Knowledgeable –

risk-takers – being bold and making new things in film

principled –

balanced – viewing different genres and styles objectively and tying them in with your own

communicators- communicate their views and ideas through film

reflective – compare different ideas and themes in film to your own

caring – being compassionate to other people and their work

inquirers – question if other ideas align with your own views and vision

open-minded –

thinkers –

Knowledgeable – You might have to know about specific micro or macro elements to apply them to an analysis or a practical filming opportunity.

Risk-takers – To excel in a creative subject, being bold or trying something that has not been done can be crucial. Because creativity is essentially thinking outside of the box, taking a risk can be a form of art.

Principled – Having strong values can give you impactful ideas to attempt to put across through film. It may help you feel passionate and see hidden messages which relate to your own morals.

Balanced – Being able to view every genre or style of film objectively and in an unbiased way could be a useful tool. Balancing the types of media you consume can improve your own knowledge.

Communicators – When crafting your own film or story with a group, being able to articulate your visions in the form of strong communication could aid the process.

Reflective – Attempting to recognise when a creative choice has had a positive effect can improve work in the future. Just as being able to see something which has hindered your work can.

Caring – Being compassionate, both towards any peers on a ‘team’, or about the subject you may be analysing or handling in your own filmmaking could be a key aspect.

Inquirers – Looking into any subjects or ‘real-life’ characters you choose to include or analyse can improve the maturity with which you approach filmmaking.

communicators – they must be able to communicate different ideas.

reflective – they need to be able to look over their work and reflect in order to improve.

risk takers – to step out of your comfort zone and create something new.

open-minded – they need to be open to different ideas.

knowledgeable – they need understand the subject of what they are filming and actually how to film.

principled – always have good intentions.

caring – do not promote anything harmful or offensive

thinkers – they need to think of good ideas

inquirers – make the audience question things

balanced – have a balanced mind, don’t focus on just one thing. think about the whole production

Knowledge	Film Makers need to be knowledgeable in order to give an inside view and opinion with well thought out reasoning
Caring	A film maker needs to be caring towards the other community’s and ideas about culture
Reflective	A Film maker needs to be able to reflect on his work to make it the best of his ability
Thinkers	A film maker needs to be able to think about the different representation and genres portrayed in movies
Balanced	A film maker needs to be well diverse and take in all the ideas about films
Risk-Takers
Inquires
Open-Minded
Communicators
Principled

Communicators- Be able to communicate ideas.

Reflective- be able to reflect and improve their work.

Risk-takers- step out your comfort zone and create work you would not normally do.

Open minded- Be open and include different ideas to your work.

Knowledgeable-need to understand and research the subject they are filming.

Balanced- have a balance mind .Don’t focus on just one thing.

principled – have good intentions when filming.

caring-don’t promote anything harmful or offensive.

Thinkers- Think of new ideas.

inquires- make the audience question things.

Communicators – Most films are designed to communicate ideas like themes and morals

Knowledgeable –

Caring – A film maker can use the medium to raise awareness for social issues

Risk-Takers – A film maker has to take risks with the creative process to achieve a creative vision

Principled –

Reflective –

Inquirers – Some films can inquire about serious issues

Balanced – A film maker has to balance creativity with realistic standards

Open-minded –

Thinkers –

An IB learner will communicate ideas and thoughts on a film.

IB learners are open-minded when thinking about a film and how the directors created such films.

Film makers are risk-takers as not all films succeed so they take risks to hopefully allow a film to be a hit.

IB film students are reflective on how and why directors chose to go a certain way with their films rather than another.

Film makers are knowledgeable on how to create good films to provide entertainment to widescale audiences.

IB learners will inquire each other on their perspective of films.

Film directors are caring whilst filming as they show consideration to the planet and habitats.

IB learners are principled as they can state the right from wrong within a film.

Film makers ensure to have a balance between good and bad within a film.

Why Shrek is a good film

Shrek is a 2001 comedy movie in which we follow Shrek (Mike Myers), a big, green ogre on a quest
to get his swamp back from being overrun by fairy tale creatures who were evicted from their land
by the tyrannical lord named Farquaad (John Lithgow).
On his adventure he meets a talking donkey called Donkey (Eddie Murphy), who helps him find Lord
Farquaad and arrange a deal with him to get the deed to his swamp back in exchange for rescuing
the Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), who, after rescuing, he falls in love with. However, Fiona has a
dark secret, that will change both of their lives.
Although it’s a film primarily for children, there is phenomenal writing, being able to craft both
hilarious jokes and compelling drama and weave in positive messages, all with an edge of innuendo
to keep the adults entertained.
Shrek has many positive messages, in a time when prejudice and bullying are more prevalent, Shrek
teaches us that beauty isn’t always on the outside, diversity is important and should be embraced
and bullying is a sign of weakness. Just because you’re ugly, doesn’t mean you can’t be loved.
The animation has aged gracefully, without many of the growing pains that 3D animation was going
through at the time. It pushed the boundaries of CGI, so much so that it won the first Oscar for Best
Animated Picture.
The cinematography is excellent with amazing attention to detail. For example, at the start of the
movie, when Shrek is going about his day, there is a scene where he looks at a mirror and it smashes,
and Shrek is happy about it. However, during the Hallelujah sequence, Shrek finds that same mirror,
still smashed, and is sad.
The music is expertly implemented, with a jukebox musical approach while still creating an original
score that rivals even modern movies. There’s one thing that you may have noticed while watching
the movie, and that’s how the licensed non-diegetic music only plays when characters are ‘putting
on a mask’, whether for others or themselves, while the original music plays when the characters are
being who they really are. The only exception to this would be Donkey, which I think was very clever
to make him one of the two characters in the movie to sing diegetically.
I would like to mention the editing in one specific way, and that’s the editing in the Hallelujah
sequence. In this sequence, Shrek is sad and about to lose all his needs, and during the sequence
there’s constant cross-fades between shots to show how, while Shrek needs Fiona and Donkey, they
also need him. This is also contrasted with the opening ‘All Star’ montage, showing shots from that
montage in a new light because Shrek now realises how lonely his previous life was after
experiencing real bonding with the two people he’s just driven away.
In conclusion, Shrek is an underrated masterpiece that too many people write off as a meme

What makes a film “good”?

Film as a genre can be a form of simple escapism or it can be a way to inform and educate. A good film allows us to escape reality and transports us into another world, but it can also help us to see the world through someone else’s eyes and show us a world that we would not normally see encouraging empathy and awareness.

There are many key elements that make this possible. It all starts with a narrative. Films can be both simple and complex but still have the same impact.

The genre of the film whether it be a thriller that leaves you on the edge of your seat or a horror that you almost can’t watch; each genre has specific criteria, and each director has their own style. With good editing, cinematography and music a simple story can become something people can identify with.

Cinematography is one of the important elements as it shows us what we the audience should be looking at (or the director wants to see) and allows us to see things from the perspective of the characters. A good film should include different types of shots to imply meaning. For example, the iconic “what’s in the box” scene from se7en (1999 David Fincher). When filming the character of John Doe (Kevin Spacey), the director (David Fincher) chose to use a mounted camara so that the camera was steady and in control, symbolising John doe is in control of the situation. Whereas for the characters played by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, Fincher uses handheld camaras which are shaky and out of control. This is used to imply chaos and confusion.

Cinematography, however, is meaningless without editing. Cutting shots and putting them in the right order can be the make-or-break of a good film. It is essential that a good film is edited well as the film will run smoothly and make sense. Editing can also help to build tension; with lots of fast cuts it can create a sense of urgency and drama. As well as this when using more sustained shots it allows the audience to focus more and think about what they are watching.

No movie is complete without music and sound. A Good film should have a score that is instantly recognizable and that evokes meaning and emotion whilst helping to present key themes in a subliminal way. The music is an indicator to the audience on how they should be feeling. For example, the shire theme from the lord of the ring trilogy (2001-2003 Peter Jackson) is repeated throughout the film constantly reminding the audience of home and a safe place. The theme is changed throughout the film for darker moments using shifts in key which imbues a sadder tone. Music helps the audience to connect and invest more in the film.

In my opinion the best films are those that make the audience think and leaves them reflecting on them long after the films have ended and also those that Carry a hidden message and do not directly influence the viewer but instead allow them to make their own decisions.

Ben Elliott,

What makes a ‘good’ film?

A well written story with a great cast, impressive cinematography and a beautiful soundtrack; are all features that anyone could refer to when ranking a film, but what about a film’s influence? How does a film affect the people watching it? 

An example of a film that had an impact on the industry for good was ‘Citizen Kane’. Which utilized a new style for shooting film; this new style was further applied on future noir movies such as ‘Double Indemnity’. Great movies have the ability to change things; from how a person looks at the world, to how a director decides to shoot a film. 

For an audience; a film that affects them on a more complex and emotional level tends to be more memorable; which creates a conversation between the viewer and the film ( the viewer begins to search for answers to questions within the film ). A film could have a great story, and amazing cinematography, but without a connection to the audience and the film, it becomes meaningless. 

A personal example of a beautifully choreographed film would be ‘her’ (2013, by Spike Jonze). ‘Her’ is a journey for both the audience and the main character (Theodore), as the audience follows the story of a lost man going through a divorce; and finding solace in a new artificial intelligence installed onto his computer. A unique love story between an artificial voice and a man. Throughout the film the audience is given short montages from the past of Theodore’s colourful life with his ex-wife, whilst also showing how dull his present is. As the audience becomes more acquainted with the character they begin to develop an attachment which later develops into empathy for the character. 

Furthermore the film also utilizes the effect of cinematography; the shots of Theodore mainly consist of shallow focus and single shots in contrast to those around him, such as couples; who are always shown in two shots. The single shots signify his loneliness and detachment from other people. The use of shallow focus highlights his detachment from his surroundings; as everything around him is a blur. There are always reasons why a director chooses to film in such a manner; they use it to portray a deeper message, or to enthrall an audience.

What makes a good film? My summary would be that everyone looks at a film in a different way; one may favour a film’s use of cinematography, whilst the other could favour a film’s storyline more, but I believe that those two are meaningless without the audience’s attention and enthrallment to the film itself, so a film that works harmoniously with the audience; utilizing all aspects of the film ( not only the cinematography and storyline, but its message ) is what I would consider a ‘good’ film.