FILM GENRE CONVENTIONS - SHOT PATTERNS BY GENRE
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ACTION FILM:
- Quick cuts between medium and close-up
- shaky cam for intensity (though often critiqued)
- Wide establishing shots before action beats
- Point-of-view shots during chases
- Slow motion for key impacts (bullet time, explosions)
- Cross-cutting between parallel action sequences
- Reaction shots after major moments

DRAMA:
- Longer takes, minimal cutting
- Medium shots for dialogue
- Close-ups for emotional beats
- Eye-level camera for empathy
- Natural lighting or motivated sources
- fluid camera movement following characters

HORROR:
- Slow pushes toward subjects (builds dread)
- Dutch angles for disorientation
- Point-of-view monster shots
- Darkness and shadow (limited visibility)
- quick cuts for jump scares
- Cluttered frames (visually busy, hard to see threat)
- found footage style (first person confusion)
- Close-ups on frightened faces

THRILLER:
- Tense close-ups during interrogation/revelation
- Cross-cutting for suspense (ticking clock)
- Long takes for sustained tension
- Restricted view (what character can't see, neither can audience)
- Over-the-shoulder shots for conspiracy feeling
- Dark interiors, limited lighting

ROMANTIC COMEDY:
- Soft focus for romance
- medium shots, warm color palette
- Tracking shots for meet-cutes
- Quick cuts for comedic timing
- Wider shots for comedic setups
- Match cuts on shared characteristics

SCIENCE FICTION:
- Extreme wide shots establishing alien/sci-fi worlds
- Clean, minimalist production design
- Blue/teal color grading common
- CGI integration with practical elements
- HUD overlays and futuristic interfaces
- Hero shots (dramatic subject introduction)

WESTERN:
- Vast landscape establishing shots
- Low camera angle (subjects against big sky)
- Foreboding compositions (threat in distance)
- High contrast black and white (classic era)
- Dust, weather as environmental storytelling
- Two-shot confrontations

FILM NOIR:
- Low key lighting, deep shadows
- Venetian blind shadows
- Rain and wet streets
- Voiceover narration
- Smoke and haze for atmosphere
-不对称 compositions (morally ambiguous world)

COMEDY:
- Two-shot setups for reaction
- Over-the-shoulder for conversation
- Wide shots for physical comedy space
- Quick cuts for visual punchlines
- Medium shots for character-based comedy
- Slow motion for emphasis (reaction shots)

WAR FILM:
- Extreme wide shots establishing battlefield
- Handheld for combat immediacy
- Close-ups of soldier faces
- Cross-cutting between battle and home front
- Desaturated color (gritty realism)
- High angle "god's eye" battle overview shots

MUSICAL:
- Choreographed movement in wide shots
- Integration of music and visual movement
- Jump cuts to close-ups for solo performances
- Dream/fantasy sequences in contrasting style
- Production numbers as emotional expression
