Exploring & Appreciating the World of Film

There are many films and TV series which are exceptional examples of visual storytelling and the Internet Movie Database IMDB is a comprehensive database, which is a useful reference for exploring the world of Film and Television. The IMDB provides information such as a short film synopsis, cast, crew, awards nominations and trivia for many thousands of films.

It also has a number of lists such as the Top 100 and 250 movies (as rated by IMDB users), as well as guides to the top films in the major genres and suggestions for other films that you may like; based on your browsing habits. 

Activity 1: Use this link to visit the Internet Movie Database’s Top 250 Movies list:  IMDB Top 250

From this list, select 10 films that you have not seen, but are interested in viewing. Be adventurous; choose films from genres that you may not normally watch. Ensure that you select films which are an appropriate age rating.

1.	The Dark Knight
2.	Back to the Future
3.	Interstellar
4.	Gone Girl
5.	The Martian
6.	12 Years a Slave
7.	The Imitation Game
8.	The King’s Speech
9.	Shutter Island
10	The Matrix

Activity 2: Select 2 of your favourite films and complete the following information about each one: 

Information	Film 1	Film 2
Title	10 Things I Hate About You (1999)	Grease (1978)
Genre/s	Comedy	Musical
Director	Gil Junger	Randal Kleiser
Writer/s	Adapted from The Taming of the Shrew	Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey
Cinematographer	Mark Irwin	Bill Butler
Editor	O. Nicholas Brown	John F. Burnett
Lead actors	Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik	John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John

Activity 3: Select 3 of the following directors and list 4 films that they have directed:

James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Ang Lee, Rob Marshall, Christopher Nolan, Yimou Zhang, David Fincher

Complete in the Table below:

Director	4 Film titles
1. James Cameron	Avatar, Titanic, The Terminator, Aliens
2. Steven Spielberg	ET, Jaws, Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park
3. David Fincher	Gone Girl, Fight Club, The Social Network, Panic Room

Activity 4: From the list of genres below, select any 5 and complete the table. 

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime and Gangster, Drama, Epic/Historical, Horror, Musical/Dance, Science Fiction, War (Anti-War), Westerns.

Hint: To find films belonging to these genres look on the right side of the Top 250 Link

Genre	5 example films belonging to this Genre	List some common elements used in these genres; (consider elements of Mise-en-scene, Cinematography, Sound (Effects and Music) and Narrative Conventions i.e. typical scenarios or characters).
Horror	The Babadook, Halloween, The Exorcist, Psycho, Scream	Villain after the victim, usually a weapon involved, low-key lighting, use of shadows, little/no music to build tension then dramatic music at the climax, canted shots, close ups to show expressions.
Science Fiction	Star Wars, Alien, The Terminator, Blade Runner, The Matrix	Often set in the future or another world, use of special effects, futuristic props and costumes, scientific advancement, usually good vs bad storyline, close ups used to show the technologies
Action	The Dark Knight, Avengers, Kick Ass, Casino Royale, Spider Man	Plot is focused on conflict between characters, physical action is a major part of the film - includes stunts, fights, races, etc., use of fast editing.
War	Schindler’s List, Pearl Harbour, American Sniper, Downfall, Paths of Glory	Often shows the bad side of war, with the fighting being the main idea or background of the film. The lighting is quite low as war is portrayed negatively and colours such as blue. Props and costumes are usually the typical army uniform with props such as guns, etc.
Crime and Gangster	Casino, Unthinkable, American Gangster, Lethal Weapon 4, Heat	Often uses the film style of film noir, colours are often in black and white, set in the 1900s, femme fatale, film often revolves around a criminal/the detective, low lighting, use of shadows, canted shots.