Film styles and the types of styles for shooting a film
Film styles refer to the techniques used by the film director to create a frame or a shot. It can include a range of things, such as the dialogue, the lighting, editing, and attitude. All humans have different perceptions of the same event or pictures or film. This means that no two directors can come to the same conclusion.
What are the types of film styles?
The most popular film styles that are and have been commonly used over time, are film noir, German expressionism, Italian neorealism, arthouse, sci-fi, and documentary.
Film Noir
This is best explained by the style of Film Noir. Film noir is the style of Hollywood movies from the 1940s and 50s, with an emphasis on sexually motivated scenes and cynical attitudes. The films are usually low key, black and white movies that have been derived from the crime fiction that was popular during the Great Depression years.
German Expressionism
German expressionism is generally defined as the rise in popularity of rejection of Western conventions with the depiction of reality that has been greatly distorted for an emotional response of the audience.
This type of film uses a few techniques that are common in this style such as:
- Mise-en-scene and heavy atmosphere
- Realistic details of artificial sets
- Long shadow effects
- Set details and placements, creating an emotional response to the scenes.
- Evoking a sense of mystery playing on emotional stress
- Paced slower than other movie styles.
Italian Neorealism
This style is generally characterized by stories that are based on the working class and steeped in poverty, that are filmed on location using non-professional actors to create the perfect shot.
Arthouse
Many studies are unwilling to invest money into niche productions which may not make a tidy profit. This type of movie is usually independently made and produced outside the regular and major film studios.
Sci-Fi
This type of filmmaking style utilizes speculative and fictional depictions of unaccepted phenomena such as extraterrestrial lifeforms and extrasensory perceptions.
Documentary
These films have a narrator who is guiding the audience through the film, along with interviewing people who are relevant to the subject of the documentary.
Film styles are described as particular techniques used by certain directors and cinematographers, but it also may be explained as a group of filmmakers from the same area and time period. These are the main styles of filmmaking and one can study further into each
, as each has various elements that can be expanded. Researching film styles is interesting with the various aspects and literature that are available for reference.