TM- Genre Analysis

Chosen Genre

Our chosen genre is teen horror. This is a sub-genre of horror. The horror genre as a whole is designed to scare and provoke your worst nightmares. This selection of films does this in a quite brilliant but unique way.

• Scream (1996),
• I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997),
• I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998),
• Ginger Snaps (2001),
• Dead Silence (1998),
• Killer Instinct (2000),
• Spliced (2003),
• Freddy vs. Jason (2003),
• Serial Killing 101 (2004)
• Fear of the Dark (2002),
• Hangman's Curse (2003)
• Cursed (2004),
• Final Destination,(2000)
• The Hollow (2004),
• Predator Island (2005),
• Devour (2005)
• Jeepers Creepers (2000)

All of these films bring a new technique in to the horror genre. The films that I took specific technical styles from were;

Final Destination (2000)

This film is a sub-genre of horror, it is teen horror. The style which I like from this film is the flash back technique that is used. The girl sees into the future and the horror that unfolds but then it cuts back to her showing it was just a thought. I like this technique because is it is so simple to achieve yet so effective in creating mystery and enigma.

Jeepers Creepers (2000)

This is another teen-horror which involves to teenage friends that discover a room full of bodies. The man the made the room is a monster of some sort. The technique I liked is the costume that is used for the monster. He wears a hat which covers his face most of the time, only revealing it times of fear and loathing. This simple piece of costume creates tension by the mystery of his face. We don’t really know what he looks like.

Alien (1979)

This film is an alien horror which involves a team of people that find evil aliens that kill them. The technique I liked was the use of prosthetics in the form of the alien that jumps at your head. The alien looks slimy and horrible. The prop helps create the sickening feeling when you watch it. It looks so realistic, this helps create enigma within the film.

The Typical Narrative

The typical narrative of a horror film is having things that the audience can identify with. This could be a ghost or an alien for example. This helps create suspense and enigma by making the audience relate to the film. If the audience can relate it will be much more foreboding for them, believing that the film could really happen. There are a few techniques which could be uses for this; the techniques are in the characters thoughts and feeling, making the audience relate to them.

Stereotypes within the film

In a horror film there are many stereotypes used, this could be;

• The jock
• The nerd
• The popular girl
• The weird boy
• The rebel
• The nice guy

A big stereotype in a horror film is the “Killer in a mask”. The film which has used the killer in the mask is “Freddy vs. Jason”. A hockey mask has been used to cover Jason’s face. This creates suspense and mystery about the film. The mask has now become iconic with many films trying to recreate this piece of horror.

Setting

The setting in horror films is most of the time quite similar. The setting that is mostly used is the forest scene. This is very effective because there is a sense of alone and fear in woods. You are so rural; no-one can hear your screams. Another setting which is commonly used is the hunted or old house. These houses connote fear and loathing because of there history and because they generally don’t look welcoming.

Iconography

Visual – in horror films, an ordinary object is usually a centre focus for the terror. Ef a knife in the film “Psycho”
Aural – These are sounds such as creaking doors, footsteps or simply just the wind howling
Oral – These are noises from people e.g. a scream or a strange voice

Costume

The costume is much depended on the story or setting of the film. For example a cape and mask would create mystery in the film. This was apparent in the film scream. It makes the audience would to watch and see who is the killer. A school is very depended of costume. The people would be wearing school clothes or casual clothes. This really helps set the genre of a film. This film with the school would be a teen horror because of the characters and their costume.

Lighting

The lighting in a horror film could be crucial in the success of the film. The lighting should be dark and mysterious. The lighting really needs to set the moods and themes of the film. For example low lighting will help keep the secrets of the film. In the film “Jeepers Creepers (2000)” the lighting helps keeps the killer’s identity a mystery.

Colours

The colours in a film help connote certain things. The colour red for example only connotes one thing, Blood. The colour black also connotes evil and suffering.

SL - mood board

Feedback #1 CF

Well done - so far a very communicative and enthusiastic use of the blog. Use images where possible and finish off the technical analysis with the two questions, however a great start.

TM -Technical Analysis- Ginger Snaps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx0smKQtG6A
The film starts off with an establishing shot of a big housing estate. There is distant a distant sound of wind. It then cut to another shot of the housing estate. The shot has now pinned in on a few houses suggesting this is where we are going. Medium close up of a sign saying Bailey downs and in the background there is a field, a tracing shot is then used to move past the sign and into the field allowing the viewer to see a house. The wind noise is still in the back ground.

There then a cut to a garden fence where the camera pans left allowing us to see the garden. Wind noise has stopped. There is a barking sound in the back ground. The camera stops on a boy who is digging in the sand. A mid shot is used. The camera cuts to the mum racking the leaves with the sound to match. A handy cam is used so follow the mother to put the leaves into the bin bag. Sound of the leaves going in the bag, with a close of her hands putting the leaves in. It then cuts to the child in the sand pit looking at his hands, a mid close up is used. He then puts his hands to his face and blood is reviled by his nose.

Then there is a pan up on the mother to show her still putting the leaves in the bag, then shows a mid shot her face. A handy cam is used again to show the mother walking towards the child looking please with what she had done. Distant noises are used in the background to create an ominous tension. A Tracking shot is then used to show something moving toward the back of the child. We know this is the mother. A medium long shot is used. It then cuts to show the mother behind the child smiling. We can now see the blood on his face. The same distant noises are still playing in the back ground. There is then a mid shot of the mother looking at what is in the child’s hand.



Then cuts to show the child’s upper body and the mothers arm reaching for what’s in his hands. We then see an animal paw within a mid shot. A low string instrument it’s then used while she has the paw in her hand. It then turns into a high pitch sting instrument. This is used to create tension.. a mid shot of the mother picking the child up is then used. There is then a long shot through a metal fence of the two people giving it a sense that someone is watching them. The distant high pitch sting instrument is still playing. It is now joined by the wind noise again. There is then a mid long shot of the mother holding the child.

The music then gets louder and there is a reaction shot of her face. As the music reaches its peak we are now are a mid close up of the mother and son. She then lets out a long high pitched scream. A crane movement is used to go along the floor and uncover the dead dog lying on the floor. The crane movement then continues to show a path of blood coming from a hole in the wall. The music has intensified and the women still screaming. The crane action continues into the hole where it cuts to the title sequence. The music stops and changes into an eerie distend song. In the title sequence there is a black background with white font. A mist of blood is behind the writing.

The Soundtrack

The sound is very prominant in the film Ginger snaps. I helps so create enigma by the low key tones used. The distant noises of wind and howling really creates tension. The acting and mise-en-scene dont necessarily connote horror at the start, it is the music that helps create the asmosphere.

My thoughts

This technical analysis work has helped me understand how many shots go into a film, In just 2 minutes there is so much to see and write about.

GD: Technical Analysis - Scream

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFCStOMqpfk&feature=related

1. The film starts with the opening credits. The screen is black when you hear the sound of a telephone ringing followed by a loud "bang" noise. After this the sound of girl screaming is heard while the the word "Scream" in a blood red appears contrasting against the black background the word then starts to increase in size and starts to blur with the screaming still in the background which is stereotypical of a horror film. There is a close up of the phone shown with the girls hand going to pick it up after it starts to ring. The shot then cuts to a close up of the girl talking to the mysterious man on the phone, she puts down the phone and walks away into a different room but rather than the camera following her the camera stays in it position and we Drew Barrymore's character walking away from the shadow from the french windows. An establishing shot is then used to show the location of the house while outside you can hear the repative drone of the crickets you can also hear the creaking of the rope swing with which gives the location a sinister feel to it. This shot also let the audience know that this is set in the night as it is dark and thi again starts to create tension. The camera then moves to the inside of the house, we then hear the phone ring again and then hear the the convosation between the girl and the man on the phone, the camera is filming at a medium close up we can also hear the non digetic sound of the popcorn will the girl is on the phone. The camera then pans around the island in the kitchen and follows the girls movements. A medium close up is still being used when the girl pulls a knive out of its block which is followed by the noise of the blade scraping. A close up shot is then used to show the expanding popcorn packaging on the oven hob along with the black iron kettle. As the girl walks through the house the camera is following her at this point she is still talking on the phone about horror movies which is when we see her locking the doors as she walks past them. While the camera is following the girl it never changes from a mid shot. She then puts the video in the VCR player which is when the creepy man says the iconic line of the movie, "I want to know who I'm watching" which is when the eerie music which is associated with horror movies begin and the medium close up becomes a close up to show the girls reaction to this threatening line.

2. The costume used in this opening sequence would be easy to replicate as we only see one character who is wearing casual tracksuit bottoms and oversized jumper which is appropriate as she is home alone about to watch a scary movie with comfort food (popcorn). The location of the house is rural and this becomes apparent after the establishing shot at 1:03 as well as when the girl is on the phone to the unknown male he sales how that it would take to long for the police to get here to save her. The house also has a large number of windows or large glass doors which helps to build tension as you are anable to see anything but darkness through them but the audience are almost expecting something to happen behind them.

3. There are only ever 2 layers of sound happening at one time whether it be the noise of the popcon and the phone ringing or the sound of the knives scraping the block and the girl speaking. This is possibly done so that that all of the audiences attentions are focused around the phone call which is becoming more sinister as it goes on. Whenever the phone rings rather that letting it simply fade into the background it has been made louder because the director wants you to imediatly understand the importance of the phone.

4. From this technical analysis I have realised that there are far more shots in an opening sequence than I originally thought at that the opening sequence has to catch the audiences attention in the first couple of minutes otherwise the rest of the film may not have as big impact as wanted. Also from this analysis I have realised that in a horror film that it doesn't not rely on a fast cutting rate to create tension.

SL- Technical analysis - the eye

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wVU8CRESp4

A black screen fades to an establishing shot of grass and trees outside in the dark with an eerie noise in the background. It then fades to black again and we hear a loud noise almost like a gunshot. An image fades in from black of someone running in the dark and then quickly flashes back to the black again. This is repeated twice with eerie music. The black then fades to a rundown house with a child shouting and ‘BRUJA’ is written on the house in red connoting danger, blood or death. It then fades to black again and then becomes light as there is a MCU of a light bulb and a hand reaching up to turn it on. The light bulb sways and we can hear the ‘clunking’ sound of the light bulb and a boy still shouting. It then fades to black again. There is a close up of an object however it is not clear to see what it is and there are voices murmuring in the background. A MCU of someone’s feet are seen with the shadow of their legs on the ground and we can hear a voice whispering. It fades to black again and there is another ‘shot’ sound then the picture of the grass and trees is shown again except there are 3 boys this time. Ominous music is played and we see the boys shouting and throwing objects. It then fades to black again and then to a panning shot of the back of someone’s head and the sound of glass breaking. It then fades to black and then again to the boys outside throwing things and shouting with the sound of glass breaking. It cuts to a wall with a shadow of someone’s head and shoulders and then fades to black again. The children fade back in and we can still hear them shouting, see them throwing things and hear the diegetic sound of glass breaking. Handheld camera shots are used as the camera movements are jerky as we see the boys still throwing things, however not as clearly as it seems misty and the picture is unclear. It fades to black yet again and then a mid-shot of someone’s hand picking up wires with the crashing and shouting noises still in the background. It fades to black again and then a close-up of someone’s hands fiddling with some wires and the background noise becoming fainter and sounding like echoes. It then fades back to black. We then see a worms-eye-view mid shot of a chair and someone moving it and then standing on it seeing only the bottom of their legs and feet. It then cuts to a close-up of a pole and someone’s hands wrapping wires around the pole with the echoing crashing noises in the background and the sound of the person grunting and struggling. It then cuts to black again and then a MLS of a window with cobwebs fades in and we just hear a quiet ominous sound. It fades back to black again. We see a mid-shot of the person’s foot on the chair and can again hear the crashing in the background. It zooms in to a close-up of the foot and then fades back to black with shrill music and then the same window is shown again with a crash in the background. It then cuts to an XCU of a girl’s face looking terrified and crying. We can hear her crying and the shrill music is still playing. It then quickly cuts back to the window but with a faint, strange and ghostly looking figure in front of the window and then again quickly cuts back to the girls face and back to the ghost and window again. The ghost screams and jumps towards the camera baring its teeth and it then cuts to a worms-eye-view of bricks and the chair being thrown with the sound of a crash. It then cuts to black again and becomes quiet with some eerie music in the background. Credits then start in white on the black background.

The main aspect of this opening that i found interesting was the transitions as these were done by fading to black and then to another location or something/someone in the same location. This darkness created tension and increased the pace creating an unnerving atmosphere.

SL - Genre analysis images