All time favourites 

Best picture: Howl’s Moving Castle

Best director: Ari Aster 

Best actor: Adam Sandler, Hugh Grant 

Best actress: Anne Hathaway

Did you find this an easy or hard question to answer? Why do you think this is?

I found the question challenging to answer because there’s still so many things I haven’t watched yet. You also find it’s hard to determine something as ‘best’, when ‘best’ can be subjective.

Oscars 2020

Best picture: Parasite

Best director: Bong Joon-ho

Best actor: Joaquin Phoenix 

Best actress: Renée Zellweger

Why are the oscars so important for the film industry?

The popularity of the Oscars brings positive attention/success to films and actors, a boost in sale ratings and they are honouring tradition. 

What makes a film ‘good’?

Justify your answer by referring to aspects of both the macro and micro elements featured in your film

(400-500 word)

The main goal of making a good film is to tell a good story, tell it well and leave some kind of impact on whoever views it. Directors use a variant of different elements to create their story and achieve this aim, including macro and micro elements.

Micro elements are the smaller details that make up films. These include editing, cinematography, sound and mise en scene. Cinematography includes the skills of camera angles and movement, certain choices with the camera (lenses, filters special effect use, lighting, etc) to portray certain ideas. For example, you could use a panning shot to showcase a landscape and give the audience an idea of the setting. Sound is used in film can be used to create an atmosphere and enhance the experience of watching a scene. During a scene in a horror/thriller that is meant to be frightening, certain music or sound effects build the tension and can be used to amplify the fear from audiences. Sound is also used in the form of dialogue to provide context to what is happening in scenes, for modern audiences to understand.  Mise en scene describes what is actually on screen, in the shot. The visuals of the setting, props, costumes, etc. Used for visual storytelling. certain visual clues may give the audience an idea of what’s happening, or what is going to happen. For example, a bright and sunny beach setting may suggest a more positive scene, as we tend to associate good weather with good connotations. Finally, editing. Including the organisation of time to demonstrate the flow the director has chosen, to create a reasonable storyline. 

Macro elements are the larger themes in film storytelling. These include genre, messages and values narrative, style, and theme. Genre describes categories of similar films (e.g, horror, action, comedy, romance, thriller, etc..). Meaning films in these categories will have similar features. For example, jump scares and scares in horror movies. Narrative allows for a smooth, structured story-line throughout the film, often creating a clear beginning, middle and end. Messages and values are the core values at the center of a film, where perhaps the characters go on an adventure just to learn a certain lesson that the director wants to teach the audience. films can sometimes be effective teaching methods in getting across ideas to large audiences.

Different directors will have varied styles when it comes to how they create their films, which gives their creations individuality and keeps films interesting. 

All of these different techniques can be used together for good storytelling, and to achieve the idea of a ‘good’ movie.