use the element of Deus ex Machina to the ending, which would make the audience more satisfied and comforted but we do not tie up all the loose ends. This gives hope to the characters futures and the audience can question how the world could recover. I believe that this is the best way to end a storyline because so many films end with every aspect of the plot sorted which I believe is overrated. I think it is healthy for audiences to make assumptions to a plot. This does not mean we would make a sequel.

This film is based on the common fear of our world ending unexpectedly. It is a great time to start this project because of the whole subject of the apocalypse starting on 21^st December. The film is going to repeat again and again on the subject of how the apocalypse happened which will create fear amongst the audience. We use innovation of nuclear technology and we also use a resolution to round off the story. Our relationship with audiences will be strong because subjects like Global Warming can be related to. Also, the idea of humans trying to build a new civilisation is effective too as it brings some promise to the damaged world. Using techniques like handheld and whip pans to create tension, this fits perfectly with the genre. In terms of mise en scene, we set the opening in a deserted field which suggests the world is aliened because of the apocalypse.

Our ending appears to be slightly predictable because the audience are expecting that the characters escape. However, it does not fully cater for the audience’s expectations. Unlike most films, it does not tie up all the loose ends of the plot but would you want everything to be sorted out in a post apocalyptic film? It is quite unusual to do that. The film is not completely out casted in terms of familiarity. There is a happy ending, which is a very common element in films but the subject of how the apocalypse happened is unexpected. If the apocalypse did happen, would everyone in the world know how did happened? It would be unlikely. So, in a way by doing this the film is quite realistic. This allows our film to adapt to its genre instead of being fixed to one category. Without our film evolving, it would not seem as interesting and different compared to other post apocalyptic films. One could say that it is an independent film in the sense that it would have low production costs (just like a classic English film) but that is not a disadvantage. Low production films stand out of the crowd and with any luck, Open World will too.