Genre Research: Level 16

In the film, we noticed extreme close-up shots of surveillance cameras, pills,  face wash. We believe that all the elements that had a close-up foreshadowed something significantly dangerous for the characters in the movie. We noticed high and low angles that portrayed dominance and weakness between the characters. For example, there was a high angle of the headmistress forcing a pill down each of the girls' throats.  When the girls were captured in the camera shot it was a high angle showing their defenselessness.  We noticed a wide shot of many girls sitting down that revealed clutter and limited space in the surrounding of the characters. 

Throughout the film, there were many elements of mise-en-scene. There were many costumes. For example, there was a doctor costume for a character who was the main medical personnel for the characters. There are also costumes that were formal in black. There was a black costume for security guards and one for the headmistress showing a somewhat contrast to the children who are wearing white dresses showing innocence. Throughout the song, there was low-key lighting the whole time.  The color design was dull and there were multiple flickering lights and small amounts of light. There was a large amount of aggressive speech and angrily facial expressions shown by the actors. Also, there was light makeup on most of the actors. The protagonist did wear bright makeup with red lipstick. Was also makeup used to make bruises. Props like pills, medical names, water cups, food chains, needles are used throughout to symbolize the danger and harm we believe. The film is set in a prison-like home or school.

In the movie, there was a gigantic sound of screaming in a scene where a girl found something unpleasant. There was also dialogue throughout the whole movie between different characters. The film also had the use of digestive music of a doo wop song in a beginning scene that created contrasting emotions for the audience and for us. Also throughout the whole movie, there was rising instrumental music that was non-diegetic creating suspense and feelings of uncertainty throughout.

Common editing techniques that were used in the film level 16 included jump cuts. Jump cuts were used in this film to create a fast pace, specifically when the girls portrayed in the movie were trying to escape at the very end to go outside for the first time and avoid getting hurt. Action matches were also utilized to give a  sense of continual motion between shots and a connection. In the movie, an action match occurred when the main character by instinct knew how to protect herself and incidentally hurt her friend, here the audience can make a connection to the beginning and ending scenes. Shot reverse shots were also placed in the movie, they showed conversations that the main character was having between other people. We noticed that the director was trying to reveal the different ways that the main character reacted to different conversations with different people. 

Some elements that are the overall genre of thriller that I saw in this movie was the use of extreme close-ups and close-ups. Also a bird's-eye view and doll makeup. I also saw the use of dark and welcoming colors on the main antagonist and the use of lighter colors on one of the protagonists. I also found the use of low-key lighting and diegetic screaming sounds in the film.

I found that the close-up and extreme close-ups appealed to me. I found those shots very intriguing and noticed that they are trying to show an important element in the movie that controls the characters in some way like for example in the film it had an extreme close-up of pills and it showed their danger towards the girls in the movie. I also liked the use of the shot-reverse-shot in the film which showed the different reactions that the antagonist had to different conversations. 

The use of fake weapons as props and bloody makeup did not appeal to my group and I. We find it too graphic and unpleasant. We think that unpredictability and suspense can be created in a way that does not need to include blood or weapon props.