There are several theories about the Horror genre focusing on why we are attracted but also repulsed by them.
The Philosophy of Horror (Noel Carroll)- His main idea is that we are both attracted by Horror and Gore but also repulsed by it but can't help looking. An example of this is Vampires we fear them yet fancy them like in the film "Twilight" pretty much every teenager was attracted to the main vampire yet feared his family and his powers. Mainly we can't stand watching the film however can't stop watching as we don't want to miss anything.I agree with this theory even though i'm scared of Horror films when they are on i can't help but look because im attracted to it as i want to know what is going to happen to the characters.
"Visual pleasure and Narrative cinema" Laura Mulvey- Her big idea is "Male Gaze" in horror films, us as an audience are positioned in the male eye as if we were spying on the female we sympathise with the protagonist yet we are seeing them from the killers point of view for example in Halloween. However there is a shift from seeing through the killers eye to the final girls allowing the audience to see different point of views. I have noticed in films such as Halloween at the beginning we as a audience are looking through the eyes of the killer suggesting that we relate with parts of the killer but at the end we are looking through the eyes of the final girls suggesting that parts of us are actually good and that we are all vulnerable.
"The Shadow" Jung- The Shadow is a projection of all we fear and dislike onto a external but it can also be parts of us for example "the monster" in horror films is all the worst parts of us that we try to hide. I relate to this theory as when we are watching the film us as the audience are watching through the killers eyes.
Carol Clover- Argued that horror films offer teenage male viewers to revel their feminine side due to seeing the killer through the eyes of the female which is rarely done but during the final girl it allows males to identify with a triumphant female protagonist who saves the day instead of a male. So a genre that is seen by must people as "sexist" due to women being the target for the killer and shown as weak isn't actually sexist after all as the female saves us all from the killer. This theory allows us to see a different side of the Horror genre instead of the stereotypical way.
Adam Lowenstein: His idea is "spectacle Horror" as the genre uses a combination of special effects, camerawork, gore music etc. as the genre is able to be as unrealistic as it wants to be and over the top this creates a medium about appreciating the editing and special effects of the genre and not just the dark storyline. As something amazing about the genre is that it needs to be able to build up tension so that the audience are on the edge of the seats to prepare them for the "monster" as without this it wouldn't be as scary.
Monday, 7 November 2016
Conventions of Horror
Conventions in genre is where that specific genre typically do things. Ad genres develop they start to have specific conventions that each film in that genre have. In the Horror genre the main storyline is based around "Good VS Evil" due to there being conflict between the protagonist and antagonist however each sub-genre of this genre have conventions as well for example "Slasher" the main basis of this sub-genre is that there is male figure going around stabbing women who are typically portrayed as being rather promiscuous. However the protagonist female at the end of the film is portrayed as being "pure" character who saves the day.
Other conventions of the Horror genre:
Mise-en-scene:
Colours- Typical colours used in Horror films are red and black as they have connotations of danger and death therefore suggesting something bad is going to happen to the audience.
Costumes- Characters typically wear "normal" clothing to make the film more realistic and scary but in "slasher" films the character that is portrayed as a "slut" is shown to wear much shorter skirts and dresses compared to the character which is portrayed as the "virgin" which is seen wearing less revealing clothing.
Lighting- Typically the lighting is typically dark to represent danger but also there is a use of flickering lights to create tension of something bad is going to happen. Horror films also use shadows to reveal a part of the villain without revealing too much.
Location- The location is horror films is typically old towns or abandoned houses which are quite isolated from other people meaning there would be no-one around to help. In addition in films like "the women in black" and "Blair witch project" the towns are quite old-fashioned and behind in time.
Time of day- Typically the film will be film during night time as we all know that everything evil comes out during this time as we are more vulnerable and less alert. Which comes back to our child-hood as must of us were scared of the dark due to there being monsters coming out to get us. There is less filmed during day time as we are more alert during this time and its less likely anything will come out to get us during this time.
Props- Horror films typically focus on weapons such as knifes instead of guns for props due to a knife being much more personal and scary then a gun which is why Slasher films typically have the antagonist using a knife to kill. There is also a focus on religious items in paranormal horrors such as bibles and crucifixes to warn off demons and ghosts.
Sound:
There is a use of non-diegetic music in horror films to build up tension and keep the audience on the edge of their seat as anything can jump out at any time. The music becomes more intense and faster when the antagonist is coming closer and something bad is going to happen. Without the music the film would be less dramatic and scary because there would be no build up.
Characters:
children- Horror films like to use children as we typically see them as "innocent" however in horror films they twist this especially in paranormal films as children are typically the ones who become possessed.
virgin- Slasher films like to use the idea of a "virgin" who will save the day and kill of the antagonist.
Slut- Slasher films also use the idea of a "slut" who gets killed off at the beginning of the film.
Clowns- Again Horror films like to take something which we see as innocent in our childhood and twist this to make it sinister and evil. As the audience won't suspect it.
Iconography:
- Jump scenes are a key feature used in Horrors where there is a intense build through non-diegetic music which builds up getting much quicker and intense which makes the audience on the edge of their seats. This is used in "Psycho" during the shower scene.
-Paranormal films typically have abnormal and unusual things taking place which we wouldn't typically see in our everyday day lives. This maybe items moving around, slamming doors and people being dragged.
- In modern day Horror films they typically focus on "the fear of the unknown" as this is what must of us fear as we don't know if its real or not for example ghosts and the paranormal.
Other conventions of the Horror genre:
Mise-en-scene:
Colours- Typical colours used in Horror films are red and black as they have connotations of danger and death therefore suggesting something bad is going to happen to the audience.
Costumes- Characters typically wear "normal" clothing to make the film more realistic and scary but in "slasher" films the character that is portrayed as a "slut" is shown to wear much shorter skirts and dresses compared to the character which is portrayed as the "virgin" which is seen wearing less revealing clothing.
Lighting- Typically the lighting is typically dark to represent danger but also there is a use of flickering lights to create tension of something bad is going to happen. Horror films also use shadows to reveal a part of the villain without revealing too much.
Location- The location is horror films is typically old towns or abandoned houses which are quite isolated from other people meaning there would be no-one around to help. In addition in films like "the women in black" and "Blair witch project" the towns are quite old-fashioned and behind in time.
Time of day- Typically the film will be film during night time as we all know that everything evil comes out during this time as we are more vulnerable and less alert. Which comes back to our child-hood as must of us were scared of the dark due to there being monsters coming out to get us. There is less filmed during day time as we are more alert during this time and its less likely anything will come out to get us during this time.
Sound:
There is a use of non-diegetic music in horror films to build up tension and keep the audience on the edge of their seat as anything can jump out at any time. The music becomes more intense and faster when the antagonist is coming closer and something bad is going to happen. Without the music the film would be less dramatic and scary because there would be no build up.
Characters:
children- Horror films like to use children as we typically see them as "innocent" however in horror films they twist this especially in paranormal films as children are typically the ones who become possessed.
virgin- Slasher films like to use the idea of a "virgin" who will save the day and kill of the antagonist.
Slut- Slasher films also use the idea of a "slut" who gets killed off at the beginning of the film.
Clowns- Again Horror films like to take something which we see as innocent in our childhood and twist this to make it sinister and evil. As the audience won't suspect it.
- Jump scenes are a key feature used in Horrors where there is a intense build through non-diegetic music which builds up getting much quicker and intense which makes the audience on the edge of their seats. This is used in "Psycho" during the shower scene.
-Paranormal films typically have abnormal and unusual things taking place which we wouldn't typically see in our everyday day lives. This maybe items moving around, slamming doors and people being dragged.
- In modern day Horror films they typically focus on "the fear of the unknown" as this is what must of us fear as we don't know if its real or not for example ghosts and the paranormal.
Allan Cameron- Modular Narratives
Allan Cameron came up with the idea that contemporary cinema uses complex narratives to operate this trend which started in the 1990s within popular cinema. Modular narratives " articulate a sense of time as divisible and subject to manipulate.
He identified four types of Modular narratives:
-Anachronic
-Episodic
-Split Screen
-Forking path
Anachronic narratives- this involves flashbacks but also flash forwards making the story chaotic and not in order.
Episodic- A narrative is a story which is told through a series of episodes and segments. The episode is normally ended with a cliff hanger so that the audience want to watch the next episode as they want to know what is going to happen next. This is typically used in soap operas as they consists of a series of shorter tales throughout each episode and this story is carried out through each episode.
Forking Path- This is where the story shows two alternative endings which shows the different ways that the story could of gone if there were small changes to the story line.
Split Screen- This is where the screen is divided into two frames which allows two stories to take place at the same time which allows the audience to understand what is going on and gives them more information.
He identified four types of Modular narratives:
-Anachronic
-Episodic
-Split Screen
-Forking path
Anachronic narratives- this involves flashbacks but also flash forwards making the story chaotic and not in order.
Episodic- A narrative is a story which is told through a series of episodes and segments. The episode is normally ended with a cliff hanger so that the audience want to watch the next episode as they want to know what is going to happen next. This is typically used in soap operas as they consists of a series of shorter tales throughout each episode and this story is carried out through each episode.
Forking Path- This is where the story shows two alternative endings which shows the different ways that the story could of gone if there were small changes to the story line.
Split Screen- This is where the screen is divided into two frames which allows two stories to take place at the same time which allows the audience to understand what is going on and gives them more information.
Friday, 21 October 2016
Introduction to a narrative
A narrative structure is about two things the plot is the basic structure of beginning, middle and end which is obviously shown to the audience. Whereas the story is something that the audience would have to figure out for themselves and it isn't explicitly shown. The narratives explores the conventions of the genre, character, form and time which forms the basis of a story.
Linear structure: There are several different narrative structures in films. A linear structure is a basic structure that we see in films its where it has a beginning (where the audience is introduced to the characters and story), a middle (where the events of the story build up) and finally a end (this is the closure of the film).
Open structure:
A open structure follows the same rules of a linear structure until the end of the film there is no closure letting the audience to wonder what happens next and are left to make sense of it for themselves. Soap Operas follow this structure as it will make the audience want to watch the following episode as they want to know where the stroy-line will go next shifting from each character with several different story-lines.
Closed Structure:
This is where there is a definite ending and clear conclusion for the audience with 'the end' to complete the story. The time is compressed to fit into a typical length of a film which is around 2 hours and it's not in 'real time'.
Circular Structure:
Linear structure: There are several different narrative structures in films. A linear structure is a basic structure that we see in films its where it has a beginning (where the audience is introduced to the characters and story), a middle (where the events of the story build up) and finally a end (this is the closure of the film).
Open structure:
A open structure follows the same rules of a linear structure until the end of the film there is no closure letting the audience to wonder what happens next and are left to make sense of it for themselves. Soap Operas follow this structure as it will make the audience want to watch the following episode as they want to know where the stroy-line will go next shifting from each character with several different story-lines.
Closed Structure:
This is where there is a definite ending and clear conclusion for the audience with 'the end' to complete the story. The time is compressed to fit into a typical length of a film which is around 2 hours and it's not in 'real time'.
Circular Structure:
This is where the narrative begins at the end often with a climax to begin with. This allows the audience to be taken back on a journey and the film finishes in the same place.In other words it is filling in the blank for the audience. A example of a film that uses this structure is "Pulp Fiction" the narrative is told out of chronological order and follows three interrelated stories. It begins in the diner and finishes there also making it a circular structure.
Friday, 7 October 2016
Stages of genre development
The stages of a genre developing is a long process. The Horror genre developed in the 1930s from Gothic Horrors like Frankenstein. However, the genres seminal/pro-type were films like "psycho" which was made in the 60s. These Slashers started the tension building that you see in Horrors, even Horror films today still use the style seen in these films for example the basis of a Slasher film is that a man goes around killing several girls which are seen to be "slutty" and the final girl is a "virgin" this all started from "Psycho".
The Classic Horrors are "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th" these films aren't typically scary but do have some jump scares. They are Classics as they follow the typical conventions of Horror films from the Protypes. Even though these Horrors aren't seen as typically good or scary they have contributed to the genre and have made what is it today.
Next are the Revisionists these Horror films reference to the old protype however make it more interesting and fun as the genre starts to get boring after the classics. These are films like "Scream" it has a lot of reference to "psycho" which is seen as the first slasher film however I feel as if "Scream" is much scarier and modern but still follows some conventions but also going against some allowing new sub-genres to emerge.
Parodics are which typically take a film from the classics and revisionists and pretty much make it into a comedy which isn't really that scary for example "scary movie" which is taking influences from "scream" but making it funny and it is very over-exaggerated.
Finally, there is a Hybrid which is where two genres combine for example Horror and Sci-fi this allows the film to be much more interesting and different from stereotypical horror films. An example of a film that has both genres is "The FLY" which again combines horror and Sci-fi. I think this is more interesting as it harder for the audience to predict what will happen.
Auteur Theory
Auteur Theory is theory of film making that holds that a film reflects the directors personal creative vision. This relates to directors of Horror films for example Alfred Hitchcock "Psycho" in his film he used a variety of jump cuts to create tension in the shower scene with non-diegetic music over the top to add to this tension building to make the viewer be on the edge of their seat. Hitchcock style is classic due to his tension building style being used in a variety of slasher films like "scream".
Another example is Brian De Palma "Carrie" in the scene where carrie has pigs blood poured over her he uses a variety of effects like slow motion, split screen and kaleidoscope.You could say that his style is very over the top compared to other directors. It looks as if he is trying out every editing technique however it works in this specific scene due to Carrie being completely embarrassed in front of everyone and she gets extremely angry and these techniques showcase this.
In my own short film i will showcase my own creative vision by using editing techniques,costumes and without using too much dialogue.I will use styles and themes that i have seen in other horror films by different directors.
Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Imom
Imom is a short film directed by Areil martin and in her words it is "A dark look into the black mirror of a society where technology has exceeded humanity". This short film relates to the Horror Genre as it shows how technology has taken over our life's and how we rely on it too much, the film showcases what would happen if we had robots to care for our children instead of us.
What I like about this short film is that it isn't typically "scary" however its more realistic on what would happen in the future if we rely too much on technology. It has themes of religion running throughout as the child has to read Matthew 7:15 from the bible which states " 15Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?…" which relates to the iMom as she seen as being "pretty" and wearing normal human clothes which relates to her as being seen as sheep however from the inside she is actually a wolf and dangerous. As at the end we find out that she cooked the baby instead of the chicken. I really like this idea as we may believe technology is helping us and good for our world however its turning us lazy and it is dangerous as we don't the possible outcomes of technology.
In addition from the start of the film there is a graphic match of the baby and the chicken which is showcasing what will happen at the end of the film. But also the mum calls her baby "chicken" which led the Imom to do as well however there was a power cut during this which made her confused and thought the baby was a chicken. Which again shows that we cannot rely on technology because no matter how advanced it will never be as smart as the human mind and there can easily be problems with technology.
I like the style of horror short film as it is relating to issues that we face today and how the next generation are being brought up with technology and relying too much on it which is actually quite scary as we don't know what will happen in the future.
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